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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Saunderson delivers OT win, 2-0 series lead for Blades

Saskatoon outlasts 47-save performance by Rebels’ Wutzke

Ben Saunderson (#2) reacts to scoring the OT winner for the Blades.

Ben Saunderson lived out a dream hockey moment.

On Sunday at the SaskTel Centre, Saunderson’s Saskatoon Blades found themselves locked in a 1-1 tie in overtime against the Red Deer Rebels in Game 2 of a WHL Eastern Conference semifinal series. Late in the extra session, the 19-year-old offensive-defenceman put his instincts in the offensive zone to work.

Blades captain Trevor Wong drove with the puck down the right wing boards into the Red Deer zone. Saunderson elected to pinch down into the left faceoff circle to provide Wong a passing outlet.

The Blades mob Ben Saunderson after he scores his OT winner.

Wong passed the puck across the front of the Rebels goal to Saunderson. Saunderson wired home the winning goal while being hooked down by Rebels rookie import centre Samuel Drancak with 2:59 remaining in the extra session.

The rearguard’s tally gave the Blades a 2-1 overtime victory in front of 8,051 spectators. The crowd did their best to try and blow the roof off the SaskTel Centre after Saunderson’s goal went into the Red Deer net.

“I would say it is something you dream of,” said Saunderson, who was a plus-two in the plus-minus department on Sunday. “You’re playing mini sticks in the basement as a little kid, and you’re counting down the clock or you’re in overtime.

Fans at the SaskTel Centre celebrate the Blades OT win.

“You score a goal like that and hear everyone go crazy it is unbelievable.”

The win allowed the Blades to take 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven set. The series now switches scenes to Red Deer for Games 3 and 4, which will be held at 7 p.m. local time on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively at the Peavey Mart Centrium.

As Saunderson was being hooked to the ground when he scored his overtime winner, he wasn’t able to follow the path of the puck into the Red Deer net.

The Rebels react to their OT loss on Sunday.

“To be honest, I didn’t see it go in,” said Saunderson. “I just heard the crowd.

“I heard the crossbar. I didn’t see it go in, but I heard the crowd and knew it went in. A goal like that is definitely something I’ll remember for a while.”

Saunderson said he decided to make his pinch, when he saw Wong jet down the right wing of the Red Deer zone. The Rebels skaters also had their eyes locked on the Blades captain creating a backdoor opportunity.

“I saw Wonger (Wong) going down the far side there,” said Saunderson. “I know he is always looking for pass.

Ben Saunderson had a goal and an assist for the Blades on Sunday.

“He is an incredible playmaker, so I thought I would jump in. He found me, and I found the net.”

Saunderson’s winner came at the expensive of Rebels 17-year-old rookie breakout netminder Chase Wutzke. The Debden, Sask., product was spectacular making 47 saves to keep the Rebels in the game.

Rebels interim head coach Dave Struch said Wutzke was fantastic on Sunday.

“He gave us a chance,” said Struch. “It is something that he for us against Medicine Hat (in a first round series win) as well.

Chase Wutzke made 47 saves for the Rebels on Sunday.

“They have a real good team. They have some high end players that create those shots. Overall for Chase (Wutzke) to play the way he did with a good bounce back game for us, it gave us a chance.”

Sunday’s game got out to a tight checking start. At the 13-minute mark of the opening frame, the shots on goal between the two clubs were tied 2-2. After the opening frame ended, the Blades held a 7-2 edge in shots on goal.

Thanks to a power play opportunity that carried over from the opening frame and two more power-play chances inside the first eight minutes of the second for the Saskatoon side, the Blades began to really pepper Wutzke. At the 10:30 mark of the second, the Blades held an 18-3 advantage in the shots on goal department.

Evan Gardner made 24 saves for the Blades on Sunday.

The Blades finally broke through on the scoreboard with 8:50 remaining in second on a tally that was set up by a smart play from Saunderson. He put a long bank stretch pass off the boards that sprung Blades star centre Fraser Minten on a two-on-nothing break into the Rebels zone with right-winger Rhett Melnyk.

Minten kept the puck himself, got in close and slipped home a shot between the legs of Wutzke to give the Blades a 1-0 lead.

