Defence in 2011-2012

[dsquared]

The Pats defence is to say the best "is a work in progress".

It looks like Bell is gone, dealing with his off season problems
Bidlevskii was picked up by Bridgeport of the AHL at the end of last season - I don't know if that means at least a training camp invite
Blidstrand is supposed to be back but has never been a favourite in our section due to the scarey things he does and doesn't do. With a +/- of -30, it always seemed like someone was going score when he was on the ice, and it wasn't the Pats
Davidson would have a lock on 1 of our 20 yo positions, but he has a chance of landing a spot somewhere in the Oilers organization
Borstmayer never seemed to develop any physical presence
Pavkovich never saw much ice time (27 games) and could not be expected to be a top 4 dman this season
We picked up Underwood from Kamloops this week and he looks like a good stay at home d


There are some unknowns and while the team that goes into training camp looks nothing like the team after thanksgiving and then again after the world juniors - it looks like Lang is going to have be wheeling and dealing. How long will Weal be a Pat? - I see him going sooner rather than later

[west coast]

i see that Bell is not on the roster on the Pats website but i fully expect him to be in training camp and lead the defensive corps this season.Underwood adds size to the already big dman group.I believe that defence is the least of Langs worries. Goaltending would be a bigger concern...Hewitt is a lock for the no.1 goalie but no.2 is a big question. The Pats were the smallest team up front last year.Conacher must be begging Lang to upgrade the size on the forward group.

[dsquared]

Bell is not on the roster on the Pats website but i fully expect him to be in training camp
Do you know something the rest of us don't? - Just saying He is not on the roster for a reason,,,,, so why do you expect him in camp?

[west coast]

all is quiet on the Myles Bell front.I expect him to be at training camp because - He is a first round WHL bantam draft pick of the Pats that has played beyond his years since he has been a Pat.He has amazing skill and is just reaching his full potential as a WHL defenceman.He has played at a high level all of his life.I would not think that he would give up the game that he loves...and i dont believe for a minute that the Pats organization would not want to see him in their lineup this fall.The Pats have been behind Bell and have believed in him from day 1....Is Burroughs ready for full time WHL duty...Landon Peel has played well and might make the jump to full time status this season

[patsdude114]

The Pats may want Bell in training camp but the Law may have other plans for Bell.

As for the trade the Pats made i think it is a trade to strengthen our D but to also replace Bell (i hope its just to strengthen our D tho) Id love to see Underwood teamed up with Bidlevskii on the PK

Here are a couple fights that Underwood was in last season:
http://www.hockeyfights.com/fights/99733
http://www.hockeyfights.com/fights/101068
http://www.hockeyfights.com/fights/97120
http://www.hockeyfights.com/fights/93284
http://www.hockeyfights.com/fights/98201

Looking at these fight clips looks like alot of his fights start cuz he is just a physical body. Will be great to see him in a Pats uniform.

[RWAH]

I agree Bell will be at camp and back on the rooster as soon as the legal situation is settled. He is too good a player to be discarded and too good a person not to do all that can help him. His legal situation is with in the Young offenders Act and as such I din't see incarceration but there may be travel limitations within Canada and to the USA.
Our D is a work in progress. Underwood will help, Bortsmayer need to come to camp with an attitude. Bourroughs and Peel will need to be pleasant surprises and be able to log a lot of time. We could see Davidson back so we have 2 or 3 guys that can play and 2 or 3 question marks
If the Stars a line we get both Bell and Davidson we should have an average D

[patsdude114]

im not holding my breath for Bell to be at camp at all (it would be nice but not betting on it) Bell is just another avg person out there its not like he is a star. Unlike the Heatley situation yrs ago Heatley was a rising star & got the star treatment even thru the law system.

Young offenders act or not he killed someone, why should he be able to play a sport he loves & excells at when the family who lost their daughter cant see anything she excells at. I have lost a cousin to a drunk driver 11yrs ago & even back then the guy still got 1yr in jail for it & can never get his driver lisence back again. Times have changed from back then especially dealing with drunk drivers, fines & punishment are alot stiffer young or not.

