I am running on fumes tonight, make no mistake, but I have experienced a profound amount of emotion and done a considerable amount of reflection. As a result, I decided it was best to confront it head on and write it down. Maybe it’ll turn into something worth sharing with our readers. It is not just about the game itself and the heartbreaking, 2OT end to what was an incredible season for the team that became my favorite (I’m sorry for the absence of the “u” to all my friends north of the border, that’s just how we roll down here) to follow in the CHL by pure luck. It is simply that it is curious to consider that this could mark the beginning of drastic change in – and perhaps even the ending of – something that has been so fundamental for my pursuits in this endeavor and my hockey fandom at large since nearly the beginning of Black Stitch Hockey. Of course, we don’t know what the future holds, but there was this panging of this sense that things are not going to be the same for me in some respects, though there are also reasons to get excited about the changes that may be coming. We can only wait and see. Before we get that far down the train of thought’s tracks, however, let us talk about I – and we – got here, and what this all meant to me along the way.

There really doesn’t seem to be a logical reason for someone who was born and raised in northeastern Massachusetts and has never been farther west into Canada than Ottawa, ON to be attached to a WHL team from Vancouver Island. As such a story goes, it was just a “right place, right time” matter, and developed organically a la my Philadelphia Flyers fandom. I established myself pretty early into this brand as our primary prospects analyst and had already written an article on, ironically, Spokane’s Berkly Catton. I had free time one night in the fall of 2023 after finishing a slate of other things and decided to watch the WHL, noticing Spokane on the schedule so I could really drink in Catton’s game. As Royals fans may remember, Victoria came back and won that matchup in overtime. I was so enthralled by what had occurred that I watched the ensuing rematch of the two teams, where sure enough, a similar scene played out. I felt like I had hooked myself into the narrative of this team and was particularly enthralled by what Cole Reschny did to engineer those victories with his faceoff work, defensive responsibility, playmaking, and clutch. I knew I was going to be a fan and stayed faithful the rest of the year. That is exactly what happened, as I spent that short time in the spring believing against any sort of logic or reason that such a battle tested group that seemed to overcome a lot of challenges and was growing throughout the year could at least give Portland a hard time in the first round that postseason. It really came to pass that that was just a way of cutting their teeth, I suppose, but it was a valuable season nevertheless.

All of this will ring familiar to many of our readers, as I have provided truncated versions of it before. This only scratches the surface, though. A portion of this story I have never shared with people is that there was a lot going on in my psyche in the early days of Black Stitch Hockey. Without providing too much detail, I had been put through the wringer and experienced a profound emotional setback over the summer just two months before we became an operation, then navigated a crisis successfully, but certainly in a way that left an impression on me. Truth be told, also, my love for the sport of ice hockey, while never extinguished, was somewhat subdued for quite a while – Years, even. A context in which it did not go away was my time spent with my chief operating officer and truly one of my best friends in the world, Christian, who had this idea in part to spend his free time committed to something that he feels a strong fervor for (something that has resonated within me even more in the time since) and under the pretenses that “This is how we’re always going to be and the sort of stuff we’re always going to talk about, so we might as well do so in front of people.” My life at large, though, was another story. It was not at the forefront of my consciousness anymore. I did have a fire lit under me just before we started up by the events of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, not solely because my favorite NHL team put in a more than respectable performance, but just the excitement of it overall and the adrenaline shot that it gave the sport. However, I really think that it was these couple of games, which subsequently saw to it that “Liam’s CHL Corner” (both in written and podcast formats – I really don’t think I would be covering CHL games intermittently during the regular season, the entire postseason, and writing as many prospect articles and have a regular developmental hockey block on the pod if it weren’t for this turn of events) would become an indispensable part of Black Stitch Hockey’s operations, that made me *really* want to go all in on this and just consume as much of the sport and as much prospect-related content as possible. There was a whole world out there waiting to be explored and I wanted to know as much as possible about it because of what had transpired those couple of nights. It seems appropriate, then, that my profile of Reschny that I published after those couple of games remains one of my most popular and enduring works – It was the beginning of my pursuits as this brand’s editor-in-chief becoming what they have.

