Family ties makes Blades career special for Robins

Tristen Robins (#11) eyes up a tribute video standing next to his dad, Trevor.

Growing up in Brandon, Man., Tristen Robins said his father, Trevor, divulged small pieces of his memorable past with the Saskatoon Blades.

“He shared a little bit growing up about his time with the Blades,” said Tristen, whose is the 20-year-old captain of the current Blades team. “It was nothing too in depth.

“It was nothing too crazy. I think it was his last year with the Blades where they went on a really far run and ended up losing in the finals, came up a little short. It is pretty cool to even just play for the same organization that my father did.”

Tristen Robin’s WHL rights were originally held by the Regina Pats, who selected him in the fourth round and 76 overall in what was then known as the WHL Bantam Draft. The skilled centre’s WHL rights were acquired in a blockbuster trade on January 8, 2018, when Robins was in his 16-year-old season.

The Pats were loading up their roster that season due to being the host team for the Memorial Cup tournament that crowns a CHL champion. They acquired Blades 19-year-old import Czech defenceman Libor Hajek, who had a signed NHL entry-level contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning, in exchange for 19-year-old defenceman Dawson Davidson, Robins, and a first round selection in the 2019 WHL Bantam Draft.

Robins suited up in one game before the trade with the Pats and dressed for his first three games as a member of the Blades as the 2017-18 campaign played to a conclusion. He became a full-time member of the team in his 17-year-old season and rose to star status in 2019-20 putting up 33 goals, 40 assists and a plus-16 rating in the plus-minus department appearing in 62 games with the Blades.

Tristen Robins has 200 points in regular season play with the Blades.

Following that season, Robins would be selected in the second round and 56^th overall by the San Jose Sharks in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. He would later sign an NHL entry-level contract with the Sharks.

In total, Robins has played in 211 career regular season games with the Blades posting 85 goals and 115 assists for 200 points.

Robins is skating through his final season as a member of the Blades, and he would like create a lasting post-season memory with the team like his father did.

The younger Robins has one last chance to do that as the Blades (38-26-3-1) begin play in the WHL Playoffs taking on the Warriors (37-24-4-3) in Moose Jaw in Game 1 of a best-of-seven first round series on Friday at 7 p.m. at Mosaic Place. 

The Warriors finished fourth in the WHL’s Eastern Conference with 81 standings points just edging out the fifth-place Blades by a single point.

Robins missed the Blades last four regular season games due to injury but is probable for Game 1 of the playoffs against the Warriors.

“I would love to go as far as we can eventually, you know hopefully, win a championship,” said Tristen Robins. “It is my last kick at the can here, so I’m going to do everything I can here to help lead this team to a championship.”

Tristen Robins had a career high 78 points this season.

Way back at the start of the 1989-90 season, Trevor has been in training camp with the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings before being cut. He was quickly picked up by the Blades and made the team as a 17-year-old rookie backing up overager Damon Kustra.

Kustra ultimately was dogged by an abdominal muscle injury, and Trevor found himself in the starting role. Trevor posted a 21-21-1 record, a 4.66 goals against average, a .861 save percentage and one shutout helping the Blades make the playoffs with a record of 33 wins 34 loss and 5 ties.

In the high scoring 1980s and early 1990s, Trevor’s statistics were viewed as being good.

The Blades advanced to the second round to play a best-of-seven series against the Lethbridge Hurricanes, who topped the Eastern Conference with a 51-17-4 record. The Hurricanes took a 3-0 lead in the series, but with Robins in goal outside of a short stretch in Game 5, the Blades rallied to even the series at 3-3.

The Hurricanes claimed Game 7 in overtime 4-3 with the winning tally coming from Neil Hawryluk.

The Blades missed the playoffs in Trevor’s second season in 1990-91, but returned to the post-season with a 38-29-5 record in 1991-92. Trevor was named a first team Eastern Conference all-star posting a 24-23-2 record, a 3.50 goals against average and a .884 save percentage.

Saskatoon advanced to the best-of-seven WHL Eastern Conference Championship series against their archrivals the Prince Albert Raiders, who finished second overall in the WHL with a 50-20-2 mark. The Blades fell behind 2-1 in the series.

Tristen Robins (#11) smiles after scoring a goal on March 25.

In a critical Game 4, Robins made 29 saves to back the Blades to a 2-1 victory before 9,452 spectators at the SaskTel Centre. The Blades used the momentum from that win to take the next two games of the series for a 4-2 victory in the best-of-seven set to advance to the WHL Final.

In the WHL Final, the Blades faced the Kamloops Blazers, who posted the league’s best record at 51-17-4. The Blades fell in a hard-fought series that went seven games to a Blazers squad that went on to win their first of three Memorial Cup titles in four years as CHL champions.

