The Regina Pats open the 2024-2025 season on the road Friday night when the team takes on the Prince Albert Raiders at the Art Hauser Centre.
Friday marks the 95th season opener, and their seventh all-time opener against the Prince Albert Raiders.
The Regina Pats open the 2024-2025 season season against the Prince Albert Raiders for the first time since October 1, 2021 as well as for the fifth time since the 2016-2017 season.
The Regina Pats are coming off a 2-3 pre-season performance with victories over Moose Jaw in neutral site locations. The Pats are looking to regroup and make the playoffs for the first time since 2023 this year after finishing the 2023-24 season with a 22-40-4-2 record with 50 points. The Pats roster for this upcoming season currently has 27 players. Tanner Howe will miss the opening weekend as he remains at Pittsburgh Penguins camp. Meanwhile, Jaxsin (ANA) and Corbin (LAK) Vaughan remain with their respective NHL camps this weekend.
The Prince Albert Raiders are coming off a 31-32-2-3 season with 67 points in 2023-24, finishing eighth in the East. The Raiders were eliminated in round one of the WHL playoffs, falling in five games to the Saskatoon Blades after winning game one (W. 4-3). The Raiders have now qualified for the playoffs in two of the last three seasons and in 4 of the last 5 post-seasons, winning a WHL Championship in 2019.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Today will be the first of eight meetings between the Pats and Raiders. The Raiders won four of six meetings over the Pats last season, outscoring the Pats 24-to-18. The Pats have won two of their last three meetings against the Raiders, but have dropped seven of their last nine vs. Prince Albert, as well as four in a row inside the Art Hauser Centre.
WHO TO WATCH
With the Pats having 17 forwards, eight defencemen and two goalies on their roster, a main component to look out for will be the overall depth of the group. Younger players such as Zach Moore, Logan Peskett, Cole Temple and Corban Almen up front will look to take a bigger step offensively this season.
In addition, you can’t look away from the Pats top scorers from last year that will be asked to produce this season. That includes Braxton Whitehead, Tye Spencer and Sam Oremba who all set career-highs in goals, assists and points last season under Head Coach Brad Herauf.
The Raiders meanwhile made a handful of moves this off-season, acquiring Tomas Mrsic from the Medicine Hat Tigers and Lukas Dragicevic from the Tri-City Americans. Two players to watch will be Daxon Rudolph and Riley Boychuk who were selected first and second overall in the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft. They will be making their WHL debut tonight.
COMING UP
The Pats home opener is September 21 against the Brandon Wheat Kings with a 6pm puck drop!