During the regular season, Saunderson appeared in 67 games for the Blades posting career highs in goals (five), assists (26), points (31) and plus-minus (plus-39). Blades head coach Brennan Sonne said Saunderson has grown a tonne in various ways that team’s coaching staff has a lot of trust in the blue-liner.

Fraser Minten gave the Blades a 1-0 lead in the second period.

“What can’t he (Saunderson) do,” said Sonne. “We as a staff have felt like this for a while.

“He is bright. He is brainy. He knows the structure like the back of his hand. He skates really well. He is big. He is strong. He can shoot a puck. He can make plays. He is a leader.

“He is a great teammate. There isn’t much he can’t do. Him building that this season and the belief in that as well, I think has been huge for him and for our team.”

With 3:32 remaining in the second, Rebels right-winger Dwayne Jean Jr. was given a double minor for high-sticking. That infraction will trigger an automatic review by the WHL office for a possible suspension. The Blades were unable to score on the ensuing double minor.

Kalan Lind (#13) scored the equalizer for the Rebels.

At the conclusion of the first two periods, the Blades held a 28-10 advantage in the shots on goal department.

In the third, the Rebels increased the possibility that they might be able to steal a victory off Wutzke’s performance. At the 4:10 mark of the third, the Rebels evened the score at 1-1 on a power-play goal by star winger Kalan Lind. Positioned in front of the Saskatoon net, Lind tipped home a point shot from Rebels offensive-defenceman Hunter Mayo for the equalizer.

Sonne liked how his team responded when the Rebels pulled even on the scoreboard.

“I thought we showed maturity when it got tied up actually,” said Sonne. “I didn’t really particularly like our game very much in terms of passion and desperation in the first 40.

Hunter Mayo had an assist on the Rebels equalizer.

“I thought as it got tied up we started feeling a little bit of that ‘OK we’re in a game here.’ I thought we showed desperation, which is maturity, but at the same time, you have to play with that desperation at all times. That will be the main message for the team.

“Third period and overtime, I thought we actually finally got to that level of desperation, so we have to keep that going.”

Following Lind’s equalizer, the Rebels had a huge opportunity to go ahead on the scoreboard.

At the 5:59 mark of the third, Blades overage star left-winger Easton Armstrong bowled over Wutzke on an offensive rush. Armstrong was given a major penalty for charging and a game misconduct. Those infractions will trigger an automatic review by the WHL office for a possible suspension.

Trevor Wong set up the Blades OT winner.

The Rebels were unable to score on the ensuing power play. They peppered the Saskatoon net with chances, but Blades breakout rookie netminder Evan Gardner slammed the door shut to ensure the contest remained tied.

That set the stage for overtime.

In overtime, the Blades got the first six shots on goal, before the Rebels answered with a push back. 

In one sequence inside the final eight minutes of the extra session, a scramble occurred in front of the Saskatoon net. A shot from Lind got through Gardner and was trickling toward the goal-line. Blades 19-year-old defensive-defenceman John Babcock stopped the puck with his skate and kicked it under a fallen Gardner to get a stoppage.

John Babcock had a big defensive play for the Blades in OT.

“I unfortunately made a bad turnover to cause that, but I’m glad I could kind of save the game there and get a skate on it,” said Babcock. “I just saw it over Evan’s shoulder there.

“I just slid on it and hoped for the best.”

Shortly after that sequence, Saunderson came through with his winner.

Gardner stopped 24 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Blades.

He has won his last 15 straight starts including action in the regular season and post-season.

Now the series shifts to Red Deer for Games 3 and 4. 

Brandon Lisowsky gathers the puck in the centre ice zone.

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.

Saunderson said his squad is looking forward to the next two games in Red Deer, and his team will be focused on continuing what they have done in the first two contests of this year’s series.

“It is obviously pretty cool to play the same team two years in a row,” said Saunderson. “I think the series is long from over.

Tanner Molendyk, left, and Ben Saunderson huge after the Blades OT win.

“There are still a lot games to be played that could be played. I think our mentality going in there is do the same thing we did the last two games here. I think if we go in there and play our game we should be good.”

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Rebels push back against Blades expected in Game 2

Blades D Grayden Siepmann battle Rebels LW Carson Birnie.

