Blades vault to top of WHL’s East Division with win over Pats

Rowan Calvert scored his 23rd goal of the season on Tuesday.

For one night at least, the Saskatoon Blades are back on top of the WHL’s East Division.

On Tuesday night, the Blades downed the Pats in Regina 6-3 in a WHL regular season contest before a crowd of 2,380 spectators at the Brandt Centre. That win to start a three-game road trip allowed the Blades to improve to 34-21-3-4 and jump back into first place in the East Division.

The Blades, who has won their last three straight, sit one standings point ahead of the Prince Albert Raiders (34-22-5-1) and two standings points in front of the Brandon Wheat Kings (33-22-4-3). Both the Raiders and Wheat Kings were idle on Tuesday night. All three of those squads have six games remaining on their respective regular season schedules, so it is a sprint to capture the East Division banner.

Last season, the Blades finished with a 50-13-2-3 mark to top the WHL’s overall standings. In the post-season, the Blades advanced to the WHL’s Eastern Conference Championship Series and fell in an epic seven-game set that saw six contests go to overtime to the eventual WHL champion Moose Jaw Warriors.

Going into the current campaign, the Blades weren’t expected to challenge for first in the division. They occupied first place for most of the first half of the regular season.

Leading up the WHL’s trade deadline on January 9, the Blades unloaded stars Brandon Lisowsky, Tanner Molendyk and Ben Riche to stock up on draft capital and add solid younger players. The Blades dealt a lot of high draft selections during a load up last season.

After the trades leading up to this season’s trade deadline, the Blades held first in the East Division for a large part of January before falling out of top spot before the end of the month. They were not expected to crawl back into first in the division, but they did just that on Tuesday.

Before departing on their current road trip, Blades head coach Dan DaSilva said his squad had been hearing the doubters.

“That has been motivation for us all year long,” said DaSilva. “With the guys we had before and the guys we have now, it has still been the same.

Evan Gardner picked up his 20th win of the season on Tuesday.

“We try and focus on getting better every single day and proving people wrong. We’re motivated by the naysayers, the haters and the non-believers, because we have a lot of belief in this group and that room, and they have it too. It would be special.”

Against the Pats on Tuesday, the Blades exploded out to a 3-0 inside the final 5:15 of the opening frame. The Blades got goal coming off the sticks of breakout rookie centre Cooper Williams, who turned 17-year-olds in February, 17-year-old rookie defenceman Brayden Klimpke and standout left-winger Rowan Calvert.

Calvert’s goal came with 45.4 seconds remaining in the first and it was his 23^rd tally of the season.

In the second, the Blades extended their lead to 4-0 when star right-winger Tyler Parr netted his 20^th goal of the campaign. He tipped home a point shot from 17-year-old rookie defenceman Isaac Poll.

Just 1:36 later, the Pats halted the flood as 17-year-old sophomore left-winger Julien Maze scored on the power play to trim the Blades lead to 4-1.

With 2:37 remaining in the second, Blades rookie import left-winger David Lewandowski, who turned 18-years-old in February, scored on a wraparound to push the Blades lead out to 5-1. Just one minute later, Pats 19-year-old right-winger Caden Brown answered back scoring for the host side to trim the Blades advantage to 5-2.

Saskatoon jumped up 6-2 at the 6:18 mark of the third as 20-year-old defenceman Grayden Siepmann scored on the power play with a midrange shot. That tally was Siepmann’s 10 goal of the campaign, which set a new career high for the veteran rearguard.

Pats 16-year-old rookie right-winger Zachary Lansard scored with 6:19 remaining in the third to round out the 6-3 final score in favour of the Blades.

Evan Gardner stopped 25 shots to pick up his 20^th win of the season in goal for the Blades. Ewan Huet turned away 25 shots to take the setback in net for the Pats, who fell to 15-40-5-3.

The Blades return to action on Wednesday when they travel to Brandon to take on the Wheat Kings (5 p.m. local time, Westoba Place).

Grayden Siepmann scored his 10th goal of the season on Tuesday.

Both those squads will be scoreboard watching too, because the Raiders travel to Lethbridge on Wednesday to take on the 40-19-2-2 Hurricanes (7 p.m. local time, VisitLethbridge.com Arena).

The Pats are off until Saturday when they host the Swift Current Broncos (6 p.m. local time, Brandt Centre).

When the final sprint to the end of the regular season ends, DaSilva would like to see his squad still holding on to top spot in the East Division.

“It is a goal of ours to clinch that division title,” said DaSilva. “At the end of the day, our main goal is to focus on getting better every single day.

“That is what we’ve done as the season goes on. You can see that with our group.”

Goldsmith injured in fight, game suspended

A scary scene involving Tri-City Americans defenceman Terrell Goldsmith saw a WHL regular season contest be suspended on Tuesday in Kennewick, Washington.

The host Americans were taking on the Seattle Thunderbirds at the Toyota Center. The Thunderbirds jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period, but the contest came to a halt a short time after the first intermission ended.

Just 65 seconds into the second period, Goldsmith, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 218 pounds, faced Thunderbirds 19-year-old defenceman Ashton Cumby, who stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 216 pounds, in a staged fight. During the fight, Cumby hit Goldsmith with a punch that knocked the Americans rearguard out.

