Austin Pratt has enjoyed his time in Regina — so much so he’s looking to possibly stay longer. After a recent game, we talked about his future.
(Photo – Keith Hershmiller)
“I have some roots here, I love the city, I love the people. The Pats have been great to me. It would be hard to up and leave.,” said the fifth year WHLer.
Pratt and University of Regina Cougars head coach Todd Johnson, just named the Canada West Coach of the Year, have been in contact.
“I had a lot of talks with the head coach there. I saw the facilities and everything and I just thought it’d be a good fit. I got a good familiarity with some of the guys on the team.”
The Cougars have struggled to bring in WHL talent, icing a roster mostly made up of guys who have played the majority of their careers in Junior A. Recruiting Pratt would be a big help to their program, as Pratt is a veteran of over 330 games played in the WHL. In his career, he has 75 goals and 96 assists. The Cougars had a good second half of the season but narrowly missed out on the playoffs. They have not seen the postseason since 2013.
(Photo – Milana Paddock)
Once a player’s WHL career is over, he has 18 months to cash in on the WHL scholarship package. He can play minor professional hockey (AHL, ECHL, Europe, etc) but if an NHL contract is signed, the scholarship is lost.
“If I got a good opportunity to play pro, I would definitely take it. Take the year, see how I fit in with the pro lifestyle and the pro game. Then if not, I have my five years (of scholarship) I could take at the U of R.”
Pratt is currently leading the Pats in scoring with 54 points. He has surpassed his career high of 51 points from last season. He was named captain of the team, displaying his leadership abilities. Pratt has three goals and seven assists in his last eight games and is looking to finish out the season strong.
