Patrick replaces Dan Price, who has been with Victoria since 2016.
Patrick replaces Dan Price, who has been with Victoria since 2016.
The Victoria Royals announced on Tuesday that they have relieved Dan Price of his head coaching duties, replacing him with James Patrick. The former Winnipeg ICE coach joined the Royals this past offseason and has served as the team's Director of Player Development over the past few months. Patrick is set to make his coaching debut at home versus the Seattle Thunderbirds on Wednesday.
Under Dan Price, the Royals have struggled, missing the playoffs each of the last two seasons. They were off to a decent start this season, posting an 8-7-1 record, but had given up the third most goals in the WHL with 69 in 16 games. Price leaves Victoria having posted a record of 156-187-35 over his 378 regular season games while also winning two playoff series during his tenure.
As for Patrick brings a very impressive resume to Victoria. Not only did he play close to 1,300 games at the NHL level, he spent over a decade behind the bench with the Buffalo Sabres and Dallas Stars. Since moving to the WHL, he has seen tremendous success with the ICE organization. Over the last two years, Winnipeg went 110-20-6 while making it all the way to the East Final in both seasons and was named CHL Coach of the Year in 2022. He also helped develop high-end prospects in Carson Lambos, Conor Geekie, Matthew Savoie, Peyton Krebs and Zach Benson, who all ended up being first-round picks in the NHL Draft.
The hope is that Patrick can bring some stability to a young Royals team. He helped build the ICE from one of the worst teams in the league to a powerhouse just a few years later, with Victoria hoping for a similar result. With high-end talent like Cole Reschny, Justin Kipkie and Tanner Scott, this team should be able to qualify for the postseason for the first time since the 2018-19 season.