Regina Pats win No. 1 pick, shot at hometown phenom in WHL Prospects Draft
All eyes are on 15-year-old Maddox Schultz
The Regina Pats have the opportunity to pick a hometown phenom in the upcoming Western Hockey League Prospects Draft.
The Pats won the WHL draft lottery, giving the team the No. 1 pick in the May 7 draft.
Regina is widely expected to choose 15-year-old Regina native Maddox Schultz.
Schultz currently plays with the Regina Pat Canadians in the U18 AAA league and, despite his age, has been turning heads for years.
Many scouts rank him as the top player in Canada born in 2010.
"He came in as a 14-year-old to play in the U18 AAA league and instantly led the league in scoring, was the league's MVP," said Darren Dupont, a sports broadcaster and WHL expert.
Dupont said it is rare that an elite player has the chance to play in his hometown.
"When you can have an elite level star player stay at home, play locally, represent the town he grew up in and now the team, I think it's a dream scenario not only for the Western Hockey League and the Pats, but for the city of Regina."
The last time the Pats picked first overall pick was when they selected Connor Bedard in 2020.
Bedard electrified Regina fans and was a huge draw on the road. He went on to be selected No. 1 in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft by the Chicago Blackhawks.
Dupont said besides the Bedard comparison, another name has come up — Sidney Crosby.
"He skates really well, he does crazy things [with the puck] and he sees the ice well for a young player," Dupont said.
Earlier this year Moose Jaw Warriors scout Todd Ripplinger, who has scouted in the WHL for more than 30 years, compared Schultz to the all-time great.
"He's built like Crosby, he can score like Crosby, gets in tight around the net," Ripplinger said. "His shot is so, so hard and strong already for a 14-year-old, but his biggest attribute is his skating."
If drafted first overall, Schultz would be the first player from Regina to be taken No. 1 since the WHL draft started in 1990.
Instead of seeking seek exceptional status for the 2025-26 WHL season, which would allow him to play the entire season, he is opting for a new rule called the Western Canadian Development Model.
The pilot project will allow Schultz to stay with his U-18 team in Regina while also playing up to 34 games in the WHL.
Dupont calls it the perfect scenario.
"To be able to practice with the Pats and just be in the same market, it is kind of a dream," he said.
Saskatchewan's other WHL teams will have to wait late into the first round for their first pick in the prospects draft.
Prince Albert is set to choose 16th, Moose Jaw 18th, Saskatoon 22nd and Regina again at 23rd. Swift Current doesn't have a pick until the second round.
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With files from Dan Plaster