After an incredible Season 67 regular season, the Regina Elk were able to put together another nice season in Season 68. Regina finished the season fifth in the standings with a record of 36-25-5. As they prepare for a playoff run, let's take a look at how they did on offense, defense and goaltending to get here.

Offense
The Elk finished the season with 202 goals scored; good for 9th in the SMJHL. While they weren't considered an offensive juggernaut this season, they still had solid individual seasons from a number of players. Right winger Teodors Skalbergs was far and away the Elk's best offensive player. Skalbergs led Regina in goals (26), assists (41), and points (67). His 67 points in 66 games put him just over a point per game for the season. Center Ralph Ryan and winger Taco Salad finished tied for second on the team with 52 points each, and both actually had the same amout of goals and assists. Center Toxic Neutrality was clutch at the faceoff circle, winning 58% of his faceoffs this season while registering 44 points. E E had a solid season with 39 points while playing mostly on a line with Neutrality. As a defenseman, Brendan Laroux tallied 18 goals in the regular season, which tied for first in the league amongst defenseman. Overall, the offensive unit for the Elk won't blow anyone away with their numbers, but the depth and getting scores from all lines was key to this team finishing in a playoff spot.

Defense
Regina's defensive unit was strong this season, as the team allowed just 174 goals on the season, good for second in the league. As previously mentioned, Brendan Laroux's two-way ability helped anchor the first line of defense. His linemate, Hodor, blocked 241 shots this season which was good for second overall in the SMJHL. Although there wasn't much offensive output from the defenders outside of the first line players, Rod Cocker and Konstantin Ayrapaa-Mottonen both played sound defense and registered 156 shot blocks each. Cocker also finished +/- 16 on the season. Jack McCarthy, acquired via trade just before the SMJHL trade deadline, added some depth to Regina's blue line and finished +/- 8 in 22 games. While Regina may not have big names on the blue line like some other SMJHL teams, they have a selfless group that proved to be effective in suffocating opposing offenses.

Goaltending
As mentioned above, the Elk did an excellent job keeping the puck out of their own net and goalie Alexis Texas was a big reason for that. Texas finished the season with a record of 27-13-3 to go along with a goals against average of 2.43 and a save percentage of .908. Texas finished top 5 in wins, and top 3 in both goals against average and save percentage. Regina's backup goaltender Jackson Cannon played a fair share of games this season, but struggled a bit to finish with a record of 9-12-2. Although Cannon wasn't winning games on his own, he did a serviceable job overall as a backup to Texas. Having played fewer games than most starting goaltenders in the SMJHL, Texas should be well rested and ready to be the anchor for the Elk throughout the playoffs.

Jack McCarthy ll D ll Texas Renegades ll Team Ireland
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Name: Jack McCarthy
Height: 6' 2
Weight: 212 lbs
Number: 10
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SHL Career Statistics
S75 TEX l GP: 66 l G: 7 l A: 33 l P: 40 l +/-: 28 l PIM: 32 l H:46 l SB: 182 l TA: 44
S74 TEX l GP: 66 l G: 6 l A: 23 l P: 29 l +/-: 21 l PIM: 22 l H: 60 l SB: 184 l TA: 46
S73 TEX l GP: 66 l G: 5 l A: 16 l P: 21 l +/-: 15 l PIM: 42 l H: 38 l SB: 134 l TA: 35
S72 TEX l GP: 66 l G: 3 l A: 17 l P: 20 l +/-: 0 l PIM: 43 l H: 54 l SB: 105 l TA: 36
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SHL Playoff Statistics
S75 TEX l GP: 14 l G: 1 l A: 5 l P: 6 l +/-: 6 l PIM: 4 l H: 12 l SB: 51 l TA: 14
S74 TEX l GP: 13 l G: 0 l A: 7 l P: 7 l +/-: -1 l PIM: 4 l H: 13 l SB: 27 l TA: 4
S73 TEX l GP: 4 l G: 0 l A: 1 l P: 1 l +/-: -3 l PIM: 0 l H: 3 l SB: 19 l TA: 2
S72 TEX l GP: 7 l G: 0 l A: 1 l P: 1 l +/-: -4 l PIM: 2 l H: 2 l SB: 10 l TA: 4
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IIHF Career Statistics
S75 IRL l GP: 12 l G: 0 l A: 2 l P: 2 l +/-: 0 l PIM: 4 l H:5 l SB: 36 l TA: 10
S74 IRL l GP: 12 l G: 1 l A: 4 l P: 5 l +/-: -12 l PIM: 0 l H: 11 l SB: 32 l TA: 8
S73 IRL l GP: 12 l G: 0 l A: 4 l P: 4 l +/-: 7 l PIM: 4 l H: 11 l SB: 31 l TA: 3
S72 IRL l GP: 12 l G: 0 l A: 5 l P: 5 l +/-: 3 l PIM: 12 l H: 9 l SB: 22 l TA: 6
S71 IRL l GP: 12 l G: 0 l A: 2 l P: 2 l +/-: 4 l PIM: 6 l H: 10 l SB: 11 l TA: 3
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SMJHL Regular Season Statistics
S71 REG l GP: 66 l G: 11 l A: 34 l P: 45 l +/-: 1 l PIM: 22 l H: 113 l SB: 135 l TA: 49
S70 REG l GP: 66 l G: 6 l A: 22 l P: 28 l +/-: -3 l PIM: 29 l H: 83 l SB: 165 l TA: 47
S69 REG l GP: 66 l G: 9 l A: 16 l P: 25 l +/-: -35 l PIM: 32 l H: 93 l SB: 92 l TA: 54
S68 REG l GP: 22 l G: 0 l A: 8 l P: 8 l +/-: 8 l PIM: 4 l H: 34 l SB: 38 l TA: 14
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SMJHL Playoff Statistics
S71 REG l GP: 11 l G: 1 l A: 5 l P: 6 l +/-: 1 l PIM: 2 l H: 12 l SB: 36 l TA: 8
S69 REG l GP: 6 l G: 0 l A: 1 l P: 1 l +/-: -3 l PIM: 0 l H: 26 l SB: 12 l TA: 9
S68 REG l GP: 11 l G: 1 l A: 1 l P: 2 l +/-:-2 l PIM: 2 l H: 18 l SB: 10 l TA: 8
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Transactions
SHL S69: Drafted by the Texas Renegades 15th overall
SMJHL S68: Signing rights traded from Yukon Malamutes to Regina Elk
SMJHL S68: Claimed off waivers by Yukon Malamutes
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Awards & Achievements
S75 IIHF: Bronze medal with Team Ireland
S71 IIHF: Gold medal with Team Ireland
S69 WJC: Gold medal with Team USA
SMJHL S69: Voted Captain of the Regina Elk
SMJHL S68: Regina Elk Chris Chelios Jr. Award for Perseverance and Determination w/ Regina

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