Dave Struch thought his Red Deer Rebels entered the second round of the WHL’s post-season with a thud.

On Friday night at the SaskTel Centre, the Rebels interim head coach saw his team drop a 4-1 decision to the host Saskatoon Blades in Game 1 of a best-of-seven WHL Eastern Conference semifinal series. In that contest, the Blades held a 24-17 advantage in shots on goal and a 38-24 advantage in faceoffs won.

The two sides go at it again in Game 2 on Sunday at 4 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre. Struch said his club has to have a lot better effort in Game 2 and the rest of the best-of-seven set in order to be a threat to take the series.

“I would hope that we play a more physical game along the way,” said Struch. “I would hope that our game gets a lot better, so we can give them a challenge.”

Coming into this series, the Blades were tabbed as the favourites. They topped the WHL’s overall standings with a 50-13-2-3 record and were rated sixth in the final CHL Top 10 rankings. They took down their archrivals the Prince Albert Raiders 4-1 in a first round series.

Rebels RW Kalan Lind (#13) gets the puck on the backcheck.

The Rebels had an up and down regular season finishing fifth overall in the WHL’s Eastern Conference and eighth overall on the circuit with a 33-26-3-6 mark. They took out one of their biggest rivals in the Medicine Hat Tigers 4-1 in a first round series.

Since taking over behind the Rebels bench with the team having eight games remaining in the regular season, Struch believes his players have shown good resiliency. He saw some positives in Game 1, but he knows there is lots of room for improvement.

“With the way that they play, they try to get outnumber situations with the long rims,” said Struch. “I thought that we did a good job there.

“We kept the outnumber situations to a minimal. The counters for us I think that when we counter as slow as we did we’re not going to get enough offence. Those are things we have to get better at getting into Sunday.”

Fraser Minten had a big night in Game 1 Friday for the Blades.

While the Blades won Game 1, head coach Brennan Sonne said that contest didn’t play out structurally like his club though it would.

“It wasn’t crazy off what we expected to be coming, but I definitely predict there will be some adjustments,” said Sonne. “The lessons learned (on Friday) I thought we were very committed in certain areas like shot blocking was great (on Friday) for us.

“Lessons learned I think are structural. Game 1s are a little bit of a feeling out process. You’re seeing what they did all week.

“We’re trying to do what we did all week, and then you make little tweaks from here. Now, it is our turn as coaches to do our job.”

Game 1 of the series wasn’t all that physical outside of a big first period hit Blades rookie defenceman Morgan Tastad put on Rebels star right-wing Kalan Lind. There also weren’t that many scrums after the whistle, and Blades star centre Fraser Minten said his squad is trying to avoid engaging in extra-curricular activities.

“For us, that is intentional,” said Minten. “We don’t want to get into that stuff.

Hunter Mayo looks to start a rush for the Rebels.

“We feel we can out skill team and out skate teams. That is how we win. We don’t win by fighting after whistles and pushing and shoving.

“We just stay away from that and play hockey.”

Minten had a big night for the Blades in Game 1 collecting two goals, one assist and a plus-two rating in the plus-minus department. He also won 18-of-24 faceoffs. Blades star left-winger Brandon Lisowsky had one goal and one assist. Veteran defenceman Grayden Siepmann had a pair of assists for Saskatoon.

The Rebels big line of centre and captain Kai Uchacz, left-winger Frantisek Formanek and Lind had a relatively quiet night. They each had just one shot on goal. Left-winger Carson Birnie had the Rebels lone goal.

Also, the Rebels lack of puck possession was affected by the fact the Blades won 61.3 per cent of the faceoffs in Game 1, which helped keep the line of Uchacz, Formanek and Lind at bay.

Minten believes the Blades have to repeat a lot of the little things they did right in Game 1 in Game 2 like success in the faceoff circle.

“We just have to do it again,” said Minten. “We have to get ready and get prepared.

Egor Sidorov works in the offensive zone for the Blades.

“It will be a new game right from the start. We just have to go out and play like we can.”