Goldsmith fell face first to the ice, and he was quickly attended to by the trainers of both teams. The veteran blue-liner was taken to hospital by ambulance and the game was suspended and never resumed after the bout.

The WHL sent out a release late Tuesday night stating Goldsmith is alert, responsive and was receiving medical attention. The league said the contest between the Americans and Thunderbirds would be rescheduled at a later date.

Goldsmith, who has a signed NHL entry-level contract with the Utah Hockey Club, has suited up in 56 games with the Americans this season recording four goals, 12 assists and a plus-eight rating in the plus-minus department. The Fort St. James, B.C., product spent his first four WHL campaigns with the Prince Albert Raiders appearing in 185 regular season games recording 10 goals and 20 assists. Goldsmith was traded to the Americans on July 24, 2024.

The WHL said further updates on the condition of Goldsmith will be provided as they are available.

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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Dragicevic, Mrsic delivering for Raiders

Lukas Dragicevic in action for the Raiders last Friday.

Lukas Dragicevic and Tomas Mrsic are as good as advertised.

The pair came to the Prince Albert Raiders off-season trades with hopes both can give the club an offensive boost. Entering play on Tuesday, Mrsic, who is an 18-year-old skilled forward , sits second in team scoring with 34 points coming off 17 goals and 17 assists. Dragicevic, who is a 19-year-old offensive-defenceman, is third in team scoring with 28 points coming off two goals and 26 assists.

The pair helped the Raiders convert on 30-of-106 power-play opportunities for a 28.3 per cent success rate to sit third in the WHL. Last season, the Raiders converted on 60-of-258 power-play chances for a 23.3 per cent success rate, which was good enough for 10^th in the WHL.

Tomas Mrsic in action for the Raiders last Friday.

Dragicevic, who has a signed entry-level contract with the NHL’s Seattle Kraken, came to the Raiders in a blockbuster trade with the Tri-City Americans on July 25. Dragicevic was acquired by the Raiders along with 18-year-old prospect goaltender Eric Kahl and a seventh round selection in the 2025 WHL Prospects Draft in exchange for 19-year-old shutdown-defenceman Terrell Goldsmith, 18-year-old centre Grady Martin, 19-year-old netminder Nathan Preston and a third round selection in the 2025 Prospects Draft.

Mrsic, who was selected in the third round and 113^th overall by the St. Louis Blues in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, was picked up by the Raiders in a head turning trade with the Medicine Hat Tigers on August 26. In that deal, the Raiders received Mrsic, a third round selection in the 2025 Prospects Draft and a third round pick in the 2028 Prospects Draft in exchange for star 18-year-old right-winger Ryder Ritchie.

This column of mine appeared in the Prince Albert Daily Herald. To read the full article, feel free to click right here.

Raiders take step forward, show optimism more good to come

The Raiders contemplate their campaign ending this past Friday.

The glass is more than half full for the Prince Albert Raiders.

With the 2023-24 campaign coming to an end on Friday with a 6-2 loss in Game 5 of a first-round post-season series to their archrivals the Blades in Saskatoon, you can rightfully have an optimistic feeling. After a one season absence, the Raiders returned to the WHL Playoffs.

A core group of players has been formed on the roster with Ryder Ritchie, Aiden Oiring, Justice Christensen, Terrell Goldsmith, Eric Johnston and Max Hildebrand. You could project Ritchie, Oiring, Christensen and Goldsmith could be together for the next two seasons without discounting Goldsmith could play in the system of the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes in 2025-26.

It is fairly safe to say Johnston, who is the Raiders captain, and Hildebrand, who is the team’s star goalie, will be outstanding and motivated 20-year-olds in 2024-25. Hildebrand was one of the WHL’s best stories rising to be one of the circuit’s top five goalies posting a 25-20-4 record, a 2.88 goals against average, a .907 save percentage and two shutouts in regular season play. He is doing pretty well considering he was taken in the 13^th round and 286^th overall or second last in the then 2019 WHL Bantam Draft.

As 16-year-old rookies this past season, wingers Oli Chenier and Luke Moroz show flashes of possible breakout potential as they gained more game experience. Chenier showed consistent sparks throughout the year and Moroz played some really good minutes the second half of the season.

This column of mine appeared in the Prince Albert Daily Herald. To read the full article, feel free to click right here.

Raiders HC Truitt said return to playoffs huge for club

20-year-olds made impact, future bright for returnees

The Raiders celebrate a goal on April 2 at the Art Hauser Centre.

Jeff Truitt said the 2023-24 campaign was a season of development for his Prince Albert Raiders.

The Raiders head coach said that due to coming into the campaign with a younger group the focus for the season was on establishing culture. Prince Albert ultimately played well enough to post a 31-32-2-3 record to finish eighth overall in the WHL’s Eastern Conference and capture the conference’s final playoff berth.

The Raiders posted their record even with having to play their archrivals the Saskatoon Blades 10 times in the regular season, and the Blades finished first overall in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 50-13-2-3 mark that included going 7-2-0-1 against the Raiders. In the WHL Playoffs taking on the Blades in a best-of-seven first round series, the Raiders claimed Game 1 by a 4-3 score on March 28 in Saskatoon before the Blades claimed victory in the next four straight contests to take the set 4-1.

