Blades’ Priestner one day should get executive of the year nod

From left, Colin Priestner with Trevor Wong and Steve Hildebrand.

Colin Priestner is a hockey guy.

Actually, he has been a hockey guy for some time now.

There was a time Priestner was known for being a folk-rock singer and songwriter, a high level tennis player, and a car dealership owner. Those were all roles he had filled at one point before his family bought the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades before start of the 2013-14 campaign, where father Mike assumed majority ownership of the club. Colin, who was 29-years-old at the time, became a managing partner of the team in early September of 2013.

Fast forward to the current day, and the now 40-year-old Priestner is the veteran general manager and president of the Blades. His Blades topped the WHL regular season standings in 2023-24 with a 50-13-2-3 record. They have made the Eastern Conference Championship Series for a second straight year.

The Blades open the best-of-seven conference championship series against the Moose Jaw Warriors this coming Friday at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre. It will mark the first time since the 1993 post-season the Eastern Conference Championship Series will be an all-Saskatchewan battle. Back in 1993, the Swift Current Broncos swept away the Regina Pats 4-0 and advanced on to win the WHL Championship Series in seven games against the Portland Winterhawks.

This year’s Eastern Conference final has the potential to be a classic with the Warriors having finished fifth overall in the WHL regular season with a 44-21-0-3 mark. Both the Blades and Warriors are in search of their first WHL championship.

One day, Priestner should be tabbed as the winner of the Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy as the WHL’s executive of the year. It is actually too bad he didn’t win that honour last year or was named to be up for that honour this year.

Colin Priestner pictured in the Blades dressing room in 2016.

With that said, Seattle Thunderbirds general manager Bil La Forge took that honour on a league level a year ago and Warriors general manager Jason Ripplinger is the nominee for the East Division, which the Blades play out of, this year. Both are long time good executives, and you can’t argue against their respective nods.

Still, Priestner in the current day is best known as being the general manager of the Blades, and he has built a reputation of being an outstanding executive. When he became the Blades general manager before the start of the 2016-17 campaign, you can bet there was some skepticism around that move.

At that time, Priestner was still viewed as more of a hockey outsider and was thought of being a folk-rock singer and songwriter, a high level tennis player, and a car dealership owner. Of course, the thought was out there Priestner was able to hold the role of Blades general manager because his father was the majority owner of the team.

Colin’s younger brother, James Priestner, was known as the hockey guy in the family. James was a goalie in the WHL suiting up for the Kamloops Blazers, Brandon Wheat Kings and Prince George Cougars from 2007 to 2011. These days James is the frontman and chief songwriter Vancouver based band Rare Americans.

As the Blades were stuck in a lengthy rebuild due to the fact the Priestner family bought the team after hosting the CHL championship tournament – the Memorial Cup - in 2013, the club turned heads trying new things on the business promotion side with theme nights, which included a Star Wars Night on November 28, 2015. There were people around the WHL that didn’t know at the time what to make of the Blades trying out new things on the promotional side.

Early on in his time as Blades general manager, you could sense Colin had a pretty good grasp of what he was taking on. He grew into his role quite quickly, and it safe to say he learned lessons observing various general managers he saw during his time on the circuit.

During his first season in the league in 2013-14, Lorne Molleken was still serving as the Blades general manager. While the Priestners would move in a new direction parting ways with Molleken following the 2013-14 campaign, Colin likely learned what it was like to have a strong and good passion for the team and how to treat people with class.

Colin Priestner, left, with Aidan De La Gorgendiere in 2017.

Molleken, in the roles of head coach and general manager, tried his hardest to see the Blades become WHL and Memorial Cup title winners. The Blades had a lot of great teams under Molleken’s watch, but they weren’t able to achieve those two much desired championship wins. No matter where Molleken goes in life, he will always be a member of the Blades, and Priestner got see what it was like when a team is more than a team.

Priestner got to see how former Brandon Wheat Kings head coach, general manager and owner Kelly McCrimmon, who is currently the general manager of the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights, built a team. McCrimmon is best known for being the master when it comes to making trades.

During his second season as the Blades general manager in 2017-18, Priestner showed how skilled he could be on the trade front leading and on the WHL Trade Deadline of January 10, 2018. The Blades at the time were trying to end a playoff drought that spanned four consecutive seasons. They were battling for a playoff spot in an East Division when that division might have been the toughest it has ever been.

Priestner made a series of deals that allowed the roster to still compete for a playoff berth that season, but really set the club to take off the following season. The Blades two best players in star centre Cameron Hebig and Czech import defenceman Libor Hajek were sent to the Memorial Cup hosting Pats as 19-year-old veterans.

On top of various draft picks that came back, the Blades landed 19-year-old offensive-defenceman Dawson Davidson and 16-year-old forward prospect Tristen Robins from the Pats. Saskatoon also acquired 19-year-old star centre Max Gerlach from the Medicine Hat Tigers and centre Eric Florchuk from the Victoria Royals.

The Blades would finish with a 35-33-3-1 record finishing seventh overall in Eastern Conference, but with the playoff rules at the time mirroring the current NHL post-season rules, the Blades missed the playoffs by three points.

Colin Priestner, left, with Mitch Love in 2019.

The moves Priestner made were the right ones as Davidson, Gerlach, Florchuk and Robins would play key roles helping the Blades finish fourth overall in the WHL standings in 2018-19 with a 45-15-8 mark. Robins would become one of the Blades top players for the next three seasons. Priestner had found lots of success on the trade front since that time.

Another person Priestner likely picked up tips from came from observing Lethbridge Hurricanes general manager Peter Anholt.

One day after the 2017-18 campaign ended, Priestner released head coach Dean Brockman, who was about 16 years older than Priestner. While Brockman was a great coach with a lengthy resume of success at the junior A level with the Humboldt Broncos, things just didn’t work out with him and Priestner. Those things happen in the world of hockey and no hard feelings are kept.

At a time when WHL teams often recycled veteran head coaches, Anholt out in Lethbridge hired 32-year-old Brent Kisio to be his head coach with the Hurricanes before the start of the 2015-16 campaign. Kisio had been a long time assistant coach with the Calgary Hitmen and was more than ready for a head coach opportunity.

Anholt went back to a previous era in the WHL, when the circuit saw a lot of good younger head coaches move on to the professional ranks. The Hurricanes experienced a fair amount of success with Kisio as head coach before he moved on to join the Henderson Silver Knights of the AHL as an assistant coach.