Trevor completed his major junior career with his hometown Wheat Kings in 1992-92 being once again named a WHL first team Eastern Conference all-star posting a 36-17-4 record, a 3.15 goals against average, a .904 save percentage and two shutouts.

Following that one campaign with the Wheat Kings, Trevor played three seasons in the minor system of the San Jose Sharks after signing a free agent contract with the NHL club. That same Sharks side ultimately drafted and signed Tristen in 2020.

As for Tristen, he has enjoyed his time with the Blades and appreciates hearing old stories from Saskatoon residents about his dad from when he played with the team. The son got a laugh out of hearing how Trevor got kicked out of the Blades Game 5 win in Lethbridge in their 1990 second round playoff series with the Hurricanes.

With the Blades up 6-5 late in the second period, Blades defenceman Mark Wotton was engaged in a fight with Hurricanes rearguard Pat Pylypuik. Trevor got involved in the altercation trying to both break it up and pull Wotton away from the fisticuffs.

Tristen Robins has a signed contract with the NHL’s San Jose Sharks.

The officials ruled Trevor was the third man in on the fight booted him from the game, which the Blades would take by a 7-6 final.

Tristen said Trevor talking glowingly of the crowds especially the massive turnouts that came to see the Blades during playoff time that often saw over 10,000 spectators pack into the SaskTel Centre.

“He just said it was crazy back then,” said Robins. “We’re getting glimpses of that this year with the great crowds that we are getting.

“I’m super excited for what is to come.”

Blades head coach Brennan Sonne, who is in his first season with the organization, said Robins has been valuable to the club in many ways both on and off the ice. Sonne has been impressed with how Robins has shouldered the role of becoming captain late in the campaign.

On March 30, the Blades announced offensive-defenceman Aidan De La Gorgendiere, who is the team’s captain, needed season ending shoulder surgery and wouldn’t be available to return to the team until the start of training camp next season. Robins was given the role of captain for the rest of the current campaign.

“Just like anything, your actions much louder than your words,” said Sonne. “I think Robby has internalized that a little bit.

Tristen Robins will be skating in his last post-season with the Blades.

“I thought he led the way in terms of dig in, buy in and all that kind of stuff. It is really unfortunate that we lost De La (Gorgendiere). We wish him the best with his surgery and recovery.

“Again, we still have a group, and we put in a lot of time. Robby has stepped up to be that central leadership figure for the players.”

Robins is having his best season during his final campaign in the major junior ranks. In 62 appearances with the Blades, he has posted 33 goals and 45 assists for 78 points and his assist and point totals were career highs. He also has a plus-four rating.

Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has gripped the world, Robins wasn’t able to skate in any post-season action in 2020 and 2021, because the WHL wasn’t able to hold playoffs due to challenges with the pandemic. The Memorial Cup was cancelled in each of the past two years.

Robins has only been able to experience one post-season in 2019. The Blades finished fourth overall in the WHL in that regular season with a 45-15-8 record but lost a second round series in six games to the eventual WHL champion Raiders, who topped the regular season standings with a 54-10-2-2 record.

The playoff format for that campaign created a bracket that saw the Blades and Raiders meet in the second round.

Robins said it is different to think that the upcoming post-season will be his last in the major junior ranks.

“It is emotional for sure, but at the same time, I’m super grateful for how this organization has treated me after I came from Regina,” said Robins. “It has been nothing but class.

Tristen Robins gives “fives” to his Blades teammates.

“I just want to pass on a legacy of Blades culture and positivity.”

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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From Blades to Sharks, Robins follows father’s footsteps

Tristen Robins was a second round NHL Entry Draft pick.

At times, it seems like the hockey Gods have predetermined Tristen Robins’ path through the game.

That path sees Tristen following in the footsteps of his father, Trevor Robins. The one big difference between the two is Tristen is a high-scoring centre, while Trevor was a solid puck stopping goalie.

For three seasons from 1989 to 1992, Trevor, who stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 179 pounds, played in the WHL for the Saskatoon Blades. He was named to the WHL’s Eastern Conference first all-star team in 1991-92, which was a campaign where the Blades advanced to the WHL Championship series and fell in a series deciding seventh game to the eventual Memorial Cup champion Kamloops Blazers.

Tristen Robins is a star with the Blades.

As for Tristen, it appeared at first his WHL career was going to be with the Regina Pats, who selected him in the fourth round and 76^th overall in the 2016 WHL Bantam Draft.

On January 8, 2018, Tristen’s WHL rights were acquired by the Blades in a blockbuster trade. In that trade, Tristen, defenceman Dawson Davidson and a first round selection in the 2019 WHL Bantam Draft went to the Blades in exchanged for import Czech defenceman Libor Hajek.

The Pats acquired Hajek in order to load up their roster as the host of the Memorial Cup tournament in May of 2018.

Tristen, who stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 173 pounds, has played two full seasons with the Blades. He shot up to star status this past campaign piling up 33 goals, 40 assists and a plus-16 rating in the plus-minus department in 62 regular season games.

