Regina Pats looking to older group of experienced scorers to fill in for injured captain Tanner Howe (2025)

Without their best player for the next few weeks, the Regina Pats are looking to replace the goals, assists, work ethic and leadership usually provided by captain Tanner Howe.

“All of us have to step up and do our part,” said forward Cole Temple. “He’s still trying to help the team because Tanner’s a great leader, he talks to everyone, leads by example and works hard. Everyone needs to step up because he’s gone.”

Article content

Howe missed his second regular-season game Wednesday when the Pats lost 5-1 to the Everett Silvertips before 2,590 spectators at the Brandt Centre. Everett sits atop the Western Conference with a 6-1 record while the Pats are sixth in the Eastern Conference at 3-3. Regina completes a five-game homestand with matchups Friday against the Swift Current Broncos and Sunday against the Spokane Chiefs. Friday’s game starts at 7 p.m.; faceoff is 2 p.m. Sunday.

Everett got goals from Jesse Heslop, Carter Bear, Julius Miettinen, Caine Wilke and Landon DuPont, the first WHL defender to be granted exceptional player status that was given to former Pats forward Connor Bedard. Anthony Wilson scored Regina’s lone goal during the second period, during which the Silvertips outscored their hosts 3-1. Everett goalie Jesse Sanche made 26 saves and Regina’s Ewan Huet stopped 28 shots.

After recovering from a facial injury in July while participating in the Summer Showcase for players expected to represent Canada in the world junior hockey championship, Howe hurt an arm Sept 29 against the Moose Jaw Warriors. It was Howe’s second Pats game this season after attending training camp with the Pittsburgh Penguins, who selected him in the second round of the 2024 NHL draft.

Article content

Article content

Pats head coach Brad Herauf is hoping Howe can return within 3-4 weeks. Howe’s 28 goals and 49 assists led his team last season.

“You don’t ever replace a person like Howie,” said Herauf. “One thing we’ve been talking about all year long is doing it by committee. Those (forwards) in our top six — (Tye) Spencer, (Braxton) Whitehead, Jaxsin Vaughan, Temple, Sammy (Oremba) — need to step forward because we may not be blessed with that individual, that game-breaker right now.

“Our older guys play the game the right way. They do have skill and we’re all one year older. Evan Sam, a lot of people forget he’s only 19 years old. So guys like Tye Spencer, who’s 20 now, the guys who have been scoring their whole lives, they’re in their prime years of junior. This is when we need those guys to carry the torch here.”

With three goals and four assists, Zackary Shantz leads all Pats scorers. Spencer and Wilson, with two goals apiece, are the only other Pats with more than one goal this season.

“We just need to get that one game where we’re on fire and I think it’s kind of a chain reaction from there,” said Temple. “We’ll start blowing up once we start getting going here.”

Article content

The Pats are halfway through a stretch of four games in six days after playing six times in 19 days.

“We’ve pretty much been on a college schedule for the first bit,” said Herauf. “We’ve had tons of practice time.

“I’m not the schedule guy. It makes it weird sometimes, but we’re starting to play real junior hockey now. I guess if people get hurt now we had some time in between to get healthy, but now we’re getting into the gauntlet of the season.”

The Regina Leader-Post has created anAfternoon Headlinesnewsletter that can be delivered daily to your inbox so you are up to date with the most vital news of the day.Click here to subscribe.

With some online platforms blocking access to the journalism upon which you depend, our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark leaderpost.com and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed. Click here to subscribe.

Article content