Blades juggle roster, close to cementing 20-year-olds

The Blades traded Justin Lies on June 6.

The Saskatoon Blades have put in some early work to clear up how their roster will look this coming season.

The 2022-23 campaign turned out to be one of the best the Blades have had in some time. They finished fourth overall in the WHL regular season standings with a 48-13-4-3 record.

Saskatoon advanced to the WHL’s Eastern Conference Championship Series for the first time since 1994 falling in four games to the Winnipeg Ice. In a WHL Eastern Conference semfinal series in the 2023 playoff run, the Blades fell behind 3-0 to the Red Deer Rebels before rallying back to take the series 4-3. The Blades joined the 1996 Spokane Chiefs and the 2013 Kelowna Rockets as only teams to fall behind 3-0 in a best-of-seven series and rally back to take the set in WHL history.

Naturally, the Blades in a perfect world would like return as many players as possible from last season who gained valuable experience from that post-season run. Plus, the rosters of the clubs that finished first to third overall in the WHL regular season in the Ice, league champion Seattle Thunderbirds and Kamloops Blazers are going to look a lot different this season due to their decisions to load up.

The Ice do have the potential to bring back seven core players from their 2022-23 team in Daniel Hauser, Jonas Woo, Zach Benson, Evan Friesen, Carson Latimer, Conor Geekie and Matthew Savoie, but there will be a lot of changes around that group.

With that noted, the Blades have to deal with their share of the cyclical nature of junior hockey. Gone due to graduation having exhausting their major junior eligibility playing out there 20-year-old seasons are captain and offensive-defenceman Aidan De La Gorgendiere, defenceman Blake Gustafson and centre Josh Pillar.

One of the decisions the Blades had to make was in between the pipes. Did they want to return two goalies in their 19-year-old seasons in Austin Elliott and Ethan Chadwick?

The two netminders rotated starts for pretty much the entire campaign last season. Elliott appeared in 37 regular season games in 2022-23 posting a 25-6-3 record, a 2.20 goals against average, a .911 save percentage and two shutouts. He was named a second team WHL East Division all-star and was named to the CHL’s all-rookie team.

Chadwick appeared in 34 regular season contests in 2022-23 posting a 23-9-2 record, a 2.61 goals against average, a .899 save percentage and two shutouts.

On May 11, the Blades traded Chadwick to the Everett Silvertips for a second round selection in the WHL Prospects Draft that was held that day and originally belonged to the Kamloops Blazers and a fourth round pick in the 2025 Prospects Draft. Saskatoon used the second round selection to pick 15-year-old netminder Ryley Budd, who played with his hometown Calgary Northstars Under-15 AAA team last season.

The Blades traded Conner Roulette to the Chiefs on May 31.

In 20 regular season appearances in the Alberta Elite Hockey League, Budd posted an 8-10 record, a 3.34 goals against average, a .916 save percentage and two shutouts.

With that move, Elliott will likely be the Blades starter next season and a younger goalie in their system will be an apprentice backup. Chadwick will have a good shot to be the Silvertips start for the upcoming campaign.

After trading Chadwick, the Blades started to narrow down the players that could take the three 20-year-old spots they are allowed on their roster. Upon being eliminated from the 2023 WHL Playoffs, the Blades had seven potential players that could fill those 20-year-old spots.

On May 31, they dealt right-winger Conner Roulette to the Spokane Chiefs for a second round selection in the 2024 Prospects Draft and a third round pick in the 2027 Prospects Draft. Appearing in 60 regular season games in 2022-23 with the Blades, Roulette collected 24 goals and 38 assists for 62 points to go with a plus-19 rating in the plus-minus department.

On June 3, the Blades traded rugged right-winger Justin Lies to the Victoria Royals for a conditional third round selection in the 2026 Prospects Draft. Lies appeared in 56 regular season contests for the Blade in 2022-23 posting career highs in goals (nine), assists (14), points (23) and plus-minus (plus-six).

Having completed those two moves, the Blades are down to five potential players who could fill their three 20-year-old spots. Out of that group, left-winger Jake Chiasson has a signed three- year NHL entry-level contract with the Edmonton Oilers and could potentially be assigned to one of the Oilers’ minor professional affiliates.

Chiasson played 70 regular season games in 2022-23 split between the Blades and the Brandon Wheat Kings posting 20 goals and 38 assists. The Blades acquired Chiasson in a trade on January 10.

If Chiasson is assigned in the Oilers system, the Blades would be down to four potential players that could fill their three 20-year-old spots. Skilled centre Trevor Wong is highly likely to fill one of those spots as he topped the Blades in regular season scoring in 2022-23 posting 86 points coming off 27 goals and 59 assists to go with a plus-23 rating appearing in all the club’s 68 regular season contests.

Defenceman Charlie Wright seems like a solid choice to fill a second 20-year-old spot. Appearing in 66 regular season contests with the Blades in 2022-23, Wright posted career highs in goals (eight), assists (32), points (40) and plus-minus (plus-33).

That would leave the third spot to go to either centre Jayden Wiens or utility player Spencer Shugrue, who are both popular in the Blades dressing room. Wiens battled an injury during the regular season being limited to 42 games, where he posted 17 goals, 10 assists and a plus-one rating.

The Blades dealt Ethan Chadwick to the Silvertips on May 11.

