Regina Pats select prodigious hometown hero Maddox Schultz with top pick of WHL draft

Dan Plaster · CBC News

· Posted: May 08, 2025 10:25 AM EDT | Last Updated: 5 minutes ago

The apical subordinate calved successful 2010 volition beryllium playing inferior hockey successful his backyard.

The Regina Pats did what everyone successful the hockey satellite thought they would after taking section phenom Maddox Schultz with the first-overall prime successful the Western Hockey League Prospects Draft connected Wednesday.

It's a imagination travel existent for 15-year-old Schultz, who grew up idolizing Connor McDavid and watched Connor Bedard flip the hockey satellite connected its caput portion playing with the Regina Pats. Now helium volition travel successful the footsteps of Bedard.

"Yeah, it feels beauteous special, increasing up watching this squad play and putting connected this jersey today," said Schultz. "It's a beauteous chill infinitesimal for maine and my family." 

In the past 5 months Schultz was named the astir invaluable subordinate astatine the prestigious Circle K tourney implicit the Christmas play successful Calgary, pb the Saskatchewan U-18 hockey league successful scoring, was named the league's apical subordinate and helped guide the Regina Pat Canadians to a Telus Cup nationalist title wherever helium was besides named the apical subordinate of the tournament.

He's an elite subordinate that the Pats are thrilled to bring into the fold.

"First and foremost, for us, it started with the champion subordinate disposable and Maddox was the champion subordinate disposable for america astatine (number) one," said Millar.  "All that comes on with it, with him being a section subordinate is simply a large bonus for the hockey nine and for Maddox and his family." 

A caller Hockey Canada aviator task that is based successful Western Canada volition let Schultz to play fractional a play with the Pats without needing exceptional status. This is due to the fact that helium was granted exceptional presumption astatine a level beneath junior. The Pats volition beryllium capable to dilatory integrate Schultz while besides allowing him to play with the U-18 Pat Canadians.

"We inactive person a batch of enactment to bash but we're gathering a instauration of precise bully young players and precise bully people," said Millar. "You look astatine what we've accomplished contiguous and you compliment with the fig of returning players we have."

Schultz's absorption present shifts backmost to the crystal with grooming campy astir the corner, arsenic the prodigal talent, his household and the Pats embark connected a caller journey.

"Training evidently and being connected the ice," said Schultz. "The enactment doesn't stop."

The Pats continued to marque waves trading their 2nd circular pick, arsenic good arsenic their firsts successful 2026 and 2027 successful speech for the 3rd wide prime successful this draft. 

They selected Langley, B.C.'s Liam Pue. As an underaged subordinate with the Langley Hockey Academy, Pue was 2nd successful the Junior Prospect Hockey League's U-18 division. He volition besides beryllium capable to play 34 games arsenic a 15-year-old with the Regina Pats without claiming exceptional status.