Priestner went the younger route and hit grand slams with his next two head coach hires. In May of 2018, Priestner hired then 33-year-old Mitch Love to be the Blades head coach.

Love had been a long time Everett Silvertips assistant coach before joining the Blades. The Blades were one of the WHL’s top tier teams in the three seasons Love served as head coach before moving on to the professional ranks. He is currently an assistant coach with the NHL’s Washington Capitals.

Colin Priestner speaks at a press conference in 2019.

After Love left for the professional ranks, Priestner hired the Blades current head coach Brennan Sonne on July 21, 2021. Sonne was 34-years-old when he came to the Blades. He has been a Silvertips assistant coach for three seasons and head coach of the Angers club in the professional league in France for four seasons.

Before Sonne became Saskatoon’s head coach, the last time the Blades were in the Eastern Conference final was back in 1994, when Molleken was guiding the team as head coach. It is a safe bet to believe Sonne is going to get a professional opportunity sooner than later, but Blades fans can hope Sonne decides he could be to the Blades what Brian Kilrea was to the Ottawa 67’s.

Priestner likely picked up some lessons studying Medicine Hat Tigers head coach and general manager Willie Desjardins. The biggest lessons there would be invest in and have empathy for your players.

Arguably the best work Priestner did as general manager was helping a pair of his best players in Aidan De La Gorgendiere and Egor Sidorov navigate rough waters there are no textbooks for.

De La Gorgendiere had to deal with the passing of his mother, Marla Meginbir, due to cancer on November 12, 2019 at age 51. At the time, De La Gorgendiere was skating through his 17-year-old sophomore season.

In the past, it was common that careers for WHL players that deal with the passing of a parent don’t end up being as successful as they should have been. The passing of a parent is a lot for a teenage aged player to deal with.

From left, Les Lazaruk, Colin Priestner and Lorne Molleken in 2022.

With Priestner’s help in that situation, De La Gorgendiere went on to become the Blades captain in his last two seasons with the club in 2021-22 and 2022-23 before graduating from the major junior ranks. He still has the potential to be in the NHL one day but at the moment is looking after his schooling playing for the storied University of Alberta Golden Bears Men’s Hockey Team in the U Sports ranks.

Sidorov is current the Blades star 19-year-old right-winger from Belarus, who posted 50 goals, 38 assists and a plus-eight rating in 66 contest in the 2023-24 regular season for the Blades. Late in Sidorov’s 17-year-old rookie season with the Blades, Russia invaded Ukraine in February of 2022, and Belarus supported Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Due the instability in that part of the world, it was decided that Sidorov would remain in Canada. Priestner went the extra mile dealing with immigration to allow Sidorov to remain in the country.

With the support of Priestner and the Blades, Sidorov had a stellar 2022-23 campaign recording 40 goals, 36 assists and a plus-25 rating in 53 regular season games. He posted nine goals, 10 assists and plus-three rating in 16 appearances in the 2023 WHL Playoffs.

That resulted in Sidorov being selected in the third round and 85^th overall by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. He signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Ducks on April 3.

Once he was drafted by the Ducks, Sidorov made it back to Belarus to visit his family.

If you’re a parent and you saw how spectacularly Priestner handled De La Gorgendiere’s and Sidorov’s situations, you would want your kid to play for the Saskatoon Blades.

Colin Priestner hugs Blades star RW Egor Sidorov.

Once viewed as the hockey outsider, Priestner has grown into an elite level general manager. On the side, he could still craft a good song or show off a few tricks on the tennis court when those opportunities present themselves too.

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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De La Gorgendiere eyes up long playoff run with Golden Bears

U of A pulls out 5-4 OT win over Huskies in Game 3

Aidan De La Gorgendiere (#6) shields the puck from a checker.

Welcome to the world of U Sports men’s hockey Aidan De La Gorgendiere.

The Abbotsford, B.C., product, who is best known for being a career member of the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades, is making an immediate impact with the storied University of Alberta Golden Bears. On Sunday playing a series deciding Game 3 of a Canada West Conference quarter-final set against the Golden Bears “forever rivals” in the University of Saskatchewan Huskies at Merlis Belsher Place, De La Gorgendiere scored his team’s first goal and picked up an assist on the overtime winner in a 5-4 victory.

The win allowed the Golden Bears to take the best-of-three set 2-1. The Huskies took Game 1 of the series 4-2 on Friday at Merlis, and the Golden Bears claimed Game 2 by a 3-2 final on Saturday at the same venue.

Aidan De La Gorgendiere had the Golden Bears first goal on Sunday.

With the series win, the Golden Bears advance to face the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in a best-of-three Canada West semifinal series with the dates and times to be determined for this coming weekend.

“It obviously feels awesome,” said De La Gorgendiere. “We didn’t play near to our best on Friday there.

“I feel like the last two games we kind of figured it out and got back to what makes us successful. We were skating good. We were moving our feet out there.

“It feels awesome to get the win.”

Aidan De La Gorgendiere drives a shot on goal for the Golden Bears.

When Sunday’s clash between the Golden Bears and Huskies went to overtime locked in a 4-4 tie, it seemed like the visitors found another gear holding a 5-1 edge in shots on goal. At the 4:53 mark of the extra session, De La Gorgendiere, who stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 188 pounds, got the puck over to rookie right-winger Connor McClennon on the right wing.

Aidan De La Gorgendiere assisted on the OT winner on Sunday.

McClennon fired a shot on goal that was redirected by Golden Bears fourth-year left-winger Daneel Lategan past Huskies netminder Roddy Ross to give the visitors their dramatic 5-4 victory to the disappointment of most of the 1,236 spectators in attendance.

In May of last year, De La Gorgendiere and McClennon were on opposite sides of the WHL’s Eastern Conference Championship Series. De La Gorgendiere was skating for the Blades and McClennon was playing for the Winnipeg Ice. The Ice swept the best-of-seven series 4-0 to bring an end to De La Gorgendiere’s WHL playing days.

Just a little over nine months later, De La Gorgendiere and McClennon were teaming to set up an overtime series winning goal for the Golden Bears.

Aidan De La Gorgendiere, left, gets in a net front battle.

“It is pretty crazy to think about,” said De La Gorgendiere, who will turn 22-years-old this coming Thursday. “Me and Connor have played against each other it seems like our whole lives.

“Being on the same team with him is pretty nice. Obviously, he is a pretty talented player and a skilled player. It is awesome to have him out there.

