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Maddox Schultz is one of the youngest players at the Telus Cup, but he had the biggest impact in the first game for the Regina Pat Canadians.
The 15-year-old Regina product had a hat trick in the Pat Canadians’ first game of the Telus Cup, which ended in a 6-1 victory for Regina over the hosting Fraser Valley Thunderbirds at Canada’s national male U18 AAA hockey tournament.
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Schultz made his impact felt early in the game. The projected first overall pick in this year’s WHL Prospects Draft scored his first goal of the tournament just 4:25 into the opening frame. The Regina Pats have the first overall pick after winning the WHL draft lottery, and the draft is scheduled for May 7.
Marco De Pedrina scored in the first period for the Thunderbirds to tie the game 1-1.
In the second period, Regina scored a pair of goals, one each from Reid Bechard and Cash Lanigan.
The Pat Canadians pulled away in the third period with three goals: two powerplay markers by Schultz to complete his hat trick, and then one from Ryan Ulmer.
While the offence has been a key for the Pat Canadians, their defence has also been a major reason why they have had so much success this season. During the west regionals in Kenora, Regina only surrendered two goals over four games.
In this game, Regina goaltender Taylor Tabashniuk stopped 18 of the 19 shots he faced.
Maddox Schultz is expected to be the first overall pick in the WHL Draft. (Ethan Cairns/Hockey Canada Images)
Despite his age, Schultz has been one of the best U18 AAA players in the country. He led the Saskatchewan Male U18 AAA Hockey League with 93 points (43 goals, 50 assists) in the regular season, then helped power the Pat Canadians to the SMU18AAAHL title by leading the playoffs in scoring with 22 points (nine goals, 13 assists).
It’s the first time the Pat Canadians have been in the Telus Cup since 2017, when they finished in fourth place. After winning the provincial title, the Pat Canadians rolled through regionals to qualify for the national tournament for a 10th time.
The historic franchise is one of just seven teams to reach the Telus Cup tournament at least 10 times. The Pat Canadians are four-time national champions (1983, 1988, 1994, 1999). A fifth victory in the Fraser Valley would tie the Pat Canadians with Notre Dame and Séminaire Saint-François for the most ever.
The Pat Canadians take on the Atlantic representatives, the Moncton Flyers, at 4 p.m. on Tuesday. Moncton lost its opening game of the tournament 3-2 to the Elgin Middlesex Canucks.