Shugrue mainly played defence last season, but his versatility to play up front or on the back end has become valuable. In 55 regular season appearances in 2022-23, Shugrue collected one goal, six assists and a plus-two rating.

In the 2023 WHL Playoffs, Shugrue earned the nickname “Mr. Game 7” for his heroics in the team’s two Game 7 victories over Connor Bedard and the Regina Pats and the Rebels collecting three goals and an assist in those clutch performances.

Unless a deal comes up the Blades can’t turn down, they will likely sit on their 20-year-old situation as is until training camp comes around.

With all that noted, they’ve done well to find good potential landing spots for Chadwick, Roulette and Lies for the upcoming campaign.

Valkyries receive bye in WWCFL playoffs, other notes

QB Alex Eyolfson (#15) and her Valkyries had this weekend off.

For a second straight year, the Saskatoon Valkyries have advanced to the final four of the WWCFL Playoffs thanks to a forfeit victory.

This past Tuesday, the Valkyries, who topped the WWCFL’s Prairie Conference with a 4-0 record, were informed the Winnipeg Wolfpack, who were 0-4 in the regular season, were forfeiting their WWCFL quarter-final to the Saskatoon powerhouse squad. The Wolfpack also forfeited a quarter-final contest last season to the Valkyries, who advanced on to win their seventh WWCFL championship.

The Valkyries and Wolfpack met in a regular season contest on May 28 at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. Saskatoon blanked Winnipeg 59-0 in a game that was called at halftime due to injuries that had piled up for the Wolfpack.

The Valkyries weren’t the only squad to advance in the WWCFL post-season thanks to a forfeit win. This past Thursday, the Lethbridge Steel, who were 0-4 in the regular season, informed the Edmonton Storm, who were 2-1 in the regular season, they were forfeiting their quarter-final contest to club from the Alberta capital. That contest had originally been scheduled for a 2 p.m. local start in Edmonton on Saturday.

With the forfeit win, the Storm advance to the WWCFL’s Western Conference Championship game to take on the Calgary Rage, who posted a 3-0 record in the regular season. This contest will be played on either Saturday, June 17 or Sunday, June 18 in Calgary at a place and time to be announced.

The Storm and Rage met once in the regular season with the Rage pulling out a 33-14 victory way back on April 29 in Calgary. The two sides were to have played on May 20 in Edmonton, but that contest was outright cancelled due to heavy smoke from the wildfires burning all over Western Canada.

The only quarter-final game that was played came on Saturday as the Winnipeg-based Manitoba Fearless traveled to Regina to face the Riot at Mosaic Stadium. Both squads were 2-2 in regular season play.

The Riot downed the Fearless 26-13 to advance to play the Valkyries in the WWCFL’s Prairie Conference Championship game. That contest will be played at Saskatoon Minor Football Field on either Saturday, June 17 or Sunday, June 18 at a time to be announced.

The Valkyries head into that contest having won their last 25 games overall including two forfeit victories. Saskatoon’s last loss came seemingly a lifetime ago back on June 24, 2018 falling 14-10 in the WWCFL Championship Game to the Riot in Regina at Mosaic Stadium.

This year’s WWCFL Championship Game will be hosted in Saskatoon on Saturday, June 24 at 2 p.m. at Griffiths Stadium. The Valkyries need to beat the Riot in the Prairie Conference final in order to play in the WWCFL final as the host squad.

• On Thursday, the junior A Battlefords North Stars, who are the defending SJHL champions, announced they had signed head coach and general manager Brayden Klimosko, who is 35-years-old, to a five-year contract extension. Klimosko joined the North Stars before the start of the 2018-19 campaign as head coach and took on duties as the general manager before the start of the 2019-20 campaign. This past season, the North Stars top the SJHL regular season standings with an impressive 48-5-2-1 record. They rolled through the SJHL Playoffs posting a 12-1 record to claim the league championship and advance to the national junior A Centennial Cup Championship Tournament in Portage la Prairie, Man. The North Stars advanced to the title game of the Centennial Cup tournament falling to the Alberta-based Brooks Bandits 4-0. The Bandits have won the Centennial Cup the last three times it has been awarded.
• On Thursday, Rob Vanstone received his Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medal for his extraordinary leadership and service to local sports. Vanstone had worked full-time for the Regina Leader-Post as a sports writer and columnist from late July 1987 to this past February. He left the Leader-Post to join the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders as their Senior Journalist and Historian. When it comes to the sports scene in Regina, Vanstone has covered it all. His stories on minor sports were as good as the ones he would produce on the Roughriders and WHL’s Regina Pats. The effort he gave to all the stories and columns he wrote was outstanding. He was a deserving recipient of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medal.
• On June 9, I had new content appear on the Howe Happenings blog that supports the Gordie Howe Sports Complex. I put together a piece on Callie Steen, who is a rising star in track and field. Steen is finishing up her Grade 12 year at Hanley Composite School in Hanley, Sask., and she has committed to join the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks Women’s Track and Field team in the NCAA Division I ranks this fall. The piece on Steen can be found by clicking right here. I also put together a photo roundup that shows the track and field season in top gear and the spring season at the Complex rolling on. That post can be found by clicking right here.

