The Regina Pats proved to be unbeatable through the dress rehearsal stage of the WHL season.
Now it’s time to see how things turn out when the games start being played for real.
The Pats were on ice at the Brandt Centre on Wednesday in preparation for the 2026-27 season opener. And while went decidedly well for the Regiment through that perfect preseason run, none of that matters when the bullets start flying for real Friday night in Prince Albert.
Pats coach David Bell wasn’t putting much weight into their busy 7-0 run through their exhibition schedule, other than how it gave the team a chance to get a feel for what it might be like to be playing in crucial games down the road.
“We go into every game planning and trying to win, and it was a good exercise in that seventh game with the thought process of, ‘This is like closing out a playoff series,’” Bell said. “It's hard to close out Game 7s and it's hard to close out a perfect season or preseason. We did, and I put a little bit of stock in it that they had the pride to go win seven games.”
The schedule and success gave Bell — who is in his first season behind the Pats bench — a good feel in the early going for what the team is about and the personalities involved.
“They’re an eager group. They want to learn,” Bell said. “They ask a lot of questions, which is perfect. I set high expectations and they’re OK with them. They’re not shying away from them. They want to be pushed, they want to win, and they want to get better. Some people shy away from that, but there’s not a man that doesn’t want to get better, which is awesome.”
One player that’s looking to have a solid start to the campaign and an improved performance is goaltender Taylor Tabashniuk. The second-year veteran appears to have won the starting goaltender job after posting a 2.55 goals-against average and .914 save percentage through the preseason. He had a 3.79 GAA and .886 SV% in 21 games with Regina in 2025-26.
Like his teammates, the Regina product is looking forward to getting things started for real.
“I’m feeling awesome, so excited,” Tabashniuk said. “Couldn’t be in a better spot. We all have just super high expectations and we’re so excited to just get things going.”
Last season was a bit of a roller coaster for the Pats, as they finished with a 25-34-7-2 record and only landed a playoff spot in the final week of the season.
Tabashniuk aims to build off his rookie campaign and put what he’s learned to good use.
“There were a lot of experiences that helped me mentally,” he said. “I was thrown into some tougher games, which ultimately helped make me better. Last year was a good learning experience to get me where I am.”
One player who will have plenty of eyes on him right from the first game of the campaign will be forward Liam Pue. One half of Regina’s dynamic duo with Maddox Schultz, Pue enjoyed a breakout of sorts this summer during Canada’s Hlinka Gretzky under-18 world championship win and now finds himself in a sky-is-the-limit situation as he begins his first full rookie campaign.
“It’s been something I’ve been looking forward to all summer,” Pue said. “The Hlinka was kind of the start of the season and then you're eager to get the games going for your first full year in the WHL. I’m super excited to get things going and we’ve got a great group here, so I’m super pumped.”
The third-overall selection in the 2025 WHL Draft, Pue is well aware that he’ll be expected to produce offensively, and he’s ready to do just that.
“You just come into it and do your best to play your game and do what I can do,” Pue said. “Hopefully I can help the team out in whatever way that is, put a few in the net, just contribute any way I can with this team.”
It all starts on Friday night when the Pats make their trip to Hockeytown North to face the Prince Albert Raiders. It’ll be a tough test against the defending Eastern Conference champions, and one Regina will have to be ready for, Bell said, especially when it comes to dealing with the occasional miscues that were there in the preseason.
“Where we’ve got ourselves in trouble is puck and game management where we try to do too much with the puck,” Bell said. “I encourage them to do stuff with the puck and make plays. But when we get into high traffic areas and we don’t commit to getting it underneath or maybe putting it underneath behind their D, we get in trouble. What I’m really looking for Friday for us to manage pucks and then our pace and our compete will look after everything else.”
Puck drop is 7 p.m. from the Art Hauser Centre in Prince Albert, and fans can check out the game live on YouTube.
