Pats might stumble at the start of 100th anniversary season

The Pats salute their fans after falling in the WHL finals.

    The Regina Pats had a dream season in 2016-17, but they might not have a dream start in 2017-18.

    Last season, the historic Pats, who are the oldest major junior hockey franchise in the world, hit heights they haven’t seen for a long time. They topped the WHL’s regular season standings for the first time since 1974 posting a 52-12-7-1 record.

    They were rated first in the Canadian Hockey League’s top 10 rankings for most of the campaign and topped the final ratings released on March 22.

    They made their first appearance in the WHL’s Eastern Conference championship series since 1993 and knocked off the Lethbridge Hurricanes 4-2 in a best-of-seven set. The Pats made the WHL Championship series for the first time since 1984, but fell 4-2 in the best-of-seven set to the Seattle Thunderbirds. Thunderbirds import centre Alexander True scored the overtime winner in Game 6 of the WHL title series to give his side a 4-3 victory in that contest.

    While the WHL title eluded the Pats, they had a roster that seemed full of super heroes last season, who delivered tonnes of thrills. When the Pats embark on their 100^th anniversary season in 2017-18 which will see them host the 100^th Memorial Cup championship tournament in May of 2018, they might start the campaign minus as many as 11 faces from last year’s powerhouse squad.

    That number doesn’t include backup goalie Jordan Hollett, who was traded to the Medicine Hat Tigers in May.

The Pats lost superstar captain Adam Brooks to graduation.

    The Pats open rookie camp on Monday in Regina with registration for rookie players.

    Superstar captain Adam Brooks, skilled left-winger Dawson Leedahl and sound defensive defenceman Chase Harrison were all lost to graduation due to being overage players last season. It was inevitable they would leave big holes.

    In theory, Filip Ahl and Sergey Zborovskiy could return both taking up spots as an import player and an overage player. Ahl had a standout lone WHL season in 2016-17 collecting 28 goals and 20 assists in 54 regular season games, but he has signed a one-year professional contract Orebro HK in his home country of Sweden, which means he is out of the picture for next season.

    Zborovskiy, who is from Russia, has an NHL entry-level contract inked with the New York Rangers, and he can be assigned to any of the farm clubs the Rangers have in the minor professional ranks due to being a 20-year-old.

    With those developments, the Pats selected two players in the CHL Import Draft at the end of June in Russian defenceman Yegor Zamula, who is entering his 17-year-old season, and Finnish forward Emil Oksanen, who is entering his 19-year-old season. Both have big shoes to fill in trying to replace Ahl and Zborovskiy.

Jake Leschyshyn is still recovering from an ACL tear injury.

    Another questionable returnee is star defenceman Connor Hobbs, who is entering his overage season. Hobbs has an NHL entry-level contract signed with the Washington Capitals, and he looks more than ready to play at the next level. If he doesn’t make the Capitals, Hobbs can be assigned to any of Washington’s minor league affiliates.

    The Pats could be without WHL scoring champion Sam Steel, who had 50 goals, 81 assists and a plus-49 rating in the plus-minus department in 66 regular season games last season. The superstar centre has an NHL entry-level contract inked with the Anaheim Ducks, and he appears to be ready to play in the NHL.

    With Steel going into his 19-year-old season, the Ducks have to assign him back to the Pats, if he doesn’t make the NHL squad.

    Offensive defenceman Josh Mahura is in the same boat as Steel. Mahura also has a signed NHL entry-level contract with the Ducks, but entering his 19-year-old season, the talented rearguard has to be assigned back to the Pats, if he doesn’t make the Ducks NHL roster.

Nick Henry (#21) is recovering from a torn labrum injury.

    Mahura has only played one full campaign since returning from a serious knee injury that sidelined him for 70 regular season games in 2015-16, when he was still with the Red Deer Rebels. The Pats acquired Mahura from the Rebels on WHL trade deadline day back on Jan. 10. Odds are high Mahura will be back with the Pats for another WHL campaign, but he might not be in Regina at the start of the season.

