Seven goalies and a 78-save masterpiece defined the Victoria Grizzlies’ roller-coaster season

The Victoria Grizzlies’ 2025-26 season has come and gone. After finishing the regular season with a record of 26-25-3-0, the Grizzlies earned fourth place in the Coastal West Division.

In the opening round of the BCHL playoffs, the Grizzlies faced off against the first-place Cowichan Valley Capitals, who eventually eliminated Victoria in a hard-fought seven-game series. This campaign was defined by logistical hurdles, a revolving door in the crease, and a postseason performance for the history books.

Logistics and milestones on the road

Early in the regular season, travel proved as challenging as the competition. A road closure forced the postponement of two games in late September. Victoria’s game, originally scheduled for September 26, was pushed to September 28. Despite the delays, Victoria found success on the road, defeating the Powell River Kings 6-0 and the Nanaimo Clippers 4-3.

In October, the team headed to the BCHL Showcase in Abbotsford and Chilliwack. While the Grizzlies’ first game was held at the Abbotsford Centre (renamed Rogers Forum in November 2025), a power failure forced their second game to move to Planet Ice in Delta, BC. The Grizzlies shut out the Salmon Arm Silverbacks 5-0 in Abbotsford but stumbled in the relocated contest, falling 7-4 to the Vernon Vipers.

Back on Vancouver Island, attendance at The Q Centre peaked during the team’s annual promotional nights. A crowd of 2,225 turned out for the Teddy Bear Toss on November 30, and the second-highest turnout came on February 16 during the Family Day matinee, where 2,197 fans watched Victoria topple the Surrey Eagles 5-4 in overtime.

Finding stability in the crease and on the stat sheet

The Grizzlies’ crease was a revolving door for much of the year, with the team icing seven different goaltenders.

Victoria began with the tandem of Paolo Frasca and Carter Capton, but the roster shifted quickly. After a series of departures and short-term replacements – including Casimir Weckstrom, Spencer Michnik, and Patrik Kliment – stability finally arrived in January. The Grizzlies acquired Mikus Vecvanags from the Brooks Bandits in exchange for future considerations.

Vecvanags, a Montreal Canadiens prospect who represented Latvia at the 2026 World Junior Hockey Championships, provided the reliability Victoria desperately needed. His most heroic moment came in game 5 of the opening round against Cowichan Valley, where he turned aside a staggering 78 shots in a 2-1 double-overtime victory. The performance set a Grizzlies franchise record and stands as the second-most saves in a single game in BCHL history.

While Vecvanags held down the fort, the offence was led by Artur Gross, who notched 20 goals and 33 assists in 43 games. Close behind him was Owen Warnick with 45 points, while Reece Gault emerged as the top-scoring defender with 44 points.

Gault and Matthew Jenken were the only two defenders to finish among the team’s top ten scorers. Overall, the Grizzlies relied on a depth-heavy lineup. While only nine players surpassed the 20-point mark, 20 players finished with at least 11 points.

A playoff push and a summer of change

The Capitals entered the first round as heavy favourites, but Victoria took the Coastal Conference champions to the brink of elimination. The Grizzlies held a 3-2 series lead before Cowichan Valley rallied to win the final two games. The series was defined by tight margins, with four of the seven games needing overtime. Victoria won three of those OT battles, including the historic game 5 victory.

The Grizzlies will look different next fall as players move on to the collegiate level. For example, the defence will lose Dennison Monahan (Princeton University). Additionally, some veteran forwards are also leaving, including Artur Gross and Maddux Martin, who have aged out of junior hockey, alongside USports commits Carter Oakenfold (Brock) and Carson Lesiuk (McGill).

Photo credit: Island Images Photography