If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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Blades win away from history, force Game 7 on Tuesday

Rivalry with Rebels cemented as real, series tied 3-3

The Blades erased a 3-0 series deficit to force a Game 7 with the Rebels.

No one could have ever imagined how fitting it would be when the Saskatoon Blades chose Elton John’s “I’m Still Standing” as their victory song.

While they weren’t on home ice to hear it on Sunday, the Blades have the chance to potentially make the playing of that tune the most meaningful it has ever been.

On Sunday afternoon, the Blades were in Red Deer and were facing elimination from their best-of-seven WHL Eastern Conference semifinal series for the third straight outing. Playing before 5,067 spectators at the Peavey Mart Centrium, Blades import right-winger Egor Sidorov made the first big play that set the tone for a post-season contest that seemingly had everything.

Just 34 seconds into Game 6 of the series, Sidorov stole the puck at the left side boards in the Red Deer zone from Rebels star 20-year-old right-winger Ben King. Sidorov wheeled behind the Red Deer goal with King in pursuit and scored on a one-handed wraparound to give the visitors a 1-0 lead on their first shot of the game.

The Blades pushed their lead out to 2-0 by the end of the first and built a 4-1 advantage in the second before the Rebels closed to within 4-2 going into the second intermission. Red Deer further cut the Saskatoon lead to 4-3 in the third, but Blades hard-working centre Jayden Wiens sealed a 5-3 victory with an empty-net goal with 1:52 remaining in the third.

With the Game 6 victory, the Blades have won three straight in the series to tie the set up at 3-3. In the process, they force a series deciding Game 7 to be played on Tuesday at 7 p.m. back on their home stomping grounds in the SaskTel Centre.

Egor Sidorov scored 34 seconds into Game 6 on Sunday.

The Blades are trying to become just the third team in WHL history to come back and win a best-of-seven series 4-3 after losing the first three games of the set.

Dating back to the WHL’s start in 1966-67, only two teams have rallied back to win a best-of-seven series having trailed the set 3-0. The Spokane Chiefs, who were guided by Mike Babcock as head coach, trailed the Portland Winterhawks 3-0 before rallying to take a first round series 4-3 in 1996. The Kelowna Rockets fell behind the Seattle Thunderbirds 3-0 in 2013 before rallying back to claim that first round series 4-3.

The Blades have also rallied back from being down 3-0 in a best-of-seven series to tie it up at 3-3 for the second time in team history.

Back in 1990, Saskatoon trailed the Lethbridge Hurricanes 3-0 in a second round series in that year’s WHL Playoffs before rallying back to tie the set at 3-3. In a series deciding Game 7 in Lethbridge, the Blades fell 4-3 in overtime with defenceman Neil Hawryluk netting the winning goal for the Hurricanes. Of course, the current edition of the Blades will try to one up their club from the 1990 post-season by getting a Game 7 win.

Actually, the Blades were actually 20 minutes away from being eliminated in their series with the Rebels as they trailed Red Deer 2-1 after two periods in Game 4 at the Peavey Mart Centrium before rallying for a 4-2 victory in that contest to start the three game winning streak.

Going back to their first round seven game series win over Connor Bedard and the Regina Pats, the Blades have won four straight contests in this WHL post-season where they have faced elimination.

Austin Elliott made 35 saves in goal for the Blades on Sunday.

Sunday’s Game 6 win in Red Deer did not come easy. Over the course of the series, the Blades and Rebels have developed a real rivalry where the players on the two teams have shown a real dislike for each other resulting in the series having a snarl to it.

After Sidorov opened the Game’s scoring, the Rebels came with a huge push back and held a 12-2 edge in shots on goal at one point in the opening frame. The Rebels had the Blades pinned in their own zone and the outstanding play of Saskatoon netminder Austin Elliott kept the host side off the scoreboard during that wave of momentum.

Just when it seemed the Rebels were rolling, the Blades broke through for their second tally of the contest. With 3:36 remaining in the first, Blades star left-winger Brandon Lisowsky got in close to the left side of the Red Deer goal and fired a shot off the left post.

The puck rebounded to the right side of the Red Deer net to Blades star centre Trevor Wong, who put a backhand shot into an open cage to give the Blades their 2-0 advantage. Wong’s goal came on the Blades third shot on goal of the contest.

The opening frame came to a close with the Blades holding a 2-0 lead and the Rebels holding a 16-6 edge in shots on goal.

Red Deer kept pushing at the start of the second and the hosts were finally rewarded for their efforts with a goal. At the 5:09 mark of the second, Rebels left-winger Jace Isley banged home a puck from the front of the Saskatoon net to cut the Blades lead to 2-1.

Jace Isley scored twice for the Rebels on Sunday.

A short time later, the Blades restored their two-goal edge scoring on the power play thanks to a Red Deer gaff. Rebels captain Jayden Grubbe had the puck in his own zone and tried to make a pass up the centre of the ice though the Red Deer blue-line.

Wong picked off the pass just inside the Red Deer zone to create a three on the goalie break for the Blades. The skilled centre and Lisowsky got the puck over to Sidorov on the right side of the Red Deer net on a tick-tack-toe passing play, and high-scoring winger popped home his second of the contest to give the Blades a 3-1 lead.

Rebels netminder Chase Coward, who was making his first start in the post-season, had absolutely no chance to make a stop on the play.

