His rookie season, Patrick scored 30 goals and added 26 assists — better than a point-per-game clip. The Wheat Kings made it to the WHL final, but were swept by the Kelowna Rockets. During the series they slotted Patrick against future playoffs and Memorial Cup MVP, Leon Draisaitl. “We were comfortable with him on the ice, regardless of the matchup,” says Wheat Kings head coach, Dave Anning. It was a learning experience for Patrick, to be sure. “I think [Draisaitl] beat me on 30 faceoffs in a row,” Patrick says. He started working hard on his draws that summer.

Despite missing 12 games that season with an upper-body injury, Patrick was named WHL Rookie of the Year. Central Scouting’s Marr remembers having a discussion with other scouts that year along the lines of: “I can’t believe we have to wait two years until this kid is draft-eligible.”

Last season, Patrick took it up a notch. His 102 points — fifth most in the WHL— led the Wheat Kings to the playoffs, and an eventual league title and Memorial Cup berth. To hear Anning tell it, Patrick “put the team on his shoulders” in the post-season. “Those big stages, those big nights, are when he’s at his best.” His 30 points (13 goals, 17 assists) led all players in the league playoffs, and at 17, he was named WHL playoff MVP. The Memorial Cup didn’t go well for the Wheat Kings, though. Patrick didn’t play his best, in part because he had a hernia that was causing him quite a bit of pain.

This season, Patrick expected to continue his progression, but he missed a full off-season of training because the hernia required surgery, and the recovery time hampered his start. And then, five games in, Patrick shut it down, again due to pain, though this time from an undisclosed injury. He says after a discussion with the coaching staff, taking care of the injury was an easy decision. “I was sick and tired of playing through pain, and not being at the top of my game,” he says. “I was almost happy it was time for me to figure out what was going on.”