Prince Albert’s campaign came to an end on Friday with a 6-2 loss in Game 5 of that series to the Blades in Saskatoon.

“Getting into the playoffs, it was a real good education for everybody,” said Truitt. “I feel bad for our 20-year-olds.

Jacob Hoffrogge joined the Raiders on October 7, 2023.

“That ends their season. For the rest of the guys in this group, it was a real good education about what it takes to win at this level.”

Due to the 20-year-old shuffle that happens annually in the WHL as each team can only have three players in that age group. Star left-winger Sloan Stanick was the most tenured player on the team in that age group arriving in Prince Albert early in the 2021-22 campaign in a very early season trade with the Regina Pats.

The Raiders two other 20-year-old players actually didn’t start the 2023-24 campaign with the club. Defenceman Jacob Hoffrogge came to the Raiders in a trade on October 7, 2023 with the Edmonton Oil Kings.

Centre Turner McMillen was released by the Kelowna Rockets on October 11, 2023. Just two days after that release, McMillen was added to the roster of the Estevan Bruins joining the junior A ranks of the SJHL.  He returned to the major junior ranks being added to the Raiders roster on January 5.

Hoffrogge had one assist in three games with the Oil Kings in the 2023-24 campaign before joining the Raiders. In 60 regular season games with the Raiders, Hoffrogge recorded one goal and 17 assists. The Saskatoon product had one assist in the Raiders five post-season contests.

Turner McMillen joined the Raiders on January 5.

“Jacob was just a steady guy nothing flashy or anything like that,” said Truitt. “He is a tremendous skater that helped out with our younger guys kind of taking care of (Doogan) Pederson and (Tyrone) Sobry back there a little bit.

“You can’t ask much more from a 20-year-old that way.”

McMillen, who is an alumnus of the Prince Albert Mintos under-18 AAA team, had two goals and two assists in six games with the Rockets before being released. The Cairevale, Sask., product posted five goals and five assists in 11 games with the Bruins.

In 31 regular season games with the Raiders, McMillan had seven goals and 11 assists. He was held off the score sheet in the Raiders five post-season outings.

“We picked him (McMillan) up, and he came in and did a tremendous job,” said Truitt. “He is a good player.

“He plays with some power. He takes the body. He can shoot.

Sloan Stanick (#23) lead the Raiders with 84 points in 2023-24.

“He has that 20-year-old little bit of savvy too as well, which is great.”

Stanick, who is from Rapid City, Man., had an outstanding season leading the Raiders in scoring with 84 points coming off 30 goals and 54 assists appearing in all of the team’s 68 regular season contests. He had four assists in the Raiders five post-season games.

In 196 career regular season games with the Raiders, Stanick posted 81 goals and 112 assists for 193 points.

“Sloan Stanick again is just a tremendous player that we’re hoping that he gets a pro opportunity,” said Truitt.

Looking towards next season, the Raiders are going to return a solid core groups with one more season of experience under their collective belts. Barring any trade activity, that group will contain star right-winger Ryder Ritchie, who will be 18-years-old, offensive-defenceman Justice Christensen, who will be 19-years-old and star netminder Max Hildebrand, who will be 20-years-old.

“That is going to be the nucleus of our team,” said Truitt. “(Terrell) Goldsmith is in there as well.

The Raiders contemplate their campaign coming to an end on Friday.

“There are lots of them. Aiden Oiring has been a tremendous player for us as well. We like the pieces that we have coming back, and we’ll add to it with some of our younger guys.”

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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2023 NHL Entry Draft will be memorable for WHL

Connor Bedard went first overall in the NHL Entry Draft.

The 2023 NHL Entry Draft will be remembered as two of the WHL’s best days.

Of course, the 33 players who were selected from the WHL in the NHL Entry Draft on Wednesday and Thursday in Nashville, Tennessee, still have to skate out careers in hockey’s top professional league. With that said, it wouldn’t be a surprise to look back on this year’s NHL Entry Draft a couple of decades from now, and one would reflect on it being a great one for the WHL.

No matter what happens in the future, this NHL Entry Draft will be known as the one where Regina Pats phenom centre Connor Bedard, who will turn 18-years-old on July 17, was selected first overall by the Chicago Blackhawks. The North Vancouver, B.C., product might have been the most watched junior aged player ever over the three campaigns he played with the Pats.

In his three seasons with the Pats, Bedard, who stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 185 pounds, 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 April 10 at the SaskTel Centre before a sellout crowd of 14,768 spectators.

Connor Bedard had 271 points in 134 WHL career regular season games.

His stock really took off 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).

Upon returning to the Pats, Bedard usually played in front of sold out rinks or record crowds wherever he was during the final four months he played in the WHL. There were public appearances in Regina where he would spend six hours signing autographs. Bedard experienced characteristics of fandom that were unheard of for junior hockey and often things you only saw in the NHL in Canadian cities for players like Oilers phenom centre Connor McDavid in Edmonton.

Bedard handled the fandom that came his way in humble and spectacular fashion, which is something most his age wouldn’t be able to do.

Brayden Yager is a first round selection of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Bedard headed a 17-year-old class in the WHL this past season that might be the deepest the circuit had ever seen with that age group. Two potential big future NHL stars from the Saskatoon area include centres Brayden Yager and Heidt.

