The Victoria Royals selected 10 players in the 2012 WHL Bantam Draft on May 3 including two first-rounders and one Victoria native.
Goalie Markus Daly is the Royals’ first locally drafted player, taken 93rd overall (fifth round). Daly played bantam for the Victoria Racquet Club this season and was named team MVP at the 2011 Rick Lapointe Memorial Bantam Showcase Tournament. Racquet club teammates Ethan Waitzner (fifth round, Prince George Cougars) and Haydn Hopkins (12th round, Saskatoon Blades), were also selected.
Having traded Kevin Sundher this season, the Royals held two first round picks. Up first the Royals chose forward Tyler Soy from Cloverdale at eighth overall and used the Brandon Wheat Kings’ 13th overall pick, acquired for Sundher, to nab defenceman Chaz Reddekopp from the Pursuit of Excellence academy in Kelowna.
The Royals also selected Regan Nagy (Sask.) 27th; Matthew Campese (Sask.) 49th; Matthew Dykstra (Alta.) 71st; Keith Anderson (Ore.) 115th; Devon Brooks (Alta.) 137th; Oliver Lester (Alta.) 181st; and Brendan Grier (Alta.) 203rd.