“We’re looking forward to the next round.”

De La Gorgendiere came to the Golden Bears after trying to find the right opportunity in the professional ranks. After he exhausted his WHL eligibility with the Blades, he went to camp with the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche before the start of the current campaign.

When things didn’t work out with the Avalanche, De La Gorgendiere went to camp with the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL. The Admirals are the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Nashville Predators.

Cade Hayes scored the Huskies first goal on Sunday.

De Le Gorgendiere was then sent down to the Atlanta Gladiators of the ECHL. He played 10 games for the Gladiators posting one goal, four assists and a plus-four rating in the plus-minus department.

During that time, it crossed De La Gorgendiere’s mind that maybe he should put his professional hockey aspirations on the back burner and make sure he has something to fall back on in going the university hockey route to get a degree.

“Probably mid November, I kind of decided I should reconsider my schooling package I got with the Western Hockey League,” said De La Gorgendiere, who is in the arts faculty at the U of A. “I am here now.

“I’m focused on winning a championship. Obviously, I still want to play pro.”

Dawson Holt (#16) had the Huskies second goal on Sunday.

De La Gorgendiere began playing with the Golden Bears after they returned from their Christmas break. In 10 regular season games with the Golden Bears, De La Gorgendiere recorded one goal, 10 assists and a minus-two rating. In the three-game series victory over the Huskies, De La Gorgendiere posted one goal, two assists and a plus-two rating.

He added he got swayed to joining the Golden Bears due to the fact they had a number of his former Blades teammates on their roster including Blake Gustafson, Wyatt McLeod, Noah Boyko, Eric Florchuk and Josh Paterson.

Alex Thacker had a pair of goals for the Golden Bears on Sunday.

“It did for sure,” said De La Gorgendiere about joining the Golden Bears due to the presence of numerous Blades alums. “Obviously, the program speaks for itself the history of guys signing pro deals and NHL deals, American League deals and whatever it may be out of this program.

“It was a pretty easy decision for me.”

As for Sunday’s game between the Golden Bears and Huskies, momentum seemed to jump constantly between the two sides. The Huskies got out to a 1-0 lead in the first period on a goal by rookie centre Cade Hayes, and the hosts pushed their edge out to 2-0 early in the second on a tally from third-year right-winger Dawson Holt.

Ty Prefontaine had a short-handed goal for the Huskies.

At the 4:20 mark of the second, De La Gorgendiere scored for the Golden Bears to get them some traction and cut the Huskies lead to 2-1. Golden Bears rookie left-winger Alex Thacker followed with a pair of goals to put the visitors up 3-2.

With 5:09 remaining in the second, Huskies third-year defenceman Ty Prefontaine scored a short-handed goal to even the score at 3-3.

De La Gorgendiere said the intensity of the clashes between the Golden Bears and Huskies was similar to what he experienced in the rivalry games in the WHL played between his Blades and their archrivals the Prince Albert Raiders. He said the momentum changes in Sunday’s contest between the Golden Bears and Huskies were noticeable.

Vince Loschiavo gave the Huskies a 4-3 lead in the third.

“I think on our end we probably could have been a little more tight in our neutral zone and defensive zone there,” said De La Gorgendiere. “We had a couple of breakdowns there.

“It is the ebbs and flows of hockey. It seems like it happens in every game. This one seemed to be a little more I guess.

“All in all, I thought we competed hard and played well.”

The Huskies went back out in front 4-3 at the 6:44 mark of the third after third-year star right-winger Vince Loschiavo scored on the power play. The host side finished the contest 1-for-4 on the power play.

Tyler Preziuso scored for the Golden Bears to force OT.

The Golden Bears would even the score at 4-4 with a power-play goal of their own coming at the 10:49 mark of the third off the stick of third-year right-winger Tyler Preziuso. The visitors were 1-for-7 on the power play.

That set the stage for the Golden Bears to get the game and series winner in overtime from Lategan.

Second-year netminder Ethan Kruger made 29 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Golden Bears. Ross turned away 29 shots to take the setback in net for the Huskies.

Going into this Canada West quarter-final series, the two sides weren’t separated by a whole lot. The Huskies, who are rated eighth in the U Sports Top 10 Rankings, finished fourth in the Canada West regular season standings with a 20-6-1-1 record. The Golden Bears placed fifth with an 18-8-2 mark.

Daneel Lategan scored the OT winner for the Golden Bears.

U of A will be an underdog in a semifinal series against the Thunderbirds. The Thunderbirds, who are rated fifth in the U Sports Top 10 Rankings, topped the Canada West regular season standings with a 22-4-1-1 mark. They also won three out of the four head-to-head meeting with the Golden Bears in the regular season.

With that noted, De La Gorgendiere believes the chemistry of his Golden Bears side is coming around, and he has faith his squad will give the Thunderbirds a good battle.

“They are a skilled team,” said De La Gorgendiere. “Obviously, they have some high end talent up front and some good D-men as well.

The Golden Bears celebrate their OT win and series victory on Sunday.

“We just have to bring our A-game. We have to come ready to skate and come ready to play, and I think we should find success.”

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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De La Gorgendiere thankful for time with Blades

Graduating captain played entire WHL career in Saskatoon

Aidan De La Gorgendiere (#5) enjoys a goal with his teammates.

Aidan De La Gorgendiere never imagined how important the Saskatoon Blades would be when it came to being there for the ups and downs of the late teenage years of his life.

Way back in the 2017 WHL Bantam Draft, the Blades selected De La Gorgendiere in the first round and fifth overall. In late May of 2017, the Langley, B.C., product took part in an introductory press conference along with good friend Kyle Crnkovic, who is currently playing with the WHL champion Seattle Thunderbirds at the Memorial Cup tournament in Kamloops, B.C.

A short time after the Blades drafted De La Gorgendiere, the reliable defenceman found out his mother, Marla Meginbir, had been diagnosed with cancer. She would pass away on November 12, 2019 at age 51, when De La Gorgendiere was skating through his 17-year-old sophomore season with the club. 

With the support of the Blades he had though that time, De La Gorgendiere couldn’t imagine playing for another WHL team.

“I’m going to be really thankful and happy,” said De La Gorgendiere about playing his entire WHL career with the Blades. “I wouldn’t be here without the Priestner family (and Blades owners) drafting me at 15-years-old and not really knowing what to expect.

“My first year, it was a really big learning experience for me. They’ve been awesome to me. This past year was awesome.”

