Latest news with #VictoriaRoyals
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Eight Flames Prospects With Potential To Change Calgary's Destiny
One thing is for certain: The Flames system is loaded with talent. But here are my eight prospects of the Calgary Flames that I believe will take Calgary to new heights in the forthcoming seasons. Also shown are their likelihood of making it to the NHL: Highlights - Third-overall pick for the Victoria Royals in the 2022 WHL Draft - Named assistant captain for the 2024-25 season - Scored 26 goals and 66 assists for 92 points in 62 games with a rating of +42 -Recorded the second-highest number of power play assists amongst draft prospects - Also scored 25 points in 11 games in the playoffs - Scored three goals and seven points in five games enroute to a gold medal in the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup - Produced five goals and eight points in five games while winning the U18 World Championships - Committed to University of North Dakota for the 2025-26 season Highlights - Scored the most goals (33) and most point (96) by a defenceman enroute to being named OHL Most Outstanding Defenceman and to the 2023-24 OHL First All-Star Team - Named CHL Defenceman of the Year and to 2023-24 CHL First All-Star Team - Topped all defencemen in goals (33), assists (74) and points (107) in the OHL enroute to being named to 2024-25 OHL First All-Star Team and CHL First All-Star Team - Scored a goal in his debut game on April 17, 2025 against the Los Angeles Kings - In line to being a full-time player in the 2025-26 season Highlights - Scored 24 goals and 51 points in 44 games for the USHL Sioux City Stampede in the 2024-25 season. His 1.16 points-per-game was the sixth-highest for players that had played at least 44 games - Named to USHL All-Rookie Second Team - First recipient of the Gaudreau Award, an award in the USHL given to the player who best embodies the legacy of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau - Committed to Quinnipiac University for the 2025-26 season Highlights - Named to 2023 U17 World Hockey Challenge All-Star Team - Produced 82 points in 68 games in the 2024-25 OHL season for Ottawa and Sudbury. His points total was the third-highest amongst defencemen - Recorded the second-highest number of power play assists (34) after Parekh (38) - Scored seven points in five games enroute to a gold medal at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup - Scored seven points in seven games enroute to a gold medal at the U18 World Championships - Committed to University of Michigan for the 2025-26 season Highlights - Scored 20 goals and 38 points in 35 games for UMass in the 2024-25 NCAA season. His points total was the second-highest on the team - Will be playing for the AHL Calgary Wranglers in the 2025-26 season Highlights - Scored the most goals (36), assists (43) and points (79) by a rookie in the 2024-25 QMJHL season for the Shawinigan Cataractes, earning Rookie of the Year Award, Offensive Rookie of the Year Award and being named to the All-Rookie Team - Named to CHL All-Rookie Team - Will be playing for the AHL Calgary Wranglers in the 2025-26 season Highlights - Scored 32 points in 70 games for Wranglers in the 2024-25 AHL season. Was the second-highest scoring defenceman on the team. - Will be staying with the Wranglers for the 2025-26 season Highlights - Scored 22 goals and 51 points in 40 games with a rating of +22 for Djurgardens IF in the J20 Nationell league in the 2024-25 season - Produced a playoff-high 16 points in nine games enroute to a championship - Scored five goals in seven games, winning a silver medal at the 2025 U18 World Championships - Drafted by the Seattle Thunderbirds 54th overall in 2025 CHL Import Draft
National Post
28-06-2025
- Sport
- National Post
Flames draft high-scoring centre Cole Reschny
The Calgary Flames are searching for future difference-makers at the centre position. Article content They think Cole Reschny fits the bill. Article content Article content The Flames selected Reschny with the No. 18 overall pick in Friday's first round of the 2025 NHL Draft. Article content This talented teen from Macklin, Sask., racked up 26 goals and 92 points in 62 outings this season with the Victoria Royals, finishing ninth in the Western Hockey League scoring race. Article content Article content He found another gear in the playoffs, with nine tallies and 16 assists in 11 spring showdowns. Article content 'Good western boy,' beamed Flames general manager Craig Conroy on the broadcast. 'We're looking for centres, so we were hoping he was going to be there and, sure enough, we got a break.' Article content He is listed at 5-foot-11 and 183 pounds and has a lefty curve on his stick. Article content Scouts have praised Reschny's playmaking skills, his hockey sense and his tenacity. He won 56.4 percent of his faceoffs this winter. Article content
