Regina Pats win No. 1 pick, shot at hometown phenom in WHL Prospects Draft

Scott Larson · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 11, 2025 3:43 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

The Regina Pats person the accidental to prime a hometown phenom successful the upcoming Western Hockey League Prospects Draft.

The Pats won the WHL draught lottery, giving the squad the No. 1 prime successful the May 7 draft.

Regina is wide expected to take 15-year-old Regina autochthonal Maddox Schultz.

Schultz presently plays with the Regina Pat Canadians successful the U18 AAA league and, contempt his age, has been turning heads for years.

 Many scouts fertile him arsenic the apical subordinate successful Canada calved successful 2010.

"He came successful arsenic a 14-year-old to play successful the U18 AAA league and instantly led the league successful scoring, was the league's MVP," said Darren Dupont, a sports broadcaster and WHL expert.

Dupont said it is uncommon that an elite subordinate has the accidental to play successful his hometown.

"When you tin person an elite level prima subordinate enactment astatine home, play locally, correspond the municipality helium grew up successful and present the team, I deliberation it's a imagination script not lone for the Western Hockey League and the Pats, but for the metropolis of Regina."

The past clip the Pats picked archetypal wide prime was erstwhile they selected Connor Bedard successful 2020.

Bedard electrified Regina fans and was a immense gully connected the road. He went connected to beryllium selected No. 1 successful the 2023 NHL Entry Draft by the Chicago Blackhawks.

Dupont said too the Bedard comparison, different sanction has travel up — Sydney Crosby.

"He skates truly well, helium does brainsick things [with the puck] and helium sees the crystal good for a young player," Dupont said.

Earlier this twelvemonth Moose Jaw Warriors scout Todd Ripplinger, who has scouted successful the WHL for much than 30 years, compared Schultz to the all-time great.

"He's built similar Crosby, helium tin people similar Crosby, gets successful choky astir the net," Ripplinger said. "His changeable is so, truthful hard and beardown already for a 14-year-old, but his biggest property is his skating."

If drafted archetypal overall, Schultz would beryllium the archetypal subordinate from Regina to beryllium taken No. 1 since the WHL draught started successful 1990.

Instead of seeking question exceptional presumption for the 2025-26 WHL season, which would let him to play the full season, helium is opting for a caller regularisation called the Western Canadian Development Model.

The aviator task volition let Schultz to enactment with his U-18 squad successful Regina portion besides playing up to 34 games successful the WHL.

Dupont calls it the cleanable scenario.

"To beryllium capable to signifier with the Pats and conscionable beryllium successful the aforesaid market, it is benignant of a dream," helium said.

Saskatchewan's different WHL teams volition person to hold precocious into the archetypal circular for their archetypal prime successful the prospects draft.

Prince Albert is acceptable to take 16th, Moose Jaw 18th, Saskatoon 22nd and Regina again astatine 23rd. Swift Current doesn't person a prime until the 2nd round.