The Regina Pats find themselves loading up to stay in the playoff hunt and put themselves in the best position possible to at least compete against the three CHL league champions in the Memorial Cup.
It’s the right thing to do for their fans. However, established CHL players can have their lives turned upside down on short notice at the trade deadline.
Take 20-year-old goaltender Tyler Brown as an example.
Brown has spent parts of four seasons with the Regina Pats, playing in over 150 WHL games. He may have been looking forward to playing for the Memorial Cup hosts after spending as much time with the franchise as he had.
With two months to go in the regular season, and his Western Hockey League career, he was traded to the Saskatoon Blades. A team sitting in, but not guaranteed, a playoff spot.
This has gone on in the Canadian junior hockey for a long time. I don’t know what the “fix” is, but a fix of some sort should be discussed.