2007 Pre-season Thread

[nivek_wahs]

Seeing that we don't have an official home pre-season game I figured I would start a thread just for pre-season talk and news articles.

Here we can bring up the captain issue, depth charts, and any other pre-season talk.

[nivek_wahs]

Pats go 2-1 at the Edmonton Pre-season Tournament

http://www.reginapats.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1042

Pats Drop First Game of Pre-Season


The Regina Pats lost 2-1 to the Kamloops Blazers at the Edmonton Oil Kings preseason tournament in St. Albert, AB on Saturday.

Linden Rowat made 26 saves. Regina was outshot 28-14.

Josh Elder scored for the Pats from rookies Kyle Mulder and Jordan Weal on the powerplay.

http://www.reginapats.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1043

Pats Move Record to 1-1

PATS MOVE PRE-SEASON RECORD TO 1-1

Regina, Saskatchewan ---- This afternoon the Regina Pats played there second game of the 2007-08 pre-season against the Prince George Cougars, in Edmonton. The Pats won the game by a score of 2-1. The Pats got goals from veterans Troy Ofukany and Jordan Eberle, adding two assists on both goals was newly acquired Cody Gross. Jeff Bosch and Damien Ketlo split time in the net today for the Pats, stopping 23 of 24 shots.

The Pats then finish the 6 team tournament tomorrow when they take on the Kelowna Rockets. The Pats next action after tomorrow does not come until next weekend when they travel to Saskatoon Saturday and Medicine Hat Sunday.


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Pats Chat

Today two Regina Pats left for NHL training camps, when goaltender Linden Rowat left for the Los Angeles Kings camp and forward Myles Stoesz left for Atlanta Thrashers camp.

The Pats will be without rookie forward Matt Strueby for the rest of the weekend as he has left the team to attend his Grandfathers funeral.

The Pats will also be without forward Kirt Hill for the rest of the weekend with a shoulder injury. Also being added to the injured list is defensemen Spencer Fraipont, Fraipont broke his hand today against the Prince George Cougars and is expected to be out for 4-6 weeks.


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http://www.reginapats.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1044

Pats Finish Tournment With Win


PATS FINISH TOURNMENT WITH WIN


Regina, Saskatchewan ---- This morning the Regina Pats finished their pre-season tournament in Edmonton with a 3-2 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. The Pats got goals from Nick Ross, Jared Jagow(shorthanded) and Cody Gross in the victory. Damien Ketlo and Jeff Bosch split time between the pipes again today, with Ketlo stopping all 12 shots that came his way.


The Pats next action now does not come until next weekend when they travel to Saskatoon Saturday to take on the Blades and Medicine Hat Sunday to take on the Tigers.


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Pats Chat

The Pats announced today that they have re-assigned 07’ Bantam Draft Pick Jordan Weal to Vancouver Midget AAA. Weal played in two tournament games over the weekend recording one assist.

Two Regina Pats left for NHL training camps, when goaltender Linden Rowat left for the Los Angeles Kings camp and forward Myles Stoesz left for Atlanta Thrashers camp.

The Pats will also be without forward Kirt Hill for the rest of the weekend with a shoulder injury. Also being added to the injured list is defensemen Spencer Fraipont, Fraipont broke his hand in Saturday’s contest against the Prince George Cougars and is expected to be out for 4-6 weeks. Marco Insam was added to the injury list as well on Sunday with a sprained ankle, he is list as day to day.

[nivek_wahs]

http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/news/sports/story.html?id=d2cb5658-7e3f-4cad-b2dd-6c8d6fa38911


Weekend good for Pats

The Leader-Post
Published: Tuesday, September 04, 2007

The Regina Pats opened their WHL preseason schedule by winning two out of three games at a tournament hosted by the expansion Edmonton Oil Kings.

"We're pretty pleased with the weekend,'' Pats general manager Brent Parker said Monday. "We saw a lot of the things we wanted to see. The young guys all got a lot of playing time.''

Regina capped the tournament by defeating the Kelowna Rockets 3-2 on Monday. Nick Ross, Jared Jagow (with a shorthanded tally) and Cody Gross scored for Regina. Damien Ketlo and Jeff Bosch split the goaltending for the Pats.

On Sunday, the Pats defeated the Prince George Cougars 2-1. Troy Ofukany and Jordan Eberle scored for the Pats. Gross, an offseason acquisition from the Prince Albert Raiders, assisted on both goals. Bosch and Ketlo split time in goal for the Pats, stopping 23 of 24 shots.

Regina lost 2-1 on Saturday against the Kamloops Blazers. Josh Elder had the lone goal for the Pats. Linden Rowat went the distance in goal for Regina, stopping 22 shots.

"We wanted to establish the work ethic, which is the foundation of what we want to do,'' Parker said. "The systems will take care of themselves. We felt, 'Let's go in and work and let the rest take care of itself.' ''

Regina's preseason schedule resumes on the weekend with road games against the Saskatoon Blades (Saturday) and Medicine Hat Tigers (Sunday).

