CHL on CBC Gem | 3 Reasons to Watch – Pats vs. Tigers
There is nothing like free hockey.
Available via the free CBC Gem streaming service, fans across Canada can tune in as the Regina Pats visit the Medicine Hat Tigers in their first meetup of the season, with puck drop set for 7 p.m. Mountain time.
To get you ready, here are three reasons why this WHL showdown is must-see TV:
A new voice
When the Pats take to the ice Tuesday, they will do so for just the second time since making a change behind the bench where longtime general manager John Paddock now doubles as head coach. Facing Moose Jaw on Saturday, the Pats delivered a 4-2 victory for their new boss, drawing offense from four different skaters while 2022 NHL Draft eligible netminder Matthew Kieper turned aside a season high of 42 stops to pick up his seventh win of the season. For Paddock, the two-time WHL Coach of the Year returns to the bench for the first time since 2017-18 with the Pats, after initially joining the franchise in 2014. In facing the Tigers, Tuesday marks the second contest of a six-game road swing for the Pats before they return home to Regina on December 4.
NEWS | Pats part ways with Struch – John Paddock returns as Head Coach.
READ –> https://t.co/csTyfRe8ta pic.twitter.com/faVYQtFw9r
— Regina Pats (@WHLPats) November 18, 2021
Bedard always a threat
Of course, the top reason to tune in to any Pats contest is to see the latest from the exceptional Connor Bedard who continues to draw incredible interest ahead of the 2023 NHL Draft. Skating in his second season with the Pats, the reigning WHL Rookie of the Year sits second in team scoring with 13 points counting eight goals and five assists coming in 17 showings. And while Bedard has been held off the scoresheet in four of his past six outings, he hasn’t been without opportunity. In fact, part of that stretch was an early November showdown versus the Warriors in which he put 10 shots on the opposition goal – the Pats finished the game with 45. Entering the stretch drive before the Christmas break, look for Bedard to heat up as he aims to lock down a chance to earn a spot with Team Canada at the upcoming World Juniors to be held in Edmonton and Red Deer.
Last night, Pats forward Connor Bedard was presented with his World Championship Ring from his Gold Medal win with Team Canada at the U-18 World Championships in Dallas last spring.
Congrats Connor!
MORE–> https://t.co/kpRIdW7cg6#MarchOn | @HockeyCanada | @TheWHL pic.twitter.com/1QKWIyWFoz
— Regina Pats (@WHLPats) November 11, 2021
NHL pipeline
Bringing a pair of veteran savvy squads, Tuesday’s showdown is loaded with players who have already heard their names called by NHL clubs on Draft day. For the Pats, bringing that experience is overage defenceman and leading scorer Ryker Evans, a second-round choice by the Seattle Kraken in last summer’s NHL Draft. With Regina, he is joined on the blue line by Columbus Blue Jackets up-and-comer Stanislav Svozil, a Czech-born rearguard who is skating in his first season with the Pats after being chosen in the opening round of the 2020 CHL Import Draft. Still, Svozil has had little difficulty in making his mark competing in his first season on North American ice as through 17 games he has registered one goal with 10 assists. Meanwhile, for the Tigers, the story begins with Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Lukas Svejkovsky, a talented right-wing whose 22 points are outpaced by just a dozen players league wide. Elsewhere, the Tigers bring budding blue-liner Dru Krebs – the younger brother of newly minted Buffalo Sabres forward Peyton Krebs – as well as one of the most intriguing netminders in the circuit in Washington Capitals draftee Garin Bjorklund.
ICYMI – Tigers forward Lukas Svejkovsky picked up another career milestone this weekend, notching career point 100 (and 101)!#medhat #LetsGoTigers pic.twitter.com/XSgZ7LJgp6
— Medicine Hat Tigers (@tigershockey) October 25, 2021