After a Series of Injuries, Patterson Finally Gaining Traction on Rebels Blueline
Published on November 18, 2021 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Red Deer Rebels News Release
Red Deer Rebels defenceman Trey Patterson
(Red Deer Rebels)
For Trey Patterson, confidence comes with being healthy.
The Red Deer Rebels defenceman suffered a shoulder injury in 2020 while training during a prolonged off-season, a result of the pandemic. He underwent surgery and wasn't totally prepared for the abbreviated 2020-21 season due to his time spent recuperating.
The 18-year-old was limited to nine games last winter after yet another upper body injury sent him to the sidelines in April, but he's been injury-free ever since and has appeared in 13 of the Rebels' 19 games this season.
"Over the summer getting stronger with no injuries definitely helped me. So, yeah, this year I'm feeling a lot more confident," he said Thursday.
"I did a mixture of cardio and strength training during the summer, focusing more on building strength."
He's still looking for his first point this season, but his game is not predicated on offence.
"The base of my game is more defensive, I'd say. I like to jump up into the rush every once in a while but the majority of the time I'm defence first."
Assistant coach Ryan Colville said Patterson is still finding his way in the league after playing a total of 30 games over parts of three seasons, including eight in 2019-20 as a 16-year-old call-up from the midget AAA Calgary Buffaloes.
"He's a younger player who's been here a couple of years but hasn't played a ton of games," said Colville. "He's still kind of getting himself used to this level.
"But he has taken good steps this year. He seems more comfortable with the puck and his defending has got a lot better. He's 18-years-old now but in terms of games played with the pandemic and injuries, he hasn't had a ton of time to train.
"It's been kind of a work in progress with him and we're happy with where he's at."
Colville said the six-foot-one, 173-pound defender's game is evolving by staying within his comfort zone.
"For him, it's just keep it simple, a little more straight lines, getting a bit more physical and stuff like that," said Colville. "He's showing game by game that he's getting more comfortable doing those things."
Not only is Patterson looking more composed this season, the entire team is playing at a whole different level than was the case in the pandemic shortened 2020-21 campaign.
"It's definitely a big change compared to last year," he said of the Rebels' 12-6-1-0 record and current three-game winning streak.
"It was fun last year but it's just not the same when you're not winning. Everyone's not enjoying it as much as they should be. This year is definitely better with a better team."
The Rebels will host the Calgary Hitmen Friday and the Prince Albert Raiders the following night, and will head into each game fully expecting to post a victory.
"As a team we're a lot more confident this season knowing what we can do," said Patterson. "With what we have in the room, we have a lot of potential. It's just about being consistent each game."
Rebels vs. Calgary Hitmen
Friday, 7 p.m., Peavey Mart Centrium
The 7-7-0-0 Hitmen have three players in double figures for points - C Riley Fiddler-Schultz (7-11-18), LW Sean Tschigerl (7-7-14) and RW Zac Funk (5-5-10), whereas the Rebels, who have played five more games with a 12-6-1-0 slate, have eight - C Ben King (12-7-19), LW Arshdeep Bains (7-11-18), RW Blake Stevenson (7-10-17), D Christoffer Sedoff (1-14-15), C Kai Uchacz (4-10-14), C Liam Keeler (7-5-12), C Jayden Grubbe (5-7-12) and LW Jhett Larson (5-5-10) . . . Brayden Peters has played the vast majority of minutes in Calgary's net and possesses a 3.55 goals-against average and .885 save percentage. Ethan Buenaventura has appeared in two games and sports a 2.15 GAA and ,923 save percentage. For the Rebels, Chase Coward has a 2.35 GAA and .919 save percentage over 12 games and Connor Ungar has numbers of 2.56 and .909.
Injuries: Calgary - C Oliver Tulk (upper body, day-to-day), C Blake Allan (lower body, week-to-week), D Brandon Whynott (upper body, day-to-day). Red Deer - C Josh Medernach (lower body, indefinite), C Ethan Rowland (upper body, indefinite), D Joel Sexsmith (upper body, day-to-day).
Special teams: Calgary - Power play 11.9 per cent, 21st overall; penalty kill 74.1 per cent, 19th. Red Deer - Power play 27.1 per cent, fourth overall; penalty kill 81.8 per cent, eighth.
Images from this story
 Red Deer Rebels defenceman Trey Patterson |
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