Pats are looking good along the blue line
Returning veterans and exciting young prospects expected to suit up next season
The Regina Pats’ best offence might be an experienced defence.
Despite a lack of firepower up front, the Pats are optimistic that their back end could be a source of strength next season with six veterans eligible to return and five promising youngsters knocking at the door.
“When you’re returning (key) players, you expect it to be a good thing,” said GM John Paddock. “(You expect) improved performance as a group and individually. We like that group for sure.”
It starts with 19-year-olds Ryker Evans and Nikita Sedov, a pair of mobile defenders entering their third WHL season. Both are expected to carry a heavier offensive load following the graduation of puck-mover Zach Wytinck, who provided a huge spark last season after he was acquired from Brandon.
Evans and Sedov are complemented by the two-way game of Kyle Walker, the biggest and toughest member of the blue-line corps. He’s positioned to earn one of three 20-year-old spots on the team.
“Nobody (in that group) has been on the all-star teams but they’re good players,” Paddock noted. “Ryker has a chance to get drafted.
Nikita, I wouldn’t say he’s underrated to us but he got the unsung player (award). This guy does everything like a pro as far as preparation. That and an experienced bigger body like Kyle is a good place to start.”
Regina has high hopes for Jake Johnson, 17, a talented all-around defender who’s coming off a solid rookie season. The team is also hoping for a big step in the development of Makai Mitchell, 18, whose first full season was hampered by injuries.
“Jake is going to just keep getting better and better,” Paddock said. “Kai was nicked up a lot last year and (got caught) in a numbers thing for a bit. He needs to really come in with a bang. Players reach a certain age and you need to get going. It’s not his fault that he’s entering that spot but that’s just the way it works out for different reasons.”
The final returnee is lanky stayat-home defender Steven Zonneveld, 19, who split last season between Regina and the AJHL’S Drumheller Dragons.
Zonneveld faces stiff competition from a group of prospects headlined by Layton Feist, 16, who was a first-round pick (17th overall) in the 2019 bantam draft.
Feist was called up for three games last season.
“We like Layton a lot,” Paddock said. “I expect he’ll be on the team based on the kind of player he is. The coaches loved how he played those three games. Like anybody he has to come in and play good but he’s a first-round pick and he had a good year so we have certain expectations of him.”
The wild-card on the back end is highly touted American prospect Colby Woogk, who remains unsigned and is being heavily recruited south of the border.
“Woogk is not in at the moment but he’s not 100 per cent out,” Paddock said. “His plan is to be at training camp. That’ll be very exciting for us.”
If Woogk decides to sign in camp, the Pats will make room for him immediately.
“That would be ideal,” Paddock said. “You’d be looking then at going with two 16-year-old defencemen, which probably has not happened very often. We want to be a competitive team but we’re talking about two really good players. You just deal with that really good problem if it happens.”
The final one or two spots on the blue-line are expected to feature a competition between three 17-year-old draft picks from 2018: Daylan Weigel (sixth round), Parker Berge (eighth) and Marcus Taylor (ninth).
All three are signed and had brief auditions with Regina last season.
“We like them all,” Paddock said. “They’re all going to be capable of playing in the league. When that is, I’m not sure.
“We have some good depth and a couple of real good people (Feist and Johnson) that look like they can be in anybody’s top three as they get older. It’s good right now and it should remain good as we go ahead.”
In Saturday’s Leader-post, we’ll look at the forwards.