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Flames draft high-scoring centre Cole Reschny
The Calgary Flames are searching for future difference-makers at the centre position. They think Cole Reschny fits the bill. The Flames selected Reschny with the No. 18 overall pick in Friday's first round of the 2025 NHL Draft. This talented teen from Macklin, Sask., racked up 26 goals and 92 points in 62 outings this season with the Victoria Royals, finishing ninth in the Western Hockey League scoring race. He found another gear in the playoffs, with nine tallies and 16 assists in 11 spring showdowns. 'Good western boy,' beamed Flames general manager Craig Conroy on the broadcast. 'We're looking for centres, so we were hoping he was going to be there and, sure enough, we got a break.' Reschny, who was part of Canada's golden group at the World Under-18s, has committed to the NCAA's North Dakota Fighting Hawks. He is listed at 5-foot-11 and 183 pounds and has a lefty curve on his stick. Scouts have praised Reschny's playmaking skills, his hockey sense and his tenacity. He won 56.4 percent of his faceoffs this winter. The Flames are slated to select again at No. 32 overall. wgilbertson@
The Province
31-05-2025
- Sport
- The Province
Victoria Royals lose two top players to NCAA's North Dakota — what's next for WHL?
Centre Cole Reschny, 18, and defenceman Keaton Verhoeff, 16, are the latest players to give up multiple years of junior to go the U.S. college route, taking advantage of new rules Get the latest from Steve Ewen straight to your inbox Victoria Royals centre Cole Reschny gave up multiple years of junior eligibility to join the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks in the fall. Photo by LARRY MACDOUGAL / The Canadian Press Jeff Marek's Thursday podcast that broached the idea of junior teams finding sponsors to pay star players sounded a little over the top. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors A day later, it became less far fetched. On Friday, the news broke that Victoria Royals centre Cole Reschny, 18, and defenceman Keaton Verhoeff, 16, were both giving up multiple years of junior eligibility to join the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks in the fall. Reschny could winding up going in the first round of this summer's NHL Draft, while Verhoeff might be a top-five selection in 2026. The Royals won the WHL's B.C. Division this past season and looked to be continuing in the right direction. How they regroup after Friday's news is anyone's guess. The NCAA announced in November that it was opening up scholarship opportunities to players from Major Junior leagues like the WHL for the coming season and the buzz around 17-year-old phenom Gavin McKenna of the Medicine Hat Tigers making that move started up instantly. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The Tigers play the London Knights for the Memorial Cup national title Sunday in Rimouski. McKenna could hoist the most prized trophy in junior hockey in this country, and moments later be asked in a media scrum about whether he's leaving for the American collegiate system. Various junior hockey people over the season have concurred that McKenna was in play to go to the NCAA, but they treated it as him being an outlier, the very tip of the top one per cent of players in the WHL. The thinking was that collegiate teams would want graduating 20-year-olds and the odd 19-year-old, in large part because they recruited players of that age when the Junior A ranks were their main feeder. Junior hockey's biggest selling point is the chance for fans to watch draft eligible players and world junior team candidates. Guess what? The NCAA isn't any different. There will be no better marketing for North Dakota than when Verhoeff is one of the first few names mentioned two drafts from now. And NCAA programs like North Dakota believe those high-end youngsters can compete against 22- and 23-year-olds. Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Reschny and Verhoeff would have been in the top-five per cent of WHL players this coming season. There have been other underage players declare for schools as well. How deep will the NCAA end up taking from when all is said and done? Ten per cent? Will it get to 20 per cent? I asked Cecchini how the CHL could keep players from going the college route and what I got from the QMJHL Commissioner was an answer I never considered. — Jeff Marek (@JeffMarek) May 29, 2025 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. This new way of life for hockey development was a topic on Marek's The Sheet podcast earlier in the week, when QMJHL commissioner Mario Cecchini was a guest. Marek asked Cecchini point blank whether the teams in the QMJHL, WHL and OHL should consider paying players. 'Well, right now we have a student/athlete status, so we have to be very, very, very careful about that,' Cecchini said. 