When u say u expect him at camp that is fully u saying that from being a Pats fan only but if u look deep down inside even u know he wont be in camp due to this situation. No NHL team took a chance on him not even as a last round pick, i think that speaks volumes in itself. If the word had gotten out that Bell would come out of this without missing any hockey time i bet some team would of taken him in the last round. As lets face if when he does play he is a good defenseman who is still learning the defensive side of the game since he only started to play D at age 14 (he used to be a RW, which is why he looks to jump into the play so much)

If im only talking as a Pats fan yes i would say that Bell will be in camp as well, but looking at it from a point of view that actually matters i say there is very little chance Bell will be at camp or in a Pats jersey at all ever again. I do believe there is a reason why the Pats took him off their roster page.

[Trav]

im not holding my breath for Bell to be at camp at all (it would be nice but not betting on it) Bell is just another avg person out there its not like he is a star. Unlike the Heatley situation yrs ago Heatley was a rising star & got the star treatment even thru the law system.

Young offenders act or not he killed someone, why should he be able to play a sport he loves & excells at when the family who lost their daughter cant see anything she excells at. I have lost a cousin to a drunk driver 11yrs ago & even back then the guy still got 1yr in jail for it & can never get his driver lisence back again. Times have changed from back then especially dealing with drunk drivers, fines & punishment are alot stiffer young or not.

When u say u expect him at camp that is fully u saying that from being a Pats fan only but if u look deep down inside even u know he wont be in camp due to this situation. No NHL team took a chance on him not even as a last round pick, i think that speaks volumes in itself. If the word had gotten out that Bell would come out of this without missing any hockey time i bet some team would of taken him in the last round. As lets face if when he does play he is a good defenseman who is still learning the defensive side of the game since he only started to play D at age 14 (he used to be a RW, which is why he looks to jump into the play so much)

If im only talking as a Pats fan yes i would say that Bell will be in camp as well, but looking at it from a point of view that actually matters i say there is very little chance Bell will be at camp or in a Pats jersey at all ever again. I do believe there is a reason why the Pats took him off their roster page.


I agree with everything you said. While Bell didn't intend to get in to an accident and have a friend die, he still has to pay for what he had done and I think he should get a few years in prison and not a slap on the wrist which our justice system is actually known for. Drunk drivers should be in prison no less then 5 yrs if their drinking causes a death. Some of you may say thats to harsh, well I dare u to say that to the victim's family.

It's good no team in the NHL drafted Bell and no team invited him to a spring camp. It's good the Pats took him off their roster. He shouldn't be allowed to play hockey in the WHL or NHL.

Heatley got away with causing a death and should've been in prison for a few years and shouldn't even be in the NHL. I know people make mistakes but nobody should be making millions while a family has to live the rest of their lives without a loved one.

[Arthur Fonzerelli]

Some people become so entrenched in the hockey world that they forget about the rest of the universe. Just because Myles Bell is an elite level hockey player shouldn't give him a "Get out of Jail Free Pass". I have no faith in the Canadian Justice System because it is designed to reward criminals and punish victims however I expect that Bell will be cleared of charges the day that Alberta votes for an NDP government.

In other news about a hockey criminal, Mike Danton has signed to play pro in Sweden. Following his release from an American prison Danton enrolled in a BA program at St Mary's University and played hockey for 2 years for the CIS league Huskies. Congratulations Mike on turning your life around may you be an example for Myles Bell.

[Trav]

Actually make that 10 yrs min. for a drunk driver that causes a death. 5 yrs is nothing.

[lordstanley]

Actually make that 10 yrs min. for a drunk driver that causes a death. 5 yrs is nothing.

Agreed !!

[Some_Arrogant_Jerk]

What will be will be. We all know about the flaws of the Justice System, but at the same time I dont like the idea of rooting for some kid(and he is a kid) to go to prison.

Especially since I know some people, if the player was on their team, wouldnt be saying this same thing.

[Trav]

What will be will be. We all know about the flaws of the Justice System, but at the same time I dont like the idea of rooting for some kid(and he is a kid) to go to prison.

