The Blackhawks acquired Regula back on Oct. 28 from the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for Brendan Perlini.
Chicago Blackhawks defenseman prospect Alec Regula (RAH-goo-lah) is currently in his third OHL season with the London Knights and is serving as co-captain along with Columbus Blue Jackets 2018 first-round pick Liam Foudy. Regula, a 2018 third-round pick (67th overall) of the Red Wings, has shined so far in 2019-20 with 47 points (21G, 26A) in 48 games, which is the eighth-most among defensemen in the OHL. His 21 goals are ranked second behind only Noel Hoefenmayer, who’s already 20 years old and in his fifth year of junior hockey.
Regula likely drew the Blackhawks interest while watching Adam Boqvist play for the Knights last season. Boqvist spoke highly of Regula after he and the Blackhawks agreed to terms on a three-year, entry-level contract worth $897,500 per season on Nov. 11.
“He’s pretty much an all-around d-man, but a little bit more stay-at-home,” Boqvist said. “He can score and be on the powerplay as well, so I think he’ll be good with the Blackhawks.”
General Manager Stan Bowman and the rest of the Blackhawks front office have high hopes for Regula, as he’s established himself a solid two-way defenseman during his time with London. Regula was named to the 2017-18 OHL All-Rookie Team after recording 25 points (7G, 18A) in 67 games, and he followed that up with 11 goals and 28 assists for 39 points in 66 games in 2018-19.
Regula also helped the Chicago Steel win the 2017 Clark Cup with five points (1G, 4A) in 53 regular-season games and one assist in five USHL playoff contests. Going back to Regula’s high school days, the 6-foot-4, 205-pound blueliner tallied three goals and 19 assists in 24 games to lead Cranbrook Kingsbrook (yes, the 8 mile “you went to Cranbrook, that’s a private school” Cranbrook) to a state championship in 2015-16.
It’s still too early to declare the Blackhawks the clear-cut winners of the trade, but with Perlini’s sub-par production with Detroit so far (just one goal, two assists, and a -16 plus/minus rating in 34 games), Bowman appears to have gotten the best of Red Wings General Manager Steve Yzerman.
Make sure to keep an eye on Regula going forward, as the 19-year-old defenseman could be ready to make the jump to professional hockey after the conclusion of this season.
For more Blackhawks news and updates, follow the author (@JackBushman2) on Twitter. Make sure to check out the author’s podcast, Talkin’ Hawkey, which can be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Twitter (@TalkinHawkey).