With 2:23 remaining in the second, the Blades would score off another Rebels turnover. Rebels defenceman Mats Lindgren had the puck in the deep left corner of his own zone and tried to clear it high to centre ice.

Blades utility player Spencer Shugrue knocked down the clearing attempt and took the puck over to the right side of the Rebels net. He passed the puck across the front of the net to Blades star left-winger Jake Chiasson, who buried his fourth of the post-season to give the Blades a 4-1 advantage.

Before the second ended, the Rebels got some traction. Rebels star centre Kai Uchacz drove into the Saskatoon zone on a rush, made a toe drag move and fired home a laser shot from mid range from the front of the Saskatoon goal to cut the Blades lead to 4-2.

Kai Uchacz had a goal for the Rebels on Sunday.

With 7:47 remaining in the third, the determination of Isley paid off again for the Rebels. Isley got a loose puck low in the right corner of the Saskatoon zone and snapped home a shot from the lower part of the right faceoff circle for his second tally of the contest to cut the Blades lead to 4-3.

Red Deer’s rally would be cut short by another turnover. Shortly after pulling Coward for an extra attacker, Grubbe was rushing through the centre ice zone with the puck and he gave it away to Wiens on an attempted short pass.

Wiens popped home an empty-net goal just before the Red Deer blue-line with 1:52 remaining in the third to round out the 5-3 victory.

Any thought of a comeback was further erased when King was given a goaltender interference minor with 74 seconds remaining in the third to put the Blades on the power play.

Frustrations and the personal rivalries boiled over as there were two scrums in the final minute of the third and a third stoppage for an undisciplined Rebels penalty.

The first scrum with 47.7 seconds remaining in the third was the main event of the extra-curricular activities of the final minute of the frame. Out of that scrum, a fight broke out between Isley and Blades right-winger Lukas Hansen. Both players were giving cross-checking minors and fighting majors.

Jayden Grubbe had a tough outing for the Rebels on Sunday.

Out of that scrum, Rebels left-winger Rhett Larson was locked up with Blades centre Jordan Keller. Larson was given a minor for instigating, a fighting major, a game second fight misconduct and a game misconduct.

Keller stayed in the game and took a slashing minor as part of the second scrum with 23.8 seconds remaining in the third.

Ultimately, it took about 12 minutes of real time to complete the final minute of the third. The WHL office will likely look at the shenanigans of the final minute for further possible discipline.

Elliott stopped 35 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Blades. Coward turned away 18-of-22 shots to take the setback in net for the Rebels.

The WHL discipline department had been busy with activities from the previous two games in this series.

On Sunday, the Blades were without gritty right-winger Justin Lies, who was sitting out the second of a three-game WHL imposed suspension for a head hit he threw on Rebels star left-winger Kalan Lind in the Blades 4-2 win in Game 4 on Wednesday. Lind has been out with a head injury since that hit.

The Rebels were without import right-winger Frantisek Formanek due to a one-game suspension under supplemental discipline by the WHL. In Game 5, Formanek was giving a boarding minor penalty at the 7:21 mark of the first period in the Blades 6-3 victory in that contest.

Trevor Wong had a goal and an assist for the Blades on Sunday.

Formanek hit Blades 20-year-old defenceman Blake Gustafson from behind, and Gustafson was able to prevent himself from making a hard crash into the boards. The Blades sent in video to the WHL office asking for supplemental discipline as this was a dangerous play.

Gustafson missed Game 6 with an upper body injury. Blades right-winger Misha Volotovsky was also out with an upper body injury and hasn’t played since Game 1 of this series.

Originally, it was expected that this would be a tight series going in between the Blades and Rebels. The Blades finished fourth in the overall WHL regular season standings with a 48-15-4-1 record and were rated 10^th in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. 

The Rebels finished fifth in the overall WHL standings and topped the Central Division with a 43-19-3-3 mark.

When the two sides meet in Game 7 on Tuesday in Saskatoon, the Blades will be trying to advance to the Eastern Conference Championship series for the first time since 1994, and the Rebels are looking to get back to the Eastern Conference title set for the first time since 2016.

Jayden Wiens and the Blades host Game 7 on Tuesday.

The Blades will do everything they can to allow their home ice music man to play “I’m Still Standing” at game’s end, while the Rebels will try to negate that tradition playing the role of spoiler.

If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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Rebels down Blades with 3-1 textbook road win in Game 1

Saskatoon will try to even Eastern Conference semi on Sunday

The Rebels celebrate a third period goal from Jace Isley.

The Red Deer Rebels made the Saskatoon Blades look like they were fighting their way through quicksand.

On Friday playing before 6,823 spectators at the SaskTel Centre, the Rebels clogged up the centre ice zone and sealed off the passing lanes in the defensive zone to grind out a 3-1 victory over the host Blades in Game 1 of a best-of-seven WHL Eastern Conference semifinal series. Game 2 is set for Sunday at 4 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre, where the Blades will be looking to get on even terms before the series shifts to Red Deer for Games 3 and 4 on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively.

Rebels head coach Steve Konowalchuk said he thought his team would be in a tight battle, and that was how Friday’s game materialized.

Christoffer Sedoff had a goal and an assist for the Rebels.

