‘It’s every kid’s dream’

A dream years in the making could come true Saturday, as Zach Lansard appears on pace to be selected during the 2026 NHL entry draft.

The Ste. Anne-born forward plays with the Regina Pats in the Western Hockey League. He had 56 points in 68 regular season games and even helped Regina steal a game in the playoffs against a heavily favoured Medicine Hat team. The Pats were eliminated April 4, leaving a tough wait for Lansard and his family between the end of the season and this week’s NHL draft.

“Obviously, I’m really excited,” Lansard told The Carillon during a phone interview a week before the draft.

“I feel like I had a very successful year this year, and it’s looking good for me to get my name called. These last few months have been a long wait but it’s a very exciting pressure to have.”

Lansard’s interview with The Carillon had to be fit between talks with NHL teams as organizations try to find any advantage they can in the pre-draft process by questioning potential prospects.

“You get some really weird questions, it’s been a lot,” Lansard said with a chuckle.

“I’m excited to see what happens.”

Lansard is ranked 70th on the NHL Central Scouting’s list of the top North American skaters. The first round of the draft is on Friday, with rounds two through seven taking place on Saturday.

“I went into (this season) with the mindset of every day is a new day, and I’m just trying to win the day,” Lansard said.

“That was my main goal of the year. I’m a player and a person who is built for pressure and loved it. I have nothing but enjoyment throughout this process.”

Lansard would become the fourth player in the last five years to be drafted from the region, following Denton Mateychuk (Dominion City) and Owen Pickering (St. Adolphe) in 2022 by Columbus and Pittsburgh, respectively, in the first round, and Owen Martin in 2025 by the Winnipeg Jets in the third round.

Martin and Lansard are close friends, with the younger Lansard relying on Martin’s recent expertise.

“I train with (Martin) every day at the gym,” Lansard said.

“To kind of pick his brain, ask him what went through, all those little things, is really helpful.”

While this year’s draft is hosted in Buffalo, N.Y., the NHL has kept the decentralized approach introduced during COVID-19. Teams normally host their annual prospect camps immediately following the draft, meaning in previous years it was a mad dash to get from the chaos of the draft back to their home city for development camp.

Lansard is planning on watching the draft at home in Ste. Anne with friends and family.

“It’s every kid’s dream,” he said.

“I’ve put a lot of work and a lot of time and have sacrificed a lot to be honest to get to this spot. Hopefully it pays off. If it does it will be really rewarding and a push to the right direction and show everything I did was worth something.”

Lansard will be back in Regina next season, looking to help the oldest major junior hockey franchise go from battling just to make the playoffs to championship contenders.

“I definitely have a motor,” Lansard said when asked to describe his game, crediting being raised in a small town by his parents for a strong on ice work ethic.

“Every time I play I’m, ‘go, go, go, give 110 per cent.’ Whether that’s hitting or scoring a big goal when it needs to happen… I’m built for pressure. I like to score big goals, be out there for big opportunities. They don’t always go my way, but I enjoy the moment.”

Elite Prospects agrees with Lansard’s self-evaluation, citing his motor and overall effort as key attributes. The website has Lansard ranked 116th in a combined North American/European rating. McKeen’s Hockey has him as 82nd, with The Hockey News placing him as the 90th best prospect heading into the draft. And TSN’s Craig Button has Lansard ranked 62nd overall in his draft rankings.

“Lansard is the engine of his line, leaving nothing to chance by always putting in the extra effort,” Lansard’s Elite Prospects scouting report reads. “He goes all-out on the forecheck, backcheck, and inside the defensive zone.”

The forward was also named Regina’s Rookie of the Year in 2025.

“The organization, the fans, the people, my teammates are unbelievable and super special,” Lansard said.

“I’m very grateful and very thankful they chose me in the bantam draft.”

The Pats changed their head coach this off-season, going from Brad Herauf to former Belleville AHL head coach David Bell.

Lansard won’t be the only former Eastman Selects player watching the second day of the NHL draft with baited breath. Beausejour’s Brek Liske holds 44th place in the North American Skaters rankings.

Liske suited up alongside former Niverville Nighthawks goaltender Raiden LeGall for Everett this season, helping the Silvertips to a WHL championship with 17 points in 18 playoff games. The defenceman, who played just one season with the U15 Eastman Selects before moving to an academy in Alberta, posted an incredible plus-25 rating through the post-season.

Fellow former Nighthawks player Nathan Brown, who was born in 2006 and is committed to St. Cloud State University is ranked 224th by Central Scouting. Brown was invited to the Winnipeg Jets’ development camp in 2024 after a season with Niverville.

Cypress River’s Carson Carels should be a first rounder, ranked third by Central Scouting. Winnipeg’s Jonas Woo (177th) rounds out the other Manitobans who are listed on Central Scouting’s rankings.

— Carillon