Colby Williams reflects on career
Colby Williams’ final WHL season hasn’t gone according to script, but there’s a lot left to be written.
The captain of the Regina Pats is almost ready to turn the page on the first half of the 2015-16 campaign — an injury-plagued stretch in which he has played just nine of 32 games.
Williams plans to add three more to his total this week — including tonight against the Kamloops Blazers — before starting a seven-day Christmas break.
When the Pats return from their holiday hiatus, Williams expects to come back with a fresh outlook.
“The second half will be almost like a new start for me,” offered the 20-year-old defenceman, who had off-season wrist surgery. “It’ll be good to maybe try to enjoy it a little more, not worry about injuries and trying to get back (in the lineup). I can just go out and play hockey.”
Williams has made a huge impact in limited action this season, recording three goals and five assists with a plus-5 rating.
Unfortunately for the Pats, their top defenceman spent most of the first half as a spectator.
“It has been tough not being able to play every single game in my last year,” he said. “I’m just glad I’m finally back in the lineup and I get to hopefully finish my career here in Regina with the guys I started with.”
Williams emphasized the word “hopefully” — knowing full well there are no guarantees, especially at this time of year. As one of the few impact veterans on a young up-and-coming team, he’s an obvious target leading up to the Jan. 10 trade deadline.
“It’s a little bit on my mind, just like every older guy,” noted Williams. “The trade deadline is always kind of a nerve-racking day. You never know what’s going to happen but you can’t really let it affect your play.
“I’m a Regina Pat right now. I’ve been a Regina Pat my whole life. Nothing is going to change for me when I come to the rink, my attitude or anything. If something does happen, I know it’s for the good of the team.”
That’s what happened at this time last year when Pats head coach/GM John Paddock traded veterans Morgan Klimchuk, Connor Gay, Kyle Burroughs and Dryden Hunt to bolster the team for the future.
Williams responded by playing the best hockey of his career in the second half, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t take the changes hard.
“Guys get traded all the time but those were four of my best friends on the team,” he recalled. “To see them all go within a couple of days was pretty tough. It kind of shows you how much of a business this is.
“But you can’t really control that. I have the utmost respect for John and (assistant) Dave (Struch) and the whole organization. They’ll do what’s best for the team.”
For his part, Paddock isn’t making any guarantees about this season’s deadline. That said, he doesn’t sound eager to trade his captain.
“I’d have to be blown away before I would ever think of that,” he said. “It’s very important for us to play in the playoffs. He’s a big piece of that. There’s never any nevers. Nobody has called (with a serious offer). At some point I’m guessing there will be but he’s a big deal to us. We’re going to need him down the stretch.” Williams plans to be there. Despite a rough first half, he reached a couple of significant career milestones on Saturday by playing his 200th WHL game and recording his 100th point. He also became just the 68th player in franchise history — teammate Adam Brooks is another — to appear in 200 games with the Pats.
“It’s definitely a big milestone to play that many in this league,” added Williams. “You don’t really think about it and you don’t really notice how fast it goes until you come up to the end of your junior career. It has been a roller-coaster for me but I wouldn’t change it for anything.”