The last few weeks have brought a number of new faces to the Boston Bruins organization. I’ve already written about one of those new faces, Ian Mitchell, who was acquired in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks. The other player included in that trade was Alec Regula.
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The 22-year-old (who will be turning 23 next month) is a restricted free agent who spent the majority of the last season playing in the American Hockey League (AHL) for the Rockford IceHogs. But as a young player, there is still plenty of room for him to grow while he’s in the Bruins organization.
Road to the NHL Draft
Regula was born on Aug. 6, 2000, in Michigan, joining the large contingent of American players currently on the Bruins’ roster. He’s a right-shot defenseman that stands at 6-foot-4. He started his juniors career playing for his high school team in Michigan before being recruited to the United States Hockey League (USHL), which is the top junior hockey league sanctioned by USA Hockey. He played for the Chicago Steel for one season in 2016-17, appearing in 53 games where he had one goal and five points. He helped them win the USHL Clark Cup that season.
While the USHL is strictly amateur, allowing players to go the collegiate route if they would like, Regula decided to make the switch to the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) for the 2017-18 season. He was drafted into the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), one of three leagues that composes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), by the London Knights. His first season there, which was also his draft year, saw a breakout season for him. He had 25 points in 67 games, including seven goals. That first season, he also had the opportunity to play with and learn from a number of future NHLers, such as Evan Bouchard and Robert Thomas.
His breakout season in the OHL led to him being named to the 2018 OHL First All-Rookie Team and got him attention leading into the NHL Draft. He was ranked 72nd among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting and was praised for his hockey sense, mobility, and ability to take away the gaps. The drawbacks were his consistency and amount of turnovers. He was not a player noted for his offensive game, and most of his contributions leading up to his draft year came on the defensive side of the game. He was a defender that could be expected to go one-on-one with any other team’s top offensive players and shut them down.
Regula was selected in the third round of the 2018 NHL Entry Level Draft at pick number 67 by the Detroit Red Wings. But he did not remain in the organization for very long, as he was traded to Chicago for Brendan Perlini on Oct. 28, 2019.
Regula’s Continued Success in Juniors
The season following his draft, 2018-19, he remained in the OHL, playing for the Knights. His defensive partner, Bouchard, who had been drafted 10th overall in 2018, remained on the roster as well. He continued to grow his game offensively, scoring 11 goals and 39 points in 66 games that year.
The best season of his career came in the 2019-20 season. In 56 games, he had 27 goals and 60 points before the season came to a halt due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. He had the most goals by a defenseman in the OHL that season and was named to the OHL Third All-Star Team.
NHL Debut and Professional Struggles
Regula made his NHL debut for Chicago in the 2020-21 season. He played in three games, but his time primarily came in Rockford that season. Regula played in 16 games there, registering three goals and four points. He played 15 NHL games in 2021-22, where he scored his first NHL goal on Apr. 18, 2022, against the Calgary Flames before going back down, having appeared in only four games this past season.
Regula has struggled to really get his game going at the NHL level. He’s had injury issues and wasn’t able to distinguish himself in a crowded pool of defensive prospects in Chicago. He has not had much NHL playing time, and when he’s been on the ice, it hasn’t been great. Regula primarily played with Caleb Jones, and the two struggled to generate chemistry. Most notably, they’re remembered for getting pinned down in their own zone for four minutes during a game this past season.
What Regula Brings to Boston
There is still potential with Regula. He’s only three years removed from a 27-goal season in the OHL, a time period marked with injuries and various issues that arose with the pandemic. He’s only 23 and remains a solid prospect to add to the Bruins’ pool. He, along with Mitchell, and Bruins prospect Mason Lohrei, should all push for a roster spot this upcoming training camp.
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His offensive game was something that developed over the course of his three years in the OHL, and with more time, the same could be said and done at the NHL level. He has great size, great skating abilities, and just needs the right opportunity.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see him start the season with the Providence Bruins in the AHL, but keep an eye out for him to be a call-up at some point in 2023-24.
