Prince Albert’s Ethan Regnier and Raiders alumni Spencer Moe will be teammates this coming season as the forwards are part of the 2021-22 freshman class for the Mount Royal Cougars men’s hockey program.
“We pride ourselves as a staff for being great talent evaluators and for finding young men who will fit right into our culture, no matter their background,” Cougars men’s hockey scouting and recruiting coordinator Donald Godreau said.
“We feel this year’s recruits are going to amplify our already outstanding returning group.”
The 20-year-old Regnier, who was picked in the 11th round of the 2015 Western Hockey League Bantam Draft, suited up in 207 games and recorded 89 points over the last five seasons as a member of the Swift Current Broncos and the Everett Silvertips.
In addition to being part of the Broncos squad that captured the 2018 WHL championship, he was the captain in Swift Current during the first half of the 2019-20 campaign.
He was dealt to the Silvertips at the 2020 trade deadline and was tied for third in team scoring this spring with 21 points in 23 games.
Prince Albert Raiders forward Spencer Moe prepares to make a pass during a game against the Swift Current Broncos at the Brandt Centre.
After spending the last five seasons in Prince Albert, the 21-year-old Moe will be returning to his hometown of Calgary for his U Sports career.
A second round pick in the 2015 WHL Bantam Draft, Moe had 129 points in 286 regular season games for the Raiders and hoisted the Ed Chynoweth Cup in 2019.
The Cougars posted an 18-8-2 record in 2019-20 to finish in fourth place in the Canada West standings, but lost a dramatic best-of-three quarter-final series to the UBC Thunderbirds.
Prince Albert’s Riley Sawchuk was among the new faces on the roster for this past season, but no games were held as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Around the WHL
The Tri-City Americans welcomed a familiar face to their coaching staff on Saturday as they announced that Stu Barnes is the club’s new bench boss.
The 50-year-old Barnes, who recorded 386 points in 204 WHL games with the Americans and the New Westminster Bruins from 1987-90, has been involved with Tri-City’s ownership since April 2005.
Since concluding his NHL career in 2008, Barnes had a pair of stints as an assistant coach with the Dallas Stars and was a pro scout with the Seattle Kraken for the last two seasons.
Barnes will be taking over the Americans head coach role from Kelly Buchberger, who did not have his contract renewed after three seasons and has taken an assistant coach position with the AHL’s Laval Rocket.
Don Nachbaur, who was an associate coach with Tri-City last year, will also not be returning as he was hired by the AHL’s Stockton Heat on Monday to serve as an assistant coach.
The Vancouver Giants answered the questions marks surrounding their starting goaltending for this season on Friday as they signed 19-year-old Swedish netminder Jesper Vikman.
Vikman, who was the eighth overall pick by the Giants in the 2021 CHL Import Draft and was a fifth round selection by the Vegas Golden Knights in 2020, had a 5-4-0 record with a 4.10 goals against average and an .851 save percentage for the AIK Under-20 team last year.
With the expected graduation of Colorado Avalanche prospect Trent Miner, Vikman is expected to form a tandem with 18-year-old Drew Sim, who has played in nine games over the last two seasons.
Hlinka Gretzky Cup
Russia earned their second straight Hlinka Gretzky Cup title on Saturday in Piestany, Slovakia as they cruised to a 7-2 triumph over Slovakia in the tournament final.
Forward Matvei Michkov, who is battling Regina Pats forward Connor Bedard for the title of best prospect available for the 2023 NHL Draft, led the event in scoring with 13 points in five games.
The Russian Under-18 program has held the title since a 2019 win over Canada, as the 2020 competition was not held due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Canada elected not to participate in this year’s competition, with their top players attending a summer showcase camp in Calgary.
