Regina Pats win 2025 WHL draft lottery, will pick first overall

A little bit of luck has led to the Regina Pats getting the first overall pick in the 2025 WHL Prospects Draft.

The league held the draft lottery on Thursday, with the Pats winning it despite having the second-best odds of doing so.

“I think it’s exciting for our organization. I think it’s exciting for the city and our fanbase,” Regina Pats general manager Alan Millar said after the draft lottery.

“I think we’ve had a tough couple of years, and we’re trying to put the pieces together and build this thing the right way. To get the first pick in the prospects draft, lots of optimism around this offseason and the assets we have to build.

“It’s going to start off real well on the day of the draft and having the number one pick. It’s one of those things where it’s really out of your control. You can’t really do too much about it. It’s the luck of the draw and you hope it goes your way and we were fortunate enough that it went our way.

“It’s great for the franchise, I think it’s exciting for everybody around our team and we look forward to having that player be a part of what we are building and the process that we have started here the last year-and-a-half in terms of building our club and taking those steps to be competitive, getting back to the playoffs and build a contending team to try and win a championship.”

Regina-product Maddox Schultz is expected to be a top pick in the draft, possibly the first name called. Schultz had a stellar season with the Regina Pat Canadians, recording 93 points (43 goals, 50 assists) with the U18 AAA club despite being 14 years old for most of the campaign.

“It would be a dream come true to be drafted and I have been watching the WHL for a long time. I grew up in Medicine Hat, so I watched a couple of Medicine Hat Tigers games there and moved here when I was five. I’ve been to many Pats games and watching them growing up was real cool and to be in this spot right now is a dream come true,” Schultz told the WHL draft lottery broadcast on Victory+.

The Pat Canadians have qualified for the Telus Cup — the male U18 AAA Canadian national championship tournament.

Regina Pat Canadians forward Maddox Schultz, expected to be the first overall pick in the WHL Draft, raises the Sask. Male U18 AAA hockey league trophy. (Britton Gray/980 CJME)

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“I’m team-first, but I’m looking to be as productive as I can and help the team any way I can,” Schultz said when asked about what he wants to show at the tournament. “Whether that is laying a hit, taking a hit, getting a puck out and blocking a shot, just trying to help the team out any way.”

#⃣1⃣

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— Regina Pats (@WHLPats) April 11, 2025

Millar said they know Schultz very well from his time in Regina and with the Pat Canadians.

“Maddox is a special young man and a special young player and gives us certainly real good options as we consider what to do what the top of the draft,” Millar said.

Millar said it’s a crucial draft for the club and wouldn’t reveal who they plan to take in the draft.

“When you have the number one pick, whenever you make your decision and you’re going to communicate your decision, the first people that need to hear from me are the player and the family,” Millar said. “I’ll leave it at that.”

After a 16-44-5-3 season, Regina finished second-last in the WHL standings, giving them a 23.8 per cent chance at winning the draft lottery.

“I think we’re at a point where there’s a foundation in place and we are going to be proactive to get better. I expect our team to take a significant step next year,” Millar said.

The Moose Jaw Warriors finished in last place with a record of 15-45-6-2 but had traded this year’s first-round pick back in 2023 in a deal with the Edmonton Oil Kings for forward Rilen Kovacevic, defenceman Vojtech Port, and a sixth-round pick (2024).

Connor Bedard — the first-ever WHL player granted exceptional status by Hockey Canada — was the Pats’ pick in 2020. That was the last time Regina held the first overall pick.

The WHL Prospects Draft will take place on May 7.