On Wednesday, the hand of fate saw Tristen once again follow in his father’s hockey footsteps. 

Tristan Robins led the Blades with 73 points last season.

At the NHL Entry Draft that was via video conference call from the NHL Network Studios in Secaucus, New Jersey, the San Jose Sharks picked Tristen in the second round and 56^th overall.

The Sharks happened to be the first professional team Trevor signed with.

Following the 1991-92 season, Trevor was traded by the Blades to the Brandon Wheat Kings, who had finished last in the entire league with a record of 11 wins, 55 loses and six ties. Brandon is the hometown of the Robins family.

With Trevor starting in goal as an overager, the Wheat Kings shot up to fourth overall in the WHL with a record of 43 wins, 25 losses and four ties. He was again named to the WHL’s Eastern Conference first all-star team.

Tristen Robins followed his dad’s footsteps to the Blades.

Trevor ended up signing a free agent contract with the Sharks.

In his second season as a professional in 1994-95, Trevor was called up from the International Hockey League’s Kansas City Blades to the Sharks, who dealing with injury problems in goal. Trevor spent about three months going up and down between the two teams but ultimately never saw action in and NHL game.

One day, Tristen, who is 18-years-old, might be able to one-up his father and hit the ice for an NHL game.

This was first time Tristan was eligible for the NHL Entry Draft due to his birthday being in November. Players need to be born on or before September 15 the year they turn 18-years-old to be eligible for the NHL Entry Draft.

Tristen Robins is following his dad’s footsteps to the Sharks.

Tristan will be playing in his 19-year-old season in the 2020-21 WHL campaign, which is targeted to start late on Dec. 4 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has gripped the world.

The NHL is targeting to start its regular season on January 1, 2021.

As an 18-year-old sophomore, Tristen kept turning more and more heads of NHL scouts. He was rated 134th among North American Skaters in the midterm ranking put out by NHL Central Scouting.

Tristen Robins (#11) celebrates one of his 33 goals last season.

Tristen leaped up to the 86th spot among North American skaters on the final NHL Central Scouting rankings. His stock continued to rise resulting in a second round draft selection.

The 2019-20 WHL campaign was ultimately ended on March 12 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but had Tristen been able to participate in the playoffs for a second straight year, he might have further increased his draft stock.

Tristen helped the Blades post a 34-24-2-3 record to officially lock up a playoff berth before the season was halted.

He has the skating, puck handling, shooting and hockey sense abilities few have. Tristen has also been a perfect representative for the Blades in the community.

It would not be a surprise to see Tristen put all of those characteristics on display in the NHL some day. He has the potential to make the Sharks brass look very wise for selecting him.

Tigers G Garin Bjorklund was picked by the Capitals.

The NHL Entry Draft concluded on Wednesday with teams selecting players in rounds two through seven. Over the draft’s two days, 28 players from the WHL were picked up NHL clubs.

Left-winger Cross Hanas of the Portland Winterhawks was the first WHL player taken in Wednesday’s NHL Entry Draft proceedings going in the second round and 55^th overall to the Detroit Red Wings. The Highland Village, Texas, product posted 22 goals, 27 assists and a plus-20 rating in 60 games with the Winterhawks.

Of some of the other various notables, Moose Jaw Warriors defenceman Daemon Hunt was taken in the third round and 65^th overall by the Minnesota Wild. The Brandon, Man., product was limited to 28 games this past season due to a skate cut injury to his arm.

Hunt had 15 assists in those games and was playing for the Warriors when the campaign was stopped due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Brandon’s Ben McCartney (#22) was picked by the Coyotes.

Kamloops Blazers goalie Dylan Garand was selected in the fourth round and 103^rd overall by the New York Rangers. The Victoria, B.C., product posted a 28-10-3 record, a 2.21 goals against average, a .921 save percentage and four shutouts in 42 games last season with the Blazers.

Medicine Hat Tigers right-winger Lukas Svejkovsky was taken in the fourth round and 108^th overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins. 

The Point Roberts, Wash., product recorded 18 goals, 20 assists and a plus-38 rating in 52 games split between the Vancouver Giants and Tigers. The Tigers acquired Svejkovsky via a trade.

Portland Winterhawks left-winger Jaydon Dureau was selected in the fifth round and 147^th overall. The White City, Sask., product recorded 19 goals, 51 assists and a plus-41 rating in 61 regular season games.

Tristen Robins (#11) celebrates a Blades win with Riley McKay.

Tigers netminder Garin Bjorklund was picked in the sixth round and 179^th overall by the Washington Capitals. The Grande Prairie, Alta., product posted a 20-5-1 record, a 2.91 goals against average, a .897 save percentage and one shutout last season as a 17-year-old rookie.