“We knew it would be a tough game, and it was a tough game and goes right to the end,” said Konowalchuk. “It is sure nice to get the first win, but it is back to work and try to reset for next game.

“Our team I thought had some composure. They’ve got a good power play. They usually don’t’ give a lot of power play chances, so we have to be smart on our end as well.”

Blades head coach Brennan Sonne said his team played good at times but a better effort was needed overall.

“We didn’t start on time,” said Sonne. “I didn’t like our start.

“I didn’t like the first period. We had good spurts in the second and third. (We were) not consistent enough however and not enough guys really raising their level tonight.”

Tyler Parr returned to the Blades lineup from injury on Friday.

Early in the first period, Rebels captain Jayden Grubbe had a breakaway on the Saskatoon goal. The 19-year-old skilled centre snapped a shot off the goalpost.

Shortly after killing off a Rebels power play, Blades winger Tyler Parr was stopped close in after taking a shot from the right side of the Red Deer net. Parr was playing his first game after missing 48 contests between the regular season and post-season due to an upper body injury. Sonne was pleased with Parr’s performance on Friday.

“We just love Parrsy (Parr),” said Sonne. “He is a workhorse, such a good kid (and) just brilliant.

“It was huge having him back. He was awesome.”

Jhett Larson had the Rebels first goal on Friday.

With 9:21 remaining in the first, there was a bit of confusion when play was stopped in the Red Deer end. The officials were trying to determine if the Rebels were guilty of a high-sticking infraction from a linesman observation, when Blades utility player Spencer Shugrue went down. Shugrue proceeded to finish the game.

The stoppage to discuss the possible penalty lasted about 10 minutes, included video review and saw the officials place Rebels import right-winger Frantisek Formanek in the penalty box and then let him out of the box a couple of minutes later. Formanek looked visibly confused through that whole situation.

When play resumed with no penalty being called, an announcement went up in the building that there was no penalty for high sticking, because a Blades player high sticked himself.

Jace Isley was credited with the Rebels second goal on Friday.

The opening 20 minutes was a feeling out frame with the Rebels holding a 7-5 edge in shots on goal.

Red Deer broke through on the scoreboard at the 4:28 mark of the second, when Rebels right-winger Jhett Larson, who turned 19-years-old in early February, fired home a shot from in front of the Saskatoon net. Larson’s tally came on the Rebels ninth shot on goal in the contest and he converted a beauty drop setup pass from Rebels import offensive-defenceman Christoffer Sedoff.

“It is certainly always nice to get the first goal,” said Konowalchuk. “They block shots, and they do a good job protecting their house.”

Following the Rebels goal, Blades netminder Austin Elliott made a trio of big saves to ensure the Blades made it to the first intermission only down one goal. First, Elliott made a right pad stop on Rebels left-winger Ben King close in on the left side of the Saskatoon net.

Jake Chiasson had the Blades lone goal on Friday.

Elliott proceeded to rob Sedoff with a glove stop. A short time later, Elliott made a left pad stop on a point shot from Rebels defenceman Hunter Mayo, who fed the puck through a screen.

“I think both teams came out ready to go, and it was a tight game,” said Grubbe. “There wasn’t a lot of chances back and forth.

“For the most part, it was pretty tight and getting in shot lanes. Around the net, there wasn’t a lot besides kind of special teams there where it opened up a little bit. I think it was a good start to the series.”

The Blades came out with a good push back in the third. Blades star import right-winger Egor Sidorov had a great scoring chance one-timing a rocket shot from the right slot that Rebels netminder Kyle Kelsey, who has been sensational in the post-season, got his blocker on.

Kyle Kelsey made 23 stops in goal for the Rebels.

Kelsey proceeded to stone Blades 19-year-old defenceman Charlie Wright who pinched down low to the right side of the Red Deer net for a huge scoring chance.

With 6:41 remaining in the third, the Rebels pushed their lead out to 2-0 thanks to a positive bounce goal. Rebels 20-year-old winger Jace Isley jetting down the right wing, cut across the face of the Blades goal and put a shot of the right post of the Saskatoon net.

The puck proceeded to sit loose in the crease of the Saskatoon goal. Blades 18-year-old defenceman Ben Saunderson scrambled to clear the puck away from the net but inadvertently deflected it off Elliott’s skate into his own goal to give the Rebels their two-goal edge.

The Blades didn’t go away. With 2:27 remaining in the third, they pulled Elliott for an extra skater.

Austin Elliott makes one of his 17 saves in goal for the Blades.

Blades star left-winger Jake Chiasson collected the rebound from a Sidorov shot at the left side of the Red Deer net and put the puck into an empty cage to cut the Rebels lead to 2-1 with 1:52 remaining in the third. The hosts were unable to find the equalizer as Sedoff rounded out the win with a long range empty net goal with 4.1 seconds remaining in the frame.

Grubbe was pleased his squad was able to take the series opener.

“I think for us it was just important to get off to a good start here,” said Grubbe. “You want to ideally get one on the road at least.

Ben Saunderson had some back luck on Friday night.

“It is good to get the first one here to start off and then go from there.”

Elliott turned away 17-of-19 shots to take the setback in net for the Blades. Kelsey stopped 23 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Rebels in a battle of rookie netminders.

Both squads had three power-play chances, but were not able to score with the man advantage.

Looking forward to Game 2, Sonne said he will be looking for three things from his players.