Yager, who turned 18-years-old in early January, piled up 28 goals and 50 assists in 67 regular season games for the Moose Jaw Warriors in 2022-23 to go with a plus-six rating. He went in the first round and 14^th overall to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Yager just might be one of those star players that leads the Penguins in an era after Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang.

Heidt appeared in all 68 regular season games with the Prince George Cougars in 2022-23, and he had 25 goals to go with his 72 assists for 97 points. He was selected in the second round and 64^th overall by the Minnesota Wild.

Due to the fact it is not easy to travel to Prince George, Heidt, who turned 18-years-old in March, wasn’t seen by scouts as much as the other players taken in the NHL Entry Draft. Had he been seen more playing on a team located on the Trans-Canada Highway, he likely would have been selected earlier in the draft.

Tanner Molendyk is a first round draft pick of the Nashville Predators.

One of the most astute picks in the first round might ultimately belonged to the Nashville Predators, when they took Saskatoon Blades defenceman Tanner Molendyk. Molendyk, who turned 18-years-old in February, appeared in 67 regular season games in 2022-23 with the Blades posting nine goals, 28 assists and a plus-31 rating.

He is one of the smoothest skaters among those in the 17-year-old age group this past season, and he has steadily improved as his WHL career has progressed. In the 18 games the Blades played in the 2023 WHL Playoffs, Molendyk posted three goals, five assists and a plus-two rating.

Where Molendyk really turned heads was in the Blades seven game first round series win over the Pats. Molendyk and defensive partner and Blades captain Aidan De La Gorgendiere, who turned 21-years-old in February, were matched up against Bedard every time the Blades coaching staff could get them out against the Pats captain.

While Bedard put up impressive point totals, Molendyk handed that challenge better than anyone could in junior hockey, and he came out of that series with just a minus-one rating despite the offensive numbers put up by Bedard. For anyone that saw Molendyk play in those games, they had to believe he was someone they needed to draft.

The Anaheim Ducks drafted Egor Sidorov in the third round.

Blades import right-winger Egor Sidorov was one of the players from this past season’s 18-year-old class that heard his name called at the NHL Entry Draft. A year ago, Sidorov was passed over in the NHL Entry Draft. He ensured he wasn’t going to be passed over this year.

During the 2022-23 campaign, Sidorov appeared in 53 regular season games with the Blades recording 40 goals, 36 assists and a plus-25 rating. He posted nine goals, 10 assists and a plus-three rating appearing in 16 games in the 2023 WHL Playoffs for the Blades.

Sidorov, who turned 19-years-old on June 18, was selected in the third round and 85^th overall by the Anaheim Ducks.

On the more gritty front, Prince Albert Raiders defenceman Terrell Goldsmith was taken in the fourth round and 102^nd overall by the Arizona Coyotes. Goldsmith, who turned 18-years-old in May, appeared in 58 regular season games with the Raiders in 2022-23 recording three goals, six assists, a minus-six rating and 102 penalty minutes.

Goldsmith is a defensive-defenceman that brings an imposing physical game that is aided by the fact he stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 220 pounds. NHL teams are looking for players to make life miserable in front of their net for opposing players, and Goldsmith can certainly do that.

Terrell Goldsmith was drafted by the Arizona Coyotes.

A number of other players from the WHL taken in this year’s NHL Entry Draft have the potential to be outstanding picks. They include centre Zach Benson of the Winnipeg Ice who are now the Wenatchee Wild going to the Buffalo Sabres in the first round and 13^th overall.

Other astute selections included the Predators selecting centre Kalan Lind of the Red Deer Rebels in the second round and 46^th overall, the Seattle Kraken picking defenceman Caden Price of the Kelowna Rockets in the fourth round and 84^th overall, the San Jose Sharks nabbing defenceman Luca Cagnoni of the Portland Winterhawks in the fourth round and 123^rd overall, the Wild getting defenceman Kalem Parker of the Victoria Royals in the sixth round and 181^st overall and the Washington Capitals selecting left-winger Brett Hyland of the Brandon Wheat Kings in the seventh round and 200^th overall.

One of the coolest moments was seeing the Winnipeg Jets take netminder Thomas Milic of the Seattle Thunderbirds in the fifth round and 151^st overall. Milic, who turned 20-years-old in April, was overlooked due to his lack of size as he stands 6-feet and weighs 179 pounds. NHL clubs often look for a goaltender who stands usually about 6-foot-3 minimum and will pass up smaller goalies including ones that can stop the puck.

Milic backstopped the Thunderbirds to the WHL Championship Series in each of the past two seasons. The Thunderbirds captured the WHL title this past season downing the Ice in five games in a best-of-seven championship series. 

Zach Benson was a first round pick of the Buffalo Sabres.

In the Memorial Cup tournament that determines a CHL champion that was held in Kamloops B.C., Milic backstopped the Thunderbirds to the event’s championship game this past June 4, where they fell 5-0 to the QMJHL champion Quebec Remparts.

On top of his post-season success with the Thunderbirds, Milic backstopped Canada to its gold medal win at this past world juniors.

During the 2022-23 regular season, Milic, who is from Coquitlam, B.C., appeared in 33 games for the Thunderbirds posting a 27-3-2 record, a 2.08 goals against average, a .928 save percentage and four shutouts. He appeared in all of the Thunderbirds 19 games in the WHL Playoffs posting a 16-3 record, a 1.95 goals against average, a .933 save percentage and one shutout.

