The last time the Regina Pats were on the ice was March 13 when they lost at home to the Winnipeg Ice.
A game scheduled for two nights later was cancelled due to COVID-19 and you know the rest of the story.
On Friday, the WHL announced the plan is to play a shortened 24-game season starting sometime next month after a plan is given final approval from health authorities in each provincial and state jurisdiction. It is anticipated the approvals will be received soon.
Pats Head Coach Dave Struch knows the season isn’t much, but it is better than anything. He says it is more about player development than wins and losses.
“It is about the players.” Struch said on 620 CKRM’s Sportscage Tuesday afternoon. ” Their development as players and people. It’s about the development of our league. It is one of many things that we take into account as we embark on this.”
While frustrating for Struch, when he does get to blow the whistle and start leading this team, he says it will be the same Dave Struch with the objective being the same.
“When the season was originally slated to start earlier this month, we started with Zoom calls and started learning our systems. We have done a lot of team building on Zoom so we have already spent a lot of time with them on Zoom and they have had time to spend on their own without our involvement. The guys are ready to get on the ice. The veterans know what to expect. When we get on the ice, they know what to expect from me and I know what to expect from them.
One of the players that Struch will be coaching is 15-year-old phenom Connor Bedard. While Struch has seen him play some games on a computer when he was with a team in Sweden, he is looking forward to seeing him with his own two eyes. He knows coaching a player with the skill level of Bedard will be a challenge so he is reaching out to another junior coach who has experience with an “exceptional player.”
“I’ve coached guys with elite level skill like Sam Steel and Brayden Schenn, but he is different and there will be challenges as to how to do it.” Struch said. “I have spoken with Kris Knoblauch, who was Connor McDavid’s coach in Erie, about how he dealt with him. I took some good points from that. What will help myself and what will help Connor out are the group of people surrounding him from our ownership group to John Paddock to our coaching staff.”