'But there are sponsoring possibilities. So the teams right now, as we speak, cannot pay them directly, but can a local automotive dealer sponsor a player directly? That's doable and that's possible. That's within the framework that we live in. That's where we may want to turn our hats. 'It's probably one player per team at most. Call them a franchise player, for example, for a term that we know well in sports.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The irony is that they'd have to get it approved by the NCAA so that players can keep their college eligibility. You would think the NCAA would oblige, considering that they're doing exactly that with their Name Image Likeness (NIL) program. For hockey, this a major rethink, and hockey rarely has been one for major rethinks, and that includes in junior. The WHL went from 72-game regular seasons for its teams to 68-game ones in 2018-19 and that proved a much debated endeavour. For decades, the pitch to players from teams in the WHL was that they had a schedule similar to an NHL one, and that got you ready for the next level. The thinking is different now. Fewer games means more time to work on your skills, more time to work on your body in the gym. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The Boston University Terriers, with Vancouver Canucks defence prospect Tom Willander helping to lead the way, went to the NCAA championship game as part of their 40 total games this season. Medicine Hat's showdown with London Sunday will mark their 90th game of the campaign. There's also the matter of facilities. North Dakota's Ralph Engelstad Arena features a 1,400 square foot altitude chamber added to its weight room arena in 2021. That's an extreme, but it gives you an idea of what the WHL teams are now competing against. They'll need to find a way. Junior-aged CHLers who have committed to the NCAA for next season: • Malcolm Spence (2025)• Cole Reschny (2025)• Kristian Epperson (2025)• Lev Katzin (2025)• Luke Misa (CGY)• Henry Mews (CGY)• Clarke Caswell (SEA) And the flood gates haven't even opened yet. — Cam Robinson (@Hockey_Robinson) May 30, 2025 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'For me, North Dakota was top-of-the-line,' Verhoeff told the Grand Forks Gazette. 'It's professional in every aspect of the training, the day-to-day, and the opportunity I was given there was too good to pass up. 'I checked out a couple of other schools. After looking at all the other great programs and schools, North Dakota is the one that spoke to me and I felt at home there.' Verhoeff, who turns 17 in June, is a 6-foot-4, 212-pound right-handed shot and had 21 goals and 45 points in 63 regular season games with the Royals. He finished his high school commitments early. The Athletic's Scott Wheeler had him at No. 5 in a 2026 mock draft he did in April. The 5-foot-10, 187-pound, left-shot Reschny put up 26 goals and 92 points in 62 regular season games with Victoria. Elite Prospects has him at No 22 in its consolidated rankings for this year's draft, led by a No. 13 from TSN's Craig Button. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Left-shot McKenna, who's 6-foot and 165 pounds, tallied 41 times and recorded 129 points in 56 regular season games with the Tigers. He then supplied nine goals and 38 points in 16 regular season games. He's, of course, the consensus projected No. 1 pick for 2026. One-time Canucks forward Byron Ritchie is McKenna's family adviser. He told Postmedia back in March that the NCAA was definitely an option, explaining how he worried about McKenna jumping from the WHL to the NHL after next season, which is what is expected. 'Going from playing 2009s, 2008s and 2007s (16- to 18-year-olds) if he stays, to playing the following year against men who are trying to feed their families and where every puck battle is life or death,' Ritchie said. 'It's a massive step from the Western League to the NHL. Can you ease that transition by having him playing next year against 22- and 23-year-olds?' @SteveEwen SEwen@ News BC Lions Local News Vancouver Whitecaps Vancouver Canucks
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Cole Reschny Commits To North Dakota
Kim Klement-Imagn Images Victoria Royals forward Cole Reschny has committed to North Dakota, it was announced on Friday. A native of Macklin, Sask., Reschny tallied 92 points (26 goals, 66 assists) in 62 regular season games for the Royals in 2024-25. He also won gold for Canada at the World U18 Championship earlier this year, where he recorded five goals and three assists in five games. Advertisement Reschny is eligible for the 2025 NHL Entry Draft and is ranked as the 25th best North American skater by NHL Central Scouting in its final 2025 prospects rankings. A 2007-born skater, Reschny will now make the jump to the NCAA and join the Fighting Hawks for the 2025-26 season. He'll likely play a significant role in his first season. Make sure you bookmark The Hockey News' NCAA Page for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more.
