Regina Pats ready to get their WHL season underway

The puck will drop Friday night to open the Regina Pats’ new season.

Regina’s 2023-24 campaign gets underway at 6 p.m. with a contest against the host Brandon Wheat Kings.

Head coach Brad Herauf said his team is excited to get the season rolling.

“We’re done practising against each other and want to start taking it out on the other opponent,” said Herauf. “(I’m) just like the players early in the season and just want to get the first win under our belts.”

This season may be tricky to navigate, as the WHL club will need to find a way to replace the production of a number of key players and executives.

The team’s former general manager and head coach, John Paddock, retired in the off-season after nine seasons in Regina.

Alan Millar has taken Paddock’s place in the general manager role and Herauf is the main man behind the bench – the first time he’s held that role in the WHL. Herauf had served as an assistant coach with the Pats since 2015.

“I have been growing the last couple of years. I think we are all at a point in our careers where we want to make the next step,” Herauf said.

“We’re all in the same position here and we’re all kind of rookies to this, so we have been building together and have just been trying to build our foundation the right way.”

Meanwhile, on the ice, the Pats will have to overcome some big losses in the locker room, including the departure of the best junior hockey player in the world last season.

Connor Bedard was taken first overall in the NHL entry draft by the Chicago Blackhawks after putting up 271 points in 134 games during his Pats career. Defenceman Stanislav Svozil, who had 78 points in 56 games last season, is expected to play the season with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Forward Alexander Suzdalev could be one of the team’s 20-year-old players, but is with the Washington Capitals organization.

Heading into this season, the team’s 20-year-old players will be forward Zach Stringer and defencemen Parker Berge and Keagan Slaney. Slaney was picked up off waivers from the Calgary Hitmen on Wednesday.

Drew Sim, a 20-year-old goaltender, recently underwent hip surgery and will be out for a while. That means players like forward Tanner Howe will have to help carry more of the load offensively.

“We’re really excited. We have been waiting all off-season for it and our whole group is really pumped,” Howe said. “We have been working really hard in practice to get ready for this opening night.”

On Thursday, the Pats announced Howe would be the 82nd captain in the club’s history. The Prince Albert product becomes the second-youngest captain in team history (17 years, nine months, 24 days). He joins Bedard and Barret Jackman as the only players to be named captain of the Pats while being 17 years old.

Berge and forward Braxton Whitehead were named the team’s alternates.

Howe, who had 36 goals and 49 assists last season, is entering his NHL draft year, but said he isn’t focusing too much on that.

“It’s in the back of my head a little bit, but I’m just focused on my game this year and just how our team performs,” Howe said.

As the Pats look to make they playoffs for the second season in a row, Herauf knows this year will see new players get some big opportunities.

“Everyone talks about losing Connor and Svozil, and those guys were big voices in the room and they took up a lot of offensive time, which they deserved,” Herauf said.

“I think our guys are excited about their opportunities (to) get those chances now, and just be relied on like those guys last year.

“We’re going to have to do it by committee, and it’s not just going to be one person, so I think you can feel that excitement in our players.”