Victory Nickel Announces Hiring of Key Personnel, Equipment Orders for Alberta Plant

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Jul 17, 2013) - Victory Nickel Inc. ("Victory Nickel" or the "Company") (TSX:NI) (www.victorynickel.ca) today announced that its 100%-owned subsidiary Victory Silica Ltd. ("VSL") has filled two senior operating positions and has ordered key pieces of equipment for the 400,000 ton per annum frac sand processing plant located in Seven Persons, Alberta, just southwest of Medicine Hat (the "7P Facility").

Phillip Birmingham has been appointed General Manager of the 7P Facility. Mr. Birmingham has a diverse background, including seven years with the British Army's Royal Mechanical and Electrical Engineers, and operations and management positions with Crane Canada, Allwest Compressor Services and most recently as General Manager with 3R Sand Ltd. (the former operator of the 7P Facility) and Clean Earth Environmental Ltd. Working under Mr. Birmingham as Plant Manager is Troy Bergen. Mr. Bergen also worked with 3R Sand Ltd. between 2008 and 2010 as Lead Hand, and prior to that was Operations Manager with Clean Earth Environmental Ltd. Messrs. Birmingham and Bergen will supervise all aspects of the 7P Facility site remediation, plant construction and frac sand plant operations under the guidance of VSL CEO Ken Murdock.

Site remediation and preparation has begun, orders have been placed for certain of the processing plant's longer lead-time items and contractors have been selected for plant modifications to facilitate the start of frac sand processing.

"We're very pleased to bring Phillip and Troy on board and get key equipment orders in place," said Mr. Murdock. "We can now move quickly forward with site remediation and preparation, plant construction and frac sand sales through the balance of 2013."

About Frac Sand

Frac sand is a proppant used in the oil and gas business as a part of the hydraulic fracturing process - a means of increasing flow to the wellhead. Frac sand must have particular characteristics including achieving certain levels of crush resistance, sphericity and roundness, and is therefore a relatively rare commodity. Vast quantities of frac sand are consumed, and more is needed all the time in North America as shale gas plays in Canada and the US rise to prominence.

About Victory Nickel

Victory Nickel Inc. is a Canadian company with four sulphide nickel deposits containing significant NI 43-101- compliant nickel resources. Victory Nickel is focused on becoming a mid-tier nickel producer by developing its existing properties, Minago, Mel and Lynn Lake in Manitoba, and Lac Rocher in northwestern Québec, and by evaluating opportunities to expand its nickel asset base. Through a wholly-owned subsidiary, Victory Silica Ltd., Victory Nickel is establishing a presence in the frac sand market prior to commencing frac sand production and sales from Minago.

Please visit the Company's website at www.victorynickel.ca. Should you wish to receive Company news via email, please email juliet@chfir.com and specify "Victory Nickel" in the subject line.

Forward-Looking Information: This news release contains forward-looking information. All statements, other than statements of historic fact, that address activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future constitute forward-looking information. This forward-looking information reflects the current expectations or beliefs of the Company based on information currently available to the Company. Forward-looking information is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results of the Company to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking information, and even if such actual results are realized or substantially realized, there can be no assurance that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on the Company. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things: uncertainty of estimates of capital and operating costs, production estimates and estimated economic return; the possibility that actual circumstances will differ from estimates and assumptions; uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future; failure to establish estimated mineral resources; fluctuations in commodity prices and currency exchange rates; inflation; recoveries being less than those indicated by the testwork carried out to date (there can be no assurance that recoveries in small scale laboratory tests will be duplicated in large tests under on-site conditions or during production); changes in equity markets; operating performance of facilities; environmental and safety risks; delays in obtaining or failure to obtain necessary permits and approvals from government authorities; unavailability of plant, equipment or labour; inability to retain key management and personnel; changes to regulations or policies affecting the Company's activities; the uncertainties involved in interpreting geological data; and the other risks disclosed under the heading "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in the Company's annual information form dated March 28, 2013 filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Forward-looking information speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. Although the Company believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking information are reasonable, forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such information due to the inherent uncertainty therein.