Two of the Victoria Royals’ brightest young stars are packing their bags for Grand Forks.
Cole Reschny and Keaton Verhoeff have committed to the University of North Dakota for the 2025-26 NCAA season.
Their decision delivers a blow to a Royals team on the rise – one that just captured its first B.C. Division title in a decade and appeared poised to be a Western Hockey League (WHL) contender next year.
Instead, Victoria now faces a future without two of its most exciting players.
Reschny, 18, is coming off a 92-point campaign in just 62 games, adding 25 more points in the playoffs to cap a brilliant sophomore season. He also represented Canada at the IIHF U18 World Championship this spring, racking up eight points in five games. The Macklin, Sask. product is widely expected to be a first-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft slated for June 27.
Verhoeff, 16, made a major impression in his rookie season. The 6'4" Fort Saskatchewan native notched 21 goals and 45 points in 63 games, quickly emerging as one of the WHL’s most promising young defenders. His name is already being floated as a top-five candidate for the 2026 NHL Draft.
The pair helped Canada claim gold at the 2025 IIHF World Hockey Championships in May, and both are under consideration for the 2026 Canadian World Junior team.
Both players were drafted by the Royals – Reschny in 2022 and Verhoeff in 2023 – and were expected to be cornerstone pieces for a club seemingly on the cusp of something special.
Instead, they’ll join a North Dakota program working to re-establish itself as an NCAA powerhouse after finishing 21-15-2 this past season and bowing out in the NCHC semifinals to Western Michigan.
The Fighting Hawks recently hired former KIJHL bench boss Dane Jackson as their new head coach.
While North Dakota is looking re-establish themselves in the NCAA, the departures of Reschny and Verhoeff from the CHL are part of a growing trend.
Following a major policy shift, CHL players no longer forfeit NCAA eligibility by playing major junior hockey. The move – which takes effect Aug. 1 – ends decades of players having to choose one route or the other.
In November, CHL commissioner Dan Near called the decision a win for players.
“This decision creates opportunity for the brightest elite hockey players in Western Canada and the Western U.S. to now choose the WHL as the preferred destination for their development from the age of 16-20, without fear of compromising their NCAA eligibility,” Near said.
Near emphasized that the player is the heart of the league, and this decision aligns with that philosophy.
“As always, the player is at the heart of what we do across the WHL through our 22 member clubs. Most of our graduates note their time in ‘The Dub’ were the best years of their lives. We are thrilled that upon graduation from the WHL, players will have additional options as they pursue the next step in their personal and hockey journey,” Near added.
Though several CHL players have already confirmed NCAA commitments, the Royals’ duo stands out for their youth and impact. Most players making the move have exhausted their junior eligibility. Reschny and Verhoeff, meanwhile, had several WHL seasons ahead of them.
They’re not alone in heading south.
Several former Royals will also make the move.
Brandon Lisowsky (Colorado College), Brayden Boehm (Michigan Tech), Brayden Schuurman (Colorado College), Austin Zemlak (Arizona State), Tanner Scott (Bowling Green), and Ben Riche (Quinnipiac) – all of whom spent various periods with Victoria during their WHL careers – are now NCAA commits.
Victoria recently announced the signing of local product Eli McKamey – a promising addition – but the loss of Reschny and Verhoeff will undoubtedly reshape the team’s trajectory heading into next season.
The Royals have yet to issue a public statement regarding the departures.