Wheat Kings left-winger Ben McCartney was selected in the seventh round and 204^th overall by the Arizona Coyotes. The Macdonald, Man., product collected 25 goals, 36 assists and a plus-eight rating in 61 games last season for the Wheat Kings.

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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Robins on the rise, tops Blades prospects for NHL Entry Draft

Tristen Robins is expected to be an NHL Entry Draft pick.

Tristen Robins might make some NHL scout or general manager look like a genus somewhere down the line.

Since joining the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades on a full-time basis as a 17-year-old rookie at the start of the 2018-19 season, the skilled centre as steadily improved. During that first season, Robins appeared in all of the Blades 68 regular season games posting nine goals, 16 assists and a plus-seven rating in the plus-minus department.

In the Blades march to the second round of the 2019 WHL playoffs, Robins appeared in all 10 of the team’s post-season games collecting three goals and one assist.

Tristen Robins led the Blades with 73 points last season.

The Blades were very deep at forward that season finishing fourth overall in the WHL regular season standings at 45-15-8, so Robins wasn’t relied upon for offence. Still, the Brandon, Man., product showed flashes in the offensive zone to make one suspect there was more potential to unlock at that end of the ice.

He piled up the points in Brandon’s minor hockey system growing up to further show that potential was there.

Last year as an 18-year-old sophomore, Robins, who stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 173 pounds, appeared in 62 regular season games with the Blades leading the team in scoring with 33 goals and 40 assists for 73 points to go along with a plus-16 rating.

Tristen Robins scored 33 goals for the Blades last season.

He played a key role in helping the Blades post a 34-24-2-3 record to lock up a WHL playoff berth for the second straight year. The Blades were unable to enjoy any post-season action as the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic ultimately put an end to the overall WHL campaign on March 12.

Thanks to his performance in the 2019-20 regular season, Robins was rated 86^th among North American skaters in the final NHL Central Scouting rankings, which was a huge jump from being rated 134^th among North American skaters in the midterm rankings.

It is conceivable Robins could have increased his NHL Entry Draft potential had there been a post-season in major junior hockey.

Tristen Robins made big strides in two seasons with the Blades.

At the moment, it looks like the odds are high Robins will be picked in one of the middle rounds of the upcoming NHL Entry Draft.

The NHL Entry Draft will start with round one on Tuesday via video conference call from the NHL Network Studios in Secaucus, New Jersey. Rounds two through seven will be held on Wednesday by that same video conference call format.

This marks the first time Robins will be eligible for the NHL Entry Draft due to his late in the year birthday. Players need to be born on or before September 15 the year they turn 18-years-old to be eligible for the NHL Entry Draft.

Robins has been a great fit for the Blades after they acquired his WHL rights from the Regina Pats in a trade on January 8, 2018. In that trade, Robins, defenceman Dawson Davidson and a first round selection in the 2019 WHL Bantam Draft went to the Blades in exchanged for import Czech defenceman Libor Hajek.

Tristen Robins is one of the Blades top players.

The Pats acquired Hajek in order to load up their roster as the host of the Memorial Cup tournament in May of 2018.

With that move, Robins followed in the footsteps of his father, Trevor, in being a member of the Blades. Trevor played three seasons for the Blades from 1989 to 1992, and was part of the Blades team that fell in Game 7 of the WHL Championship Series in 1992.

During the 1992 post-season, Trevor played a big role in helping the Blades turn around a league semifinal series against their archrivals the Prince Albert Raiders. In Game 4 of that series, Trevor made 29 saves in a 2-1 victory over the Raiders to even that best-of-seven series at 2-2.

The Blades would take that series in six games to advance to the WHL final.

Rhett Rhinehart could be an NHL Entry Draft pick.

Now Tristen has made his own name for himself with the Blades. Any NHL team would be wise to select him in the NHL Entry Draft, because it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Robins one day crack into that level.

He has the skating, puck handling, shooting and hockey sense abilities few have. During the extended off-season, Robins travels to Winnipeg, Man., in order to continue to sharpen his skills at the Rink Hockey Academy.

Besides Robins, the Blades had four other players break on to the final NHL Central Scouting rankings.

Defenceman Rhett Rhinehart came in at the 151^st spot among North American skaters. Like Robins, Rhinehart is eligible for the NHL Entry Draft for the first time due to his late in the year birthday.

Aidan De La Gorgendiere is on the NHL’s radar.

Playing last season as a third-year 18-year-old veteran, Rhinehart, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 205 pounds, appeared in 57 regular season games split between the Prince George Cougars and Blades collecting three goals, 15 assists and a minus-12 rating.

The Blades acquired Rhinehart in a deal on January 10 just before the WHL trade deadline. The Lloydminster, Alta., product was a plus-one in 21 appearances with the Blades.

Rearguard Aidan De La Gorgendiere, who is a product of Langley, B.C., cracked the final NHL Central Scouting rankings at the 197^th spot among North American skaters after not being listed on the midterm rankings. 