De La Gorgendiere missed the tail end of the Blades abbreviated season in 2020-21 when they were playing in a bubble environment at the Brandt Centre in Regina due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that had gripped the world. During his first campaign as the team’s captain in 2021-22, De La Gorgendiere missed the last part of the regular season and the entire WHL Playoffs due to season ending shoulder surgery.

Aidan De La Gorgendiere, right, at his first Blades presser in 2017.

In his 20-year-old campaign this past season, De La Gorgendiere appeared in 65 regular season contests with the Blades posting 12 goals, 53 assists and a plus-19 rating in the plus-minus department. He skated in all of the Blades 18 post-season games posting three goals, 14 assists and a minus-two rating.

De La Gorgendiere helped the Blades post a 48-15-4-1 regular season record to finish fourth overall in the WHL and 10^th in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. The Blades advanced to the WHL’s Eastern Conference Championship Series for the first time in 29 years where they got swept by the Winnipeg Ice.

In a WHL Eastern Conference semifinal series, the Blades fell behind the Red Deer Rebels 3-0 before rallying to take the best-of-seven set 4-3. The Blades became the third team in the history of the WHL to comeback after being down 3-0 in a best-of-seven series to take the set 4-3. 

They joined the 1996 Spokane Chiefs and the 2013 Kelowna Rockets as the three clubs to pull off that comeback.

During the first round of the WHL Playoffs, the Blades eliminated 17-year-old phenom centre Connor Bedard and the Regina Pats in an exciting seven-game series. The Blades drew over 10,000 fans for the first three home games of that series and a sellout crowd of 14,768 spectators to the SaskTel Centre for their 4-1 victory in Game 7.

Overall, De La Gorgendiere found this past season to be his most enjoyable campaign with the Blades.

“It was probably the most fun I’ve had just with our group we’ve had and how tight we are off the ice,” said De La Gorgendiere, who stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 184 pounds. “I think that has big correlation to our play on the ice there.

Aidan De La Gorgendiere spent his whole WHL career with the Blades.

“Playing in front of sold out rinks was pretty cool, especially when there is 15,000 people cheering for your team. The fans were awesome for us this playoff run.”

De La Gorgendiere’s WHL career came to an end on May 3, when the Blades dropped a 3-2 decision to the Ice in Winnipeg’s Game 4 Eastern Conference Championship Series win at the SaskTel Centre. After the Blades saluted their fans while being saluted themselves by their faithful, De La Gorgendiere was the final Saskatoon player to step off the ice.

Before coming off the ice, he first gave a stick to some friends in the crowd. De La Gorgendiere then reflected on all the good memories he collected playing for the team before stepping off the ice to depart for the dressing room. He also felt sad at the same time knowing his time playing for the Blades had come to an end.

The star rearguard was also happy to think about how far the team had come during his time with the club. When he joined the Blades, they were going through a stretch of missing the post-season for five straight campaigns.

That drought came in an end in De La Gorgendiere’s rookie year in 2018-19 finishing fourth overall in the league with a 45-15-8 mark. This past season, the Blades had their longest post-season run since making the WHL final in 1994, when they fell in seven games to the eventual Memorial Cup champion Kamloops Blazers.

“It is pretty cool,” said De La Gorgendiere about seeing the Blades progress during his time with the squad. “I think being part of that culture change around our organization and a lot of change that happened throughout those years.

“I’m fortunate enough to stick around through it all, so I’ve kind of seen it. I’m so fortunate to be around here. I tried and did my best for this team and this organization and helped with my leadership qualities I guess.”

Aidan De La Gorgendiere was the Blades captain the past two seasons.

The now 21-year-old earned the respect of players and coaches around the WHL during his playing career. Ice head coach James Patrick, who played 1,280 career regular season games in the NHL as a defenceman from 1983 to 2004, would like to see De La Gorgendiere play in the professional ranks. The two talked in the handshake line for a short visit after the Ice eliminated the Blades.

“For me, certainly in the last two years he was one of the best defencemen in the league,” said Patrick. “I’d put him up in the top two or three D.

“Every game we played them over the last couple of years he was a handful for us. He was a guy who played 30 minutes a night. He could join as a fourth man.

“He is as mobile a D as there is on the blue-line. I told him what an outstanding career he has had here. I told him I know he can play at the next level, and I hope he gets that opportunity.”

Blades head coach Brennan Sonne said that De La Gorgendiere did a tonne for getting the Blades to where they are today.

“What a job at building a culture, because it is not just the coaches,” said Sonne, who was named the WHL’s coach of the year for this past season. “The players have to want that too.

“Sometimes, they don’t, and there is the push back. He steered the ship. When we left the room, he steered the ship in terms of fitness culture, in terms of how we do business, in terms of how we act, how we work in practice.

“Incredible leader. I’m very, very proud of him. He has a very long pro career coming.”

De La Gorgendiere is still exploring what his future options are in continuing his playing career. He added that one of the biggest honours he received in his time in Saskatoon was being named the captain of the Blades.

Aidan De La Gorgendiere (#5) hugs Tanner Molendyk.

During his first three seasons with the Blades, De La Gorgendiere watched how Chase Wouters carried himself as captain of the team. The two became good friends, and once De La Gorgendiere became captain, he would contact Wouters to talk about various variables about the leadership role.

Overall, De Le Gorgendiere wanted to carry on the outstanding work Wouters put in as the Blades captain. De La Gorgendiere was proud to be the captain of the Blades.

“It means a lot to me,” said De La Gorgendiere. “I pride myself in being a good teammate and a good person and trying to be a leader for our team.

“Young guys coming in, I try and welcome them and make them feel comfortable. I’d say I pride myself in wearing this letter. I’m just happy I could be that guy for this team.”

DaSilva inks extension with Blades, named associate coach

Dan DaSilva, back row centre, checks out action from the Blades’ bench.

Dan DaSilva will be back with the Saskatoon Blades as part of the team’s coaching staff.

On Wednesday, the club announced DaSilva, who is from Saskatoon, signed a two-year extension with the team and has been promoted from assistant coach to associate coach. DaSilva, who is 38-years-old, joined the Blades before the start of the 2021-22 campaign and has helped the club post an 86-41-7-2 over the past two seasons.

Last season with DaSilva on a staff led by head coach Brennan Sonne, 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. In the post-season, the Blades advanced to the WHL’s Eastern Conference Championship Series for the first time in 29 seasons falling in a sweep to the Winnipeg Ice.