    Centre Jake Leschyshyn, who was selected in the second round and 62^nd overall in June’s NHL Entry Draft by the Las Vegas Golden Knights, is still recovering from tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in one of his knees in a WHL game on Feb. 3. It is touch and go as to whether he will be ready when the Pats open their regular season on Sept. 22 with a match against the Wheat Kings in Brandon.

Austin Wagner (#27) is healing from a torn labrum and dislocate bicep injury.

    Right-winger Nick Henry, who had a spectacular rookie campaign with the Pats, underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder in late June. Henry, who was selected in the fourth round and 94^th overall in last June’s NHL Entry Draft by the Colorado Avalanche, could be out four to sixth months, which means a possible return could occur near the end of October or the end of December.

    Speedy left-winger Austin Wagner, who is entering his overage season, underwent major surgery in early June to repair a torn labrum and dislocated bicep tendon. He is expected to take about six months to recover, which means his return might happen in mid to late December.

Sam Steel (#23) might stick with the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks.

    Wagner does have an NHL entry-level contact signed with the Los Angeles Kings, but it is uncertain the Kings will trigger the first year of that deal by bringing him into the professional ranks due to his injury situation. He might be returned to the Pats but would still miss a sizable chunk of the WHL campaign.

    The injuries to Henry and Wagner show what a grind the WHL playoffs can be and how much heart the Pats had to get to the point they were two wins away from winning their first league title since 1980.

    At the moment, the Pats are looking at possibly opening their regular season schedule without any returning players from their top two lines last season and the starting centre from their third line. It should also be noted that teams hosting the Memorial Cup often get players returned to their rosters by NHL clubs who might normally be kept in the professional ranks.

Connor Hobbs might stay in the pros in the Washington Capitals system.

    NHL clubs regularly return players to major junior teams hosting the Memorial Cup championship tournament, because those returnees gain experience playing important post-season games in May. That traditional development might see the Pats get Hobbs, Steel and Mahura back on their roster.

    Regina holds the major junior rights to standout centre Tyson Jost, who will enter his 19-year-old season. Jost played last season with the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks men’s team in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, and he appeared in six NHL regular season games after signing an NHL entry-level contract on March 29 with the Colorado Avalanche. He scored one goal during his six games with the Avalanche.

    Due to signing with the Avalanche, Jost can’t return to the Fighting Hawks next season, but the Avalanche can assign him to an AHL affiliate because he was drafted from the junior A ranks in British Columbia.

Goalie Tyler Brown might have to keep the Pats in games early in 2017-18.

    The Avalanche selected Jost in the first round and 10^th overall in 2016 NHL Entry Draft, and they are expected to give Jost every chance to stay with the big club for the upcoming season.

    The Pats still have two big keys in their favour in the fact John Paddock is still the club’s head coach and general manager and Dave Struch is still an assistant coach and assistant general manager. Paddock has the skill to quickly strengthen the Pats via the trade route.

    In May, he already started doing just that acquiring star centre Matthew Bradley, who is entering his overage season, in a deal with the Medicine Hat Tigers in a deal that saw Hollett move to “the Gas City.” Bradley recorded 34 goals, 43 assists and a plus-23 rating in 70 regular season games with the Tigers last season.

    Struch has built a reputation for being a stellar coach who is strong at building up a player’s confidence.

The Pats want to enjoy more post-season celebrations like this in 2018.

    The Pats will return star netminder Tyler Brown as an overager. The Winnipeg, Man., product will provide the ability to keep the Pats in games during the early going as the rest of the club’s roster takes shape.

    As the 2017-18 season progresses, the Pats might build a roster that is as equally as good as the one from last season and be a contender for a WHL league title and a Memorial Cup title as CHL champions.

    At the moment in the early going, it looks like the rest of the WHL will be looking forward to encounters with a Pats team that will be weaker than the squad that hit the ice last season.

    Fans in Regina will have to be patient at the start of the 2017-18 campaign, if it is bumpy, and they might get a better appreciation for how special 2016-17 was.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

Pats’ Leedahl hits milestone

Saskatoon product scores 30^th goal in win over Blades

Dawson Leedahl, right, was all smiles after hitting the 30-goal plateau.

