“It was a crazy day” according to Howe, who was pulled from the lineup late on Wednesday after finding out he was being traded to Calgary
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The Regina Pats have traded captain Tanner Howe.
As the WHL club continues to rebuild its roster during the 2024-25 season, general manager Alan Millar shipped Howe, 18, to the Calgary Hitmen on Thursday for 17-year-old defenceman Reese Hamilton, 18-year-old forward Keets Fawcett, a 2025 third-round draft pick and a 2027 second-round draft pick.
“It’s an important move for our franchise but very difficult when you’re dealing with a very good player but a quality person in Tanner, our captain,” said Millar. “I have tremendous respect for him; how he prepares, how he leads.
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“I thank him for his time with our hockey club and wish him the best in Calgary.”
And while the deal came together on Thursday morning, Howe found out he was being traded on Wednesday night just prior to puck drop between the Pats and Tri-City Americans.
“It was a crazy day,” Howe told the Leader-Post on Thursday while in transit to Calgary. “I treated it like any other day. I came to the rink and I was ready to play Tri-City and hopefully get a big win.
“And as I was heading out for warmups, (head coach Brad Herauf) pulled me aside and said, ‘You’ve just been traded.’
“My jaw dropped and honestly, I was lost for words. It took a bit to settle in.
“I didn’t really know what to think. I’ve spent my last 4 1/2 years in Regina and it’s pretty much my home.
“But I’m really excited about the group of guys Calgary has.”
While Millar said it was tough moving Howe, it was a deal that needed to be done as the Pats continue to rebuild their roster.
“It’s difficult,” said Millar, who watched Regina fall 4-3 in a shootout to Tri-City on Wednesday night. “I think it was even more difficult because of the deal coming together so close to game time and having to pull him out of the lineup.
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“I would have liked the process to being a little smoother, but he handled it like a pro.
“I think Tanner is a smart kid. I think he saw the writing on the wall at some point. I’m not sure that he thought it would have been in the middle of November, but I think he knew that there was a good chance that he probably could have been moved and, like I said, he handled it like the person he is and the pro that he is and the great pro that he will be.”
In 217 career games with the Pats since being drafted by the club in the fourth round of the 2020 WHL Draft, Howe has registered 240 points and was named the third youngest captain in franchise history last year. This summer, he was drafted 46th overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2024 NHL Draft.
“I’ve got to play with some unreal players and some really good coaches and the staff in Regina is excellent,” said Howe, a Prince Albert product. “I know it’s a top-class organization and I couldn’t say anything bad about them.
“It was really good, really fun and I’m glad I ended up there.”
While the rebuilding Pats (6-11-4) sit in second-last place in the WHL’s Eastern Conference, Howe joins a 10-7-4 Calgary team that continues to make roster moves in the hopes of contending for a championship this year.
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“They’ve got a competitive group and they’re going to try to make a (playoff) run,” said Howe. “And hopefully I can add and contribute and help to that.
“I want to plan some meaningful games and I think this is a really good place to go and do that.”
While the WHL’s trade deadline isn’t until January, Millar said moving Howe before Canada’s world junior selection camp in early December was a factor in making the trade.
“I feel comfortable in saying that I believe Tanner will be invited to that camp, and I think he has a real good chance to play on that team,” said Millar. “So, in essence for our hockey club, if Tanner played on the world junior team then and we were going to move him, he wouldn’t play another game for us after he left for world juniors.
“So we talked about the strategy around adding the assets that potentially could come from a Howe trade, get them in our lineup earlier, and having those assets to help us prepare for our deadline without concentrating on how and the fact that he wasn’t going to play another game for us could be valuable.”
As for the incoming players, Hamilton, a Whitewood, Sask. product, is considered one of the top young defenceman in the league.
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Last year, he led all 2007-born defenceman in the league with 31 points in 42 games. He was previously the fourth overall selection by the Hitmen in the 2022 WHL Draft. Hamilton has also represented Team Canada on three separate occasions at under-17 and under-18 tournaments.
Next week, Hamilton will be one of seven defencemen from across the country representing the CHL in the CHL-USA Prospects Challenge on Nov. 26 (London, Ont) and Nov. 27 (Oshawa, Ont.). Hamilton was previously rated a “B” prospect by NHL Central Scouting as a potential second- or third-round selection in the 2025 NHL Draft.
“We started talking about Reese Hamilton late last week with Calgary,” said Millar. “We had conversations with Calgary (Wednesday) that indicated that Hamilton was going to be moved.
“They had made it clear to us that if we decided to pass or move on, that he was going to be moved in another deal. We collectively as a group, talked, evaluated the trade, continued to do our homework and research.
“And we had a deadline with Calgary at about 6:15, 6:30 p.m. (Wednesday night), or they were going to move on. And we decided to move forward.
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“Players like that don’t usually come on the market at 17 years of age and we just felt with what we’re doing here, and the fit in terms of our blue line moving forward, that we had to move forward and capitalize on the offer that was made.”
Fawcett, a Grimshaw, Alta. product, has recorded seven points in 19 games this season after racking up 45 points in 65 game last year.
“(Fawcett) had a great rookie season,” said Millar. “Plays the game hard, skates well, softens the blow on taking Tanner out of our lineup.
“And he keeps us somewhat competitive this year.”
Hamilton and Fawcett are expected to be in the lineup on Friday when the Pats visit the Swift Current Broncos. Regina will then visit the Prince Albert Raiders on Saturday.
As for Howe and his return to Regina, the Hitmen are scheduled to play two home games against the Pats on Jan. 5 and Jan. 19 before making a trip to the Brandt Centre on Feb. 19.
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