Keith Hershmiller

Regina Pats Stats: top 10 individual scoring seasons

 

The Regina Pats have been in existence for over 100 years and have produced many talented junior hockey players. This series will focus on the statistical side of things that will hopefully give people something to talk about.

First up: the Pats’ top ten individual scoring seasons during their Western Hockey League time. Put another way, this is basically the team’s leading scorers. Prior to the formation of the WHL, the single-season points record for the Pats belongs to Fran Huck when he collected 153 points (86G, 67A) in 1963-64.

Technically, there are 11 players with two tied in the 10th spot. One thing you will notice is that a few players are on this list more than once, with one appearing three times. These high scoring seasons happen to fall within 12 years of each other, so that may explain some things. So, without further ado, here are the top 10 single-season scorers in Pats (WHL) history.

T-10. Dale Derkatch (142)

1981-82 Regina Pats Card

The Regina Pats scored a whopping 465 goals in the 1981-82 season, helping three players make this list. Dale Derkatch’s 142 points (62G, 80A) tie him for the 10th most points in a Pats season. He was third in team scoring and seventh in the Western Hockey League.

Derkatch broke the record for points by a rookie, which was 141, set by Medicine Hat’s Don Murdoch in 1974-75. Seattle’s Petr Nedved has since broken the record in 1989-90. Derkatch’s 80 assists are still tied for the single-season WHL rookie record. That season, the Pats lost to Portland in the league final.

T-10. Taylor Hall (142)

The Pats were still scoring at a good clip and netted 426 goals in the 1983-84 season. Taylor Hall, who was coming off a 94-point campaign, scored 63 goals and 73 assists for 142 points. He was second in Pats scoring and fourth in the WHL.

9. Dennis Sobchuk (146)

Sobchuk circa 1973-74

Dennis Sobchuk’s 68 goals and 78 assists for 146 points placed him second in the WCHL scoring race for the second consecutive year. Sobchuk was a pivotal player with the 1973-74 first-place Pats. His great play continued, and the Pats won the league championship and the Memorial Cup.

8. Dennis Sobchuk (147)

Many said that the 1972-73 team underachieved, ending the year only two games over .500. They were easily ousted in the playoffs. Even with the team finishing where it did, Dennis Sobchuk put up 147 points (67G, 80A). His point total was good for second in the WCHL in scoring. In a January 19th game against Brandon, Sobchuk scored six goals and assisted on four others for ten points. The final score of that game was 11-3. Of his six goals, five were scored in the second period. His ten points and five second-period goals have him tied for first in the record book. Sobchuk won the Western Canada Hockey League Most Valuable Player award.

7. Jock Callander (153)

The 1980-81 Pats won 49 games, which stood as a record until a few seasons ago. The team was yet again a high scoring squad and it showed. Two Pats went one-two in the WHL scoring race. Jock Callander’s 67 goals and 86 assists placed him second in league and team scoring.

6. Dale Derkatch (159)

In 1983-84, Derkatch’s third season with the Pats, he finished third in the league in scoring with 72 goals and 87 assists for 159 points. In scoring over 60 goals, he is the only player in WHL history to have three consecutive 60-goal seasons. Derkatch helped lead the Pats to the WHL final which they lost in seven games to the Kamloops Oilers.

5. Brian Varga (160)

Brian Varga was the 1980-81 WHL scoring leader with 64 goals and 96 assists for 160 points. He was seven points up on Jock Callander who finished second. That Pats team finished first in their division and lost in the East final to the Calgary Wranglers. Varga was the second consecutive Pats player to lead the league in scoring.

4. Doug Wickenheiser (170)

Doug Wickenheiser scored 89 goals and added 81 assists for 170 points in 1979-80, placing him fourth on this list. His goals and points total both led the WHL that year. His solid play continued through the playoffs where he helped lead the Pats to the WHL Championship and a birth in the 1980 Memorial Cup. His 89 goals are a Pats’ team record. Wickenheiser was both the Western Hockey League and Canadian Hockey League Most Valuable Player.

3. Dave Michayluk (173)

1981-82 Regina Pats Card

The 1981-82 season was a prosperous one for the Pats, as he is the second Pat from that season to make it on this list. Dave Michayluk scored 62 goals and added 111 assists for 173 points. He finished second in the league in scoring and went on to lead the league in playoff scoring, but the team lost to Portland in the final. Michayluk holds the WHL record for assists and points by a right-wing. His 111 assists tie him for first all-time in Pats’ history.

2. Dale Derkatch (179)

In 1982-83, Derkatch became the fourth Pat in a row to lead the WHL in scoring. He scored 84 goals and assisted on 95 others. Derkatch finished 85 points ahead of the Pats’ second-leading scorer (Taylor Hall). In an incredible feat, he appears for a third time on this list with his second straight 60-plus goal season. From September 29 to November 7, 1982, he scored in 15 consecutive games.

1. Jock Callander (190)

1981-82 Regina Pats Card

Jock Callander is the third player to show up on this list from the 1981-82 Pats season. He holds the distinction for most points in a season with 190 (79G, 111A). His 111 assists are tied for first with teammate Michayluk.

From October 30, 1981, to February 23, 1982, Callander had a 47-game point streak in which he collected 141 of his 190 points. The 47-game record held up until 1990-91 when Jeff Nelson of the Prince Albert Raiders put up a 56-game streak. Callander was the third Pats player in a row to win the WHL’s scoring crown.