De La Gorgendiere, who stands 6-feet and weighs 184 pounds, improved steadily during his 17-year-old sophomore campaign appearing in all of the Blades 63 regular season games posting four goals, 24 assists and a plus-two rating.

Kyle Crnkovic's skill overcomes his lack of size.

Left-winger Kyle Crnkovic checked in at the 208^th spot among North American skaters in the final NHL Central Scouting ranking also after not being listed on the midterm rankings.

In his two seasons with the Blades, Crnkovic has established as one of Saskatoon’s top players that comes through in the clutch. The Chestermere, Alta., product appeared in all of the Blades 63 regular season games finishing second in team scoring with 21 goals and 43 assists for 64 points to go along with a plus-nine rating.

While Crnkovic has skill, his lack of size is the biggest characteristic that likely holds him back in the eyes of NHL scouts, as he stands 5-foot-7 and weighs 161 pounds. Still, Crnkovic can play the game at a very high level.

Koen MacInnes had a solid rookie season for the Blades.

Koen MacInnes is the fifth member of the Blades to make the final NHL Central Scouting rankings coming in at 22^nd among North American goalies. MacInnes was rated 31^st in the midterm ranking among North American goalies.

The Burnaby, B.C., product had a solid 17-year-old rookie campaign last season with the Blades posting a 14-5-1 record, a 2.84 goals against average, a .901 save percentage and three shutouts. MacInnes also stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 184 pounds, and NHL scouts will likely appreciate the netminder’s size.

Overall at this moment, Robins heads the class of Blades players eligible to be picked in the NHL Entry Draft.

You have a feeling his hockey career has the potential to contain a few heroic moments 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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Blades’ alum Davidson slides into big role with Golden Bears

Dawson Davidson has settled into life with the Golden Bears.

    Dawson Davidson is getting to be himself with the University of Alberta Golden Bears men’s hockey team.

    Last season, the Moosomin, Sask., product had a dream overage season playing for the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades. The offensive-defenceman appeared in all of the Blades 68 regular season games and led the team in scoring piling up 13 goals, 62 assists for 75 points to go with a plus-27 rating in the plus-minus department.

    Davidson was named a first team WHL Eastern Conference all-star and helped the Blades post the fourth best record in the league at 45-15-8. He helped the Blades advance to the second round of the playoffs, where they fell in six games to the eventual WHL champion Prince Albert Raiders.

    During that run, Davidson appeared in all 10 of the Blades post-season games collecting nine assists.

    A veteran of five WHL seasons including stops with the Kamloops Blazers and Regina Pats, Davidson elected to join the Bears in the U Sports ranks, who are the defending Canada West champions.

Dawson Davidson has 13 points in 16 games with the Golden Bears.

    In 16 regular season games with the Golden Bears, Davidson leads all of the U of A rearguards in scoring with two goals and 11 assists for 13 points to go with a plus-16 rating.

    He was held off the scoresheet on Friday night, when his Golden Bears blanked the host University of Saskatchewan Huskies 3-0 in a U Sports regular season clash played before 1,581 spectators at Merlis Belsher Place.

    Still, the 21-year-old Davidson is enjoying his time with his new team.

    “It has been good,” said Davidson, who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 185 pounds. “It has been a little bit of an adjustment just playing against older guys.

    “Everyone is stronger out there. You don’t have 16 and 17-year-olds who are still younger and developing. Just adding school to it just adds that extra element.

Dawson Davidson has enjoyed getting back in the classroom.

    “It is great hockey, and we have a great club here. They made it pretty easy for me to jump right in and start to contribute.”

    When it came to deciding on playing for a U Sports program, Davidson said the fact the Golden Bears have won 16 U Sports national titles was a big draw. U of A fell in last year’s U Sports title game 4-2 to the University of New Brunswick Reds.

    “I wanted to go somewhere where I could get an opportunity to play pro and at the same time get good degree,” said Davidson. “I weighed out my options, and U of A to me was just the best place to get to where I wanted to be.

    “They have a great track record of having good teams. This year we have a pretty good team as well. I think that all weighed into my decision.”

    An arts major, Davidson has found the academic aspect of school to be enjoyable.

Dawson Davidson had a plus-16 rating in the plus-minus department.

    “It is an adjustment, but like anything, once you start getting into the groove it is not too bad,” said Davidson. “It is just that extra element.

    “It is kind of nice going to class with your buddies and kind of getting that school aspect of life that you don’t really get as much in the Western League. It has been an adjustment, but it hasn’t been too bad.”

    When the season started, Davidson wasn’t sure if he would be putting up points like he had in the past. He made it to one of the games between the Huskies and Golden Bears in last year’s best-of-three Canada West Championship series held at Merlis and was impressed with the level of play.

    The Bears took that series posting a 1-0 victory in a series-deciding Game 3.

