(Keith Hershmiller/Regina Pats)

By Nolan Kowal

Draft Day

P.A.’s Howe preparing for upcoming NHL Draft

Jun 14, 2024 | 12:25 PM

Tanner Howe is now just days away from hearing his name called at the upcoming NHL Draft in Las Vegas on June 28 and 29.

The Regina Pats star forward is projected to be selected in the second or third round of the draft after a stellar major junior career so far in the Queen City. The 18-year-old Prince Albert native recently returned from the draft combine alongside other pro prospects.

“To be there and hang out with a lot of new faces and meet new guys and be with guys that I know was super fun. And then meeting with teams and it kind of just gets things more exciting,” said Howe.

“It’s coming quick and yeah I’m just looking forward to it. For me I think it’s about going to the right team. I think going to a team that you fit in well with, and that you’re going to work good with, and hopefully have a long lasting career with them,” he said.

Howe said he’ll be attending the draft in person in Las Vegas along with his parents, billet parents, and girlfriend. He already has a special suit ready for the occasion.

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It’s super exciting, I’ve never been there and my parents have been there a couple times. They’ve said how fun it’s been and how cool it is. We’re just all really pumped to go there and be there together,” Howe said.

“With our agency they actually give us a suit for the draft…a custom suit so we got to customize that and kind of get some cool things on there and yeah it’s pretty sweet.”

The Howe family has strong ties to Prince Albert, and those ties got even stronger recently when the Prince Albert Raiders drafted Tanner’s younger brother Connor Howe.

“It was awesome when we saw his name get put on the website…it was a pretty cool moment,” said Tanner Howe, who still comes home to P.A. on a regular basis. “We were all super pumped for him and he was super excited too, and we’re really looking forward to when he makes the team and we’ll go from there.”

Regardless of where and when he’s drafted, Howe will be returning to Regina in the fall to play another WHL season with the Pats.

“I think we’re going to be a lot better this year. I think last year we weren’t the best and I think we’re going to take big strides this year,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of guys coming back that know our identity, know how we play and I think that helps a lot. Just really looking forward to having a good year with them.”

Howe said he will be heading down to Nevada on June 26. But first, he’s going on a fishing trip in the La Ronge area.

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nolan.kowal@pattisonmedia.com