“Our start needs to be a lot better,” said Sonne. “We need to start on time with everyone.

Rebels D Mats Lindgren fends off Blades RW Vaughn Watterodt.

“We need to get forechecking. I really didn’t think we did enough on the forecheck. I think everyone just to a man has to make sure they are being their best selves, which you really can’t say that about tonight.”

Konowalchuk said his team needs to reset for Game 2 expecting the Blades to come with a stronger effort.

“I think our guys know that,” said Konowalchuk. “I think the other team knows that.

“It is a series. We have to reset, and that would be the message. It is just you know what - let’s go back to work and put this one behind us.

“It is going to be tough for next game.”

The Rebels celebrate their win on Friday.

NOTES – Blades 20-year-old defenceman Blake Gustafson was out with an undisclosed injury and center Josh Pillar, who turned 21-years-old in February, was out for an undisclosed reason. The Rebels were without veteran defenceman Marek Schneider, who turned 20-years-old in February, for an undisclosed reason.

If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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Blades would love for big crowds to return versus Rebels

Saskatoon benefited from Bedard bump in last six home dates

A sellout figure is shown at the SaskTel Centre on Monday.

The Saskatoon Blades hope their fans feel free to keep coming back to the SaskTel Centre in droves.

For their past six home dates including the regular season and WHL Playoffs, the Blades have played Connor Bedard and the Regina Pats. Of course, Bedard was the big draw.

Barring something unforeseen, the 17-year-old phenom centre will be the first overall selection in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft set for June 28 to 29 at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, and he will be skating in the NHL next season as an 18-year-old.

The Blades drew sellout crowds of 14,768 to their final two regular season home games, which were both played against Bedard and the Pats. The two squads met in a best-of-seven first round playoff series, where the series went the distance with the Blades having home ice advantage.

In their four home dates in that series, the Blades drew a total of 47,729 spectators for an average attendance of 11,932 spectators a game. That average attendance was tops in the WHL for the first round of the post-season.

Blades D Tanner Molendyk give a stick tap to a group of fans.

The Pats sat second in average attendance after the first round of the WHL Playoffs as they sold out their three home dates against the Blades drawing 6,499 spectators per game.

The Blades clinched the series with a 4-1 win in Game 7 on Monday played before a sellout crowd of 14,768 spectators.

“They (the fans) came out tonight on a Monday and were supporting us all night and all series,” said Blades captain Aidan De La Gorgendiere, who will graduate from the junior ranks when the Blades post-season run concludes. “They were huge for us with the energy and the atmosphere.

“Hopefully, we can see that for round two as well.”

With the series win over the Pats, the Blades advance to face the Red Deer Rebels in a best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal series. The Blades finished fourth overall in the WHL regular season standings with a 48-15-4-1 record and were rated 10^th in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. Saskatoon won three of the four head-to-head regular season meetings with Red Deer.

The Rebels, who topped the WHL’s Central Division, finished fifth in the overall standings with a 43-19-3-3 mark. Red Deer eliminated the Calgary Hitmen 4-1 in a best-of-seven first round series to advance to meet the Blades in the post-season.

The SaskTel Centre faithful salute the Blades on Monday.

Now that the Blades are no longer playing Bedard and the Pats, it is suspected that Saskatoon’s attendance numbers at the SaskTel Centre are going to drop. During the regular season, the Blades drew an average of 4,506 spectators for each of their 34 home dates.

The last time the Blades hosted a team other than the Pats at home was Saturday, March 18, when they drew 3,887 spectators for a 3-2 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings.

The Blades hosted the Rebels twice during the regular season. In a 6-2 victory at the SaskTel Centre on Saturday, January 7, the Blades drew 4,351 spectators for that contest. When the two sides met at the SaskTel Centre on Wednesday, March 1, a total of 2,934 spectators turned out to see the Blades post a 5-2 victory.

Due to finishing with a better regular season record than the Rebels, the Blades have home ice advantage for their Eastern Conference semifinal series. Game 1 is set for Friday at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre and Game 2 follows on Sunday at 4 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

Unless there is a big surge of ticket sales, it is expected attendance will be between 6,000 and 7,000 spectators for Game 1, which is still better than the Blades regular season average attendance.

The SaskTel Centre faithful start doing “the wave” on Monday.

Blades head coach Brennan Sonne said he would be pumped if he big crowds from the series against Bedard and the Pats return for the series against the Rebels. Sonne thought the series with the Pats was highly entertaining for the fans.

“I hope they enjoyed it,” said Sonne. “That was a wild series to watch.

“It was a wild series to be a part of, so I hope they enjoyed it and stick with us.”

In the Game 7 win over Bedard and the Pats on Monday, De La Gorgendiere got to hold the puck behind his net for most of the final 30 seconds of the third period with the 4-1 final score burned on the scoreboard. The Pats elected not to rush De La Gorgendiere to allow the remaining time to expire.

De La Gorgendiere did pass the puck back and forth a couple of times with Blades star left-winger Jake Chiasson and took in the fans giving the team a raucous salute.

“It was crazy,” said De La Gorgendiere. “You see all the fans standing up cheering.

Some front row fans join in on a Blades goal celebration.

“Everyone was so excited and so happy. It was probably a feeling I won’t forget for awhile here. It is pretty special.