NOTES - The Blades were without utility winger Tyler Parr with a leg injury and star overage left-winger Easton Armstrong with an undisclosed injury in Game 1. In the series opener, the Rebels were without overage defenceman Elias Carmichael with a lower body injury. Carmichael has yet to appear in the 2024 WHL post-season. Red Deer was also without second-year netminder Rhett Stoesser due to an undisclosed ailment.

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Minten muscles Blades to 4-1 win in Game 1 over Rebels

Star centre gets three points, wins 18-of-24 faceoffs

The Blades celebrate a first period goal by Fraser Minten (#16) on Friday.

Fraser Minten is doing his best to ensure no one will ever forget about him playing in the WHL.

The Saskatoon Blades star 19-year-old centre did his best to lay claim to being the circuit’s most complete player on Friday night at the SaskTel Centre. Minten had a pair of goals, an assist and was a plus-two in the plus-minus department in powering the Blades to a 4-1 victory over the Red Deer Rebels in the opening game of a WHL Eastern Conference semifinal series between the two sides.

Along with his offensive production, Minten won 18-of-24 faceoffs and had a big shot block in the third period when Rebels were trying to press to get even on the scoreboard. When the game finished, Minten received a big salute from the 8,355 spectators in attendance.

Fraser Minten had two goals and an assist on Friday.

Minten said he went into Friday’s game feeling refreshed as the Blades had six days off since eliminating their archrivals the Prince Albert Raiders in the opening round of the post-season.

“Having a week off, you have lots of energy in the legs,” said Minten. “Starting at home is always nice, so we’re just feeding off the energy of the crowd and the boys.

“It was lots of fun right from the start tonight. There were just results tonight. I try to do that every night.

“There were lots of times in the first round where I would have six or seven shots on net, and they just hit a post or hit the blocker and just miss. It was just an inch or two on the results tonight.”

Fraser Minten won 18-of-24 faceoffs for the Blades on Friday.

Blades head coach Brennan Sonne thought Minten had a great outing in Game 1 on Friday.

“I really liked his game,” said Sonne. “I thought he was a driver.

“I think he is always a driver, but there are times he just takes it to this level that is really difficult for anyone to play against honestly. Probably Swift Current at home (in a 3-2 overtime win on January 28) would be another example, but I just thought he was very man like and pro like tonight.”

Minten opened the scoring for the Blades at the 8:32 mark of the first, when he deflected home a point shot from 19-year-old defenceman Grayden Siepmann. Minten’s deflection slipped past Rebels breakout rookie netminder Chase Wutzke and slowly entering the Red Deer net.

Grayden Siepmann had a pair of assists for the Blades on Friday.

After that tally, Blades rookie defenceman Morgan Tastad proceeded to make the highlight reels leveling Rebels star right-winger Kalan Lind with a big open ice hit with 6:53 remaining in the frame.

A short time after that hit, the Rebels had a huge chance to pull even on the scoreboard. Rebels 19-year-old offensive-defenceman Mats Lindgren pinched down to the doorstep on the left side of the Saskatoon net.

Lindgren received a perfect setup pass for a backdoor tap, but he was robbed by a sprawling Blades breakout rookie netminder in Evan Gardner.

“His (Gardner’s) lateral movements tonight I thought were very crisp and sharp,” said Sonne. “He was very steady for us.

Carson Birnie scored for the Rebels in the second period.

“I think we can help him out in a few areas. We gave up some chances on our faceoffs in our defensive zone that we need to clean up so we can help him there too. When he had to, I just thought he worked really hard laterally.”

With 5:13 left in the first, the Blades thought they went up 2-0, when a shot from 18-year-old centre Rowan Calvert floated past Wutzke. The officials disallowed the goal ruling correctly the Blades were offside on the play and that ruling held up after a video review.

The opening 20 minutes was more of a feeling out frame for both teams where the Blades held a 6-3 edge in shots on goal.

The Rebels proceeded to even the score at 1-1 on a goal from left-winger Carson Birnie at the 5:29 mark of the second. On the play, Rebels overage winger Carson Latimer tipped a point shot from Lindgren on to the Saskatoon net, and the tip chance was stopped by Gardner. The puck rebounded to the left of the Saskatoon net to Birnie, who popped home the equalizer.

Vaughn Watterodt scored the winning goal for the Blades on Friday.