EXTRAS: Pats defenceman Spencer Fraipont suffered a broken hand against Prince George and is expected to miss four to six weeks. Pats centre Kirt Hill is nursing a shoulder injury but is expected to be ready for the Sept. 21 regular-season opener against the host Prince Albert Raiders. Italian-born forward Marco Insam is out day-to-day with a sprained ankle . . . Regina has assigned forward Jordan Weal, 15, to the Vancouver midget AAA ranks . . . Rowat (Los Angeles Kings) and forward Myles Stoesz (Atlanta Thrashers) have left for NHL camps.




© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2007

From Rod's blog www.rodpedersen.com


Here's a quick comment from Pats coach Curtis Hunt regarding their preseason tournament in Edmonton where the club went 2-1-0 including a 3-2 victory over Kelowna on Monday...

"We started to establish the kind of team we want to be with the foundation of that being hard work. We had some hiccups in our play but in the majority of our games we were able to outwork out opponents. You've got to play games. The further along we get, the better structure we'll have but it's about hard work right now and we want to know who's going to compete and who isn't. We got some answers this weekend."

The Pats Training Camp report begins airing tonight at 6:05pm on 620 CKRM. It'll be replaced by Patchat at that same time beginning September 24.

[nivek_wahs]

http://www.reginapats.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1048


Pats Beat Blades 4-2


PATS MOVE PRE-SEASON RECORD TO 3-1


Regina, Saskatchewan ---- Saturday, September 8th the Regina Pats played their fourth pre-season game against their provincial rival the Saskatoon Blades. The Pats walked into Saskatoon and defeated the hometown Blades by a score of 4-2.

The Pats were led offensively by second year forward Jared Jagow. Jagow scored three goals in the game, including the game winner mid way through the 2nd period. Pats newcomer Cody Gross continued his fast start in a Pats uniform as he had 3 assists in the victory. Pats rookie defencemen Alex Pym also contributed 2 assists in the game.

The Pats will finish their weekend tomorrow night as the travel to Medicine Hat to take on the Tigers. The Pats will finish their preseason schedule next weekend when they take on the Swift Current Broncos in Kindersly. The Pats still have a roster of 31 players which includes 3 goaltenders, 9 defencemen and 19 forwards. The 31 man roster includes the 5 Pats players that are attending NHL training camps.


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Pats Chat

The Regina Pats will have 5 different players taking part in NHL training camps. Already in Camps are goaltender Linden Rowat in Los Angeles and forward Myles Stoesz in Atlanta. Forward Brett Leffler will be leaving later this week to join the Washington rookies, while Nick Ross will be headed to Phoenix. Defencemen Logan Pyett will be headed to Detroit training camp at the conclusion of the Canada/Russia Super Series.

The Pats are still without forward Kirt Hill with a shoulder injury, while defencemen Spencer Fraipont broke his hand last weekend and is expected to be out for 4-6 weeks.


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[nivek_wahs]

http://www.reginapats.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1051


PATS RE-ASSIGN 3 PLAYERS

Regina, Saskatchewan ---- This afternoon, the Regina Pats re-assigned three players. Forwards Kyle Mulder. Brett Miller and Kent Sauter have all been re-assigned.

Kyle Mulder has been re-assigned to the Winnipeg Thrashers of the Manitoba Midget AAA hockey league. While Brett Miller has gone back to the Saskatoon Blazers of the Saskatchewan Midget AAA hockey league and Kent Sauter will join the Nipawin Hawks of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.

The Pats roster now sits at 28 players, which includes 3 goaltenders, 9 defencemen and 16 forwards. The roster includes the five NHL players which will be taking part at NHL training camps.

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The Regina Pats would like to remind fans and media that they will be hosting the “CKRM Face Off Breakfast” on Wednesday, September 19th. The breakfast will go from 7:00-8:30 am and will take place at the Regina Inn.


Tickets for the breakfast will be $25.00 each or $200.00 for a table of eight. The breakfast will give fans and media the opportunity to meet the 2007-08 edition of your Regina Pats. Tickets can be purchased at the Pats office or by calling 522-PATS.


Pats Chat

The Regina Pats will have 5 different players taking part in NHL training camps. Already in Camps are goaltender Linden Rowat in Los Angeles and forward Myles Stoesz in Atlanta. Logan Pyett has also gone to the Detroit Red Wings camp. Forward Brett Leffler will be leaving later this week to join the Washington rookies, while Nick Ross will be headed to Phoenix.

[nivek_wahs]

http://www.reginapats.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1053


Pats inch closer to a final roster
Greg Harder, The Leader-Post
Published: Wednesday, September 12, 2007
The Regina Pats are beginning to cut their losses.

The WHL club trimmed its roster to 29 on Tuesday by re-assigning three players: Right-winger Brett Miller (Saskatoon Blazers, midget AAA), left-winger Kent Sauter (Nipawin Hawks, SJHL) and right-winger Kyle Mulder (Winnipeg Thrashers, midget AAA).

The Pats haven't seen the last of Miller or Mulder, who are among the team's top 16-year-old prospects. Miller was Regina's first-round pick (14th overall) in the 2006 WHL bantam draft. Mulder, a eighth-rounder, was one of the team's biggest surprises during training camp.

