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WHL Victoria Royals

James Patrick Named Director of Player Development

August 23, 2023 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Victoria Royals News Release


Victoria, BC - The Victoria Royals are pleased to announce the hiring of James Patrick as the new Director of Player Development. Patrick brings a wealth of hockey experience after spending the past six seasons as the Head Coach of the Kootenay/Winnipeg Ice franchise. In his new role with Victoria, Patrick will shift his focus from behind the bench to the player development department. Patrick's arrival further exemplifies the Royals enhanced emphasis on player development as his primary responsibilities will be assisting in developing future National Hockey League players.

The Royals continue to invest in the Hockey Operations department, as the Club progresses with its off-season of change, having brought in several new minds to help forge the future of the franchise. James Patrick joins Vice-President of Hockey Operations, Joey Poljanowski and Associate General Manager, Jake Heisinger as major hires ahead of the 2023-24 season.

"We are very excited and fortunate to have James join our hockey club" said Jake Heisinger, Associate General Manager. "James has had a positive impact on countless players over his time in the WHL and will be a great resource for Royals players as they pursue their hockey careers."

The product of Winnipeg, MB,. has shown brilliance throughout his career which has spanned over 45 years across the hockey world. Patrick has demonstrated a tremendous track record of success in player development, as he played an instrumental role in the development of five first round NHL draft picks in his six seasons coaching the Ice franchise.

His playing career started in 1979-80 with the Prince Albert Raiders (SJHL) before he continued on to play two seasons of collegiate hockey with the University of North Dakota (NCAA). He was selected ninth overall in the 1981 NHL Draft by the New York Rangers. Patrick represented Canada on several occasions on the International stage including the 1982 and 1983 World Junior Teams. He would also suit up for Canada at five separate World Championships throughout his career and appeared at the 1988 Canada Cup and 1983 Spengler Cup.

Professionally, Patrick was a mainstay in the NHL between 1983 and 2004 as he appeared in nearly 1,300 games split between the New York Rangers, Hartford Whalers, Calgary Flames and Buffalo Sabres. He would accumulate 639 points over his time in the league where he became a fan favourite in each destination. He would wrap up his professional career overseas in Germany during the 2005-06 season with the Frankfurt Lions (DEL).

His transition into the Hockey Operations side came at a rapid pace as he joined the Buffalo Sabres just one season after retiring from his playing career. He was announced as their assistant coach during the 2006-07 season. Patrick would spend the next seven years of his career with the Sabres before moving on to the Dallas Stars where he served as an assistant coach between 2013-2017.

Following his time coaching in the NHL, Patrick turned to the WHL. He was named the Head Coach of the Kootenay Ice ahead of their 2017-18 season. He stayed with the franchise for six full seasons in which he helped develop the team into a powerhouse across the CHL. As the team relocated to Winnipeg from Kootenay, Patrick helped the team boast a 166-49-8 record over their four seasons in the Manitoba capital. Patrick was named the WHL Coach of the Year during the Ice' 2021-21 season as he led the team to a 53-10-5 record and to the Conference Finals. The Ice would follow up that success the following season as they reached the WHL Championship in 2022-23.

Patrick and the Royals are just under a month away from their season opener as they open up the 2023-24 campaign on the road with a matchup against the Vancouver Giants on September 22.

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