Achi news desk-
It was a season to forget for the Regina Pats.
The team finished 11th in the WHL Eastern Conference standings, missing out on the playoffs altogether. With a 22-40-4-2 record, the Pats’ season ended after an 11-1 loss to the Moose Jaw Warriors this weekend.
“I think there’s a lot of ups and downs,” first-year Pats general manager Al Millar said. “It’s clearly a season that nobody can be happy with. We are disappointed with how the last 20 games have gone.”
After three seasons with a star in Connor Bedard leading the team, this year players had to step up, including captain Tanner Howe.
“I thought I played pretty well all season,” said Howe, who finished the campaign with 28 goals and 49 assists. “One goal for me was to be consistent throughout the season with my work ethic and be competitive every night and you want to produce points.
The 18-year-old Prince Albert product is a highly regarded prospect for the upcoming NHL draft.
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“It was difficult at first being a junior captain. I thought I had to make a couple adjustments. As the year went on, I got better at it and got better at talking in the room. It’s hard when you don’t earn much. It’s hard to keep the atmosphere good in the room and things like that but it was good.”
Although it is not known what his future looks like, he is ready to get back on the ice.
“I’m really looking forward to it and we’ve got a lot of guys coming back next year so we’re going to be a different team,” Howe said. “We’re going to come in with a good mindset and want to win next year.”
Pats head coach Brad Herauf said his mindset has already shifted to next season after this year’s big record.
“Starting at the bottom has never scared me,” he said. “I want to be playing tomorrow and never want to be in this situation again.
“There is anything in my God-given power that I can do to ensure that this is not the norm…. Work starts tomorrow for me, and the boys will return on September 1 and I’ll be ready to go when they get here.”
As Herauf finishes his first year as the Pats head coach, he hopes his players will take the season away as a learning experience.
“Hockey is a privilege,” he said. “Don’t take this for granted because it won’t last forever.”
As for the next steps, Herauf and the team will begin preparing for the WHL draft and assess where the team needs to improve.
& copy 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