At the Memorial Cup tournament, Milic played in all the Thunderbirds five games at that event posting a 3-2 record, a 2.41 goals against average and a .915 save percentage.

In Canada’s run to winning gold at this past world juniors, Milic appeared in six games posting a 5-0 record, a 1.76 goals against average and a .932 save percentage. Voted the WHL’s Top Goaltender and a first team CHL all-star, Milic has pretty much done almost all you can do at the junior level and more than most will ever do.

Thomas Milic was selected by the Jets in the NHL Entry Draft.

It would have been a crime had he not gotten an NHL shot. It is heartwarming to see he will get his chance to make his NHL dream come true.

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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Learning curve makes Raiders prospects bright for 2023-24

Ryder Ritchie had 55 points in 61 games with the Raiders.

The struggles in 2022-23 will make the Prince Albert Raiders reach bigger goals in 2023-24.

Actually for a reloading campaign, the Raiders did alright this past season. They posted a 28-37-3 record to finish 11^th overall in the WHL’s Eastern Conference and 10 points behind the Medicine Hat Tigers (30-29-8-1) for eighth place and the final playoff berth in the conference.

The 28 victories was the same win total the Raiders posted in the regular season in 2021-22, where they made the WHL Playoffs. In 2021-22, the Raiders posted a 28-35-4-1 record to finish eighth overall in the Eastern Conference taking the conference’s final playoff berth.

The Raiders in 2022-23 had two fewer standings points than in 2021-22. Of course in 2021-22, WHL teams just played a full 68 game regular season against conference foes, while there was cross-conference play in 2022-23. Ultimately, that shuffled the wins around in a way that the Raiders made the post-season in one campaign and missed out with almost the same standings points total in the next campaign.

The biggest thing the Raiders were able to deliver in the 2022-23 was hope that seasons in the near future have the potential to be bright ones. Their younger players grew by leaps and bounds and the experience they gained will be a big asset in future campaigns.

The two players that really stood out were left-winger Ryder Ritchie, who was a 16-year-old rookie, and centre Aiden Oiring, who was a 17-year-old rookie. Ritchie finished third in team scoring with 55 points coming off 20 goals and 35 assists in 61 games.

It isn’t often 16-year-old rookies almost score a point per game in the WHL and hit the 20-goal plateau. Ritchie, who stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 157 pounds, has the potential to be one if the circuit’s elite players in future campaigns as he follows in the strides of his father Byron Ritchie, who starred with the Lethbridge Hurricanes from 1993 to 1997.

Aiden Oiring gained lots of opportunities with the Raiders.

Oiring was acquired by the Raiders on December 31, 2022 in a trade with the Winnipeg Ice that saw right-winger Carson Latimer head to the Manitoba capital. Buried on a deep Ice roster, Oiring, who stands 5-foot-7 and weighs 164 pounds, had five goals and three assists in 26 games with Winnipeg. He was given a lot more opportunities with the Raiders including lengthy stretches as the first line centre and recorded seven goals and 16 assists in 31 appearances with Prince Albert.

Young forwards like Cole Peardon and Grady Martin, who were skating through their 16-year-old rookie seasons, showed glimpses that they could have greater potential in future seasons. Various forwards from the Raiders 18-year-old group this past season showed well at different times in Hayden Pakkala, Gabe Ludwig and Carter Anderson.

During the second half of the season, 18-year-old right-winger Niall Crocker, who was the Raiders first round selection in the then 2019 WHL Bantam Draft, started to pick up points on a more frequent basis. He might still find the scoring touch he had growing up in minor hockey as a late bloomer in the WHL.

One of the returnees that is pegged to take a 20-year-old spot next season is left-winger Sloan Stanick. Stanick led the Raiders in scoring this past season posting career highs in goals (31), assists (33) and points (64) in 67 appearances, and he has potential to be a really good 20-year-old.

On defence, the Raiders six potential returnees should give them a good base in Eric Johnston, Seth Tansem, Justice Christensen, Easton Kovacs, Terrell Goldsmith and Owen Boucher. Johnston and Goldsmith could make up a top pairing, and Christensen turned heads with his physical play.

Sloan Stanick put up a career high 64 points in 2022-23.

Netminder Tikhon Chaika will take up both a 20-year-old spot and an import spot, but he will give the Raiders comfort in net. As the Raiders went with a more youthful roster, Chaika’s statistics took a hit from the season before, but they were still respectable as he posted a 17-23 record, a 3.28 goals against average, a .894 save percentage and one shutout in 45 appearances.

Barring trades, he has the potential to continue to form a strong tandem in net with Max Hildebrand, who will be in his 19-year-old season in 2023-24. In 32 appearances in 2022-23, Hildebrand posted an 11-14-3 record, a 3.71 goals against average and a .871 save percentage, but those number don’t show the improvement he made.

The Raiders will miss their 20-year-old class from this past season. Star offensive-defenceman Landon Kosior and captain Evan Herman were regulars at the start of the 2019-20 season and hung in with the Raiders during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic shutdowns.