The Pats believe both players will benefit from another year of seasoning instead of warming the bench in Regina.

"They're probably ready to play (now) but we want to make sure they get the minutes they wouldn't get with us," explained GM Brent Parker. "They're both going back to very good programs and they're going to get opportunities to play a much bigger role than they did last year. It will do nothing but help their development. As hard as it is for them to understand, we're doing it for all the right reasons. They're both quality players and good people and they're going to be good players in our league."

Meanwhile, the window of opportunity is closing for Sauter, the son of former Pats head coach Doug Sauter. The 18-year-old list pickup will be given an opportunity to catch on with another WHL team before heading back to the junior A ranks.

"Hopefully something will come up," said Parker. "If not, we'll likely leave him on our list for now as an affiliate player who can play games. Obviously next year he would be 19 so it's getting to be a little tougher for him. He was right in the mix, but we have to make decisions. We just felt other guys were further ahead at this time and better suited for what we were looking for."

Including the five players attending NHL camps, the Pats are close to achieving a final roster which is expected to comprise 23 to 25 players.

When No. 1 goalie Linden Rowat returns, the team will have to decide on a backup between rookies Jeff Bosch, 17, and Damien Ketlo, 16. Ketlo, another of the team's pleasant surprises, had an outstanding preseason but remains the obvious candidate to be sent down.

Like Miller and Mulder, he's a big part of the team's future plans.

The Pats must also decide on two imports among Kaspars Saulietis, Marco Insam and Rudolf Cerveny. In addition, they're expected to move at least one more defenceman and roughly two forwards. The decision up front also depends on the future of 20-year-old enforcer Myles Stoesz, who is under contract with the Atlanta Thrashers and may not return.

[nivek_wahs]

http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/news/sports/story.html?id=80e35141-a108-4336-b07c-6d279ace303c&p=2


Despite odds Ketlo keeps upbeat

Greg Harder, Leader-Post
Published: Thursday, September 13, 2007

Damien Ketlo is focused on controlling his rebound.

The 16-year-old goaltender is well aware he's facing long odds in a bid to win the backup job this season with the Regina Pats. That said, he refuses to allow the likelihood of a demotion to affect his play.

"Things are setting up pretty good," Ketlo said Wednesday. "Even if I don't play here this year, I'm probably going to play junior A back in Prince George. Either way I know I'm going to have a good season and I'm going to stay positive no matter what happens."

Regardless of his fate, Ketlo has left a lasting impression with the Pats. With a solid training camp and a stellar preseason showing, he has climbed to third on the WHL team's depth chart, cementing his status as a top prospect and potential goalie of the future.

"I'd love to be here (this season)," said Ketlo, who backstopped the Prince George-based Cariboo Cougars to first place in the B.C. major midget ranks last season. "I'm just working my butt off, pretty much. I'm trying to make it a hard decision for them."

That said, Ketlo also understands the nature of his situation. With veteran Linden Rowat entrenched as the starter and highly touted Jeff Bosch -- who's one year older than Ketlo -- ready to step into the backup role, the Pats believe goaltending will be one of their main strengths this season.

"That's pretty tough (competition) but you have to deal with it," noted Ketlo. "You can't have hard feelings. You just have to be mature about it and keep on going."

In six periods of action during the preseason, Ketlo has stopped 68 of 72 shots, good for a .944 save percentage, and registered a 2.00 goals-against average. He was credited with a win over his home-town Prince George Cougars and took the loss in a 4-1 setback against the defending WHL-champion Medicine Hat Tigers, who peppered the rookie with 45 shots.

"He has done a terrific job," said Pats head coach Curtis Hunt. "You always wonder about that transition from midget to junior. It's a big step. He came in last year for a week, he worked his tail off and he got along well in the room. He came in again this year and he worked his tail off. He just quietly goes about his business. He has really pushed young Jeff Bosch. At times Jeff has felt a little bit of the pressure. We'll continue to evaluate."

With Rowat still attending an NHL camp with the L.A. Kings, the Pats are facing another decision heading into Friday's exhibition finale against the Swift Current Broncos (in Kindersley).

Hunt has the option of playing just one goalie or splitting the assignment between his two prospects. Either way, Hunt has seen enough of both players to feel confident that the team is in good hands at the game's most crucial position.

"It's certainly a position we don't have to worry about for a few years," said Hunt. "It's comforting to know we have that foundation but, at the same time, they have to work hard every day and continue to get better."

NOTE: The Pats will be without RW Marco Insam and D Matt Delahey for Friday's game due to one-game suspensions incurred from a multiple-fight situation against the Tigers on Sunday. Medicine Hat's Tyson Newell and Cory More also received one-game bans. In addition, the Pats and Tigers were fined $250 apiece. The loss of Delahey leaves Regina with just four D-men while Logan Pyett (Detroit) and Nick Ross (Phoenix) are attending NHL camps. Spencer Fraipont (broken wrist) and Matt McDermott (concussion) are injured.

- Go online to leaderpost.com to read Greg Harder's views on hockey, and the Regina Pats in particular, at the Slap Shots blog.




© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2007