Since naming Winnipeg's James Patrick head coach, the WHL's Victoria Royals have picked up wins in two of three games.
After being kicked to the curb by new Wenatchee Wild ownership, Winnipeg's James Patrick is off to a strong start with the Victoria Royals.
Let go as the former Winnipeg ICE transitioned to Washington for the 2023-24 season, the 60-year-old did not let the snip by the Wenatchee Wild affect his willingness to remain in the game.
He was hired by Victoria as the director of player development in late-August, but has since taken over the helm on the bench.
The Royals relieved Dan Price of his duties as head coach in early November, with the announcement of Patrick's repositioning coming shortly thereafter.
“We are very excited to have James lead our program.” Royal vice president Joey Poljanowski said. “He brings a winning pedigree and has had tremendous success in developing both strong organizational cultures and future NHL players.”
Patrick, who has spent over 45 seasons serving in the hockey community, played 21 seasons in the NHL from 1983 to 2004 with the New York Rangers, Hartford Whalers, Calgary Flames and Buffalo Sabres. The Winnipeg product spent another 11 years as an assistant coach in the big league, before transitioning to the then Kootenay ICE for the 2017-18 season.
The former University of North Dakota standout was selected ninth overall in the 1981 NHL Draft and suited up for Team Canada at the 1982 and 1983 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships. Patrick also played in five World Championships while skating in the 1983 Spengler Cup and the 1988 Canada Cup.
Patrick was named the WHL's Coach of the Year in 2021-22 and followed up his CHL-best 53-10-3-2 record with another league-topper at 57-10-1-0 in 2022-23. His ICE fell to the Seattle Thunderbirds in the WHL championship this spring.
“James brings a professional, detailed approach to the rink each and every day.” Royals associate GM Jake 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.”
After officially taking over atop the bench, Patrick's club has gone 2-1. The club earned a 3-2 win over Red Deer earlier in the week under Morgan Klimchuk's tutelage, before picking up another 3-2 win over the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds on Friday in Patrick's debut. The Royals then fell 5-4 in Seattle in the second game of the home-and-home on Saturday.
“You have to help the players understand how there has to be sacrifice," Patrick said during his introductory press conference. "The team has to come first. I think that is a really big part of how culture is, the team comes first. Coming to the rink every day to get better, competing on a nightly basis goes a long way.”
The Royals are now 10-7-1 and will next host the Kelowna Rockets on Monday evening. Puck drop is set for 5:00 PM.