Pats’ Schioler expects a ‘tough’ weekend

For the past four WHL seasons, Liam Schioler has been a stay-at-home defenceman for the Regina Pats.

Now, his stay in the only WHL home he has ever known is about to end.

The 21-year-old product of Winnipeg is to play the final home game of his WHL career Friday, when the Pats play host to the Brandon Wheat Kings at the Brandt Centre.

Schioler is to complete his WHL career Saturday, when Regina visits Brandon to wrap up the 2018-19 regular season. The Pats didn’t qualify for the playoffs, meaning Schioler is poised to exhaust his junior eligibility.

“The last few nights, (it has) been tough to sleep,” he said in advance of Friday’s game. “Knowing that you’re moving on is never easy, especially because I’ve been here for four years and it has been a big part of my life … It’s going to be emotional. It’s going to be tough.”

Schioler, a second-round pick of the Pats in the 2013 WHL bantam draft, began his junior career with the USHL’s Lincoln Stars in the 2015-16 season. Midway through that season, he decided to join the Pats.

His cousin, Dane Schioler, had been in the Pats’ system and gave Liam information that helped him decide to move to Regina.

Despite having insight into what to expect, Schioler’s first season in Regina required some adjustments.

“It was different because you’re obviously used to playing more and getting regular minutes,” he recalled. “But that’s kind of what it is in this league. You’re not going to play all that much (in) your first year and that’s the adversity you have to deal with and figure out what it’s going to take to move on from that.”

He obviously figured it out. The game Friday will be the 237^th regular-season contest of his Pats career.

“It starts with his commitment, no question,” head coach Dave Struch said when asked to explain Schioler’s longevity with the team. “The way he carries himself in the summertime, the way he carries himself out in public, that all carries over to his on-ice performance and the way he carries himself around the rink and around our players.”

Struch pointed to Schioler’s willingness to play a physical game and to speak up in the locker room as reasons why he has stayed with the team for so long. But his stint is about to end and, starting next season, the Pats will have to try to replace Schioler’s leadership and character.

“When you bleed the Regina Pats’ blue like Liam has, it says a lot about him as a person,” Struch said.

Schioler plans to play U Sports hockey next season with the Queen’s University Gaels in Kingston, Ont. Before that, though, he has two more games to play with the Pats.

His time in Regina featured highlights like playing for a WHL title during the 2016-17 season and for a Memorial Cup championship during the 2017-18 campaign. But the relationships he had with his teammates and coaches are what he’ll remember most about his Pats career.

“It’s a huge part of hockey and a huge part of the organization here,” said Schioler, who enters Friday’s game with 32 points — including five goals — in his WHL career. “The guys have always been great and I’ve made some great friendships that will last a long time.

“It’s disappointing that we couldn’t win the (Memorial) Cup or the WHL championship, but it is what it is. At this point, you’ve got to move on from stuff like that — but you learn from it and get better.”

— With files from 980 CJME’s Evan Radford