Pats Announce Hockey Ops Changes: Derkatch Named 21st GM in Team History Following Millar's Departure

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Pats Announce Hockey Ops Changes: Derkatch Named 21st GM in Team History Following Millar's Departure

June 24, 2025 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Regina Pats News Release


Regina, Sask. - The Regina Pats Hockey Club announced several changes to its Hockey Operations department on Tuesday.

Alan Millar has accepted a new role as the General Manager of Canada's National Junior Team, and Canada's National Men's Under-18 Team at both the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and IIHF U18 Men's World Championship. He will also oversee the national under-17 program.

With Millar's departure, the Pats are proud to announce the promotion of Dale Derkatch to General Manager, making him the 21st GM in franchise history. In addition, Tristan Frei has been promoted to Assistant General Manager, and Max Paddock has been named Manager, Hockey Operations.

"First of all, I'd like to thank Gavin and Shaun Semple, and Gord Pritchard for the opportunity to manage this historic franchise," said Alan Millar. "It has been an honour and a privilege. I'd also like to thank the great Pats fans and corporate partners for their outstanding support the past two years as we worked diligently to put the key pieces in place to build a consistent, competitive team, that will one day compete for a WHL and Memorial Cup championship. Finally, I am thrilled that the organization has promoted Dale Derkatch to General Manager, Tristan Frei to Assistant General Manager, and Max Paddock to Manager, Hockey Operations. The franchise is in good hands, with great people leading the way. I wish the Regina Pats players and staff all the best."

"This is an important day for our organization and while it is certainly tough to see Alan move on, we couldn't be more excited about promoting three great individuals within our organization to new roles," said Regina Pats CEO Gordon Pritchard.

Millar, 58, joined the Pats following the 2022-23 season and served as Vice-President, Hockey Operations and General Manager for the past two seasons. During his tenure, he revitalized the club's roster and prospect pool with young talent and valuable draft capital. Under his leadership, the Pats made franchise history by selecting three players in the first round of the 2025 WHL Prospects Draft. He also assembled a strong Hockey Operations team-hiring Brad Herauf, Ryan Smith, Derkatch, Frei, and Paddock-and revamped the scouting department, establishing a solid draft and development model.

"I want to thank Alan for his vision, strategy, and tireless efforts during the last two seasons. He and the team had to make a lot of difficult decisions during this rebuild, however, through his efforts and leadership we've added really good young talent to our roster, our prospect pool and had a historic draft this past May. He's put us in a position to take our hockey program to the next level, to be more competitive and with the ultimate goal of winning a championship," said Pritchard. "It has been a privilege to work with Alan, he has been an absolute pro during his time with the Pats and we were very fortunate to have had him as our General Manager and leader for two seasons. We wish him nothing but the best as he enters his next chapter and know he'll do a great job in this new role with Hockey Canada."

New Leadership

Derkatch, 60, rejoined the Pats in July 2024 as Assistant General Manager and led the club's scouting efforts during the 2024-25 season. He brings 13 years of NHL scouting experience, most recently with the Columbus Blue Jackets (2022-24). He previously worked as a traveling scout for the Pats in 2021-22 and as an amateur scout with the Toronto Maple Leafs (2015-20) and Washington Capitals (1998-2004). In the WHL, Derkatch was Head Coach of the Pats in 2008-09 and served as Director of Player Personnel for the Prince Albert Raiders (2009-15), contributing to their 2019 WHL Championship roster.

"We are very excited to promote Dale to the position of General Manager," added Pritchard. "It's truly special to have someone like Dale, an all-time great of the Regina Pats who is so passionate and cares deeply about this team and city, step into this role. Dale brings over 20 years of experience in hockey as a head coach, scout, director of player personnel, and assistant general manager. Dale is an incredible scout, has a sharp eye for talent and knows what it takes to build a team that competes and wins. His body of work speaks for itself, with his fingerprints all over the Prince Albert Raiders' 2019 championship. We're fortunate to have someone of his calibre leading our team as we enter the next exciting chapter of Regina Pats hockey."

A Pats legend, Derkatch played for the team from 1981-85, recording 491 points in 204 games-still the most in franchise history. His number 16 was retired on December 5, 1998.

"First and foremost, I'd like to thank Gavin and Shaun Semple, as well as Gord Pritchard for giving me the opportunity to lead the Hockey Department of the world's oldest junior hockey franchise," said Derkatch. "It is truly an honour and a privilege to lead a team that I have played for, coached, scouted, and served as part of the Hockey Operations staff. I would also like to thank Alan Millar for the vision he laid out for the organization, one he invited me to be a part of. I'm sad to see him leave, as I enjoyed every minute of our time working together, but I'm very happy for him and his new opportunity. I'm extremely excited and motivated for the next chapter in my career and for what the future holds for the Regina Pats Hockey Club."

Frei, 29, joined the Pats in August 2023 as Manager, Hockey Operations. Over the past two seasons, the Regina native supported both player development and scouting. Frei previously played professionally in Europe with the Guildford Flames of the EIHL. Frei played for the Regina Pat Canadians from 2010-2013 before embarking on a successful career in the SJHL with the Melfort Mustangs, winning league championships in 2014-15 and 2015-16, with the final one coming as their captain. After Frei's junior career came to an end, he played five years at the Univ. of Regina from 2016-2021, where he earned a Bachelors of Education.

"Tristan joined our team two years ago as the Manager of Hockey Operations and has excelled in that role since day one," said Pritchard. "Over the past two seasons, he has taken on increasing responsibilities, including player development, scouting and assisting with the draft. This is a big opportunity for Tristan and we're confident he'll do a great job. He's very bright and talented, knows the game well, has an eye for talent, understands today's player and the new development model. He'll be leaned on to help us reach the next level."

Paddock, 25, continues as the club's Goaltending Coach while taking on expanded responsibilities as Manager, Hockey Operations. The Brandon, Man. product played for the Pats from 2016-2020 and helped backstop the team to the 2018 Memorial Cup Final, where he was named to the CHL Memorial Cup All-Star Team. He ranks 14th in franchise history in games played (114), minutes (6,314), and GAA (3.27). After concluding his WHL career with the Prince Albert Raiders, Paddock used his WHL Scholarship to attend Acadia University and Fraser Valley University from 2021-2024.

"Similar to Dale, Max has a lot of pride and passion for the Regina Pats, having been drafted by and played for the team for four seasons. We're excited to have him join our organization full-time," explained Pritchard. "In addition to taking on the role of Manager of Hockey Operations, Max will also continue as our Goalie Coach, something that's very important for our program moving forward. Having a full-time goalie coach with the club is a big asset. Max will work with our goalies daily on their development, as well as with our prospects, which we believe will be key to their growth as players and ultimately to our success."

The Regina Pats thank Alan Millar for his leadership and contributions to the organization and look forward to building on the strong foundation he helped establish.

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