    “I didn’t know what to expect,” said Davidson. “I came to Game 2 of the (Canada West) finals last year.

Tyler Soy scored twice for the Golden Bears on Friday.

    “That was the only U Sports game I had ever seen. I knew it was tough hockey, and it was older guys. I’ve always believed in myself.

    “I didn’t really put a projection of what I wanted to get. I just wanted to come play my game and help the team get wins. If points come, that is just a bonus.”

    As for Friday’s game itself, the Golden Bears, who are rated second in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, jumped ahead 1-0 with 5:49 remaining in the first period. Bears left-winger Trevor Cox sprung linemate Tyler Soy on a breakaway, and Soy slipped a shot past Huskies netminder Taran Kozun.

Taran Kozun made 49 saves in goal for the Huskies.

    Kozun did his best to keep the Huskies, who are rated fifth in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, in the game over the first 40 minutes stopping 33-of-34 shots sent his way. U of A came with tonnes of pressure in the second period holding a 21-7 edge in shots on goal.

    Two of his best saves included a glove stop that thwarted a laser blast from Golden Bears centre Chad Butcher and making a sprawling pad stop on a backdoor attempt Golden Bears left-winger Steven Owre.

    Despite Kozun’s best efforts, he couldn’t keep the Golden Bears at bay.

    Just 65 seconds into the third, Golden Bears left-winger Grayson Pawlenchuk cut across the front of the Huskies goal and fired a shot past a fallen Kozun.

    The visitors expanded their lead to 3-0 just 51 seconds later, when Soy picked up his second of the contest.

The Golden Bears celebrate their win on Friday.

    With the setback, the Huskies saw their eight game winning streak come to an end.

    Kozun made 46 stops in goal for the Huskies (11-4-2). Matt Berlin turned away 18 shots to pick up the shutout win in goal for the Golden Bears (15-2).
    The two sides go at it again on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Merlis.

    Davidson has enjoyed the battles between the “forever rivals” in the Golden Bears and Huskies. He experienced two of the WHL’s greatest rivalries in Pats versus Moose Jaw Warriors and Blades versus Raiders.

    He said he gets excited for heated rivalry contests and Golden Bears versus Huskies has lived up to its reputation.

    “It is a great rivalry,” said Davidson. “Whenever you can play a team that you don’t like too much, the games get really heated as you saw tonight.

    “Those are the fun games. I expect U of S to regroup, and I think tomorrow is going to be a really great game.”

Red hot Pandas slip past Huskies 2-1

Kate Ball scored for the Huskies on Friday.

    The U of Alberta Pandas women’s hockey won their sixth straight game after withstanding a strong effort for the U of Saskatchewan Huskies.

    On Friday at the Clare Drake Arena in Edmonton, the Pandas, who are rated 10^th in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, downed the visiting Huskies 2-1 with all the game’s goals coming in the second period.

    Alex Gowie gave the Pandas a 1-0 lead, but rookie Kate Ball evened things up at 1-1 just under two minutes after Gowie’s tally.

    Madison Willan scored the winner for the Pandas just over two minutes after Ball’s marker.

Halle Oswald made 23 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Pandas (11-6). Jessica Vance turned away 19 shots to take the setback in goal for the Huskies (9-5-2-1).

    The two sides go at it again on Saturday in Edmonton.

Blades to host Dach bobblehead night

The Kirby Dach bobblehead doll.

    Kirby Dach may be gone to the NHL, but he will always be remembered by his WHL club the Saskatoon Blades.

    The Blades will be celebrating Dach’s career in the WHL holding a Kirby Dach bobblehead night when they host the Prince George Cougars on Jan. 11 at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

    The Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., product began his career with the Blades in the 2016-17 campaign appearing in 19 regular season games as 15-year-old midget AAA call up. In those games, Dach posted six goals, four assists and a plus-four rating in the plus-minus department.

    That was a sign of things to come.

    He remained with the Blades through the end of the 2018-19 campaign appearing in 133 career regular season games collecting 38 goals, 91 assists and a plus-eight rating.

    Helping the Blades post the WHL’s fourth best regular season record with a 45-15-8 mark last season, Dach assisted the Blades in advancing to the second round of the playoffs, where they fell in a six-game series to the eventual WHL champion Prince Albert Raiders.

    Over the Blades 10 post-season outings, Dach posted five goals, three assists and a minus-one rating.
    In last year’s NHL Entry Draft, Dach, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 198 pounds, was selected in the first round and third overall by the Chicago Blackhawks. Dach made the Blackhawks as an 18-year-old rookie and has six goals, five assists and a minus-two rating in his first 36 NHL regular season games.

The side view of the Kirby Dach bobblehead doll.

    “Obviously, he is a pretty special player when he goes number three overall in the NHL (Entry) Draft and plays as an 18-year-old,” said Blades assistant general manager Steve Hildebrand, who has been with the team for 19 years. “As an organization, it is great to see him where he is and excelling and playing well.