Centre Keaton Sorensen was acquired in a trade on August 17, 2021 with the Red Deer Rebels, and along with Kosior and Herman, he helped lead the Raiders back into an era of full 68-game regular seasons and once again playing in front of supportive crowds in their storied home rink in the Art Hauser Centre.

Kosior, who was named a second team East Division all-star on Tuesday, finished second in team scoring with 63 points coming off 17 goals and 46 assists to go with a plus-three rating in the plus-minus department in 60 appearances. Sorensen finished fourth in team scoring posting career highs in goals (25), assists (28), points (53) and plus-minus (plus-five) in 64 games. Herman was fifth in team scoring posting 38 points coming off 18 goals and 20 assists in 64 games.

Niall Crocker started to produce more offence for the Raiders.

Next season, players who were apart of the Raiders WHL Prospects Draft class in 2022 will get a chance to make positive impact on the team. 

Forward Luke Moroz was selected in the first round and 15^th overall in that draft by the Raiders, and he put up 16 goals and 31 assists in 40 regular season games with the Regina Pat Canadians under-18 AAA team this past season. There is anticipation to see what Moroz can do sporting a Raiders jersey on a full-time basis.

For future seasons, the Raiders found out on Wednesday in the WHL Prospects Draft Lottery held in Calgary that they will have the first and second overall selections in the WHL Prospects Draft slated to be held online on May 11. 

The first overall selection was acquired in a trade with the Edmonton Oil Kings. The Raiders will also pick in the seventh overall spot having acquired that selection in a trade with the Kelowna Rockets.

In the U.S. Priority Draft Lottery that was held on Wednesday in Calgary, the Raiders found out they will be selecting fifth overall in the U.S. Priority Draft to be held online on May 10. Those selections will likely allow the Raiders to strengthen their depth for the future.

Raiders general manager Curtis Hunt and head coach Jeff Truitt have to feel good about where their team is positioned.

The Raiders celebrate a win on February 11.

Of course when the 2023-24 campaign comes around, the WHL roster deck will see some shuffling. The Raiders are in position to take a decent step upwards.

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Raiders spoil milestone night for Pats phenom centre Bedard

Prince Albert skates away with 6-5 firewagon win

The Raiders begin to celebrate their victory on Friday night.

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – Connor Bedard picked up the milestones, but the Prince Albert Raiders picked up victory.

At first, Friday night at the Art Hauser Centre looked like it was going to be a banner night for the Regina Pats 17-year-old phemon centre. Bedard posted two goals and two assists to help stake his Pats out to a 5-4 lead early in the third period in a WHL regular season clash with the Raiders.

At the 5:19 mark of the third, Raiders 16-year-old rookie right-winger Grady Martin knocked home the rebound from his own shot from the front of the Regina net to even the score at 5-5. The tally was Martin’s first career WHL goal.

Exactly four minutes later, Raiders 17-year-old rookie centre Aiden Oiring popped home his ninth of the season from the front of the Regina net to give the Raiders a 6-5 lead. Oiring converting a beauty drop setup pass from left-winger Sloan Stanick at the right side of visitors’ net.

Connor Bedard had two goals and two assists for the Pats.

The young and gutty Raiders made that 6-5 score hold up as the final to the delight of the sellout crowd of 3,299 spectators that packed into the 2,580 seat Art Hauser Centre. While the Raiders first sellout of the current campaign came due to people wanting to see Bedard, almost the whole crowd was firmly behind the Raiders.

When time expired in the third period, the home side faithful gave their Raiders a rousing ovation as sophomore 18-year-old netminder Max Hildebrand gave a kick and fist pump celebration before being mobbed by his teammates. Raiders head coach Jeff Truitt said the sellout crowd got their money’s worth with Friday’s game.

“It took six to beat them (the Pats),” said Truitt. “I didn’t think at the beginning of the night it was going to take six.

Aiden Oiring scored the winning goal for the Raiders.

“It opened up quite a bit. There were some good quality chances on both sides. It was pretty wide open that way.

“The score was indicative of the play, because there were breakdowns on either side and good quality chances.”

The Raiders victory spoiled a banner night for Bedard, who barring something unforeseen will be the first overall selection in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft. That draft will be held at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, on June 28 and 29.

With his two tallies, Bedard now had 50 goals on the season. He scored those 50 goals in 40 games played.

The last player to score 50 goals in 50 or few games in a WHL regular season was Jayden Halbgewachs of the Moose Jaw Warriors back in the 2017-18 campaign. Halbgewachs netted 50 goals in his first 47 contests that season. He appeared in all the Warriors 72 regular season games in 2017-18 recording 70 goals, 59 assists and a plus-43 rating in the plus-minus department.

Alexander Suzdalev had a pair of goals for the Pats.

Bedard now has 100 points on the season coming off his 50 goals and 50 assists to go with a plus-32 rating. He leads the WHL in points and goals. The North Vancouver, B.C., product hit the 50-goal and 100-point plateaus in back-to-back seasons.

Besides Bedard’s exploits, Friday’s contest between the Raiders and Pats was as wild as a mid-1980s NHL clash between the Hartford Whalers and the Quebec Nordiques.

The Pats opened the scoring at the 4:37 mark of the opening frame when import right-winger Alexander Suzdalev netted a Michigan style lacrosse goal. Just over four minutes later, left-winger Tanner Howe, who is from Prince Albert, increased the Pats advantage to 2-0 scoring on the power play in close to the left side of the Prince Albert net thanks to a beauty pass from the point by Bedard.

