Time to hop in the hot tub time machine and go back not too far into Prince Albert Raiders’ history.
This time we are off to 2017 and the NHL Entry Draft. The first three selections in that draft were Nico Hischier, Nolan Patrick, and Miro Heiskanen. The Devils were excited to get a talent like Hischier while Philadelphia was ecstatic to select the Brandon Wheat Kings star Nolan Patrick who was coming off of an injured season which still saw him score 46 points in far fewer games.
Nolan Patrick and our Raiders Alumni, Ian Scott have two things in common, both were drafted in the 2017 NHL draft, with Scott being selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the fourth-round 110th overall. As well they both have played in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, although not in the same season.
The Toronto Maple Leafs had high hopes for Ian Scott and gave him an opportunity to show what he was made of. At the tail end of the 2017-18 season, he made his professional debut against the Belleville Senators. Scott claimed his first win after stopping 30 shots. Fellow CHL Alumni Jeremy Bracco scored the game-winner with just under three minutes left in the game. This performance and an extensive junior resume is the reason why the Marlies kept Scott on as a member of the club’s Black Aces for their Calder Cup Playoffs run.
During his Black Aces tenure, he got to be around goaltenders Garrett Sparks and Kasimir Kaskisuo. Both of these mentors are no longer with the Marlies. Sparks took the bulk of the starts during their playoff run while Scott participated behind the scenes absorbing as much as he could.
Toronto took home the Calder Cup in seven games over the Texas Stars, winning emphatically on home ice, 6-1. Not too many rookie goalies get to lift the Calder Cup over their heads as quickly as Scott did.
Returning to the Prince Albert Raiders with a wealth of knowledge under his hat, Scott set forward to have an outstanding season in the WHL. In the previous three seasons with the Raiders, everyone saw flashes of brilliance from Scott but his stats didn’t necessarily reflect it.
That was about to change as Prince Albert finished first in their division and clinched the Eastern Conference title. This was largely due to the brilliance between the pipes by Ian Scott. The only goaltender in the league to have better stats than he was Dustin Wolf of the Everett Silvertips. Scott finished the regular season with a record of 38-8-1, 2 shutouts, and a .932 SV%.
This dynamite regular season performance did not halt there as the Raiders were slated to face the Red Deer Rebels in the opening round. Scott and his teammates proved to be far too much for Red Deer as they swept the Rebels in four straight. The Saskatoon Blades and Edmonton Oil Kings faced the Raiders and both fell by the same series final of 4 games to 2.
The WHL finals saw the Vancouver Giants lining up on the opposite end of the rink from the Raiders. A battle between two outstanding goaltenders in Vancouver’s David Tendeck and the Raiders’ Ian Scott. This series was a barn burner that pushed the series to a full seven games.
A 24 save performance from Ian Scott and a masterful offensive domination on the shot clock by the Raiders sent the teams to overtime. At the 18:25 mark, Dante Hannoun’s goal on assists from Noah Gregor and Max Martin ended the series and the season for all involved. The Prince Albert Raiders were the WHL Champions.
With his WHL career over on the highest of highs, Scott was expected to become a regular roster member of the Toronto Marlies.
Unfortunately on December 19th, 2019 the Toronto Marlies sent out a press release stating that Scott had undergone a successful hip operation related to impingement. This spelled the end of what could have been his first year as a pro. However, the good news was that he would be healthy enough to attend training camp for the 2020-21 season.
With NHL camps expecting to be brief but opening up in late November or early December it appears on paper that the starting job with the Toronto Marlies is open for the taking. Toronto has parted ways with starting goaltender Kasimir Kaskisuo leaving behind just Joseph Woll who had his first pro experience last season. The Marlies parent club, the Toronto Maple Leafs, struggled during the regular season to keep their goaltenders healthy and win games. Should this happen again, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Toronto Marlies know that they have an ace up their sleeve in Ian Scott.
