Victoria Royals select two skilled forwards in this week’s CHL Import Draft

Victoria Royals coverage presented by:

If you’re looking for game day eats, Domino’s has you covered! Whether it’s pre-game fuel or post-game celebrations, you can easily order online today and enjoy 25% off delicious pizza, wings, and more. Enjoy the game with Domino’s!

The Victoria Royals added two forwards in the CHL Import Draft on Wednesday, highlighted with the selection of Winnipeg Jets 5th rounder Markus Loponen with the 23rd overall pick.

They also selected Czechia forward Simon Pohludka 83rd overall.

The 6’1 Loponen starred for Karpat at the under-20 level in Finland last year as a 17-year-old, leading the team in goals with 25 while also tallying 29 assists, good for 54 points in 45 games.

He was also the rookie of the year.

“[Loponen] is a guy that, being an (NHL) drafted player, has some real upside,” Royals general manager Jake Heisinger told Victoria Buzz. “He can jump into our lineup right away and be a guy that helps our team.”

“He really brings a little bit of everything to the table out there; a guy that can play in all situations, play centre, can go on the wing, and can be really good on the power play and can kill penalties.”

“We think he can contribute in all areas.”

Pohludka, meanwhile, also played in Finland this past season, scoring 23 goals and 47 points in 37 games for Pelicans under-18 team. He is also 6’1.

“We expect him to be in our top six, to be a guy that can come in and contribute offensively,” Heisinger said. “He’s shown that he can play with other skilled players, he can shoot a puck and score goals… he’s a guy that competes each and every night so I think he’s going to fit nicely into our lineup.”

When it comes to the Import Draft, it’s not necessarily about taking the best player you can find. You need to select players who are willing to come to North America, open to playing for your franchise, and believe they can better their future opportunities by coming to Canada.

“You’re having a lot of conversations with their representatives and people that work with them,” Heisinger said.

“It really starts to pick up after the NHL draft and over the past couple of days.”

Heisinger was in contact with many prospects, their coaches, and their representatives over the past few months – gauging interest, telling them about the program, and perhaps mentioning that James Patrick has helped a few skilled prospects turn their talent into NHL draft selections.

“When you’re talking about the guys that decide to come over, they want to come over to develop and continue to improve and continue to push themselves,” Heisinger said.

“Our coach has obviously worked with a number of first round picks over the years and these guys see that and see that opportunity… they want to be coached by him as well.”

If the Royals can indeed bring them over this season, Patrick will have a significantly improved forward group to work with.

As it stands, it sounds pretty promising that both players will be wearing black and blue in September.

“With the information we have, we are expecting them both to be Royals this season.”

What does it mean for the 2024-25 Victoria Royals?

If the Royals are indeed able to bring both forwards across the pond and over to Vancouver Island, it would represent a major upgrade to a forward group that sorely needs it.

It’s easy for most Royals fans to do the math on the blue line: a group of Justin Kipkie, Nate Misskey, Austin Zemlak, and Keaton Verhoeff represent three proven veterans and an up-and-coming stud. It should be one of the best top four groups in the BC Division, and possibly the Western Conference.

But up front is where it gets a bit murkier.

Yes, Cole Reschny is extremely talented and yes, Tanner Scott should be in line for a strong season as an overaged player. And you can count on Reggie Newman to continue crashing the net as a solid top six contributor.

After that, there isn’t a ton of proven top six talent. Which is where Loponen can make a massive impact and Pohludka can fill a key need.

“We were definitely looking at adding to our forward group,” Heisinger said. “Specifically trying to add to our top six, which we felt like we did.”

“I think the main thing for us is we want to be a team that competes and these two really fit into that.”

Both players will have to adjust to living away from home, a new culture and city, the North American style of game, and possibly a language barrier, so they’ll have a few things on their plate to manage.

But when it comes to just the hockey, NHL drafted players tend to be impact players at the major junior level, and given Loponen’s draft pedigree, he can certainly become that – and quickly.

Patrick will be able to use Loponen and Reschny as a vicious one-two punch down the middle, or shift one of them to the wing to stack a line if need be.

Regardless of whichever line combinations fans want to come up with, one thing is for certain – this forward group has been significantly improved.

And so have the Royals’ chances of surpassing last year’s 7th place finish.