In an Eastern Conference semifinal series, the Blades fell behind the Red Deer Rebels 3-0 before rallying to take the series 4-3. With that rally, the Blades became the third team in the history of the WHL to rally from behind down 3-0 in a best-of-seven series before coming back to take the set 4-3. They joined the 1996 Spokane Chiefs and the 2013 Kelowna Rockets as the three clubs to pull off that comeback.

“I’m very happy to be coming back for another two years,” said DaSilva in a release. “I’d like to thank the Priestner family and (associate general manager) Steve Hildebrand for believing in me and giving me this opportunity.

“The organization has been unbelievable to me and my family over the past two years, and so it was an easy decision to return for two more. I look forward to getting back to work with the coaching staff and players later this summer. We have a great group, and I see big things happening over the next two seasons.”

A graduate of the Saskatoon Contacts under-18 AAA team, DaSilva played right wing for three seasons from 2002 to 2005 with the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks appearing in 200 WHL regular season contests piling up 76 goals and 75 assists for 151 points. He moved on to play professionally for 15 seasons from 2005 to 2020 with various clubs in North America and Europe.

“Since day one, Dan has been a leader with his care and passion for the players,” said Sonne in a release. “His positivity within the coaches’ office and in the dressing room is infectious, and his growth as a coach has been exponential.

“The best coaches are those that are simultaneously good people and (have) good hockey minds, and when you already have one within your organization, you do your utmost to retain them.”

DaSilva rejoins Sonne’s staff that features assistant coach Wacey Rabbit, goaltending coach Jeff Harvey, assistant coach Jerome Engele and video coach Braeden Dahl.

Blades deal Roulette to Chiefs

Conner Roulette in action for the Blades in the WHL Playoffs.

Conner Roulette will be finishing up his WHL career with a team other than the Saskatoon Blades.

On Wednesday, the Blades dealt the 20-year-old standout right-winger to the Spokane Chiefs for a second round selection in the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft and a third pick in the 2027 Prospects Draft. The Blades acquired Roulette in a trade on August 30, 2022 with the Seattle Thunderbirds.

In the 2022-23 campaign, Roulette appeared in 60 regular season games with the Blades recording 24 goals, 39 assists and a plus-19 rating in the plus-minus department. He picked up another three goals and four assists in the Blades 18 games played in the 2023 WHL Playoffs.

In 191 career WHL regular season games played with the Thunderbirds and Blades, Roulette has posted 73 goals, 107 assists and a plus-59 rating. Roulette was selected by the Dallas Stars in the fourth round and 111^th overall in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.

“We would like to thank Conner for a great season with us,” said Blades general manager Colin Priestner in a release. “He was a great player on the ice and his leadership with Indigenous youth in our city will have a lasting impact.”

With having dealt Roulette to the Chiefs, the Blades now have six players who could return this coming season to compete for three 20-year-old sports. Defencemen Charlie Wright and Spencer Shugrue along with forwards Jayden Wiens, Trevor Wong, Justin Lies and Jake Chiasson are the players that could potentially be battling for the Blades three 20-year-old spots. Chiasson has a signed NHL entry-level contract with the Edmonton Oilers.

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29 years in the making – Blades unique playoff run memorable

Provided great follow for stellar regular season

The Blades salute their fans at the SaskTel Centre on Wednesday.

It will go down as the “I’m Still Standing” playoff run for the Saskatoon Blades.

When the Blades business brass were putting together plans for game day presentation for the 2022-23 campaign, it is highly unlikely anyone could foresee how fitting the decision would be to make Elton John’s hit tune from 1983 the club’s victory song. No one could have thought the Blades would win five games where they faced elimination from the WHL Playoffs and playing “I’m Still Standing” would be the perfect conclusion for the night’s events.

The Blades entered the post-season having put together a 48-15-4-1 record to sit fourth overall in the WHL regular season standings and were rated 10^th in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. In the WHL Playoffs, the Blades eliminated Connor Bedard and the Regina Pats in an exciting seven game first round series, came back down 3-0 to take out the Red Deer Rebels in a seven game Eastern Conference semifinal series before being swept 4-0 by the Winnipeg Ice in the Eastern Conference final.

Blades fans cheer their team's Game 7 win over the Pats on April 10.

In total, the Blades played 18 post-season contests in the span of 34 days. The series comeback against the Rebels ensures that this edition of the Blades will be remembered forever.

They joined the 1996 Spokane Chiefs and the 2013 Kelowna Rockets as the only teams to lose the first three games in a best-of-seven series and rally to take the set. Any time a team falls behind 3-0 in a best-of-seven WHL post-season series, the 2023 Blades will be mentioned alongside the 1996 Chiefs and the 2013 Rockets as the teams that rallied back to win a series from that type of deficit.

The scene after Trevor Wong scores an empty-net goal versus the Pats.

Overall, the Blades made their longest playoff run in 29 years. The last time they were in the Eastern Conference final was in 1994, when they eliminated the Brandon Wheat Kings in five games before falling to the eventual Memorial Cup champion Kamloops Blazers in the WHL final.

Going into the post-season, there were no thoughts about the Blades making their longest in the WHL Playoffs in 29 years. The single dominant storyline was the Blades versus Bedard.

Spencer Shugrue became “Mr. Game 7” for the Blades.

The Blades final two regular season home games were played against the 17-year-old phenom centre and the Pats. In the current seating configuration for the SaskTel Centre, the Blades sold out both of those contests with 14,768 spectators turning out for each of those games. 

That figure goes down as a Blades home attendance record, and those games were the first sellouts for the team in the SaskTel Centre’s current seating configuration.

Regina claimed the first encounter 4-2 on March 19, while Saskatoon took the second meeting 3-2 on March 24. The sellouts in contests involving Bedard were not a surprise.

Pats C Connor Bedard weaves his way through the Blades.

Bedard’s brand took a huge jump upwards since returning from this past world juniors held in Halifax, N.S., and Moncton, N.B. At that event, 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. Once he was back in the WHL, any game that involved Bedard was usually sold out and sometimes set a building attendance record.

In the seven games against the Blades, Bedard did his best to win that first round series by himself posting 10 goals, 10 assists and a plus-eight rating in the plus-minus department. He was in on 20 of the Pats 26 goals.

The highlights of every game of that series were shown nationally on TSN and Sportsnet often just showing Bedard’s plays with the final score. Still, the series was getting national attention.