    Dawson Leedahl had a unique personal milestone night in what could possibly be his last WHL game in his hometown.

    On Wednesday night, the overage winger for the Regina Pats netted his 30^th goal of the season against the host Saskatoon Blades. 

    Working on a power play just past the midway point of the second period, Leedahl, who is from Saskatoon, tapped in a puck at the side of the Blades net to put the Pats up 3-0 off a beauty setup from star centre Sam Steel.

    The Pats, who are rated second in the Canadian Hockey League’s top 10 rankings, built a 4-0 lead and cruised to a 4-1 victory to mostly disappoint the 3,782 onlookers at the SaskTel Centre. A large number of Pats supporters were present at Wednesday’s game. Regina’s domination included posting a 47-16 edge in shots on goal.

Dawson Leedahl, left, battles for the puck behind the Saskatoon net.

    “It is exciting,” said Leedahl, about his 30^th goal. “It is a good milestone for sure.

    “I am more happy about the way we played today. We played a full 60 minutes and everyone had a good effort. It made it pretty easy to get my 30th.”

    Leedahl followed a little bit of direction from Steel that resulted in the Saskatoon product’s memorable tally.

    “Before the draw, Sammie (Steel) told me to go backdoor,” said Leedahl, who had an assist on the Pats first goal. “They made a nice play.

    “He (Steel) fired the puck backdoor, and I was ready for it. I just tapped it in.”

    Leedahl, who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 193 pounds, was acquired by the Pats in a blockbuster trade last July with the Everett Silvertips. In that transaction, the Pats acquired Leedahl and the WHL playing rights to 18-year-old forward Tyson Jost in exchange for 18-year-old winger Sean Richards, a fourth round pick in the 2017 WHL Bantam Draft that was acquired from the Red Deer Rebels in another deal, and conditional draft picks that depend on Jost joining the Pats one day.

Pats captain Adam Brooks sniped a goal on Wednesday.

    Jost was a first round selection of the Colorado Avalanche in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft and was a member of Canada’s team that won silver at the world junior championship that wrapped up in early January in Montreal.

    Before joining the Pats, Leedahl played four complete seasons with the Silvertips, and his best campaign came in the 2014-15 campaign, when he netted 14 goals and 19 assists in 52 regular season games. Way back in the 2011 WHL Bantam Draft, the Silvertips selected Leedahl in the second round and 40^th overall.

    As an overager with the Pats, Leedahl has had a breakout season picking up career highs in goals (30), assists (44) and points (74) in 58 regular season games. Unless the Pats and Blades meet in the post-season, Wednesday’s encounter will be the last WHL game Leedahl plays in his hometown.

    “It is pretty crazy,” said Leedahl, who had 10 to 20 family members in attendance on Wednesday. “I was thinking about the first time I came in here when I was 16 with Everett and how excited I was to play in front of the big crowd and my parents and family.

    “It is pretty crazy that it has been five years, and it is gone now. Anytime you have family (in the stands) you want to impress them or just do your best for them. I think we did that.”

Netminder Brock Hamm turned away 43 shots in goal for the Blades.

    Nick Henry, captain Adam Brooks and Braydon Buziak all netted singles for the Pats. Tyler Brown turned away 15 shots to pick up the win in the Regina net.

    Michael Farren had the lone reply for the Blades scoring on a two-man advantage with 6:34 to play in the third period. Brock Hamm was sensational in the Saskatoon goal making 43 saves to keep his team in the game.

    The Pats went 3-for-7 with the man advantage, while the Blades were 1-for-4 on the power play. Regina had Saskatoon pinned in its own zone for much of the contest, and Leedahl said the Pats talked about having a relentless effort.

    “We hadn’t really played a good team game in a little while,” said Leedahl. “We wanted to stick to it.

    “I guess we just played hard and played the right way and things went the right way.”

    With the win, the Pats improved their WHL leading record to 43-9-6-1. Leedahl admitted that his final major junior season has been something out of a dream so far.