    “We’re extremely happy for him.”

    Dach’s bobblehead night will mark the first time the Blades have held a bobblehead night since Feb. 18, 2015, when they held one for defenceman Nelson Nogier. Nogier was traded to the Red Deer Rebels in December of 2014, and the Blades honoured the rearguard when he returned to Saskatoon with central Alberta WHL squad.

    Nogier currently plays with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose.

    Dach came to the Blades as a highly touted prospect. The Saskatoon side selected him in the first round and second overall in the 2016 WHL Bantam Draft.

    Hildebrand said Dach was also an all-star person off the ice.

    “He is a class act,” said Hildebrand. “He has been a class act since we knew him at 14-years-old.

    “I think those type of people they are fun to be around. They are good to be around. Those are the type of people we’ve wanted to build our organization around.”

    Dach’s bobblehead doll was made in the likeness of his goal celebration in Game 2 of the second round series against the Raiders in Prince Albert. After scoring a spectacular goal to give the Blades a 1-0 lead, Dach put his hand to his ear looking to hear the sellout crowd of 3,289 spectators at the 2,580 Art Hauser Centre, who had gone silent.

    The Blades built a 2-0 edge in that contest and led 2-1 going into the third period. The Raiders netted two goals in the third to pull out a 3-2 victory.

The Kinsmen Inner City Hockey League gets a cool donation.

    Hildebrand enjoyed the idea of the bobblehead doll the Blades marketing department came up with.

    “Honestly, I had nothing to do with it, but when (Blades director of business operations) Tyler (Wawryk) told me about it, I thought it was great,” said Hildebrand. “I think that is a great part about our rivalry with P.A.

    “They are a great organization as we are. I think that over the last few years it has kind of built up. That was I think one of those moments that we’ll look back on during that series as one of those moments and great goals that he scored.

    “I think they (the Dach bobblehead dolls) turned out really well.”

    During the press conference at Brandt Tractor Limited to announce the Dach bobblehead night, the local Brandt Tractor outlet donated $2,500 to the Kinsmen Inner City Hockey League.

Wouters delivers overtime win to Blades

Chase Wouters scored the OT winner for the Blades.

    Captain Chase Wouters came through as the overtime hero for the Saskatoon Blades on Friday night.

    Facing the Rebels in Red Deer to start a short two-game road swing, the Blades were locked in a 3-3 tie in a WHL regular season clash with the host side after regulation playing before 4,073 spectators at the Westerner Park Centrium.

    At the 3:35 mark of overtime, the Blades entered the offensive zone on a two-on-one break and right-winger Tristen Robins fed a perfect pass across the face of the Rebels goal to Wouters, who potted his 15^th of the campaign for a 4-3 victory.

    Scott Walford, Nolan Kneen and Kyle Crnkovic netted singles for the Blades. Arshdeep Bains scored twice for the Rebels, while Josh Tarzwell had a single.

    Nolan Maier made 30 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Blades (18-16-1-2). Byron Fancy turned away 22 shots to take the setback in goal for the Rebels (13-19-1-3).

    The Blades conclude their short road swing on Sunday, when they travel to Edmonton to face the Oil Kings. The Oil Kings lead the overall WHL standings with a 26-7-5-2 mark.

Raiders fall 1-0 in Brandon

Raiders captain Zach Hayes was involved in a fight on Friday.

    The Prince Albert Raiders are going through one of those stretches where it seems like they can’t buy a win.

    On Friday, the Raiders fell 1-0 in a WHL regular season contest to the Wheat Kings before 3,363 spectators at Westoba Place in Brandon. With the setback, the Raiders have posted six regulation losses and one extra time setback in their last seven games.

    Wheat Kings defenceman Chad Nychuk scored the game’s lone goal at the 10:52 mark of the second period.

    Raiders captain Zach Hayes engaged Wheat Kings left-winger Ben McCartney in an early third period fight.

    Jiri Patera made 29 saves to pick up the shutout win in goal for the Wheat Kings (18-17-1-2). Boston Bilous turned away 20 shots to take the setback in net for the Raiders (20-13-4-1).
    Prince Albert was active on the trade front on Friday. The Raiders acquired 19-year-old goaltender Keegan Karki from the Everett Silvertips in exchange for a fourth round selection in the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft.
    Karki, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 210 pounds, is playing in his first WHL season. He has appeared in 14 games with the Silvertips posting an 8-1-2 record, a 3.19 goals against average and a .897 save percentage.

    The Raiders return to action on Saturday, when they travel to Winnipeg to take on the Ice, who lead the WHL’s East Division with a 23-13-1 record.

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

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Blades handled Malysjev departure well - D-man has to do what is best for him

Emil Malysjev elected to leave the Blades to play closer to home.

    In his one season with the Saskatoon Blades, Emil Malysjev left you wanting to see more.

