Victoria Royals part ways with head coach, name new coach

After seven years in the position, the Victoria Royals have announced Dan Price will no longer serve as the team’s head coach.

Price was first hired as the head coach in June 2017 and it was his first head coach job in the Western Hockey League.

He had replaced Dave Lowry, who had been hired by the Los Angeles Kings as an assistant coach.

“We would like to thank Dan for his contributions to the hockey club and the city of Victoria over the last seven years,” Joey Poljanowski, the Royals vice president of hockey operations said in a statement. “Dan is above all else, an outstanding individual and hockey mind who has shown a true dedication to this team and community, we wish him all the best.”

The team announced the new coach would be James Patrick, who comes from the Winnipeg ICE franchise.

“In order to take the next steps now and in the future, as we transition deeper into our player development model, we are bringing in a fresh voice to lead our program,” Jake Heisinger, associate general manager said in a statement. “We thank Dan for his commitment to the organization and wish him well.”

Patrick has spent six seasons with the Winnipeg ICE franchise and had been part of the team as it moved from the Kootenays to Winnipeg.

He was named WHL Coach of the Year in the 2021-2022 season.

“We are very excited to have James lead our program,” Poljanowski said. “He brings a winning pedigree and has had tremendous success in developing both strong organizational cultures and future NHL players.”

Patrick had played in the NHL between 1983 and 2004 with the New York Rangers, Hartford Whalers, Calgary Flames and Buffalo Sabres.

“James brings a professional, detailed approach to the rink each and every day,” Heisinger said. “We are confident he is the right person to lead our program and we know he will do a great job developing our players and our team.”

Patrick will appear as the coach for the first time on Friday against the Seattle Thunderbirds at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre with the Royals assistant coach Morgan Klimchuk leading the team on Wednesday against the Red Deer Rebels.

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