Poole, Kipkie headline Royals’ 2023 team awards
The Royals announced the 2023 team awards to the public on March 25th
The Victoria Royals have announced the recipients of their team awards for the 2022-2023 season, which were handed out at their final home game against the Everett Silvertips the past weekend.
Headlining the awards celebration was forward Jake Poole, who took home both the Mayfair Optometric Top Scorer Award and the Enex Fuels Most Valuable Player after posting a team-high 57 points (29 goals, 28 assists) over 46 games with the Royals this season.
Defenceman Justin Kipkie also went home with a pair of awards, earning Island Savings Rookie of the Year and Jo Ann Thompson Foundation Scholastic Player of the Year honours.
The 17-year-old blueliner has enjoyed a successful 2022-2023 campaign, sitting second among all Victoria defencemen with 33 points (eight goals, 25 assists) in 67 games played this year.
Czech-born import pick Robin Sapoušek was named the GableCraft Homes Most Dedicated Player. The 18-year-old has made a significant impact for the club since arriving in early January, tallying 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in 21 contests.
Defenceman Gannon Laroque was recognized for his impact away from the ice, being awarded the VicPD Community Service Award.
Fellow defenceman Kalem Parker would be hounored with the Wilson’s Transportation Top Defenseman Award after leading all blueliners with 38 total points on six goals and 32 assists.
Meanwhile, 19-year-old forward Brayden Schuurman was selected as the winner of The Keg Fan Choice Award after posting 29 points (16 goals, 13 assists) over 39 games in 2022-2023.
And forward Matthew Hodson would take home Apex Steel & Gas Hardest Worker honours. The Saskatoon, SK product set a career high with 31 total points (17 goals, 14 assists) this season and provided important minutes on both the penalty kill and powerplay.
Rounding out the awards was defenceman Austin Zemlak, who was named 4 Season’s Fire Prevention Unsung Hero for his physical play and hard working attitude on the ice. Zemlak has totaled eight points on three goals and five assists this season.
You can view the full list of winners below:
Mayfair Optometric Top Scorer – Jake Poole
Enex Fuels Most Valuable Player – Jake Poole
VicPD Community Service – Gannon Laroque
Rookie of the Year – Justin Kipkie
Jo Ann Thompson Foundation Scholastic Player of the Year – Justin Kipkie
The Keg Fan Choice – Brayden Schuurman
Gable Craft Homes Most Dedicated Player – Robin Sapoušek
Wilson’s Transportation Top Defenseman – Kalem Parker
4 Season’s Fire Prevention Unsung Hero – Austin Zemlak
Apex Steel & Gas Hardest Worker – Matthew Hodson
About the Victoria Royals
The Victoria Royals are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League (WHL) owned and operated by GSL Group. The Royals play all their home games at Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre and have entered their 12th season of their existence.
About Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre
Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre (SOFMC) is designed, constructed, developed and operated by GSL Group. SOFMC is Victoria’s premier entertainment facility and the largest arena in British Columbia outside Vancouver. The state-of-the-art 7,000 seat facility is home to the Victoria Royals of the Western Hockey League and regularly hosts large-scale concerts and other special events such as figure skating, curling, plays, trade shows and conferences. SOFMC also features a fine dining Lion’s Den Restaurant, as well as retail and meeting space.