Especially since I know some people, if the player was on their team, wouldnt be saying this same thing.


So are you saying Myles Bell should just be let go and that be the end of it? If this was someone off the street, the guy would be sent to prison. Why should Myles be treated differently? Just cuz he's 18 and a hockey player? Screw that. Who cares where the guy is from or what he does, everyone should be treated the same. If he wasn't so stupid, the girl would probably still be alive today but no the idiot had to go drink and drive which resulted in the end of a young woman's life. I know he didn't mean for it to happen bt come on he still has to pay for it. Myles deserves a severe punishment, every person that does this deserves a severe punishment and if some people disagree then wait until this happens to someone in ur family.

By the way, if this was a Blades player, I'd still be saying all of this.

[patsdude114]

i believe he should face some type of punishment for what he has done, i also get that he has to live with it for the rest of his life... it was an accident i get that but it was an accident cuz of poor judgement...

This is a very touchy subject forsure, it would be nice to actually hear some info on it like what is all happening but we never will due to the fact that it happened while he was a minor.

As of right now we as Pats fans can only assume Bell is no longer part of the team at all (look at the website & that speaks for itself) to think otherwise is just plain stupid.. as soon as this happened i was like 90% certain he wouldnt be in a Pats jersey this year. Coming strictly as a fan this is a huge loss to an already weak Pats roster, this was the year all Pats fans were expecting big things from Bell as an 18yr old who has been in the league for 2yrs already.

[Some_Arrogant_Jerk]

So are you saying Myles Bell should just be let go and that be the end of it? If this was someone off the street, the guy would be sent to prison. Why should Myles be treated differently? Just cuz he's 18 and a hockey player? Screw that. Who cares where the guy is from or what he does, everyone should be treated the same. If he wasn't so stupid, the girl would probably still be alive today but no the idiot had to go drink and drive which resulted in the end of a young woman's life. I know he didn't mean for it to happen bt come on he still has to pay for it. Myles deserves a severe punishment, every person that does this deserves a severe punishment and if some people disagree then wait until this happens to someone in ur family.

By the way, if this was a Blades player, I'd still be saying all of this.

No...but it seems kind of like you are filling in the blanks for yourself anyways.

Whether its fair or not, he probably will get treated differently anyways. Its just the way the world is, and being dramatic about it wont change anything. Personally, I wont be overly surprised regardless what happens...and sentence or not, I kind of just want an answer at this point.

And for the record, whether you'd be saying the same thing if it was a blades player or not, doesnt make what I said any less true in other cases.

[Trav]

No...but it seems kind of like you are filling in the blanks for yourself anyways.

Whether its fair or not, he probably will get treated differently anyways. Its just the way the world is, and being dramatic about it wont change anything. Personally, I wont be overly surprised regardless what happens...and sentence or not, I kind of just want an answer at this point.

And for the record, whether you'd be saying the same thing if it was a blades player or not, doesnt make what I said any less true in other cases.


I'm just saying he should be sent to prison for a few years for what he did, as should any drunk driver that causes a death case closed. If he gets off and gets to resume playing hockey that'll be just wrong.

[Rebelsfan13]

