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By Greg Harder

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Jordan Eberle has two goals in mind — aside from the ones he is preparing to score for the Regina Pats during the 2009-10 WHL season.

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Upon rejoining the Pats on Monday, Eberle expressed a desire to help the team enjoy a prosperous playoff run, and to make the most of an anticipated hiatus during the holiday season. He would like to contribute to another gold-medal-winning effort at the upcoming world junior hockey championship, having been a major contributor to Canada's victory in 2009.

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That said, the 19-year-old right winger would have forsaken those opportunities in order to play in the NHL this season. He was sent back to the Pats by the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday.

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"Obviously, I wanted to be in Edmonton, but I'm happy to be back,'' Eberle said Monday before the Pats practised at the Brandt Centre. "Something I want to do is go far in the playoffs. I'm excited to get that opportunity again, and obviously there's the world juniors.''

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The Pats are hoping that Eberle can make a world of difference in his fourth WHL season. He has had seasons of 28, 42 and 35 goals for the Pats, reaching the latter total in 61 games last winter.

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Eberle has also demonstrated his scoring prowess at the pro level, registering three goals and six assists in nine games with the Springfield Falcons — the Oilers' chief minor-league affiliate — after the Pats failed to make the 2009 playoffs.

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He is back in Regina after going scoreless in four pre-season games with the Oilers, who selected him in the first round (22nd overall) of the 2008 NHL entry draft. However, the pre-season numbers were somewhat deceiving.

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"They were surprised at how many chances I get,'' Eberle said. "They said, 'It just goes to show your smarts and that you can play at this level.' Obviously, I'd like to have a couple of those back and put a couple of those in but, at the same time, I was getting three or four chances a game, which was incredible.''

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Eberle was sent back when the Oilers reduced their roster from 32 to 27. Oilers head coach Pat Quinn told reporters Sunday that Eberle had a "terrific'' training camp, but that they had "quite a few similar players.'' Quinn added that the Oilers' attempt to inject more size and grit into the lineup factored into the decision.

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"It was all positive,'' the 5-foot-11, 184-pound Eberle said. "They were happy and excited. They thought I had an unbelievable camp. For them, it was a numbers game. They had too many guys on one-way contracts (which call for the same salary to be paid if a player is in the NHL or the minors).''

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As a result, Eberle received a one-way ticket back to his birthplace of Regina. He is looking to enliven a Pats offence which has produced only 10 goals over its first five games, four of which have been losses.

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"Ebs is a great player and he's going to bring lots of things to our team,'' said Pats defenceman Colten Teubert, who was also a teammate of Eberle's with the 2009 world junior squad. "He's going to be a good leader. He's one of my best friends on the team so it's really exciting to have him back.''

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But it is bittersweet all the same — and not just for Eberle.

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"The first thing I told him is that I felt badly for him because I know how much he wanted to make it,'' Pats general manager Brent Parker said. "I knew he would go there and make the decision difficult for them.

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"As I said to him, 'I'm sorry it didn't work out, but I'm glad to have you back.' ''

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Eberle is to return to the Pats' lineup Wednesday against the host Prince Albert Raiders. Regina is then at home on Friday (against the Swift Current Broncos) and Saturday (Red Deer Rebels).

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More at LEADERPOST.COM

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For more on the Pats and junior hockey, read Greg Harder's blog Slap Shots.

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