PATS TO HOST SPRING CAMP THIS WEEKEND

The Regina Pats Hockey Club will be holding their 2022 Spring Camp from June 10-12 at the Co-Operators Centre.  

The players will report to Regina on Friday and take part in orientation and fitness testing. On-ice sessions will take place on Saturday and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Co-operators Arena – C6 rink.  

27 players will be in attendance, including 2022 first-round selection Cole Temple, 2021 first and second-round picks Jaxsin and Corbin Vaughan, and goaltender Kelton Pyne who turned heads last season during his call-up with the Pats. This year’s roster will also have a mix of 2005, 2006 and 2007 born prospects.  

For the Pats, this is their first spring camp since the 2018-19 season, where the club invited their 2004 and 2003 born prospects. There are currently eight players signed from that camp, including current Pats players Easton Armstrong, Braxton Whitehead, Zane Rowan, Parker Berge, Layton Feist and Matthew Kieper.  

“I think it’s very exciting,” Regina Pats Director of Scouting Dale McMullin said. “It’s a chance to get all these kids under one roof and get some comparisons with the different age groups. It’s always a little easier to get them all under one roof and see how they compare to one another. Some, I’m sure have developed more than others, and that’s just the way it works so it’ll give us some idea in a short window going into September.”  

McMullin added that the Pats will be looking for several different things in their prospects when they hit the ice this weekend.  

“I think number one is their skating and has that improved. We haven’t had a lot of viewings over the last couple years so that’s number one. We will also be looking at their skill, how they think the game and move the puck. Some, we will be looking at how much they have grown. Have they put time in the gym, have they got stronger and quicker. All those things factor in.”  

The expected highlight of this year’s spring camp will be Cole Temple, who the Pats drafted fifth overall in the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft, after he produced 108 points (58G-50A) in 28 games with the Brandon Wheat Kings U15 AAA team.  

“It will be great for our staff, and it will be great for Cole and his family to get to Regina,” added McMullin. “I know they were excited prior to the draft and ecstatic after the draft. It’ll be his first visit to Regina and it will give him an opportunity to see what he can be apart of moving forward. I think he’s one of those types of players in what you would call a cornerstone player.”  

The Pats have also developed their deepest prospect pool in recent memory, with a handful of other high draft picks attending Spring Camp such aas Corban Almen and Brayden Smith, as well as U.S. prospects Dylan Lebret and Stephen Grumley.  

“It’s always exciting,” said McMullin. “It’s one of those challenges with junior hockey and it’s getting enough depth together from different age groups. I guess if we look back to Memorial Cup, and now look at the group of 2005’s, 2006’s and 2007’s we’ve drafted, things are starting to come together.”  

Regina will also be inviting goaltender Kelton Pyne to his first ever Spring Camp, following a successful call-up with the Pats last season, in which the White City, Sask. native went 5-2-1 with two shutouts as a 16-year-old.  

“Obviously he’s going to be one of the older prospects being an ’05,” said McMullin. “We want him to come in there and show the leadership that he has as he knows what’s expected to be a Regina Pat. How you carry yourself whether it be around the rink or around the hotel. It’s a big step for these young guys, especially for these ’06’s and ’07’s.”  

Including Pyne, a total of six signed players will be attending, as Carter Herman, Mitchell McEachern, Raiden Zacharias and Jaxsin and Corbin Vaughan will be taking part in their first Spring Camp.  

“I think those players know the expectations,” he said. “It’s a privilege to play in the Western Hockey League and it’s a privilege to play for the Regina Pats. Carry yourself the right way and show the younger guys who haven’t been there some leadership. Show them the process. A little bit of guidance always helps.”  

(Regina Pats Communications)