Regina Pats' captain Adam Brooks back in the fold
Adam Brooks is back in Regina after his first NHL training camp hoping to lead the Pats to a title
A good Western Hockey League team got better on Tuesday when the Regina Pats got their captain back.
After taking 10 out of a possible twelve points from their first six games of the season, the Pats returned to full strength with the return of Adam Brooks.
Brooks, a fourth round pick of the Leafs in 2016 NHL Draft, was reassigned to the Pats after taking part in training camp with both the Maple Leafs and Toronto Marlies over the last four weeks.
"At first there's obviously that bit of disappointment, you never like getting cut from a team especially when you put a lot of work into it in the summer, but in saying that, I'm super excited to be back here with the Pats," said Brooks after his first practice with the Pats in nearly a month.
Brooks enjoyed a breakout season with the Pats in 2015-16 winning the WHL scoring title with 120 points including 82 assists.
That was almost double his productivity from the year before.
The two seasons prior to that could be considered write offs as far as some are concerned.
In his first two years in the WHL, the Pats second round pick in the 2011 bantam draft went largely ignored by the previous coaching staff.
On nights he wasn't a healthy scratch, Brooks was used in defensive roles on the fourth line, hoping he didn't get scored on so he could get another shift.
Because of the limited responsibilities early on, Struch feels the 20-year-old Winnipeg product is actually a year or two behind in his development.
"I was watching from a different team, as a coach on another team (Saskatoon Blades) you could see him and Austin (Wagner) both not getting the minutes. But as you see with ice-time, with the development, allowing them to make the mistakes, allowing them to fail, they start to make less mistakes, have more successes and in his case he's really taken off.
Had Brooks been given the early opportunities, Struch said they probably wouldn't have seen Brooks back this year.
On the eve of the beginning of his last season in junior hockey, Adam Brooks can't wait for Wednesday night when the Pats host Portland.
"These guys are rolling and I can't wait to be a part of it."