PATS ‘STEEL’ THE SHOW
Team wins four major WHL awards
Dale McMullin is taking the good with the bad.
Although McMullin and his scouting staff have thoroughly enjoyed the Regina Pats’ run to the WHL final, they’re also the ones who will bear the brunt of it during Thursday’s WHL bantam draft in Calgary.
“As a group, you do what is best for the organization,” said the Pats’ director of scouting. “Whether you’ve got multiple picks in any given round or a short list of picks like we have this year, by putting in quality time at the rink, you end up finding kids. The guys just have to work that much harder. There’s lots of kids out there who would like a chance to be a Regina Pat.”
Head coach/GM John Paddock made several trades to improve his team for this season’s championship run as well as next year’s hosting duties for the 100th Memorial Cup.
Those deals came at a cost. Regina isn’t scheduled to make a pick until near the top of the third round (51st overall). That selection came from the Spokane Chiefs (along with centre Wyatt Sloboshan) for forwards Riley Woods and Rykr Cole.
The Pats’ first-round pick (22nd overall) went to the Red Deer Rebels in the Josh Mahura-Jeff de Wit deal. Their second-rounder was dealt to the Everett Silvertips for rookie standout Nick Henry.
The Pats have two selections in the fourth round, including the No. 2 slot (68th overall) from the Vancouver Giants for goalie Daniel Wapple. The 79th pick came from Red Deer for defenceman Jared Freadrich.
Regina is also without a seventhrounder (to Red Deer in the Jake Leschyshyn deal) but the team has an extra pick in the ninth (from Kootenay for Jake Elmer).
Although it’s not ideal, the Pats believe this might be a good year — if there is such a thing — to be without some higher picks.
“There’s a few kids that separate from the pack overall but there could be some kids in the third, fourth, fifth round that turn out to be as good as the second or late first, in time,” said McMullin. “It’s just one of those years. From top to bottom it’s all over the map. But the way we have our road map in place there are some kids that, depending how it all shakes out, have a chance to play in the league and be developed into pretty good players.”
Teams with a shortage of picks are sometimes compelled to play if safe with the ones they have. The Pats, however, could decide to be a little more aggressive in chasing a high-end talent who slipped in the draft due to recruitment issues.
“If we keep backing away from high-end players because they’re non-committal or they’re U.S.born players, you’re always going to leave them for other teams,” noted McMullin, whose job as a recruiter is aided by the team’s growing reputation. “The Regina Pats are a well-known commodity right across Canada now. We rely on the way the kids are coached, the fun that they have playing with the speed we play, and the way they’re treated. I can’t imagine being treated too much better
The Regina Pats are a wellknown commodity right across Canada now.
anywhere in the CHL. That’s all part and parcel of it.”
McMullin’s staff has played a key role in the team’s success by bringing in players who are either part of the club or had value to other organizations.
Although the Pats’ aggressiveness on the trade market can make life difficult for their scouts, they also benefit from a proven coaching staff that helps the players maximize their talent.
“The coaches — John being the head of it all — give the kids an opportunity to either sink or swim,” added McMullin. “That’s all you can ask for from a scouting perspective is at least give the kids a chance. If they don’t hold up their end of it, they’re moved on somewhere else.”