The Blades would jump back in front 2-1 just 3:30 later. Minten circled down the right side of the Red Deer zone and centred the puck loose in front of the Red Deer net. Hard-working veteran Blades left-winger Vaughn Watterodt jammed home the loose puck to give the host side a one-goal edge.

With 6:58 remaining in the second, the Blade struck on the power play to push their edge out to 3-1. Blades 20-year-old defenceman Charlie Wright was working with the puck at the left point and sent a pass to the right faceoff circle to Minten. Minten one-timed home his second of the contest to give the Blades their two-goal edge.

Evan Gardner stopped 16-of-17 shots in goal for the Blades.

Minten said it was key for his side to respond scoring twice after the Rebels tied the game to start the second.

“That was a big part of the game,” said Minten. “They came out pretty aggressive and with some energy at the start of the second.

“We were a little bit flat to start. After that goal, you could sense that they were pushing. They were getting some momentum.

“Those were big goals for us.”

Early in the third, the Rebels appeared to have a huge chance to get back into the contest. Just two minutes into the frame, Blades offensive-defenceman Tanner Molendyk was given a double minor for high sticking. That infraction will be automatically be reviewed by the WHL office for a possible suspension.

Mats Lindgren works the puck in the offensive zone for the Rebels.

The Rebels weren’t able to score on the four minutes of power play time.

Shortly after the power play ended for the visitors, the Rebels continued to press in the Saskatoon zone. During a long string of pressure, Minten came up with a big shot block, and Gardner turned away the visitors twice on a frantic net scramble situation.

Blades star 19-year-old left-winger Brandon Lisowsky sealed the win scoring into an empty net with 48.9 seconds remaining in the third to round out the 4-1 final in favour of the host side.

Gardner made 16 stops to pick up the win in goal for the Blades. Wutzke turned away 20-of-23 shots to take the setback in net for the Rebels.

Brandon Lisowsky scored an empty-net goal for the Blades.

Lisowsky had an assist to go with his goal. Siepmann finished with a pair of helpers for the Blades.

Rebels interim head coach Dave Struch thought Friday’s contest was a bit of a bland game.

“I’m not sure it was a top end playoff game by either team,” said Struch. “They played their game for sure.

“I think that we got off to a bit of a slow start. I was hoping that we’d finish a little bit more checks along the way. You could tell by the shots we got premier shots, but we didn’t get any secondaries to give ourselves an opportunity.

HC Brennan Sonne gives directions from the Blades bench.

“I think for the most part it was just a vanilla game. I don’t think there was any type of rivalry there at all. It was more like a start of a season.”

On the injury front, the Blades were without utility winger Tyler Parr with a leg injury and star overage left-winger Easton Armstrong with an undisclosed injury.

The Rebels were without overage defenceman Elias Carmichael with a lower body injury. Carmichael has yet to appear in the 2024 WHL post-season. Red Deer was also without second-year netminder Rhett Stoesser due to an undisclosed ailment. Taylor Tabashniuk, who played this season for the Regina Pat Canadians under-18 AAA team, dressed as Red Deer’s backup goalie as an associate player call up.

Interim HC Dave Struch checks out play from the Rebels bench.

Friday’s win also marked the first time the Blades claimed a Game 1 of a WHL post-season series since downing the Moose Jaw Warriors 3-2 in overtime on March 22, 2019 in a first round series. The Blades ultimately swept that best-of-seven set 4-0.

Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series between the Blades and Rebels is set for Sunday at 4 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre. Sonne said the Blades have their plan already in motion to prepare for that contest.

“I’m going to talk to the players actually and get their feedback,” said Sonne. “We do have ice tomorrow, but based on some of the feedback, we’ll adjust the plan for tomorrow.

The Blades enjoy their win on Friday night.

“They have a half hour. They know whether it is a win or a loss that is us. We have our emotions for a half hour, and then we turn the page and get ready for the next one.”

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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Is playoff created rivalry in store for Blades and Rebels?

Two squads battle again in round two of WHL post-season

Fraser Minten (#16) and Ollie Josephson (#17) in action.

Will a rivalry be born between the Saskatoon Blades and Red Deer Rebels?

