Babcock feels sense of belonging with Blades

Playoff series with Rebels resumes Tuesday in Red Deer

John Babcock is a steady defenceman with the Blades.

John Babcock belongs in “Blade City.”

The 19-year-old defensive-defenceman had been a career member of the Kelowna Rockets. That all changed on January 10 in a three-way trade involving the Rockets, the Saskatoon Blades and Edmonton Oil Kings before the passing of the WHL’s Trade Deadline.

After that deal, Babcock was heading to Saskatoon to join the Blades. The Blades were a team that reached the WHL’s Eastern Conference Championship series in 2022-23 falling in four games to the Winnipeg Ice.

When Babcock came to the Blades, they were battling for first overall in the WHL and succeeded in topping the regular season standings with a 50-13-2-3 mark. They have 12 players on their roster from their playoff run in 2023, and the returnees included a core that have been either career Blades or members of the team for a long period of time.

Babcock knew he was coming to the team to strengthen up their defensive unit with a focus on protecting the defensive zone. The North Vancouver, B.C., product developed an instant connection with his new teammates and the organization.

“First off, I want to say like I couldn’t be happier being here,” said Babcock, who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 204 pounds. “It is such a great spot.

“Coming in, I was very welcomed. We have such a great group in there. Everyone was super, super welcoming.

“For me personally, I have to bring intangibles to every game. I have to be hard to play against and reliable defensively.”

On Sunday, Babcock had one of the key plays that allowed the Blades to down the visiting Red Deer Rebels 2-1 in overtime in Game 2 of an Eastern Conference semifinal series at the SaskTel Centre. In one sequence inside the final eight minutes of the extra session, a scramble occurred in front of the Saskatoon net.

John Babcock came to the Blades in a big trade on Jan. 10.

A shot from Rebels star winger Kalan Lind got through Blades breakout rookie netminder Evan Gardner and was trickling toward the goal-line. Babcock stopped the puck with his skate and kicked it under a fallen Gardner to get a stoppage.

A short time later with 2:59 remaining in the extra session, offensive-defenceman Ben Saunderson scored the overtime winner for the Blades that also gave them a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

“It was definitely nice to get a win,” said Babcock, who had four goals, 13 assists and a plus-26 rating in the plus-minus department in 64 games played between the Rockets and Blades in the 2023-24 regular season. “It is definitely nice, but the job is not finished.”

Now the series shifts to Red Deer for Games 3 and 4 to be held on Tuesday and Wednesday night respectively at 7 p.m. local time at the Peavey Mart Centrium. Last year when the Blades dropped the first three games before rallying for four straight wins in an Eastern Conference semifinal series win over the Rebels, the Saskatoon side won two out of three games in Red Deer.

For Babcock, it will be a new experience playing games in the WHL Playoffs in Red Deer.

“I’ve never played in the post-season in Red Deer,” said Babcock. “From what the guys were saying, it is going to be a great crowd out there.

“Hopefully, we can get two more wins out there.”

Babcock said the Blades, who were rated sixth in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings, expected the series with the Rebels to be a physical one. He thought the physical play increased from Game 1 to Game 2. The blue-liner added it helped his squad played and eliminated their archrivals in the Prince Albert Raiders in five games in the first round of the post-season to get set for the Rebels.

John Babcock loves his teammates with the Blades.

“It (Game 2 versus the Rebels) was definitely a little bit more chippy than in Game 1,” said Babcock. “Personally, I feel like Prince Albert prepared us very well for that.”

When Blades hit the ice for Game 3 against the Rebels in Red Deer, Babcock said his squad has to continue to strive to be as consistent as possible.

“We just have to play our game,” said Babcock. “I feel like we didn’t have the best first two periods, but we have a very mature group.

“I know we’re going to come out flying for Game 3.”

As for Red Deer, Rebels interim head coach Dave Struch liked the improved effort shown by his club in the 2-1 overtime setback in Game 2 compared to the 4-1 loss his club suffered in Game 1 this past Friday. Struch is looking for his players to build off of their showing in Game 2.

“We need this exact same effort that we had (in Game 2),” said Struch. “You bottle up this energy that we had in the third period especially and into overtime and pour it out on the ice.

“I thought the other night was a regular season game that is played in the first month of the year. (Game 2) was a playoff game playing against a good team.”

The Blades will enter Game 3 without the services of star overage left-winger Easton Armstrong. At the 5:59 mark of the third period of Game 2, Armstrong was given a charging major and a game misconduct for bowling over Rebels breakout rookie netminder Chase Wutzke. 

On Monday, the WHL suspended Armstrong for that hit with the length of the suspension to be determined.

Reflecting on Game 2, Blades head coach Brennan Sonne thought his team played with great passion and desperation after the Rebels scored early in the third period to tie the contest at 1-1. 

John Babcock (#55) and the Blades celebrate Sunday’s OT win.

He wants to see his squad play with that passion and desperation for an entire game, and he said his players are good at hearing the messages from the coaching staff.

“I think this team listens,” said Sonne. “I said that the other day.

“It could be structure. It could be compete habits or whatever. When we show them the main three areas that we need to address, it is not like they don’t listen.