“We have a lot of work to do here coming up.”

Chiasson said it really helped the Blades when the SaskTel Centre was packed like it was on Monday and the fans were engaged with the game.

“It is pretty crazy when you think that it is a Monday night with that many people in the building,” said Chiasson. “You can’t do some of the things that you do without a crowd supporting you just on every given night.

“It is loud and there is energy. You don’t kind of have to create your own energy. You can feed into it.

“For us, I hope what they saw was a lot of excitement and a lot of special things that this team can do. We definitely appreciate to see them back here, and we really hope to see them come next round.”

The Rebels came out of the first round of the playoffs posting the third best average attendance in the WHL with 5,317 spectators turning out for each of their three home dates at the Peavey Mart Centrium against the Hitmen. During the regular season, the Rebels averaged 4,163 spectators per game over their 34 home dates.

Justin Lies and Ben Saunderson go celebrate a win with the fans.

De La Gorgendiere said the series against Red Deer will be a much different one than the one against Regina. The Rebels play with skill, but they also play heavy and deliver some big body checks.

Kai Uchacz topped the Rebels in regular season scoring with 85 points coming off 50 goals and 35 assists to go with a plus-21 rating in the plus-minus department appearing in all of his team’s 68 regular season games. The 19-year-old centre has four goals and three assists so far in the post-season.

Rebels captain Jayden Grubbe finished second in team regular season scoring with 67 points coming off 18 goals and 49 assists to go with a plus-10 rating in 64 appearances. The skilled centre, who turned 20-years-old in January, leads the Rebels in post-season scoring with 10 points coming off one goal and nine assists.

Rebels rookie netminder Kyle Kelsey, who turned 18-years-old in January, had a steady regular season appearing in 37 games posting a 21-11-5 record, a 2.64 goals against average, a .907 save percentage and four shutouts. He has gone the distance for the Rebels in the post-season posting a 4-1 record, a 1.87 goals against average, a .938 save percentage and one shutout.

Centre Trevor Wong, who is 19-years-old, topped the Blades in regular scoring with 86 points coming off 27 goals and 59 assists to go with a plus-23 rating appearing in all his team’s 68 regular season games. All of Wong’s regular season statistics are career highs. He posted three goals and seven assists in the Blades first round series win.

Aidan De La Gorgendiere listens to the fans as Monday’s game ends.

Import right-winger Egor Sidorov was second in Blades regular season scoring with 76 points coming off 40 goals and 36 assists to go with a plus-25 rating in 53 games. Sidorov had five goals and five assists in the series victory over the Pats.

In goal, the Blades are relying on two strong netminder in Austin Elliott and Ethan Chadwick. Elliott appeared in 37 regular season games posting a 25-6-3 record, a 2.20 goals against average, a .911 save percentage and two shutouts. Chadwick appeared in 34 regular season contests posting a 23-9-2 record, a 2.61 goals against average, a .899 save percentage and two shutouts.

Playing seven games against Bedard who was in on 20 of the Pats 26 goals against the Blades, Elliott’s and Chadwick’s statistics in the post-season have taken a hit. In three playoff appearances, Elliott has posted a 1-1 record, a 3.95 goals against average and a .841 save percentage. In five playoff appearances, Chadwick has posted a 3-2 record, a 3.23 goals against average and a .847 save percentage.

“Obviously, Red Deer is a good hockey team,” said De La Gorgendiere. “They are a big physical team.

The SaskTel Centre faithful give the Blades an energy boost.

“We have to be prepared for that, and I think we know what to expect from them.”

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Bedard era almost certainly ends for Pats, WHL

It seems certain Connor Bedard will be in the NHL next season.

For Connor Bedard, part of his heart will always be in Regina.

On Wednesday, the Regina Pats 17-year-old phenom centre met the media for a season ending availability as the players cleared out of the locker room. The atmosphere for the scrum for Bedard had the vibe of a farewell.

In his three seasons with the Pats, the North Vancouver, B.C., product appeared in 134 career regular season games posting 134 goals and 137 assists for 271 points to go with a plus-48 rating in the plus-minus department. That included recording 71 goals and 72 assists for 143 points to go with a plus-39 rating for this past regular season. His goal and point totals were tops in the WHL and his assist total equaled Prince George Cougars star centre and Saskatoon area product Riley Heidt for the league lead.

Bedard proceeded to have a monster post-season series posting 10 goals, 10 assists and a plus-eight rating in the WHL Playoffs as the Pats fell in seven games in a best-of-seven first round series to the Saskatoon Blades. The Blades claimed a 4-1 victory in a series deciding Game 7 on Monday at the SaskTel Centre before a sellout crowd of 14,768 spectators.

Connor Bedard topped the WHL with 143 points this season.

Bedard, who was skating through his only appearance in the WHL Playoffs, picked up an assists on the Pats lone goal in Game 7 and was in on 20 of the 26 goals the Pats scored in the series. Barring something unforeseen, Bedard will be the first overall selection in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft set for June 28 to 29 at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, and he will be skating in the NHL next season as an 18-year-old.

“I’ve had so much fun these last three years here whether there’s more or not,” said Bedard. “The people are so nice and for me, I love it here.

“I’m super grateful that I got to play here.”

