By Wes Gilbertson /

Curtis Hunt must feel like he’s home again.
After spending a single season with the Ottawa Senators organization (first as an assistant coach with the big club and then as front man at AHL Binghamton) Hunt is back behind the bench for the WHL’s Regina Pats.
“I return re-energized, re-focused and committed to putting us where we belong — as the premier junior hockey team in Canada,” Hunt said in a statement after rejoining the club.
That journey starts now.
Hunt’s second stint with the Pats started on an ominous note. The players and coaching staff were champing at the bit to hit the ice Aug. 21, but poor conditions at Lumsden Arena forced the squad to postpone the start of training camp by one day.
Here’s hoping the season goes a bit 
more smoothly.
Judging by his comments on the day Hunt returned to Brandt Centre, Pats GM Brent Parker is optimistic.
“(Hunt) has a proven track record of having teams that work hard and play with the structure that is needed for success,” Parker said. “He was the right man for the job before he left and he is the right man for the job now to get us back on the track to success as 
an organization.”
Hunt first joined the Pats in 2004, racking up a 132-127-11-18 over four seasons in Regina but never leading the team past the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Whether the latest instalment of the squad can make a run next spring might hinge on the return of a couple key veterans.
Sharpshooter Jordan Eberle (Edmonton Oilers) and rugged rearguard Colten Teubert (Los Angeles Kings) will be battling for NHL jobs next month, but the odds are both will return to the Queen City for another campaign.
Right-winger Garrett Mitchell (Washington Capitals) and defenceman Matt Delahey (New Jersey Devils) are even bigger longshots to secure a job in the pro ranks, while would-be overagers Linden Rowat and Brett Leffler have auditioned for NHL squads but will likely spend one more season with the Pats.
The list of skaters Hunt can count on to be back in blue is also impressive.
Speedster Jordan Weal racked up 16 goals and 70 points in his freshman campaign, earning consideration for the WHL’s rookie of the year award, while fellow forwards Matt Strueby and Mitch Szibere also showed a nose for the net last season.
On the back-end, the club has high hopes for returnees Alex Pym and Justin Slobozian and former first-rounder Myles Bell. Between the pipes, 18-year-old Damien Ketlo and top prospect Derek Tendler will push Rowat for the No.-1 job.
The Pats stumbled to a 27-39-1-5 record last season and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2004-05, Hunt’s first campaign behind the bench.
You can bet anything short of a playoff berth would be a major disappointment in 2009-10.
The Pats open the regular-season slate Sept. 18, when they pay a visit to Saskatoon to battle the Blades. Their home-opener is the following night when the Brandon Wheat Kings roll into town.