Hitmen’s Tanner Howe makes emotional return to Regina

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Regina has been good to Tanner Howe as a member of the home team and the visiting team.

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Playing back in the Brandt Centre for the first since being traded to the Calgary Hitmen in November, the former Regina Pats captain helped his new team to a 5-0 victory on Wednesday night in front of 2,709 spectators, many of whom applauded Howe when he was honoured with a video tribute early in the first period.

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“My mind was kind of a bit everywhere,” Howe told the Leader-Post after the game. “When I saw that video played, I thought about all the people that helped me out. And really how much I loved it here in Regina.

“But you know, after that video, I tried to get locked in again.”

Playing on Calgary’s top line, the 19-year-old Howe registered one assist and a plus-three rating with Oliver Tulk leading the way with two goals and an assist for the Hitmen, who officially clinched a playoff spot in the WHL’s Eastern Conference with the win.

“It meant a lot,” said Howe, who was named the game’s third star. “There’s so many people here in Regina that have helped me out the past four years.

“It definitely was a change coming in the other way and being against them. I had it marked on my calendar, and it was a big game.

“It felt weird being on the visitor side but as the game went on, I didn’t really think about that. Definitely fun to play against them.”

For Howe, getting a chance to play in the postseason in what will be his final year of junior hockey helped ease the shock of being traded from a team he spent parts of five seasons with.

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“When I got traded, it was really sad and emotional but at the end of the day, you want to play meaningful games and you want to win a championship in this league,” said Howe, who was drafted by the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins last summer. “And the Pats did it the right way and gave me this opportunity so hopefully I can take it and run with it.”

In his career with the Pats — who will miss the playoffs for the second straight year — Howe played in just one playoff series, which was during the 2022-23 season when Regina lost to the Saskatoon Blades in the first round.

“I remember my seven games in playoffs with the Pats and it was probably the best seven games I’ve played,” said Howe, who played on a line with eventual No. 1 NHL draft pick Connor Bedard that year. “It was so fun, so I’m glad our team is able to do that.

“When I got traded, the first thing I asked is who I’m going to and that sort of thing. And I knew Calgary was making a run, so I was really pumped for that.”

After being selected by the Pats in the fourth round of the 2020 WHL Draft, the 5-foot-11, 183-pound Prince Albert, Sask. product played 217 career games, registering 240 career points.

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In 2023, he became just the third 17-year-old in team history to be named captain before being traded in November, as the Pats continued their rebuild while the Hitmen were looking to stock up for a lengthy playoff run.

“We knew we were getting a captain of another team but you never know until you meet the player and get to spend some time with him,” Hitmen head coach Paul McFarland said of Howe, who has 22 points in 24 games with Calgary. “You watch his daily habits and his focus level, and how much he cares about winning, how much he cares about his teammates, how competitive he is.

“On the ice, he’s a player that plays the right way and hard each and every night. We got the player that we thought we were getting that way.

“Off the ice, he’s even more impressive for me. Just his habits, how he practices, how he carries himself, his routine, before and after games, his demeanour.

“He was a great addition for our group and he makes other guys better just by how hard he pushes each and every day.

“It’s a pretty impressive kid. Obviously, he’s been raised right. That’s the best way to put it for me. I think he’s a fantastic kid. He’s got a bright future ahead as a hockey player.”

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