Ryder Ritchie had a goal and an assist for the Raiders.

Rookie 17-year-old left-winger Brayden Dube tallied for the Raiders at the 12:44 mark of the opening frame to cut the Pats lead to 2-1.

With 29.9 seconds remaining in the first, Bedard potted his first goal of the contest to push the Pats lead out to 3-1. Coming down the left wing, Bedard looked like he was going to skate behind the Prince Albert net.

As he was about to go behind the Raiders goal, Bedard stopped, took a stride backwards and deflected home a tally off Hildebrand into the Prince Albert goal.

The Raiders came storming out of the gate in the second surging for three straight goals by the 7:59 mark of the frame to take a 4-3 lead. Left-winger Carter Anderson scored an even strength tally to start the surge. After Anderson’s goal, 16-year-old rookie standout right-winger Ryder Ritchie and overage centre Keaton Sorensen each tallied on the power play to give the Raiders their one-goal edge.

Tanner Howe (#43) had a goal for the Pats on Friday.

Truitt said the host side came out skating a lot better coming out of the second intermission than they did in the opening 20 minutes of the contest.

“I thought we were on pucks,” said Truitt. “I thought that we gained control of pucks in the offensive zone.

“I thought that we cut some seams and made them guess a little bit. We took the ice that was given to us, and we made some really good plays.”

With 2:59 remaining in the second, Bedard scored on the power play for his second goal of the contest driving a mid-range shot through a screen for his 50^th goal of the season. Bedard’s second tally forced a 4-4 tie heading into the second intermission.

Brayden Dube scored the Raiders first goal on Friday.

Just 90 seconds into the third, Suzdalev scored on a five-on-three power play to account for his second goal of the contest and 30^th tally of the campaign to give the Pats a 5-4 edge. Bedard picked up an assist on that tally to account for his fourth point on the night and 100^th point of the season.

That set the stage for Martin and Oiring to come through with their singles to deliver victory to the Raiders. Martin was pumped to net his first career WHL goal.

“I was just so full of joy,” said Martin. “It feels good to get that monkey off the back.

Connor Bedard (#98) reacts to scoring his 50th goal of the season.

“I’ll just keep going from here.”

After Martin scored the equalizer that forced a 5-5 tie, Hildebrand stopped Bedard on a breakaway with 11:48 remaining in the third. That allowed the host side to take the lead on Oiring’s goal.

Hildebrand stopped 32 shots in goal for the Raiders. Drew Sim turned away 25 shots in goal for the Pats.

Ritchie and Oiring each had assists to go along with their goals to post respective two-point nights. Raiders 20-year-old defenceman Landon Kosior collected a pair of helpers in the win. Import defenceman Stanislav Svozil had a pair of assists for the Pats.

Terrell Goldsmith returns after missing eight games due to injury.

The Raiders returned 17-year-old physical defensive-defenceman Terrell Goldsmith to their lineup on Friday after he missed eight games with an upper body injury. Goldsmith, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 219 pounds, is rated 202^nd among North American skaters in NHL Central Scouting’s mid-term rankings, and he played a sizable amount of minutes in the host side’s winning effort.

“Obviously, it was awesome to be back,” said Goldsmith. “I had to shake the rust off a bit in the first period.

“After that, I kind of just tired to play my game, and it felt good to be back.”

Raiders LW Sloan Stanick, left, rubs out Pats D Stanislav Svozil.

With the setback, the Pats fell to 25-23-2-1. They sit tied for sixth to eighth in the WHL’s Eastern Conference with 53 standings points along with the Swift Current Broncos (25-23-1-2) and the Calgary Hitmen (23-23-5-2).

The Raiders improved to 21-28-3 with the second straight win to sit eight points back of the Pats, Broncos and Hitmen. The top eight teams in the Eastern Conference qualify for the WHL Playoffs.

The Pats return to action on Saturday when they return home to face the WHL leading 42-7-1 Winnipeg Ice (7 p.m., Brandt Centre).

The Raiders want to keep holding frequent goal celebrations.

The Raiders also get back at it on Saturday as they host the 33-18-0-3 Moose Jaw Warriors (7 p.m., Art Hauser Centre). Martin believes his Raiders will keep their positive momentum going against the Warriors.

“We’re very confident with our game,” said Martin. “Today, we really showed what we can do and where we are at.

“We’ll get Moose Jaw tomorrow.”

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Raiders’ captain leads way in bounce back win

Vitelli’s three-point effort powers 4-1 victory over Blades

Reece Vitelli had two goals and an assist for the Raiders.

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – The captain ensured his Prince Albert Raiders left the stumble against the Swift Current Broncos in the rearview mirror.

Going into their WHL regular season clash on Saturday against the visiting Saskatoon Blades, the Raiders aimed to bounce back from a disappointing effort in a 6-3 setback against the Broncos at home last Wednesday night.

Captain Reece Vitelli provided the spark the Raiders needed. The 20-year-old centre collected a pair of goals and an assist to power the Raiders past the archrival Blades 4-1 to the delight of the standing room crowd of 2,721 spectators at the 2,580 seat Art Hauser Centre outside of a small contingent of Blades fans.