With Bedard in their lineup, the Pats finished sixth overall in the WHL’s Eastern Conference and 11^th overall in the league with a 34-30-3-1 record. He was asked if he had second thoughts about not asking for a trade to one of the league’s top five teams, and Bedard said he had always intended to stay in Regina.

Connor Bedard led the WHL with 71 goals this season.

“I don’t have any regrets staying here,” said Bedard, who stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 185 pounds. “I just love being here and love playing here and I never want to leave.

“I just got so much support from the whole city and everything. To see kids are looking up to me and everything, that is pretty special.”

When it came to dealing with the fact the 2022-23 campaign was over, Bedard said it was still tough to take.

“It is sad no matter what,” said Bedard, who was the first player to be granted exceptional player status to play full time in the WHL at age 15. “Obviously, I’m not sure of the future or anything.

“I’m just kind of saying my thank yous to everyone whether I will be back next year or not. It is always tough to leave a group of guys you were with all year.”

Connor Bedard had 20 points in the Pats seven post-season games.

Due to Bedard’s outstanding season, it came as no surprise on Wednesday when he was named the player of the year for the East Division. He will find out on May 10 if he takes home the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy as the player of the year for the entire WHL.

At this past world juniors held in Halifax, N.S., and Moncton, N.B., Bedard set numerous Canadian team records helping Canada take the gold medal final 3-2 in overtime over Czechia this past January 5 in Halifax.

Bedard was named the most valuable player at world juniors along with picking up accolades being named the event’s best forward and a tournament all-star.

His tallies for assists (14) and points (23) were new Canadian records for a single world juniors along with setting a new record for points in a tournament by any player aged 18 or younger. In 16 career games played at world juniors, Bedard set new Canadian career records at the event for goals (16) and points (36).

Connor Bedard has 271 career regular season points in 134 games.

“What he has done all year is outrageous,” said Pats head coach and general manager John Paddock. “To have 19 points in six games in playoffs like who does that?

“In the last 10 days or so, I’ve had more people from the league just sort of side conversations they had never seen anything like it what he is able to do. I had an NHL scout say to me after the game on Saturday like he has so much determination to get it done. If you want to rate the determination on a scale of 10 like everything else, he is 11.

“It has been great to have a front row seat to see him for this season.”

Bedard has the respect of his foes from the WHL Playoffs in the Blades.

Connor Bedard enjoys playing in Regina.

“I’m such a massive fan of Connor Bedard,” said Blades head coach Brennan Sonne. “He is a winner. He is a worker.”

Sonne had a short friendly chat with Bedard in the handshake line following Game 7. The Blades bench boss told the ultra-talented centre he will be cheering for him.

“We’re both from the lower mainland in B.C.,” said Sonne, who is from Maple Ridge, B.C. “We’ve heard about him since he was 12 and 13.

“He’s done a lot of people proud in the province of British Columbia, and I’ll be continuing to cheer for him the rest of his career. Unless, we are playing against him, and then I will try and shut him down. Huge fan, incredible talent, he is the real deal.”

Blades star left-winger Jake Chiasson, who has a signed NHL entry-level contract with the Edmonton Oilers, said Bedard deserves the praise that comes his way.

Connor Bedard (#98) celebrates one of his 10 post-season goals.

“I have a lot of respect for Connor (Bedard),” said Chiasson, who is from Abbotsford, B.C. “Being from the geographical area, you kind of tend to lean towards those guys a little more than other province guys just with similarities.

“What Connor (Bedard) did for this league is great. It made it exciting.”

Chiasson said a lot of people were looking forward to the series between the Blades and the Pats. The attendance figures backed that observation up as the Pats sold out each of their three home games with 6,499 spectators packing into the Brandt Centre for each of those contests. The Blades drew 47,729 spectators total for their four home dates of the set.

Chiasson said it was a good experience for his Blades to play Bedard and the Pats in the post-season.

“You’ve seen for a while he has been selling out buildings, and I can only imagine how much that does for the league,” said Chiasson. “I’m just really grateful to be able to play against him, to go head-to-head with him.

Connor Bedard is slated to go first in the NHL Entry Draft.

“I’m sure he is going to have a long good career coming up here. It was definitely a moment to look back on playing him in a series of a playoff round.”

Blades hard working right-winger Vaughn Watterodt said he marvels at what Bedard can do on the ice.

“He (Bedard) is amazing,” said Watterodt. “He is a special player.

“He is going to do special things. It was fun to play against him.”

Bedard’s humility once again showed through during his final presser when he was asked about the NHL Draft Lottery, which is set for May 8. That lottery will determine which NHL club will select first overall in the NHL Entry Draft.

“It is a long time until that,” said Bedard.  “For (NHL Draft) lottery day, I will watch it as a fan, and if I am fortunate enough to go one, that’s awesome, but there are so many great players in the draft.”

It was brought up that it seemed inevitable that Bedard will go first overall in the NHL Entry Draft. Bedard tried to play it off that wasn’t a for sure thing.

Connor Bedard skates off the ice after a Game 7 loss on Monday.

“If I get that honour, it would be unreal,” said Bedard. “I’d be super grateful to kind of the people that have helped me with that, but it is a long time away.

“For me, it is just kind of focusing on what I can do now to improve myself as a player and everything. That would be unbelievable, but we will see what happens obviously.”

If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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