Regina Pats' manager of hockey operations and goalie coach Max Paddock is not surprised by Marek Schlenker's dedication when it comes to improving his craft.
"If you watch practice enough, it's not a surprise that he's doing as well as he has been. He's the type of guy that he works his butt off — you almost got to kick him off the ice," Paddock said on the SportsCage.
"He'll take two-on-ones, breakaways, one-timers — he does it all. He wants to stop the puck, and he's a worker. He's earned everything that he's gotten to this point."
Initially, Schlenker started his WHL career with the Portland Winterhawks in 2024. Then the Penticton Vees selected him in the team's expansion draft on May 7, 2025. Regina traded a 2027 ninth-round pick for Schlenker's services. Through 24 games with the Pats, he has a 3.79 goals against average and a 0.888 save percentage.
Circling around to the current season, Regina is eighth in the WHL's Eastern Conference with a 11-20-4 record. Paddock shared his opinion about how the season is going.
“Started off not so well and then found our footing a bit around October, and then again had some injuries going into our U.S. trip, which led to struggles and been kind of bouncing around since then,” Paddock said. “We played some good games and some bad games, trying to find our way here.”
Paddock explained his coaching philosophy regarding managing Schlenker and the other Pats goalies.
"My role for me is giving them confidence that they can step into the net no matter who we're playing. When the puck drops, they have prepared as well as they can be for that game," Paddock said.
"It's tough during the season because we play so many games and our schedule is pretty crazy. I'm not going to totally change a goalie's game because it's such a quick turnaround game-to-game.That stuff happens more so in the offseason, but in-season it's making sure they get enough reps that they're working through any little kinks and talking with me. We do video sessions after each game to break down some things that they need to work on, some things that they did well, and try and keep building them, so that when the game starts, they're ready to go."
Besides coaching the Pats' goalies, Paddock has extra responsibilities as their manager of hockey operations.
The WHL trade deadline is Friday, and Paddock thinks their is more stress on the players than personnel people.
"I would think as a player, because there's so much unknown, you don't know what you're going to get into when you show up to the rink in the morning. Every time a coach or manager calls you down to the office, your mind immediately goes to thinking that you're getting traded," Paddock explained. "Normally, it's not the case, it's a meeting or a video session, but everybody's always a little bit on edge as a player."
The Pats have a game on the same day as the WHL trade deadline and it will be hosting the Red Deer Rebels on Friday. Catch the pre-game show with Dante De Caria at 6:30 p.m. and puck drop at 7:00 p.m.
