Good news from the London Free Press’s Ryan Pyette, who spoke with Red Wings prospect Alec Regula. Regula has recovered from a nagging knee injury that limited his summertime activities without requiring surgery:
He went through a month and a half of rehabilitation at Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena to be cleared for this week’s action and get ready to report to Traverse City, Mich., next week for the NHL rookie tournament.
“It was a long summer,” the 19-year-old defenceman said, “and especially with being so young, I wanted to be cautious with it. It feels good to be playing and skating around and healthy again. It means a lot to be game ready and I want to be a good leader for the guys and play the right way.”
Regula’s knee woes developed after the Knights season and were diagnosed shortly after reporting to the Wings’ American league affiliate in Grand Rapids. He is a critical part to London’s success this year as the most experienced rearguard left on the team.
He had 11 goals and 39 points in 66 games last season with a plus-32 rating, but is expecting more with major minutes forthcoming and Bouchard, Boqvist and Will Lochead graduating.
“The Wings always tell me if I’m going to play in the NHL, it’s going to be as a defender, not an offensive guy,” he said, “but in my fourth year of junior and third year here, it’s time to take a step and I think I can hold that responsibility. I’ll shoot for 20 goals and see what happens. It’s not easy to do.”
