Moncton’s Luke Patterson really did it all last year. The highly skilled center led the Moncton Flyers to three championships including the prized and prestigious TELUS Cup.
Patterson simply dominated the competition a season ago. There was some buzz around him potentially joining the Cape Breton Eagles for their second half last year, but that never came to fruition.
The rebuilding Eagles struggled mightily and were looking to inject some skill and excitement into their lineup when considering adding Patterson to their lineup. There’s no question they made the right decision for the player and organization. Arguably Luke Patterson may have been the best U-18 player in the country last year.
The knock on Patterson all the way through his path in the game and path to the QMJHL has been his skating.
“Can he skate at the next level well enough to play the middle” was no doubt a question asked a time or two around Q organizations scouting meetings. The Eagles instantly recognized and appreciated the value and impact Patterson brings to the game
There’s no question Patterson is one of the most skilled players I’ve seen from the offensive blueline and in since I began scouting. He’s creative, has great vision and a knack for finding a way to create offensive in tons of traffic, which undoubtedly is his strongest attribute. As for his skating, you can tell he’s put a lot of time and effort into it and continues to work hard on that and every facet of his game.
Very few questioned his skating last year when he was tearing up the league and winning every major championship going.
It might take some time and games, which he has already has under his belt to adjust to the QMJHL style of play, especially playing through the middle at that level, but Luke Patterson is definitely a player to watch in 2022-2023. When those around the hockey world suggest it’s just a matter of time before a player breaks through deep down they know the player is ready. Like any young aspiring offensively gifted center Patterson will have to slightly tighten up his defensive game in order to fully excel at both ends of the ice at the Q level
The Eagles brain trust love and believe in the player and person. The fan base in Cape need something to cheer about. The Eagles fan base need to see a turnaround which they are going to get with the new regime and bounty of young talented players and core group moving forward.
Some players wait their entire lives for an opportunity to shine. It’s Luke Patterson’s time to shine, and he’s more than ready to become a key contributor for the Eagles organization for the years to come.
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