    That makes his departure from the team tough to see. After going unselected in the NHL Entry Draft that was held June 21 and 22 in Vancouver, B.C., Malysjev informed the Blades he was staying in his home country of Sweden to pursue career opportunities in the game there.

    As a result, he wouldn’t be returning for an 18-year-old sophomore campaign in the WHL.

    Malysjev had informed the Blades brass for a lengthy stretch after the team’s playoff run came to an end what his thought process was. The club started preparing for the fact the Malysjev wouldn’t be back.

    That included selecting two defencemen from the Czech Republic in the CHL Import Draft held via conference call on Thursday in 19-year-old Libor Zabransky and Radek Kucerik, who will turn 18-years-old in December.

Emil Malysjev was solid in his own zone.

    Zabransky has played in the WHL for the Kelowna Rockets, but after the Rockets released him on Jan. 12, he became available again for the Import Draft.

    In Malysjev’s case, the Blades did what was best for the player. He felt more comfortable staying home, and the team showed understanding and let him do what he thought was best for him.

    The majority of the players in the WHL are teenagers, and when all is said and done, about 90 per cent of them won’t skate in an NHL regular season game as a player.

    All players coming into the WHL will wrestle with the fact that one day they will no longer be active players in the game at a competitive level including the ones that go on to have NHL careers.

Emil Malysjev improved steadily throughout the 2018-19 season.

    You have to weigh if the experience you gain being away from home playing in the WHL is worth it. For every player, that evaluation will be different.

    For imports like Malysjev, you have to add in the fact he left his home country and family and friends behind to cross an ocean to play hockey in a new country and a new city. Import players have to work through learning and adjusting to a new culture and often a new language on top of figuring out what their new team expects from them.

    Malysjev was taking on all of that as a 17-year-old, but he did have an advantage in the fact he could speak English fluently.

    The blue-liner, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 190 pounds, was succeeding on all fronts.

Emil Malysjev could potentially make noise on the international stage.

    He improved greatly as the season progressed. Paired with overager Dawson Davidson, Malysjev appeared in 63 regular season games with the Blades posting three goals, 14 assists and a plus-13 rating in the plus-minus department.

    Malysjev skated in all 10 of the Blades post-season games scoring a goal and posting an even-rating.

    He was rated 192^nd among North American skaters in the final NHL Central Scouting rankings.

    With Davidson and fellow overage defenceman Brandon Schuldhaus exhausting their major junior eligibility at the conclusion of the Blades run in the WHL playoffs, Malysjev was initially pegged at being a key returnee for the team.

Emil Malysjev was solid in his one full season with the Blades.

    However, that won’t be the case.

    With the improvement Malysjev showed last season, one had to wonder how much he would have improved had played with the Blades as an 18-year-old or even as a 19-year-old.

    Still, Malysjev might still find his way to the NHL or even a lengthy professional career playing in Sweden or somewhere in Europe. Some of the Blades might cross paths with Malysjev on the international stage.

    It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him possibly skating with Sweden’s world junior team some day.

    Malysjev is doing what his best for him. As a teenager, he is still growing on many levels, and now he will continue that growth near the support system of his family and friends.

    The Blades helped him take a big leap forward in the game during his season in Saskatoon. Now, they are helping him by letting him go home, which is what he had his heart set on doing.

Raiders’ Kelly receives sweet Senators award again

Parker Kelly was a repeat award winner at Senators development camp.

    Parker Kelly was rewarded for the second straight year for a strong showing at the development camp of the NHL’s Ottawa Senators.

    On Friday, the Prince Albert Raiders power forward was presented the Jonathan Pitre Memorial Trophy as the hardest working player at the Senators development camp for a second straight year.

    The Camrose, Alta., product was a co-winner of the inaugural edition of the award last year with Brady Tkachuk.

    The award is named after Jonathan Pitre, who was also known as the “Butterfly Boy.” Pitre passed away in April of 2018 from recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa, which is a rare genetic mutation that causes the skin to blister and fall off at the slightest touch.

Parker Kelly (#27) played a key part helping the Raiders win the WHL title.

    He bonded with many of the Senators players and was named an honourary scout for the team in 2014. Pitre raised more than $200,000 for research of the disease.

    Last season, Kelly had a big campaign for the Raiders setting career highs in goals (35), assists (32) and points (67) in 64 regular season games. He posted a plus-42 rating in the plus-minus department, which was also a career high.

    Kelly helped the Raiders win the WHL championship posting eight goals, nine assists and a plus-19 rating appearing in all of the team’s 23 games in the WHL playoffs.

Parker Kelly lifts the Ed Chynoweth Cup.

    He is eligible to return to the Raiders as an overage player next season. Kelly signed an entry-level contract with the Senators in September of 2017 after a strong showing at their training camp that year, and it is highly likely he will play next season somewhere in the Senators system.

    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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