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WHL Victoria Royals

Royals Trim 2022-2023 Roster Following 20-Year-Old Cut-Down Deadline

October 12, 2022 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Victoria Royals News Release


Victoria, B.C. - The Victoria Royals have trimmed their roster for the 2022-2023 season, naming forwards Riley Gannon, Caleb Willms and the recently acquired Jake Poole as the three 2002-born players on their current roster. The announcement comes on the heels of today's WHL 20-year-old cutdown deadline, after which all WHL teams may only carry a maximum of three 20-year-old players.

As a result of the cut-down deadline, defenceman Anson McMaster and goaltender Campbell Arnold were made free agents.

Both Arnold and McMaster were multi-year veterans of the WHL, playing in nearly 200 games combined over the past five seasons.

Arnold was originally a draft pick of the Spokane Chiefs in 2017 and would be acquired by Victoria at the beginning of the 2021-2022 season. The Nanaimo, BC native appeared in 66 games during his five-year career from 2018 to 2022, 29 of which came as a member of the Royals.

Meanwhile, McMaster totaled 129 career appearances between the Winnipeg ICE - who selected him in the second round of the 2017 NHL Draft - and Victoria from 2019 to 2022. The Siksika, AB product was acquired by the Royals from Winnipeg in a trade last October and would appear in 49 games for the team over the past year.

Royals General Manager and Head Coach Dan Price offered his thanks for the hard work and professionalism both players displayed over their junior careers:

"On behalf of the Royals organization I want to sincerely thank Campbell and Anson for their contributions to the team and to the community of Victoria and Vancouver Island," said Price. "They both played an important role here and their leadership and citizenship were superb. As with the other 20-year-old players before them, including recent graduates like Shane Farkas, Will Warm, Gary Haden, Matthew Smith, Adam Evanoff, Brandon Cutler, Graeme Bryks, Evan Patrician, Bailey Peach and Tarun Fizer, they've left a legacy here. They are, and will remain, respected Royals alumni."

The team also announced the reassignment of forward Igor Zborovskiy to the Calgary Canucks of the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL). The 2004-born forward appeared in 32 games for the team last season.

The new-look Royals will be back on the ice Wednesday night as they host the Kelowna Rockets at 7:05 pm for game two of a midweek set at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre in Victoria. Tickets are available at selectyourtickets.com.

Follow the Royals on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, TikTok and visit victoriaroyals.com to find out more about ticket sales and to learn the latest news about the team.

Season Tickets Are On Sale Now

Season Ticket packages for the 2022-2023 season are on sale now. Benefits include access to our flexible "Never Wasted Ticket" exchange policy, first opportunity on giveaway items, choice of best seats, and much more! Call our ticket office at 250-220-7889 or send an email to tickets@victoriaroyals.com for more info or to set up an appointment to view availability.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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