While I knew there was reason to believe further forward steps would be taken in the 2024-25 campaign, I think I underestimated what a ride it would be. However, I had an inkling there was another adventure in store for me based off of how the season started. I was pretty satisfied with how Keaton Verhoeff performed in his affiliate stint in 2023-24, but he really tore down the walls against Tri-City to kick off this most recent campaign. As I pointed out in the profile I knew that I had to put out, history was rhyming for me. This group was blossoming and they did some remarkable things along the way. Reschny set the franchise’s record for single season assists and finished the year on an amazing heater (which included some incredible playoff heroics), while Verhoeff recorded the most goals by a Royals defenseman in a single season and the most a 16-year-old defenseman has had in the WHL since 1985 (third-best all-time). Of course, beyond just the A-listers eligible for these next couple of drafts, you had other important characters in the story that were very much main ones. I was very pleased to see the continued growth and development of the NHL affiliated blueliners, Justin Kipkie and Nate Misskey, both as players and as leaders. They lived up to the letters on their chests this season, and I was particularly pleased to see Kipkie make his own mark on the franchise record books, as well. There were even more layers of excitement to this season than I anticipated, though. While (despite not being “around” for all of his tenure) I was appreciative of Tanner Scott’s service to that jersey and very sad to see him go, I couldn’t have been happier to see the Royals welcome talent of Kenta Isogai and Brandon Lisowsky’s caliber to the fold. The run that the club went on to capture the B.C. Division crown with these additions filled me with awe. It was one of the most exciting times I’ve spent following a team in years.

Beyond just the graduation of overagers Lisowsky, Isogai, and Brayden Boehm (best of luck to all three), I do get this sense things might not be the same in the coming times, which gives me a sense of mourning. There is, of course, some joy in the sting that I discuss. Verhoeff is guaranteed back next season and I think is going to become an even more complete version of himself. It is remarkable to think that someone with his build, who also has a considerable amount of deception to his game that is, in my opinion, even better than a number of CHL forwards (including ones that are older than him), still has room to grow, but that is assuredly what is going to occur. I am willing to call my shot that he will be a top five pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, which will do wonders for the team’s standing in the public consciousness and in the hockey world. In the interim, however, Reschny will be the highest selected NHL Entry Draft selection in team history. I think he is sneakily one of the most NHL-ready prospects in the 2025 class and I would not be surprised to see him make the leap next season. I have made no secret that I will root for Reschny no matter where he ends up and am pretty thrilled that he is this close to being drafted after all this time being wrapped up in his narrative. However, there was something special – and all too important – about covering this stage of his development and there is a bit of bittersweetness about this valuable stage of my endeavors in hockey writing and discourse coming to a close. Of course, this may not be *necessarily* be the case and we could end up seeing him in the Dub for at least part of his D+1. However, we will just have to wait and see.

That all said, while Reschny and Verhoeff perhaps became the protagonist and deuteragonist of this part of my narrative in which I navigate the world of hockey journalism – A world I did not think I would be this wrapped up in and meet so many people through when this started up – there were so many contributors to how fantastic it has been. No matter what role they played on the team, countless young men who put that sweater on the last couple of years have provided me with entertainment and inspiration the last couple of seasons. To the likes of the following: Braden Holt, Jayden Kraus, Seth Fryer, Matthew Keller, Dawson Pasternak, Reggie Newman, Escalus Burlock, Austin Zemlak, Teydon Trembecky, Logan Pickford, Matthew Hodson, Deegan Kinniburgh, Brayden Schuurman, Caleb Matthews, Wyatt Danyleyko, Jerrett Ross, Ben Riche, Hayden Moore, Nolan Stewart, Markus Loponen, Cosmo Wilson, Vaughn Watterodt, Spencer Michnik, Landon Young, Johnny Hicks, and everyone else, no matter how transient your time as a Royal may have been: Thank you. We may never meet in person, but you have done a lot in providing me with stories and memories that I have used and will continue to use as fuel for my pursuits in this trade, whether it remain something of an avocation/side hustle or becomes a full-time job (I have learned that staying open to your path presenting you with another option is always a good choice). To the Royals “of the future” including but not limited to the likes of Ludovic Perreault, Cruz Waltze, and Koltin Herfst, I am looking forward to seeing the next wave of excitement and inspiration that you provide. To all members of the coaching staff and the front office: You have done an excellent job and I believe your efforts to make this team respected – and perhaps even feared – throughout the WHL have been quite successful and will pay dividends for years to come. To the Royals fan community, as well as people with direct relationships with or capacities within the team that I have encountered along the way: I am extremely grateful for all of you. You have helped make the growth of this blog possible and if we are continuing down a path of even further success, I will remember and appreciate your contributions fondly. To everyone who made the articles I published on this team and its members as successful as they were, I will always be grateful.

Let it be known: These last couple of years have made me a Royals fan for life. No matter what changes occur, I will always be there in spirit. Hopefully, one day, I can connect with some of the friends I have made along the way at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre. Save me a seat!