Red Wings Future Stars: Alec Regula
5 years ago
Known as the former team dentist’s son, Alec Regula was drafted 67th overall just several weeks ago by the Red Wings at the 2018 NHL Draft.
At 6’4″, 203 lbs, Regula is certainly not lacking in size. He has also demonstrated some mobility and agility with the London Knights this past season. Playing the majority of the second half of the season alongside Edmonton Oilers prospect Evan Bouchard, Regula was able to handle the tough minutes against the top players in the OHL.
Considering that this past season was his first in the OHL (coming over from the USHL), he has impressed the Knights staff to move up in the lineup in a short amount of time.
Having an August birthday is something to consider as well. If Regula was born just five weeks later, he would be eligible for the 2019 NHL Draft, making him one of the youngest players in the draft this past year.
His development this next season is certainly something to look out for – the Knights are known for developing NHL players consistently, so let’s hope that they do the same with Regula.
BY THE NUMBERS
Regula’s raw stats surely don’t impress that much, but considering that he was a rookie this year and probably had to earn the trust of his coaches, his TOI most likely rose throughout the season. This is a lot of assumption on my part, but since he ended his rookie year next to Bouchard, it certainly didn’t start out that way.
He started his 2017-18 season on a 10-game pointless streak. A little worrisome, but again, he was most likely not getting that many minutes – since the OHL doesn’t keep TOI stats, we will never know.
Something that does look pleasing to the eye on the table above, is how little penalty minutes Regula had last season. Labeled as a right-handed defenseman that is mobile with size is certainly something every NHL team is looking for. Especially that he clearly doesn’t take dumb penalties and isn’t so physical that he leaves his team at a disadvantage, is a very good aspect to look for in a potential NHL defenseman.
Not all of Regula’s points were on the powerplay either. Among first-time draft-eligible defensemen in the OHL this past year, Regula was fourth in even-strength points with 24. Only linemate Evan Bouchard, Ryan Merkley, and Rasmus Sandin, had more even-strength points than Regula in that group of defensemen. With 24 even-strength points, that means that he only got one single point on the man advantage – he clearly didn’t get that much time on the Knights powerplay.
LOOKING FORWARD
The biggest factor at play for Regula’s 2018-19 season with the London Knights, is if Evan Bouchard returns. The stellar Oilers blueline prospect might in fact make the Oilers out of camp, in that case, Regula will have an increased role for the Knights.
Since he spent so little time on the powerplay this past season, even just including him on the second unit can really help his raw point totals impress some casual fans.
Regula was not mentioned a lot when it came to prospects for the past draft in June, but OHL guru Brock Otten had this to say about the Wings prospect before the draft:
Regula is an OHL rookie who is really gaining steam in the scouting community. He played a depth role for a really strong USHL team last year in Chicago (who won the Clark Cup) and is really starting to look comfortable in the OHL the last month or so. He’s now playing a ton for the Knights, suiting up alongside Evan Bouchard on the top pairing. Regula has a lot going for him. He’s 6’4 and moves very well. He’s got excellent acceleration and is gaining confidence in using this to lead the rush. There have a been a couple times lately where I mistook him for Bouchard. Regula also shows well defensively and is a solid stick defender who seems to really process the game well. His positioning and reads are really improving. Lastly, he’s one of the youngest players available this year. Don’t be surprised if this guy is one of the top 5 OHL defenders taken in June. Great potential at both ends.
If Regula does get an increased role within the Knights, he can surely shoot up in the Wings prospect hype chart. His size might certainly make some more offensively-driven fans worried, but if everything that we’re hearing about Regula, his size isn’t really part of his game.
Every NHL team is looking for a mobile blueline – moving the puck up the ice and being able to enter the offensive zone cleanly has been proven to lead to winning games. The Red Wings look to have some exciting mobile defensemen in the prospect pool – Dennis Cholowski and Filip Hronek leading that group. If any of them are able to become full-time NHLers, the Wings can potentially have a very modern blueline to hopefully lead this franchise back into success.
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