Egor Sidorov (#19) starts celebrating scoring an OT winner.

The Pats won the first two games of the set in Saskatoon. In Game 3 in Regina, it appeared the Blades were going to make a quick post-season exit. At the 9:39 mark of the third period, Bedard scored to give the Pats a 3-1 lead and the sellout crowd of 6,499 spectators at the Brandt Centre was rocking.

Just 53 seconds later, import star right-winger Egor Sidorov scored for the Blades to cut the Pats lead to 3-2. Blades star left-winger Brandon Lisowsky netted the equalizer with 27.2 seconds remaining in the third to force a 3-3 tie and overtime. At the 5:19 mark of overtime, Sidorov got the puck deep in the Regina zone, drove around Pats star import defenceman Stanislav Svozil, cut across the front of the Pats goal and tucked home the winner to give the Blades a 4-3 victory.

Jake Chiasson scored a big OT winner for the Blades.

On night later in Game 4 at the Brandt Centre, Blades star left-winger Jake Chiasson scored the winner in overtime to give the Blades another 4-3 after again rallying from a 3-1 deficit in the contest. The Blades claimed Game 5 at home and the Pats took Game 6 at home to set up a winner take all Game 7.

In Games 1, 2 and 5 at the SaskTel Centre, the Blades drew respective crowds of 10,265 spectators, 10,598 fans and 12,098 onlookers. For Game 7 held on April 10, the Blades would get a sellout crowd to cement their post-season attendance record at home at 14,768 spectators. The host side was facing elimination from the post-season for the first time and skated away with a 4-1 victory.

Pats F Connor Bedard (#98) and Blades F Justin Lies (#43) shake hands.

The joy of the series win against the Pats didn’t last long. In an Eastern Conference semifinal series against Red Deer, the Rebels were poised, businesslike, hard-working and paid great attention to systems play claiming the first three games of the series outscoring the Blades 11-4. Saskatoon’s players looked like they were skating through quicksand trying to work their way up ice against the Rebels.

In Game 4 in Red Deer, it appeared this time the Blades would bow out of the post-season. The Rebels held a 2-0 lead after the first period and were up 2-1 going into the second intermission. Saskatoon was 20 minutes away from playoff elimination.

Egor Sidorov, left, and Tanner Molendyk celebrate a goal in Red Deer.

The Blades proceeded to roll off three straight goals in the third coming off the sticks of hard-working centre Jayden Wiens, Lisowsky and offensive-defenceman Tanner Molendyk to pull out a 4-2 victory. Following that rally up with wins in Games 5 and 6, the Blades were set to host Game 7 against the Rebels on April 25.

The two clubs were tied 2-2 going into the third period of Game 7, and the Blades rolled off three consecutive goals before a raucous and appreciative crowd of 9,489 spectators.

Blades utility player Spencer Shugrue cemented the fact he would be known as “Mr. Game 7” scoring two goals including the winner in that victory over the Rebels. Shugrue scored his team’s first goal in their Game 7 first round series win over the Pats and assisted on Chiasson’s game and series winner in that contest.

Blake Gustafson was injured in the series win over Red Deer.

While the Blades made history in their 3-0 series comeback against the Rebels, it wasn’t all good news. Saskatoon lost solid defensive-defencemen Blake Gustafson and Ben Saunderson to injuries in the series against the Rebels. Both weren’t available to play in the series against the Ice.

It wasn’t a good situation as the Ice topped the WHL regular season standings with a 57-10-1 mark and were rated third in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings.

The Blades dressed Black ace Morgan Tastad, who turned 17-years-old in January, and import rookie Tomas Zizka on the back end. Tastad played most of the 2022-23 campaign with the Saskatoon Contacts under-18 AAA team. In 41 regular season appearances with the Contacts, Tastad had three goals and 24 assists.

The Blades celebrate a series winning goal by Spencer Shugrue (#26).

Zizka suited up for 32 regular season games for the Blades recording two assists and a plus-six rating. Both Zizka and Tastad played limited minutes.

As a result, captain Aidan De La Gorgendiere, Molendyk, Charlie Wright and Shugrue played the bulk of the action it the four games against the Ice.

The Blades proceeded to lose Sidorov to injury in Game 2 against the Ice. Once the Blades back home to host Games 3 and 4 of that set, it was obvious the team was wearing down.

They tried to make one last push in Game 4 on Wednesday. The Blades got out to a good start and De La Gorgendiere opened the contest’s scoring at the 15:08 mark of the first period.

Aidan De La Gorgendiere looks to start a rush for the Blades.

The Ice evened the score at 1-1 heading into the first intermission and the teams were tied at 2-2 early in the third. Centre Briley Wood scored the game and series winner at the 6:19 mark of the third to deliver the Ice to a 3-2 victory before 5,638 spectators.

The Blades received a warm final salute before leaving to their dressing room. The WHL careers of De La Gorgendiere, Gustafson and centre Josh Pillar all came to an end as they were playing out their 20-year-old seasons.

Throughout the playoffs, the Blades received timely big saves from netminders Ethan Chadwick and Austin Elliott. Star centre Trevor Wong topped the team in scoring with 21 points coming off six goals and 15 assists.

Blades HC Brennan Sonne was the WHL’s coach of the year.

Sidorov was second in team scoring with nine goals and 10 assists. De La Gorgendiere was third in team scoring and topped all Blades defencemen with 17 points coming off three goals and 14 assists.

Throughout the post-season, the Blades received gritty performances from Wiens, Vaughn Watterodt, Lukas Hansen, Jordan Keller and Justin Lies in the forward group.

Blades head coach Brennan Sonne was named the WHL’s coach of the year, and he long with his staff ensured the team’s players always believed they could rally past whatever adversity they faced. Over the entire campaign, Colin Priestner cemented himself as one of the league’s elite level general managers for his work on all fronts with the club.

The Blades and Ice shake hands after the Eastern Conference final.

The best part about the whole playoff run was that people in Saskatoon started talking about the Blades more than they had in arguably a decade. It became more frequent to see children around town wearing Blades jerseys.

Time will tell if the good vibes and Blades themselves will remain in the minds of the casual fans. 

The team still has to keep putting in the work to keep getting those casual followers out to games.

Aidan De La Gorgendiere hugs a teammate at the Blades bench.

At this moment, the people in Saskatoon are pumped about the memories the Blades gave to the city. They came through with unique moments that many never be replicated in the future.