For the second straight year, the two sides will do battle in a best-of-seven WHL Eastern Conference semifinal series in the WHL Playoffs. Coming into this year’s series, the Blades topped the WHL’s overall standings with a 50-13-2-3 record and were rated sixth in the final CHL Top 10 rankings. They took down their archrivals the Prince Albert Raiders 4-1 in a first round series.

The Rebels had an up and down regular season finishing fifth overall in the WHL’s Eastern Conference and eighth overall on the circuit with a 33-26-3-6 mark. They took out one of their biggest rivals in the Medicine Hat Tigers 4-1 in a first round series.

The Blade and Rebels open up their series on Friday with Game 1 set for 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre. Game 2 is slated for Sunday at 4 p.m. at SaskTel. In the four regular season encounters between the two squads, each side won twice.

The Saskatchewan Rush have Saturday occupied at SaskTel as they host the San Diego Seals at 7 p.m. in NLL regular season action. That caused the first two games of the series between the Blades and Rebels not to be played on consecutive nights.

Last year when the Blades and Rebels met in an Eastern Conference semifinal series, the Rebels jumped out to a 3-0 series lead. The Blades rebounded winning the last four games of the series to take the set 4-3. In the process, the Blades became just the third team in the history of the WHL to fall behind 3-0 in a best-of-series and rally back to win the set.

Egor Sidorov can pile up goals for the Blades.

While both teams have gone through some regular junior hockey turnover from last season, both squads return a sizeable group of players from last year. The Blades have 12 players on their roster from a season ago, while the Rebels have 14 returnees from the 2022-23 campaign.

Some of the Blades returnees include captain Trevor Wong, star import right-winger Egor Sidorov, star left-winger Brandon Lisowsky, gritty left-winger Vaughn Watterodt, utility forward Tyler Parr, star offensive-defenceman Tanner Molendyk, 20-year-old defenceman Charlie Wright, standout 19-year-old rearguard Ben Saunderson and 19-year-old star netminder Austin Elliott.

Some of the Rebels returnees include captain Kai Uchacz, star centre Kalan Lind, hard-working centre Ollie Josephson, Czechia import right-winger Frantisek Formanek, gritty right-winger Dwayne Jean Jr., gritty left-winger Jhett Larson, gritty right-winger Talon Brigley, offensive-defencemen Mats Lindgren and Hunter Mayo, gritty defenceman Jace Weir and netminder Rhett Stoesser.

In a different twist, Blades 19-year-old defenceman Nicholas Andrusiak was actually playing for the Rebels in last year’s post-season. He came to the Blades in a trade on December 12, 2023 that saw a fifth round selection in the 2026 WHL Prospects Draft go to the Rebels.

There are enough returnees on the ice that the potential of personal battles being triggered on the ice from a season ago are high. The ingredients are there to create a rivalry between the Blades and Rebels due to the encounters in the post-season.

Kai Uchacz is the Rebels high scoring captain.

While the Blades eliminated a physical team in the Raiders in round one, Saskatoon will see an even more physical side in Red Deer. The Rebels have more experience and a little more skill than the Raiders did.

In the opening round of the playoffs, the Rebels eliminated a team in the Tigers that likes to play with lots of skill and put up offence and transition fast up and down the ice. The Blades style of team mirrors that of the Tigers, but the Blades have more experience and a little more skill than the Medicine Hat side did this season.

Due to the Rebels physical play, it is common that their post-season series will have some high tension moments. 

By tradition, the Rebels are a team that will grind and grind and grind and never give up in a game even if they are down by like a 6-1 score. That never surrender battle has been a Rebels constant since Brent Sutter became the owner on May 11, 1999.

Last year, some of the Blades fans seemed caught off guard with the physical and high tension aspects that occurred in a series with the Rebels. For some of the Blades faithful, their dislike for the Rebels was bigger for a short time than their dislike for the Raiders.

On the coaching front, Brennan Sonne is back as the Blades head coach from a year ago. He was named the WHL’s coach of the year last season and was named the WHL’s East Division’s coach of the year again this season.

Trevor Wong is the high scoring captain for the Blades.

The Rebels were guided by veteran bench boss Steve Konowalchuk a year ago. He resigned from the Rebels in May of 2023 looking to find a situation that worked better for his family life. His permanent residence at the time was still Seattle, Wash., where he served as Seattle Thunderbirds head coach from 2011 to their WHL title winning season in 2017.

