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'Something I’ll never forget': Former Royal Brayden Tracey reflects on NHL debut

Former Victoria Royals forward Brayden Tracey became the fourth player in team history to appear in an NHL game when he made his debut on Sunday for the Anaheim Ducks.

<who> Photo credit: Victoria Royals twitter @victoriaroyals <who> Brayden Tracy become the fourth Victoria Royals' product to reach the NHL on SundayTracey joins Noah Gregor, Joe Hicketts and Matthew Phillips on an exclusive list of Victoria players who have reached the world’s top professional hockey league.

The 20-year-old described his debut as a surreal experience, and something he isn’t soon to forget:

“On my first shift I almost scored.” said Tracey. “I didn’t put it in, but that was the moment I came back to the bench and was like ‘wow, this is the National Hockey League’. It was a special moment.”

Tracey also reflected on the nervous experience of entering a professional dressing room prior to the game:

“Going into that room and seeing guys like Getzlaf, Manson, Fowler, and Gibson, those are world class players.” said Tracey. “To play alongside them, wearing the same jersey is something I’ll never forget. Anaheim has a good group of guys this year and I was fortunate enough to crack a spot and get my feet wet.”

While he failed to record a point, the winger recorded 9:21 minutes of ice time for the Ducks in a 4-3 shootout victory over the Detroit Red Wings.

With 165 points in 145 WHL games, Tracey caught the attention of many NHL clubs during his junior career, leading to the Anaheim Ducks selecting him with the 29th overall pick in the first round of the 2021 NHL Draft.

Tracey has quickly become a standout for the Duck’s AHL affiliate in San Diego, where he has recorded 21 points in 24 games this season. Impressed with the forward's progression, the Ducks decided to call him up on Jan. 9.

Prior to being drafted, the Calgary, AB native spent his first two-and-a-half seasons in the WHL with the Moose Jaw Warriors before finding his way to Victoria via a mid-season trade in 2020, as the team looked to gear up prior to that year’s playoffs.

However, that postseason would never take place, being cancelled as the world descended into the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.

While the forward would play 22 more games for the club in the abbreviated 2020-2021 bubble season, fans only got a short glimpse at what a talent like Tracey could bring to the blue and white.

Looking back on his time in Victoria, the young forward felt he left behind some unfinished business:

“We were looking to make a push that year and COVID shut us down,” said Tracey. “Very unfortunate that we couldn’t make that push, which would've been a great time. I only made the playoffs once in my career and we got swept in the first round. That’s something I wish we could have gone for with the Royals.”

However, Tracey believes his experience and development in the WHL was crucial in helping him prepare for his major league debut:

“In Moose Jaw I had Tim Hunter as a head coach,” said Tracey. “He really pushed me when I first got my feet wet in the dub and helped me out in a huge way. Then when I got traded to Victoria we had Dan Price as a coach, and he showed me a lot. I’m very thankful that they were there to help me along the way.”

In 46 career games with Victoria, the forward logged 16 goals and 28 assists for a total of 44 points.

Finally, Tracey offered some advice to current Royals players hoping to follow in his footsteps:

“Trust the process.” said Tracey. “A lot of guys make it a lot of different ways. Some don’t make it until they're 24, 25, some when they’re 20. Just play your game, and be confident with the puck. I think that’s number one, if you're confident with the puck and make plays, a lot of good things will happen.”



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