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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Sweet WHL Eastern Conference title sweep for Ice

Winnipeg advances to league championship series

The Ice celebrate Briley Wood’s winning goal on Wednesday.

The Winnipeg Ice withstood the hurricane they expected was coming.

On Wednesday night, the Ice were trying to capture the WHL’s Eastern Conference Championship by sweeping the host Saskatoon Blades out of the best-of-seven conference final at the SaskTel Centre. The Blades, who were down 3-0 in the series, came out on fire and gave every last bit of gas they had in playing their 18^th post-season contest in 34 days.

The host side jumped ahead 1-0 in the opening frame to excite the 5,638 spectators in attendance, but the Ice evened things at 1-1 heading into the first intermission. The Ice led 2-1 after 40 minutes only for the Blades to even the score at the 2:45 mark of the third.

Ice captain Carson Lambos, left, gets a conference title trophy.

At the 6:19 mark of the third, unlikely heroes came through for the Ice in left-winger Carson Latimer and centre Briley Wood. Latimer had the puck at the left side boards in the Saskatoon and fed a pass to the front of the net to Wood. Wood deflected the puck past Blades netminder Austin Elliott to put the visitors up 3-2.

The Ice were able to close out things defensively from there and make that 3-2 score hold up as the game’s final. With the win, the Ice sweep the Eastern Conference Championship Series 4-0.

“It is a great accomplishment,” said Ice captain Carson Lambos, whose club lost last year’s Eastern Conference final to the eventual WHL champion Edmonton Oil Kings in five games. “I think a lot of guys in our room ending last season the way we did it was pretty disappointing.

The Ice are pictured with the Eastern Conference title trophy.

“It left a sour taste for a long time. To get to where we are right now, it is a great feeling, but at the same time, we haven’t accomplished our main goal. We still have a lot of work to do.”

With the series win over the Blades, the Ice advance to the WHL Championship Series to host the winner of the best-of-seven Western Conference Championship Series between the Seattle Thunderbirds and Kamloops Blazers. The Thunderbirds lead that series 2-1 with Game 4 set for Thursday in Kamloops.

If the Blazers prevail in that series, the Ice will earn a berth in the CHL championship tournament – the Memorial Cup – as the WHL representative. The Blazers host the Memorial Cup tournament from May 26 to June 4 at the Sandman Centre in Kamloops, so the WHL’s Eastern Conference Champion would make that event, if Kamloops makes the WHL final.

Blades players digest their Eastern Conference final loss

Ultimately, the Ice would like to win the WHL title and move on to capture the Memorial Cup as their main goal. Still, Ice head coach James Patrick was pumped his team won the Eastern Conference title on Wednesday.

“Right now, I feel proud of the group,” said Patrick. “Last year, we had a good playoff run.

“We didn’t get past this round. From that point on, we talked about what we had to do to be a better playoff team to play the game the right way to be stronger. We made a commitment in the off-season and during the season.

The Ice and Blades shake hands at the conclusion of their series.

“We spent more time in the gym. It was could we get stronger as the year went on, because you know come playoff time it is 50/50 battles. It is paying the price.”

As for the Blades, they went into Game 4 with optimistic hopes. When they faced the Red Deer Rebels in a best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal series, the Blades fell behind 3-0 in that set. In Game 4 of that series in Red Deer, the Blades trailed 2-0 after the first period and 2-1 after the second frame. Saskatoon was 20 minutes away from having its season come to an end.

Defensive partners Tanner Molendyk and Aidan De La Gorgendiere hug.

The Blades rallied to take Game 4 by a 4-2 score and ultimately came back to claim a series deciding Game 7 by a 5-2 score again at the SaskTel Centre before 9,489 spectators. Saskatoon joined the 1996 Spokane Chiefs and the 2013 Kelowna Rockets as the only teams to lose the first three games in a best-of-seven series and rally to take the set.

Saskatoon went into Wednesday’s game having won five straight contests in the current WHL post-season where they faced elimination from the playoffs. The streak included four straight wins against the Rebels and a 4-1 victory in Game 7 of a first round series against Connor Bedard and the Regina Pats.

The Blades celebrate a goal by Aidan De La Gorgendiere (#5).

That streak came to an end on Wednesday, but Blades head coach Brennan Sonne loved how his team went down fighting.

“Every ounce of gas that those guys had in the tank they used,” said Sonne. “That tank is completely dry.

“There is no hanging heads in shame at all. (It is) the opposite. (I am) completely and absolutely utterly proud of this team.”

In Wednesday’s encounter, the Blades open the game’s scoring with 4:52 remaining in the first when captain and offensive-defenceman Aidan De La Gorgendiere fired home a point shot on a delayed penalty call on the Ice. The 1-0 lead marked the first time in the series the Blades were ahead on the scoreboard in the series.

Aidan De La Gorgendiere played his final game for the Blades.

The advantage lasted for three minutes and 32 seconds.

The Ice pulled even at 1-1 scoring on a power play with 1:20 remaining in the first period. Ice star centre Matthew Savoie wired a shot off the crossbar and the rebound was collected by Ice star right-winger Connor McClennon. McClennon tucked the puck into the left side of the Saskatoon net for the equalizer.

Winnipeg exited the opening frame holding an 11-8 edge in shots on goal. The Ice jacked up the pressure in the second holding a 16-4 advantage in shots on goal in the frame, but the visitors only exited the stanza with a 2-1 edge.

Connor McClennon scored twice for the Ice on Wednesday.

The Ice go-ahead goal came when some fatigue was coming over the Blades skaters. Ice standout defenceman Graham Sward had the puck at the right point in the Saskatoon zone, and he fed a pass to McClennon who was somehow alone in front of the Saskatoon net.

McClennon’s initial shot from point blank range was stopped by Elliott, but the Winnipeg winger banged home the rebound from his own shot to give his squad a 2-1 advantage. Patrick was pleased to see how well his squad responded after falling behind on the scoreboard and was impressed by the battle that the opposition presented.

“I felt that this was the best game that they (the Blades) had played,” said Patrick. “I give the Blades all the credit in the world for the resiliency, the no quit and what they had to do to get to this coming back from the deficits they did.

Trevor Wong got a positive bounce third period goal.

“I felt at the start of the series they looked tired. They had some beat up bodies, and they had some injures. I felt this was the toughest game.

“This was what it was like playing them all year long.”