Winger Nick Henry, left, looks to drive a shot on goal for the Pats.

    “It has been a lot of fun,” said Leedahl. “There are lots of fun guys and a fun coaching staff.

    “Everyone is just really good at what they do, and it has made it a lot of fun and pretty easy to play here.”

    With the loss, the Blades fall to 23-29-6-2 to sit two points back of the Calgary Hitmen (23-26-8-2) for eighth place and the final playoff berth in the WHL’s Eastern Conference.

    The Blades return to action Friday, when they host their arch rivals the Prince Albert Raiders (16-39-4-2) at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre. The Pats return home to host the Swift Current Broncos (30-18-4-6) on Friday at 7 p.m. at the Brandt Centre.

Pats are fitting hosts for 100^th Memorial Cup

Some mementoes from when Regina hosted the 2001 Memorial Cup.

    There is a lot of excitement surrounding the Regina Pats these days, and that excitement hit another level last Saturday, when the Pats were named the host of the 100^th Memorial Cup next year.

    Normally, the hosting rights for the Memorial Cup cycles between the WHL, Ontario Hockey League and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, but the CHL elected to open the hosting rights for the 100^th tournament to all teams in its member leagues. The Pats are the oldest major junior franchise in the world beginning operation in 1917, so it seemed like a natural fit that they host the centennial edition of the Memorial Cup.

    The Pats are also named for the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry and will be celebrating their 100^th anniversary next season. The 100^th Memorial Cup will take place May 17-27, 2018 at the Brandt Centre in Regina.

    The Pats last hosted the Memorial Cup in 2001, and it was a huge success on and off the ice. The WHL champion Red Deer Rebels claimed that tournament winning the championship final 6-5 in overtime against the QMJHL champion Val-d’Or Foreurs. The Ottawa 67s also took part in that Memorial Cup as champions of the OHL.

    In Regina, the Pats, who won the Memorial Cup in 1925, 1930 and 1974, have a huge loyal following due to their history in the Saskatchewan capital. When Regina hosted the Memorial Cup in 2001, there was strong excitement in the year leading up to the event despite the fact the Pats had a bit of an up and down campaign before finishing the 2000-01 regular season with a record of 40 wins, 27 losses, three ties and two overtime losses.

    People in Regina are already highly pumped up for the Pats. The Pats also have a good chance of returning a number of key players from their club this season to next season.

    Expect the 100^th Memorial Cup in Regina to be a smashing success.

Back in the Express with Slobodzian

Captain Willow Slobodzian is one of the Stars top stars.

    I was back in the pages of the Saskatoon Express this week with a feature on Saskatoon Stars captain Willow Slobodzian.

    Slobodzian is playing in her final season with the Stars, and helped them post a team record for points in the regular season standings at 76 coming from 25 regulation wins, two regulation losses and one extra time loss. The Stars topped the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League’s regular season standings for a third straight year.

    In the fall, Slobodzian will join the University of North Dakota’s Fighting Hawks women’s team, who play in the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

    During her final campaign with the Stars, Slobodzian, who is an offensive defender, equaled her career high in goals (six) and set career highs in assists (21) and points (27) appearing in all of her team’s 28 regular season games.

    On Wednesday, the Stars opened a best-of-five first round SFMAAAHL playoff series by downing the Weyburn Southern Range Gold Wings 9-0 at the Agriplace Arena. Slobodzian had an assist in that contest.

    In the win over the Gold Wings, Grace Shirley had a hat trick and Anna Leschyshyn had a pair of goals for the Stars. Jordyn Holmes, Mackenna Parker, Abby Shirley and Kaitlin Jockims each had singles for Saskatoon. Abby Shirley also collected three assists.

    Jordan Ivanco made 14 saves to earn the shutout win in goal for the Stars. Meagan Perkins turned away 34 shots taking the loss in goal for the Gold Wings.

    Game 2 of the series is set for Friday in Weyburn, and Game 3 is slated for 7 p.m. in Saskatoon at the Agriplace Arena.

    The Express feature story on Slobodzian can be found here.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.