A familiar face to Prince Albert Raiders fans will be joining the team in the East Division bubble.
Local product Ryan McDonald, who suited up for his hometown team for two-and-a-half seasons, has been added to the team’s coaching staff as an assistant coach for the upcoming campaign, which will start on March 12 at the Brandt Centre in Regina.
“I am honoured to have the opportunity to join the Raiders coaching staff in Regina,” McDonald said in a prepared statement. “I was fortunate to have the privilege of playing for the team I grew up watching and to join the coaching staff, is a dream come true. I look forward to working with the staff and players.”
A second round pick by the Brandon Wheat Kings in the 2003 WHL Bantam Draft, McDonald was dealt to the Regina Pats at the 2004 trade deadline as part of a deal that saw the Wheat Kings acquire netminder Josh Harding.
After putting up 24 points in 124 games for the Pats, McDonald was acquired by the Raiders in Dec. 2006 and posted 162 points in 182 games before graduating from the junior ranks in 2009.
Following three seasons with the Lakehead Thunderwolves and a campaign with the Saskatchewan Huskies, McDonald moved into the world of coaching and was the head coach for the expansion Warman Wildcats Under-18 program this year.
Around the WHL
In an event that could sum up the entire 2020-21 Western Hockey League season, the league’s trade deadline came and went at 2 p.m. Thursday without a single transaction.
All 22 teams in the league are required to finalize their rosters by midnight (1 a.m. in Saskatchewan) tonight.