Even after falling behind going into the third period, the Blades didn’t pack it in and kept fighting. At the 2:45 mark of the third, utility player Spencer Shugrue fired a shot from the point that deflected off Blades star centre Trevor Wong at the right side of the Winnipeg goal and found its way into the visitor’s net to tie things up at 2-2.

That set the stage for Latimer’s and Wood’s heroics just under four minutes later. Patrick was pleased to see Latimer and Wood deliver in the clutch.

Graham Sward had an assist for the Ice on Wednesday.

“I think the depth that has been a big part of our success,” said Patrick. “When you have a guy like Carson Latimer who can play anywhere in the lineup, we kind of had him playing with (Conor) Geekie and moved him down to (Briley) Wood.

“The two of them made the big play at the right time.”

Elliott stopped 33 shots to take the setback in goal for the Blades. Hauser turned away 16 shots to pick up the win in net for the Ice.

“We did come out hard,” said De La Gorgendiere, who graduated from the junior ranks with the Blades loss on Wednesday. “I feel like we were pretty desperate tonight.

“Aussie (Austin Elliott) was awesome for us. He made some huge saves to keep us in that game. Obviously, we find a way to get a power play or two there.

Austin Elliott made 33 saves in goal for the Blades on Wednesday.

“Everything is still pretty fresh to me right now. I thought our work was there and our desperation. That is all you can really ask for.”

The Blades were without solid defensive-defencemen Blake Gustafson and Ben Saunderson once again as they were both injured in the team’s Eastern Conference semifinal series win over the Rebels. Saskatoon was also without star import right-winger Egor Sidorov with an undisclosed injury suffered in the club’s Game 2 loss to the Ice.

Had fatigue and injuries not been a factor for the Saskatoon side, it was expected the series between the Blades and Ice would be a competitive one on paper.

Zach Benson distributes the puck for the Ice.

Winnipeg topped the WHL regular season standings with a 57-10-1 mark and was rated third in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. The 57 wins and 115 standings points are new franchise records for the Ice.

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.

Saskatoon appeared in the Eastern Conference final for the first time since 1994. 

The Ice won their first conference title since 2011, when the franchise was still the Kootenay Ice located in Cranbrook, B.C. The Ice franchise also claimed the WHL title in 2011.

The Ice celebrate their win on Wednesday.

While the Blades overcame a lot of adversity to get to this point and tried hard to get past the adversity they faced in the series with the Ice, De La Gorgendiere still had difficulty digesting the season came to an end.

“I’m pretty emotional right now,” said De La Gorgendiere. “It is pretty fresh.

“Our team battled every single night. We go to war with each other every single night, and we love doing it. I was just upstairs, and I was telling (Blades play-by-play voice) Les (Lazaruk) how much I love these guys in our room.

“I’ve been here for five years now, and it is tightest team I’ve played for. It was pretty special what we did coming back from down 3-0 there in the Red Deer series. It is tough right now it really is tough.”

The Ice were without 19-year-old defenceman Wyatt Wilson, who was injured in Game 5 of the team’s Eastern Conference semifinal series win over the Moose Jaw Warriors. 

The Blades salute their fans at the SaskTel Centre on Wednesday.

While the Ice had a lot less adversity in the injury and fatigue department to overcome than the Blades, Lambos said having a tough battle with Saskatoon to close out the Eastern Conference final will help the Ice in the rest of their post-season push.

“This is what it is going to look like moving forward,” said Lambos. “(There are going to be) tight games and there is not going to be a lot of scoring especially five-on-five.

“Special teams are huge. That is what it was tonight. To have a tough game was really good for us I think.

“Even our second round, a lot of games with Moose Jaw were tight. We had our backs against the wall there at times. It is definitely helpful to go through some adversity, because it is not going to be smooth sailing here.”

Blades’ Sonne named WHL coach of the year

Blades HC Brennan Sonne is the WHL coach of the year.

Saskatoon Blades head coach Brennan Sonne was feted with an honour a bench boss with the team hasn’t claimed in 29 years.

On Wednesday, the WHL announced Sonne was winner of the Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy as the WHL coach of the year. The last Blades bench boss to pick up that honour was Lorne Molleken back in the 1993-94 campaign when the club advanced to the WHL Championship Series falling in seven games to the eventual Memorial Cup champion Kamloops Blazers.

The 36-year-old Sonne is in his second season as the Blades head coach. Under Sonne’s guidance, the Blades finished fourth overall in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 48-15-4-1 record, and they were rated 10^th in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. The Blades collected 101 standings points marking the fifth time since the club was formed in 1964 they’ve recorded 100-or-more standings points in team history.

“I am very honoured to receive the Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy,” said Sonne in a release. “It is truly an organizational award starting with the players.

“This season we’ve had a group of dedicated teammates, fantastic leadership and a work ethic you wouldn’t believe. To management who does everything they can to help these players and us as a staff, a pleasure to work with every day; to my wife, my parents, brothers and in-laws, such a great group of people beside me.

“I would like to thank Mitch Love, Jay Varady and Kevin Constantine for teaching me how to be a coach.”

Blades HC Brennan Sonne tracks the play on the ice.

In one of his previous coaching stops, Sonne was an assistant coach with the Everett Silvertips from 2014 to 2017, and he worked with Constantine and Love. As a left-winger with the Silvertips from 2005 to 2007, Sonne was coached by Constantine and Varady.

Unfortunately for Sonne and his Blades, their season came to an end on Wednesday night a number of hours after the coach of the year announcement. The Blades fell 3-2 at the SaskTel Centre in Game 4 of the WHL Eastern Conference Championship Series to the Winnipeg Ice. The Ice swept the best-of-seven set 4-0.

After that loss, Sonne said sadness over the result in Game 4 against the Ice was the prevailing emotion.

“Hockey is all about the team in my opinion, so I’d feel this way whether it was me or anyone else on this group that got an individual award,” said Sonne. “While it is awesome, but hockey is a team sport, and that is why I love it so much.

“That is why I am not a golfer or a tennis player or have any interest in individual sports. That is why I love team sports so much. It is actually a very sad moment that this group is done, because this team has been such a pleasure to coach.

“I’m really proud and my head will not hang or anything, (but) it is a very sad moment. That is how I kind of feel. It is nothing to do with me at all it is sad that this team is over.”

Also on Wednesday, the WHL announced Bil La Forge, who is the general manager of the Seattle Thunderbirds, was named the winner of the Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy as WHL executive of the year.

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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