The Riverview Royals had a very eventful off season, in the midst of a retool, the Royals' future plans took a noticeable jump toward future respectability.
The Royal drafted five players who all slot to fill future roles with the team.
Dave Andreychuk (2nd overall) - Andreychuk projects to be a top line, elite forward. A cornerstone player by which the Royals will anchor their offence.
Bobby Carpenter (5th overall) - Carpenter projects to be a top six, "Swiss Army knife" forward who's capable playing any role asked of him.
Craig Adams (11th overall) - Adams has bottom six potential with an emphasis on shutting down teams, and a master penalty killer.
Wayne Primeau (19th overall) - At the bottom half of the draft, you're mining for gems that others passed up. Primeau is the poor man's Craig Adams as he took projects to be a shutdown bottom six forward.
Jim Kyte (28th overall) - With a little bit of developmental luck, Kyte could potentially be a very serviceable 7th defence man for the Royals.
GM Nagle's notes: "Our scouting staff did a phenomenal job identifying team needs and then producing a list of players that we should go after. This draft was super easy to navigate and we got players that we wanted at each pick. I am very excited with the prospect pool we now have and soon our fans will be excited to see them become stars."
Armed with an embarrassment of cap space riches, the Royals aggressively went after key targets and came away with them all.
Erik Karlsson (1 year, $3m) - There was mutual interest in Karlsson coming home to end his career where it all began. The future hall of famer will get respectable ice time on the third line, and may even see some power play time as well.
Filip Johansson (5 year, $25m) - This signing may have come out on left field for the retooling club, but the Royals jumped at the opportunity to lock down a youthful (26 year old) defenseman for their third pairing. The key here was not having to give up picks as Johansson was not qualified by the Albert County Renegade.
Nathan MacKinnon (2 year, $6m) - Big Nate still wanted to be a top six contributor, and Riverview present that opportunity. MacKinnon brings an odd combination of offense and defense which the Royals desperately lack up front. While MacKinnon might not finish his career playing meaningful playoff games, he will be playing meaningful games for a growing team.
GM Nagle's notes: "We aggressively targeted specific players that we knew would provide maximum value for us. Having cap flexibility really helped. We're very happy with the three signings that we brought in, they will give us the depth that we need to not be a doormat team this year."
During the offseason some key players came back noticeably in better shape. Not many, if any, lost a step. Here were the notables:
Mike Sillinger - The Royals first round pick last year had a huge rookie season in Loggieville and came back from the break a whole other beast. Every aspect of his game has taken a jump, and internally the Royals scouts now have him pegged as a top six contributor a lot sooner than later.
Evan Bouchard - The kingpin of the Royals defence has come back from the break with a bit more focus and intensity. Not really known for his physicality, Bouchard looks like a man hungry for a lucrative new contract.
Andrew Ference - It's not easy riding the bus for hours on end, travelling from barn to shack, often playing against substandard players in the farm league. Ference has come his summer break a more focused and strong defenceman. The Royals had the 19 year old pegged for an outside chance at a bottom six, but now his stock has risen.
Overall, things are looking up for the Royals. What was once an organization with two players under 20 years of age is now one with 12. While this year is likely to be another lottery picking season, the wheels are in motion towards a quick turnaround towards winning respectability.
5/26/2025 - 690 words