“That is all we do. I’m not Al Pacino and the speech or anything like that. We just show, and because they care, because they’re proud Blades and because they love each other, they’ll respond.”

Winterhawks get big bounce in OT in Everett, other notes

A positive bounce on the road has the Portland Winterhawks one win away from the WHL’s Western Conference Championship Series.

On Monday night at the Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett, Wash., the visiting Winterhawks found themselves locked in a 3-3 tie in overtime with the host Silvertips in Game 3 of a Western Conference semifinal series. With 4:05 remaining in the extra session, Winterhawks offensive-defenceman Carter Sotheran fired a high shot from the point that deflected off the glass behind the Everett net, hit the back of star Silvertips 20-year-old netminder Tyler Palmer and bounced into the Everett goal.

That tally by Sotheran, which was his second goal of the contest, gave the Winterhawks a 4-3 victory before a mainly stunned gathering of 3,431 spectators aside from a contingent of supporters for the Portland side. With the win, the Winterhawks now lead the best-of-seven series 3-0.

Due to scheduling conflicts at the Angel of the Winds Arena, the Winterhawks have to wait until Friday to see if they can close out the series in Game 4 set for 7 p.m. local time.

The Silvertips actually jumped out to 3-0 lead in Game 3 on Monday. Kaden Hammell and Beau Courtney scored in the first period, with Courtney’s tally coming on the power play, to give the host side a 2-0 edge. Just 18 seconds into the second, Silvertips captain Ben Hemmerling netted his fourth goal of the post-season to push Everett’s lead to 3-0.

Before the second frame came to an end, Sotheran, with his first of the contest, and star 20-year-old centre Gabe Klassen scored for the Winterhawks to cut the Silvertips lead to 3-2. Sotheran’s tally came on the power play. Just 42 seconds into the third, Winterhawks 19-year-old centre Kyle Chyzowski tallied on the power play to even the score at 3-3.

At the 3:45 mark of the third, Winterhawks star import netminder Jan Spunar stopped Silvertips centre Carter Bear on a penalty shot.

That set the stage for the dramatics that happened in overtime

Spunar made 44 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Winterhawks. Palmer turned away 46 shots to take the setback in net for the Silvertips.

Sotheran had an assist to go with his two goals. Klassen had a pair of assists to go with his goal. Hemmerling had an assist to go with his marker.

The Winterhawks will be trying to advance to the Western Conference Championship Series for the first time since 2015.

In Game 1 last Friday in Portland, the Winterhawks thumped the Silvertips 8-2. Another lopsided win came in Game 2 one night later in Portland with the Winterhawks coming out on top 6-2.

Originally, it was thought all games of the series between the Winterhawks and Silvertips would be as closely contested as Game 3 was. The Winterhawks finished third overall in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 48-15-4-1 record and were rated fifth in the final CHL Top 10 rankings. The Silvertips placed fourth overall in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 45-18-2-3 mark and were rated seventh in the final CHL Top 10 rankings.

• The Eastern Conference semifinal series between the Moose Jaw Warriors and Swift Current Broncos is tied 1-1. The Broncos took Game 1 of the series 7-2 last Friday in Moose Jaw, while the Warriors claimed Game 2 by a 7-2 score on Saturday on home ice. Game 3 is set for Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the InnovationPlex in Swift Current.
• The Prince George Cougars have a 2-0 series lead over the Kelowna Rockets in the Western Conference semifinal series being played between those two clubs. The Cougars claimed the first two games on home ice. Last Friday, they blanked the Rockets 4-0 in Game 1 and followed that up with a 5-0 win in Game 2 on Saturday. Game 3 is set for 7 p.m. local time at Prospera Place in Kelowna.
• If the Saskatoon Blades are able to claim their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Red Deer Rebels, that result would ensure the Eastern Conference Championship Series would be an all-Saskatchewan affair for the first time since 1993. In 1993, the Broncos swept the Regina Pats in the Eastern Conference Championship Series and advanced to win the WHL Championship Series in seven games over the Winterhawks.
• The Blades broke up their bus trip to Red Deer on Monday with a stop to visit elementary school students in Biggar, who came out to cheer on the team bus. Since the Blades have come under the ownership of the Priestner family, they’ve always had a strong ground game when it came to getting into the schools and into the community.
• Warriors offensive-defenceman and captain Denton Mateychuk leads the WHL in post-season scoring with 14 points coming off three goals and 11 assists in six games to go with a plus-nine rating.
• On Saturday, Medicine Hat Tigers 16-year-old rookie left-winger Gavin McKenna was named the winner of the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network’s Bryan Trottier Most Valuable Player Award. The award is given to an Indigenous hockey player who demonstrates on-ice excellence and contributes to the Indigenous community. McKenna led the Tigers in scoring with 97 points coming off 34 goals and 63 assists in 61 regular season appearances.
• On Monday, the WHL handed out its player-of-the-week honours for the week ending on Sunday. Mateychuk was the player of the week, Cougars netminder Joshua Ravensbergen was the goaltender of the week and Blades netminder Evan Gardner was the rookie of the week. Gardner had been rookie of the week three times for the 2023-24 campaign.

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