Victoria Royals’ defenceman Hayden Rintoul and forward Robin Soudek have combined to play 287 career regular season games in the Western Hockey League. They, along with the rest of the Royals have to dig in to ensure both players get more than 13 games before they call it a career in junior hockey.

Rintoul and Soudek are the Royals’ two 20-year-olds who will graduate from the WHL after the season. The Royals are one of four teams in a battle for the final two playoff spots in the Western Conference. While both players are fully aware of their own personal finish lines at the end of the season, Rintoul and Soudek are worried more about team success and extending the Royals’ season past March 16.

“It’s not about me because I’m a 20-year-old, or Hayden, it should be and is about the team,” said Soudek, who has 22 goals on the season, three off his career high of 25 last year in Chilliwack. “This is a new team and we’re in a playoff race and it’s going to be great.”

“We have to get as many points as we can so we can make the playoffs,” added Rintoul, who has two goals and eight points in the last eight games. “There are only a few games left here, with less than a month now I’m starting to realize that it’s coming to an end pretty quick. I’m just trying to enjoy every minute of it and work hard.”

Rintoul was a key piece of the Kootenay Ice squad that put it all together for a championship run in the spring of 2011. Kootenay’s three 20-year-olds, Matt Fraser, Kevin King and Steel Boomer, were huge as the Ice took home the Ed Chynoweth Cup. Now in their shoes, Rintoul remembers how those three embraced their final days in the WHL.

“Just watching the way they enjoyed coming to the rink and how hard they worked is probably the biggest thing you take from them,” said Rintoul, who was a +22 during the Ice’s run to the title in the 2011 playoffs. “They’re good hockey players, but they worked very hard at the same time and that’s something that I tried to take from them and try to do here.”

Rintoul’s leadership in Victoria began before the season started when he was named the Royals’ first Captain. It was a big honor and huge help for Rintoul to get over being traded from Kootenay, the team that drafted him in the fourth round of the 2006 WHL Bantam Draft.

“Once I got over the move, I was pretty excited to come here and in a new town and the buzz for the team. So far this year it’s been awesome with the fans,” said Rintoul. “At the beginning of the year I didn’t know what to think, I just wanted to be myself and lead the team the way the older guys did with my team last year. I was extremely happy and proud when they named me Captain and still am very proud to be the Captain of the Victoria Royals.”

A year ago today, Robin Soudek and the Chilliwack Bruins were on the outside looking in to the WHL playoff picture. The Bruins had 53 points on February 21, 2011, three behind Kamloops and six back of Everett and Prince George. But the Bruins got hot and earned points in 11 of their final 12 games, with wins in eight of those, to move into sixth in the conference. For Soudek, it doesn’t matter that he’s 20 and the playoff scenario is a bit different, this race feels the same.

“I wouldn’t say if feels any different. It’s always pretty intense,” said Soudek. “You’re always trying to get as many points as you can to move up in the standings. Our goal is to make the playoffs and go from there.”

The Royals hit the road this week for a date against the Kamloops Blazers Wednesday, then a big showdown in Prince George with the Cougars Friday and Saturday. Victoria is tied with the Seattle Thunderbirds for seventh at 42 points, one ahead of the Everett Silvertips and two up on the Cougars. With two against the Cougars and two more with the Silvertips next month in Everett, that is what could decide the Royals’ fate.

“Those are going to be the biggest games of the year, for sure, and probably the deciding factor on who makes it,” said Rintoul. “We have to stay really focussed and work hard if we want to make the playoffs and that’s where we want to be.”

Soudek added with conviction, “It will happen. We will make the playoffs.”

The Royals’ will return home on Tuesday, February 28th, when they play host to the Spokane Chiefs. Game time is at 7:05 p.m. at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre. For further details or to purchase your tickets today, visit the Victoria Royals Ticket Office, www.selectyourtickets.com/victoriaroyals, e-mail vrtickets@victoriaroyals.com, or call 250-220-7889.