Derrick Walser was the Rebels head coach for most of the 2023-24 campaign. He and the Rebels mutually parted ways after a 7-5 loss at home to the Swift Current Broncos on March 1.

With eight games remaining in their regular season, the Rebels named good guy coach Dave Struch as the club’s interim head coach. Struch is best known for his WHL coaching stays with the Regina Pats that ran from the start of the 2014-15 campaign to November of 2021 and with the Blades that ran from the 2006-07 campaign to the 2013-14 campaign.

As a player, Struch played centre for the Blades for four seasons from 1988 to 1992. In 253 career regular season games with the Blades, Struch posted 134 goals and 151 assists for 285 points.

The Blades head into this year’s series with a little more depth than a season ago. Star centre Fraser Minten, star overage left-winger Easton Armstrong, star right-winger Alexander Suzdalev, defensive-defenceman John Babcock and breakout rookie netminder Evan Gardner were all big additions from a season ago.

During the regular season, Gardner posted a 21-5-2 record, a 1.91 goals against average, a .927 save percentage and four shutouts.

Hunter Mayo puts up points from the Rebels back end.

The Rebels biggest additions have been overage defensive-defenceman Elias Carmichael and breakout rookie netminder Chase Wutzke. During the regular season, Wutzke posted a 19-10-4 record, a 2.82 goals against average, a .904 save percentage and one shutout. Wutzke’s shutout win was a 36-save gem in a 5-0 victory over the Blades in Saskatoon on February 27.

On the injury front, Parr went down for the Blades with a leg injury in their Game 4 win over the Raiders. Gardner and Armstrong didn’t play the final two periods of the Blades series clinching victory over the Raiders in Game 5.

Of course, the Blades aren’t tipping their hand on the status of any of those three for Game 1 versus the Rebels.

In the series versus the Rebels, the attrition rate could be a factor that determines the series outcome. A realist will expect this series to be a physical war.

DuPont gets exceptional status to play in WHL, other notes

Landon DuPont in a promo picture. (Photo by Jenn Pierce, WHL)

Landon DuPont is on his way to being “the next big thing” in the WHL.

On Monday, the WHL announced on behalf of Hockey Canada and Hockey Alberta that DuPont has been granted Exceptional Player Status and is eligible to play in the WHL on a full-time basis beginning with the 2024-25 campaign. The Calgary product, who is a skilled defenceman, will turn 15-years-old on May 28.

DuPont is eligible to be selected in the WHL Prospects Draft set to be held online on May 9. The Everett Silvertips currently hold the first overall selection in the Prospects Draft.

Players looking to achieve Exceptional Player Status must possess a level of mental, social and emotional maturity that belies his age along with hockey skills that greatly exceed those of other elite level players both in their age group and among player several years older.

The Exceptional Player Status process was administered by Hockey Alberta with a Hockey Canada special evaluation panel which reviewed DuPont’s hockey and academic documentation. The process also assessed DuPont’s level of maturity.

“It is such an honour for me to receive Exceptional Player Status from Hockey Alberta and Hockey Canada,” said DuPont in a release. “I would like to thank my family, all of my coaches, trainers, advisors and most of all, my teammates through my entire hockey journey for helping me get to this point.

A second Landon DuPont promo shot. (Photo by Jenn Pierce, WHL)

“I’m excited to continue my development in the WHL and will work hard every day to continue to improve.”

DuPont becomes the first defenceman and second player in the history of the WHL to be granted Exceptional Player Status by Hockey Canada. Connor Bedard, a phenom centre, was the first to be granted Exceptional Player Status to play in the WHL in 2020. The North Vancouver, B.C., product played three seasons with the Regina Pats before joining the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks this season.

On top of that, DuPont, who is a right shot blue-liner, becomes the ninth player in CHL history to be granted Exceptional Player Status by Hockey Canada.

Dupont, who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 170 pounds, spent the 2023-24 campaign playing for the Edge School U18 Prep squad in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League where he recorded 62 points (19G-43A) in 30 regular season games to finish third in CSSHL U18 scoring. His 62 points led all blue-liners and established a new CSSHL U18 Prep single-season scoring record for defencemen.

