Cowichan hockey fans hoping to catch former Kerry Park minor hockey player Eli McKamey in action with the Victoria Royals may have been disappointed, but the consolation prize was still pretty good. They got a glimpse of projected 2027 No. 1 NHL Draft pick Landon DuPont instead.
The Victoria Royals and Everett Silvertips played at both Kerry Park Arena and Cowichan Arena as part of Island Hockey Fest Sept. 12 and 13 but McKamey, 16, was injured and didn't play in either game.
DuPont, 16, is the first WHL defenceman to receive exceptional player status and only the second WHL player ever, after Connor Bedard, to earn the designation.
McKamey was at both arenas, however, signing autographs and taking in the games.
The Cowichan Bay-raised forward was drafted by the Royals 35th overall in the second round of the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft. He played last season with the Penticton Vees in the BCHL as a 15 year old. He was the first player to be granted exceptional status in the B.C. Hockey League.
Prior to that McKamey was an integral member of the Shawnigan Lake School U18 Prep team as a 14 year old, where he scored 23 goals and had 25 assists for 48 points in his last season with the team. McKamey has committed to playing Div. 1 hockey at the University of North Dakota.
Fans were treated to an overtime game on Friday at Kerry Park as Everett edged Victoria 3-2 in extra time in front of more than 700 fans.
The following night the Royals had the upper hand, beating the Silvertips 5-3 in front of more than 1,000 at Cowichan Arena.
The series marked the end of the pre-season for both clubs.
The Royals open their season at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre in Victoria on Friday, Sept. 19 against the first-year WHL team, the Penticton Vees.
