The Victoria Royals have a new hockey mind to shape the team this year as former New York Rangers assistant general manager Cameron Hope has been hired to replace the outgoing Marc Habscheid.
Hope, who spent seven years with the Rangers, is a resident of Edmonton, AB and grew up watching the Gretzky-era Oilers. He hopes to bring a new outlook to the Royals that focuses on hard work, speed, and integrity.
“I grew up in the era of Wayne Gretzky and Paul Coffey and Mark Messier, and even when I was with the Rangers there was a bent towards that type of player,” explains Hope. “You can’t go wrong if you grab and develop guys that are hardworking, and I have a real predisposition towards guys that can skate and guys with a great hockey IQ. If you start with those kind of ingredients, you’ve got it.”
One of Hope’s primary orders of business is to find a new head coach to replace former coach and general manager Habscheid, who has moved on to an executive role in parent company GSL Holdings.
“My first priority is to get a coach in place,” says Hope. “The coach assesses the club and once you’ve done that, then you decide what kind of style you can play and get the best results out of the guys.”
The Royals seem pleased to have landed Hope. Despite having no previous Western Hockey League (WHL) experience, the Royals’ ownership group has been busy pumping Hope’s tires since he was announced as new GM on July 6.
“We have talked to many very credible people in hockey who know Cam and they have all highly recommended him as very knowledgeable hockey person with a high level of integrity,” said Royals owner Graham Lee in a press release. “I believe he will be a very strong addition to our team and will bring his NHL experience at the highest level in developing players and providing an environment for players to succeed.”
Royals president Dave Dakers echoed the sentiment that Hope could be the answer to the Victoria hockey team’s growing pains in his own prepared statement. Last year, the team went 24-48 in regular season play before a first round playoff exit.
“We are very fortunate to have a person of Cam’s caliber join our organization,” said Dakers. “I look forward to working together with Cam to help mold and shape the Victoria Royals into one of the model franchises in the WHL.”
The uphill battle to make the Royals a serious contender in the WHL is not lost on Hope, who knows he has his work cut out for him.
“I didn’t follow the team very much last year, but just what I’ve learned in the short time I’ve been here, talking to the scouts and the returning guys a little bit, it looks like we have a lot of work to do,” says Hope.
Returning players are key this year, according to Hope. 2012 National Hockey League draft picks Logan Nelson and Steven Hodges are back in the fold, but Hope also points to players like Jamie Crooks, Brandon Magee, and big Tyler Stahl to step up and take a leadership role this year.
“Tyler Stahl, for instance, he’s a hard-hitting guy and it would be great if he could get his feet back under him and have a great year,” says Hope. “It would be wonderful to see.”
As for his lack of experience at the WHL level, Hope admits there will a be a learning curve, but ultimately he feels confident in his new role with the Royals.
“Hockey is hockey. And managing a hockey team is very similar in broad terms,” he says. “But there are some specific challenges associated with WHL hockey and some unique circumstances that make it really interesting. You’re grabbing a hold of some young athletes that are at an important time in their life, and if you can do things right and help them achieve their goals, whatever those goals are, that’s fantastic. That’s what we’re all doing this for. In the meantime, if you can also win, that’s also great.”