DuPont added another 16 points (5G-11A) in five playoff games tying the CSSHL U18 Championship scoring record held by former Edmonton Oil Kings and Seattle Thunderbirds star Dylan Guenther. The defenceman was named CSSHL U18 Prep Championship MVP and helped Edge capture the CSSHL U18 title.

• The WHL U.S. Priority Draft is slated for May 8, and it will be conducted online. The Regina Pats have the first overall selection in that draft.
• Prince Albert Raiders import left-winger Krzysztof Macias was given a two-game suspension by the WHL on Tuesday for receiving a major for head checking and a game misconduct in the Raiders 6-2 loss to the Blades in Saskatoon on April 5. That loss in Game 5 of a best-of-seven first round series brought the Raiders campaign to an end. The two-game suspension will carry over to the 2024-25 regular season, if Macias is back in the WHL as a 20-year-old.
• On Tuesday, the WHL suspended Wenatchee Wild defenceman Jonas Woo for a slashing major and a game misconduct he took in the Wild’s 4-2 loss to the Rockets in Kelowna on Sunday. That loss in Game 6 of a best-of-seven first round series brought the Wild’s campaign to an end. The suspension will carry over to the 2024-25 regular season, when Woo begins his 18-year-old campaign.
• The WHL Eastern Conference semifinal between the Moose Jaw Warriors and the Swift Current Broncos begins Friday night in Moose Jaw. The Warriors finished second overall in the Eastern Conference with a 44-21-0-3 mark, while the Broncos were third overall in the Eastern Conference and tops in the Central Division with a 40-22-4-2 mark.
• The WHL Western Conference semifinal between the Prince George Cougars and the Kelowna Rockets begins Friday in Prince George. The Cougars finished first in the Western Conference and the B.C. Division with a 49-15-1-3 mark, while the Rockets were fifth in the Western Conference with a 33-30-4-1 mark.
• The WHL Western Conference semifinal between the Portland Winterhawks and Everett Silvertips begins on Friday in Portland. The Winterhawks finished second in the Western Conference and tops in the U.S. Division with a 48-15-4-1 mark, while the Silvertips were third overall in the Western Conference with a 45-18-2-3 mark. Due to scheduling conflicts in Everett, this series will be played in a two-three-two format with the Winterhawks hosting the first two and the last two games of the set.
• Former Saskatoon Blades gritty right-winger Justin Lies is having an outstanding 20-year-old campaign in the junior A ranks with the Flin Flon Bombers, who are the only Manitoba squad that plays in the SJHL. Lies, who is from Flin Flon, played in 55 regular season contests recording 41 goals and 35 assists for 76 points. In eight post-season contests, Lies has nine goals and five assists for 14 points. The Bombers finished first overall in the SJHL with a 44-9-2-1 mark and have advanced to the league championship series in the SJHL Playoffs. They face the winner of a semifinal series between the Melfort Mustangs and the Humboldt Broncos.  
• I love the passion of the Prince Albert Raiders fans. I hope that never chances in “Hockey Town North.”
• There are a tonne of young guys in the media doing outstanding work on the WHL circuit. Some of those guys include Nathan Reiter of the Prince Albert Daily Herald, Prince Albert Raiders play-by-play voice Nolan Kowal, James Tubb of the Medicine Hat News, Medicine Hat Tigers play-by-play voice Gino De Paoli, Ian Gustafson of the Red Deer Advocate and Regina Pats play-by-play voice Dante De Caria. With team communications staffs, Kyle Kosowan, who is the manager of communications and media relations with the Raiders, and Tanner Chubey, who is the Saskatoon Blades communications manager, have been outstanding too. I’ve found it fun being the old veteran with this group on the circuit.
• On Tuesday, I had new content appear on the Howe Happenings blog that supports the Gordie Howe Sports Complex. I put together a piece on the excitement the local football community had over the fact flag football will be a sport in men’s and women’s play at the 2028 Olympic Games. That piece can be found by clicking right here. I also put together a photo roundup that showed fun from the Playground To Pros camp and other happenings on the Complex grounds. That post can be found by clicking right here.

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

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If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.