Absence of Leschyshyn noted
The Regina Pats are poised to return to Saskatoon, where the WHL pacesetters were dealt a setback during their previous visit.
Jake Leschyshyn suffered a season-ending knee injury Feb. 3, when the Pats defeated the Saskatoon Blades 5-2.
The repercussions of Leschyshyn’s injury were not immediately apparent. Regina won its first four games without the 17-year-old centre — fattening its winning streak to 11 games — before losing three of the subsequent five contests.
How much do the Pats miss Leschyshyn? “A lot,” head coach/GM John Paddock lamented.
With Leschyshyn in the lineup, Regina boasted an unrivalled trio at centre. Down the middle, Regina’s roster still includes the league’s leading scorer (105-point producer Sam Steel) and the defending scoring champion (Adam Brooks).
Leschyshyn had 40 points in 47 games before being injured. The Pats were averaging a robust 5.29 goals per game prior to his injury. They have averaged 3.33 goals over the first nine games without Leschyshyn.
Paddock is quick to note that he is pleased with the play of 19-yearold centre Wyatt Sloboshan, a former Blades captain who was acquired from the Spokane Chiefs on Jan. 2.
“Sloboshan has played fine, but there’s another guy or two who need to pick their game up,” Paddock noted.
The situation with the forwards has also been affected by a charley horse suffered by left-winger Filip Ahl during Monday’s 3-2 overtime victory over the host Prince Albert Raiders — a result that improved the Pats’ league-leading record to 42-9-6-1.
Ahl sat out Saturday’s game in Moose Jaw — a 4-0 loss to the Warriors — because he was banged up, only to be sidelined again during Monday’s proceedings.
To bolster the team up front, Paddock has selectively deployed star defenceman Connor Hobbs as a right winger.
Hobbs was used at forward on Saturday, but received a charging major and a game misconduct late in the game. He missed Monday’s game due to a league-imposed suspension.
“We were going to look at Hobbs up front no matter what, because of the Leschyshyn situation,” Paddock explained. “I don’t really want to play him up front, and we’re not going to do it on a regular basis, but we need a couple of guys to step up.”