Royals to select 4th overall in 2023 WHL Prospects Draft, 2nd in US Priority Draft
The league held their annual draft lottery on Wednesday, March 29th
The Victoria Royals learned they will be selecting fourth overall in the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft and second overall in the US Priority Draft following the conclusion of the league’s draft lottery on Wednesday.
The WHL Prospects Draft Lottery involved the six non-playoff clubs from the 22-23 regular season. Each team was alloted a portion of the 21 lottery balls based on their standings position, with the last place team, Edmonton (pick traded to Prince Albert), having six balls, Spokane with five, Victoria with four, and so on. If selected in the lottery, a club may only move up a maximum of two positions in the draft order.
The Royals entered the lottery with the third best odds to secure the number-one overall pick, however, fell one spot to number four when Prince Albert moved up to earn the second overall selection. The Prince Albert Raiders also hold the first-overall selection, which they acquired the rights to from the Edmonton Oil Kings.
The draft order for the top-six picks in the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft has been determined as follows:
- Prince Albert Raiders
- Prince Albert Raiders
- Spokane Chiefs
- Victoria Royals
- Brandon Wheat Kings
- Vancouver Giants
Meanwhile, the Royals would jump up one spot to number-two overall in the 2023 US Priority Draft, which will be held the day prior to the Prospects Draft.
The draft order for the top-six picks in the 2023 US Priority Draft has been determined as follows:
- Spokane Chiefs
- Victoria Royals
- Edmonton Oil Kings
- Swift Current Broncos
- Prince Albert Raiders
- Brandon Wheat Kings
The 2023 US Priority Draft will be held on Wednesday, May 10th, and will be followed a day later by the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft on Thursday, May 11th.
Both drafts will be streamed for free on WHL TV.
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.