Hard to believe summer is almost over and hockey season is upon us, but — ready or not — here it is.
The Regina Pats will kick things off tonight with training camp registration, followed by on-ice workouts Thursday (rookie scrimmage, 9 a.m., vet scrimmage, noon) at the Co-operators Centre.
Here are some other random tidbits:
— Watch for Regina to announce the signing of its top two picks in the 2011 WHL bantam draft: C Adam Brooks (second round, 25th overall) and RW Dane Schioler (second round, 36th overall). It could happen as early as Wednesday. They were linemates last season with the Winnipeg Hawks, leading the team to a silver medal at this year’s Western Canadian bantam championship. They’re not eligible for full-time WHL duty until the 2012-13 season.
— D Myles Bell will not be in camp with the Pats.— The Pats are slated to have around 75 or 80 players in camp. Many of the returning vets have been in town for a few days and have been taking part in fitness testing for the past two days. They’ll finish up Wednesday morning. Veteran import Ricard Blidstrand is already in town, as is rookie import Dominik Volek, who’s signed, sealed and delivered.
— Bluechip D prospect Alec McCrea, 16, will not be in camp and is headed for the United States Hockey League. He was always considered a bit of a longshot. However, the Pats have maintained positive dialogue with the California native and believe they could see him down the road.
— D Tyler Mueller, 17, who had an outside shot of cracking the Pats’ lineup, has apparently told the team he won’t be in camp and will pursue his junior A/NCAA options. D Nolan De Jong and F Demico Hannoun, both 16, have also decided to play junior A in B.C. this season, but the Pats are expecting them to be back next year when they have a more realistic shot of cracking the roster. They would have been in tough to emerge from a logjam of 16-year-olds. Unfortunately, the Pats don’t have room to keep them all.
— The Pats have apparently been able to convince F Mitch VanTeeling, 18, to attend camp despite his NCAA aspirations. They’re also continuing to work on recruiting D Rhett Holland, 18, who has committed to Michigan State. Both are list pickups who represented Team West at last year’s World Junior A Challenge.
— The Pats have dropped G Cory Nygaard from their list, eliminating him from the backup battle behind Matt Hewitt/Damien Ketlo. The remaining backup contenders are Adam Beukeboom, Teagan Sacher, Tyler Oswald and perhaps prospect Tanner Burgardt. Sacher is a list pickup who helped the Winnipeg Thrashers win last year’s Telus Cup national midget AAA title. The Pats recently picked up Oswald, who was dropped by the Saskatoon Blades. The 18-year-old backstopped the Pembina Valley Hawks to a Manitoba midget AAA title in 2010 and also played for Team West at the 2010 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.
— Captain Garrett Mitchell will open camp with the Pats but he’s expected to play in the minor-league system of the NHL’s Washington Capitals. D Brandon Davidson remains unsigned by the Edmonton Oilers but could win a job in their system. As expected, D Artem Bidlevskii has been offered a tryout with the New York Islanders after finishing last season with their AHL affiliate. Like Davidson, he could earn a contract and move on to the pro ranks, leaving Ketlo as Regina’s lone 20-year-old.
— F Nils Moser had off-season knee surgery but is ahead of schedule and could still open the season with the Pats. He’s not immediately slated to take part in training camp due to ongoing rehab.

[patsdude114]

— Captain Garrett Mitchell will open camp with the Pats but he’s expected to play in the minor-league system of the NHL’s Washington Capitals. D Brandon Davidson remains unsigned by the Edmonton Oilers but could win a job in their system. As expected, D Artem Bidlevskii has been offered a tryout with the New York Islanders after finishing last season with their AHL affiliate. Like Davidson, he could earn a contract and move on to the pro ranks, leaving Ketlo as Regina’s lone 20-year-old.


I was afraid of this happening we could lose all 3 guys which would be a huge blow to the whole franchise for a year of rebuilding, all 3 of these guys would be welcomed additions to any WHL team. It is still a long shot for all 3 guys but what a blow to the Pats organization if all 3 turn pro.

With already not having Bell returning now throw in the possibility of losing Davidson & Bidlevskii that is our top 3 all gone, not many teams can rebound from losing such big impact guys (especially not to graduation of the WHL) when ur expecting them all back. The Pats wont be a very good team to begin with but throw the lose of Davidson & Bidlevskii into the fold & Mitchell & midas well hand the Pats the #1 pick for next seasons Bantam draft.

[auch07]

I could see Weal being traded for 2 or 3 man pkg very early in the season if those guys all went pro. I would still say its a long shot but Weal could bring in the guys to fill those holes.

[patsdude114]

without a doubt Weal will be traded, the question is when....


I cant see Lang wanting more then 1 player in return from a teams roster the rest being prospects & picks, Weal will be the big fish this year like Eakin & Schenn were last year, i still dont think no package will be as big as those 2 players brought back but 5/6 players in total (players & picks combined) seems like a very fair trade for Weal.

It will be a tough day to see Weal go but i am fully expecting it to happen, Lang wont make the same mistake Parker did with Eberle & Teubert.