Vitelli scored his second goal of the contest into an empty net with 2:24 remaining in the third period to round out the 4-1 final. That allowed the Raiders faithful to indulge in the playing of The Guess Who’s “Runnin’ Back to Saskatoon” for an extra long period of time.

Reece Vitelli and the Raiders played a strong game on Saturday.

“Whenever we beat the Blades, it is awesome,” said Vitelli, whose team wore special alternate uniforms on Saturday. “The crowd was unreal tonight.

“It was one of the biggest crowds this year definitely. They were loud and in it, so it was awesome.”

For the Raiders who are in a heated race for the last two playoff berths in the WHL’s Eastern Conference, the bounce back win was the biggest thing on Saturday, and the fact that victory came over the Blades was a bonus.

Reece Vitelli, right, battles past a Blades defenceman.

“We knew we had to be committed and be better from last game,” said Vitelli. “We need (the standings) points.

“We were just moving our feet and playing together as a team. Guys stepped up, and it was awesome.”

The Raiders came out of the gate bringing the physical play with right-winger Dallyn Peekeekoot and defenceman Terrell Goldsmith throwing big hits.

The hosts held a 15-5 edge in shots on goal over the opening 20 minutes and had the three best scoring chances in the frame. The first chance came from left-winger Sloan Stanick who couldn’t bury a goal during a net scramble where Blades overage star netminder Nolan Maier slipped down on the ground.

Vladislav Shilo scored for the Raiders on Saturday.

Prince Albert left-winger Keaton Sorensen tried to score on a wraparound chance with about 30 seconds remaining in the first, but he was stopped by Maier. In the final seconds of the opening frame, Raiders standout defenceman Nolan Allan drove a midrange shot off the post of the Saskatoon goal.

Just 1:51 into the second, the Raiders jumped ahead 1-0 when Vitelli slipped home a shot from a bad angle by the right side boards.

Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid said Vitelli’s goal at that point in the contest was huge. The veteran star bench boss added the Blades could have turned the game on its ear had they gotten the first goal after the Raiders had carried the play to that point in time.

Josh Paulhus had the Blades lone goal on Saturday.

“It was one of those games where the first period was pretty dominant,” said Habscheid. “The start of the second was too.

“Then if they (the Blades) happen to sneak one in, all of sudden they get belief, and we maybe get on our heels a little bit. We knew that first goal was important especially going into the second period. We got it.

“Then, we really seemed to carry the period from there.”

The hosts extended their edge to 2-0 just 77 seconds later on a goal from import right-winger Vladislav Shilo. Shilo had the puck alone in front of Maier at the right side of the Saskatoon goal, made a toe drag move and lifted home a high shot for his fifth tally of the season.

The Raiders celebrate a goal from Landon Kosior, centre.

The Blades caused a pause to the Raiders run at the 10:01 mark of the second, when Saskatoon left-winger Josh Paulhus floated in a shot on a rush down the right wing to cut the host’s lead to 2-1.

Just 82 seconds later, the Raiders restored their two-goal edge going ahead 3-1 with offensive-defenceman Landon Kosior fired home a seeing-eye shot from the right point.

Vitelli said it was big for Kosior to come through in that moment after the Blades had trimmed the Raiders lead to one goal.

“He (Kosior) has been a rock back there,” said Vitelli, who picked up his assist on Kosior’s goal. “He has been our best defenceman.

Dallyn Peekeekoot played a strong physical game for the Raiders.

“He controls the play so well out there, and he skates so well. He has an unreal shot. He has 16 goals this year as a defenceman.

“Whenever that guy is shooting from anywhere, it has a good chance of going in. We’re all confident in him, and he has been playing very well.”

The Raiders were able to clamp down the game defensively in the third to set the stage for Vitelli to get his empty netter.

Tikhon Chaika stopped 25 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Raiders (24-29-3-1). Nolan Maier turned away 31 shots to take the setback in net for the Blades (33-21-3-1).

Habscheid said he thought the Raiders were pretty dominant on Saturday night. He liked how his players responded after falling to the Broncos last Wednesday and believed they would have a better outing against the Blades.

The Raiders and Blades scrum it up.

“You never doubt their character for sure,” said Habscheid, whose Raiders are 5-1-1 in their last seven games. “They were ticked off.

“Everybody was ticked off about it. When you watch the tape, it just wasn’t a good effort. Sometimes, we had some chances to score tonight, and they didn’t go in.

“Guys try so you can’t get upset with that. With effort, togetherness and attention to detail, those are non-negotiable when you put on the Raiders jersey. Tonight, they did that.”

Centre Evan Herman takes care of the puck in the defensive zone.

The Raiders return to action on Tuesday when they host the WHL East Division leading Winnipeg Ice (7 p.m., Art Hauser Centre).

The Blades get back at it on Wednesday when they host the Ice (7 p.m., SaskTel Centre).

The Raiders have won three out of their five head-to-head meetings so far this season with the Ice. Before even thinking about the Ice, Habscheid said he wanted his team to enjoy the win over the Blades for the night.

The Raiders salute their fans after their win on Saturday.

“I haven’t even thought about it (the game with the Ice),” said Habscheid. “They (the Ice) are good.

“We’re just going to take this, enjoy it and worry about tomorrow, tomorrow.”

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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