Paddock likes team’s direction
Record doesn’t show it, but GM feels WHL team headed in right direction
It’s not easy to assign a midterm grade for the Regina Pats.
Based solely upon wins and losses, their first-half record of 8-183-1 qualifies as an obvious failure.
However, it isn’t quite that simple to evaluate Regina’s performance in the midst of a wholesale rebuild that has drastically lowered the bar.
Despite a lack of high-end skill, head coach Dave Struch continues to receive top marks for getting the most out of the talent at his disposal by raising the team’s standard of work ethic.
That’s no small feat as Regina endures its second consecutive losing season — a predicament that might have caused players to lose focus or jump ship entirely.
“(Struch) has done a real good job; the kind of job I would expect,” offered GM John Paddock. “Our team for the most part has worked (hard). In some ways, you can say that’s sort of a given. Every team has to work. Well, they do, but sometimes your situation makes it harder to come to the rink with a smile or give that extra (effort). That’s a strength of our team.
“We’re not very often an easy pushover for a team.”
Indeed, the Pats have lost by two goals or fewer on 13 occasions this season, including four contests that went to overtime or a shootout. They’ve only lost three times by more than three goals, which shows they’re in just about every game.
That’s not a surprise based on an informal poll of opposing coaches, who have consistently lauded the Pats as a well-prepared team that sets the tone with its dogged effort.
“That has been a key starting point for our team the last two years,” Paddock noted. “I don’t expect that to change. Some of the players deserve lots of credit for that. (Captain) Austin (Pratt) has done a good job. I don’t think Robbie Holmes is going to say a lot (in the room) but he’s playing at a higher level and people follow that.
The same could be said for (goalie) Max (Paddock). The same thing could be said for (Kyle) Walker. Those guys have set a good tone. They’ve bought in and led the way.”
There was cause for optimism when Regina opened this season with a 3-2 win over the Moose Jaw Warriors. That was followed by a 10-game tailspin in which the team couldn’t seem to buy a break.
“We played fine,” Paddock said. “The big thing was getting Max healthy. Our schedule became a little bit slack when he started to come back (from injury). He had time to work on his game and get completely ready. Goaltending covers up a lot of errors. We started making less errors and playing with the puck a little bit more and creating stuff a little bit more (offence).”
The GM did his part by swinging a handful of trades that injected a little more talent into his lineup. The acquisitions included defenceman Zach Wytinck and forwards Carter Chorney, Carson Denomie, Caiden Daley and Zack Smith.
That new blood provided a spark while Max Paddock began to find his rhythm. The team also improved on special teams and showed signs of addressing its penchant for taking too many penalties.
Slowly but surely, the pieces started falling into place.
“There were different things that we thought were going to be better off the hop,” admitted Paddock, who expected more from a few of his returning players to begin this season. “Around the same time, Max missed five or six starts. I would think that was costly for a couple wins. Then he was healthy and that took a big turn. We made some tweaks (to the lineup) and I would say the tweaks were maybe a little bit more significant than we even (expected).
“We got better so that helped.” The Pats have essentially been playing .500 hockey since their 10-game losing streak ended. They wrapped up the first half with their best stretch of the campaign, going 5-4-1-1 over the final 11 games before the Christmas break.
“It has been our most consistent part of the season,” Paddock said. “That’s a real positive. (The players) should feel fairly good about themselves.”
At least they get an “A” for effort.
We made some tweaks (to the lineup) and I would say the tweaks were maybe a little bit more significant than we even (expected)