Height: 6’4”

Weight: 200 pounds

Date of birth: August 6, 2000

Hometown: West Bloomfield, Michigan

Position: Defence

Shoots: Right

OHL Draft: Round 4, 74^th overall, 2016 Priority Selection – Round 2, 22^nd overall, 2016 USHL Futures Draft

NHL Central Scouting pre-season: B Prospect

NHL Central Scouting mid-term: 43rd North American Skaters

NHL Central Scouting final rank: Not available at present

When it comes to London Knights’ defenceman Alec Regula, there are two things we know for certain: 1) When you spend a lot of time on the ice with Evan Bouchard, there will be plenty of scout’s eyes on you, and 2) When you spend a lot of time on the ice with Evan Bouchard, you don’t have to be as concerned about offence.

That is by no means suggesting that Regula is riding the coattails of Bouchard. On the contrary. Regula has made a name for himself.

After graduating from playing high school hockey with Cranbrook-Kingswood Upper School where he scored 6 goals and 25 assists in 54 games over two seasons, Regula jumped to the Chicago Steel of the United States Hockey League a season ago. In 53 USHL games, he scored once and added four assists. He would add one helper in five playoff games as the Steel captured the Clark Cup as USHL Champions.

The path to the Ontario Hockey League had its hiccups. In August of 2016, Regula had given a verbal commitment to attend the University of Michigan. To maintain his NCAA eligibility, the OHL wasn’t an option for Regula, so he chose the USHL.

At the time of his commitment, Regula told MIHockey “I picked U of M because it’s close to home and it has really always been a dream of mine. I value academics greatly and Michigan really brings the best of both worlds. After visiting I realized there’s honestly nothing like it. I can’t express how excited I am to be committed to Michigan.”

It’s a debate in the hockey world that will never end, NCAA or CHL. But when a young teenager has a change of heart, as Regula did, one can not hold it against them.

Regula obviously possesses very good size. He is a very good skater with excellent acceleration. As the season progressed, he looked more comfortable in leading the rush. He is very capable of making an excellent pass to elude the forecheck, but he is also capable of skating the puck out of danger.

Regula can more then handle the tough defensive assignments. He thinks the game very well with great anticipation and plays a positionally sound game. His skating allows him to keep gaps close. He plays with a very active stick and knows how to close lanes. He’s tough to beat one-on-one and rarely gets beat to the outside.

Regula also has some very good offensive qualities. He finished the season with 7 goals and 18 assists in 67 games, second only to Rasmus Sandin in points by a rookie defenceman. He played minimal time with the man advantage – that’s no surprise when you have a guy like Bouchard who can play the full two minutes on the powerplay.

Regula can play in any situation however. With an August 6, 2000 birthdate, he makes the cut for the 2018 National Hockey League Draft by just over a month. There’s plenty of time and room for Regula to grow as a hockey player.

You’ve got to like defencemen that come from the Dale Hunter group in London. The future is certainly looking bright for him.

Stat page for Alec Regula from Elite Prospects