Raiders’ Protas picks up WHL Eastern Conference sportsmanship award

Aliaksei Protas won a WHL Eastern Conference award.

    Aliaksei Protas has continued to rise during his two seasons in the WHL, and it has resulted in a conference award nod.

    On Wednesday, the Belarusian import centre with the Prince Albert Raiders was named the most sportsmanlike player from the WHL’s Eastern Conference. The Western Conference’s most sportsmanlike player honour went to Seth Jarvis, who is a centre for the Portland Winterhawks.

    Protas had a stellar sophomore season with the Raiders leading in the team in scoring with 31 goals and 59 assists for 80 points in 58 regular season games. Out of his 31 goals, seven were game winners.
    He posted a plus-37 rating in the plus-minus department and just eight minutes in penalties.

    A signed NHL Entry Draft selection of the Washington Capitals, Protas is eligible to return to the WHL for a 19-year-old campaign next season.

    Protas joined to the Raiders after being selected in the first round and 26^th overall in the 2018 CHL Import Draft.
    Standing 6-foot-6 and weigh 210 pounds, Protas came to the Raiders with impressive physical tools and soft hands in the offensive zone.

Aliaksei Protas (#21) picked up 59 assists this season.

    As he got used to a new culture in Canada, Protas had a sound rookie regular season in 2018-19 posting 11 goals, 29 assists and a plus-24 rating in 61 regular season games. The Raiders finished first overall in the regular season standings with a 54-10-2-2.

    The product of Vitebsk, Belarus, became a fan favourite as rookie campaign went on, and he picked up the nickname “The Viper of Vitebsk.”

    The 2018-19 regular season was just a small precursor of what was in store for Protas in the post-season.

    In the 2019 WHL playoffs, Protas turned a lot of heads with a number of big performances playing left wing on a line centred by overager Sean Montgomery and Brett Leason staring on right wing.
    Protas appeared in all 23 of the games the Raiders played in the WHL playoffs piling up 12 goals, 10 assists and a plus-12 rating.

Aliaksei Protas topped the Raiders in scoring with 80 points.

    He played a sizable role in helping the Raiders win the Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL champions for the second time in team history and appearing in the CHL championship tournament – the Memorial Cup.

    In the NHL Entry Draft in June of 2019, the Capitals selected Protas in the third round and 91^st overall. The Capitals has selected Leason in the second round and 56^th overall in that same draft.

    Leason was signed by the Capitals and played this past season with their AHL affiliate the Hersey Bears.

    After all those experiences as a rookie, Protas came back to the Raiders with added jump and confidence.

    Having helped the Raiders finish first in the East Division with a 36-18-6-4 record, Protas was named a WHL Eastern Conference first team all-star last week. His season allowed him to have his name inscribed on the Raiders’ Dave Balon Leading Scorer Award, which was officially presented online on Tuesday.

    Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Raiders weren’t able to finish their regular season schedule and the CHL cancelled all its post-season action for all three of its member leagues including the WHL, OHL and QMJHL.

Aliaksei Protas (#21) celebrated lots of goals with his Raiders teammates.

    The Raiders have handed out three more of their team awards so far this week. Sophomore centre Ozzy Wiesblatt took home the Three Stars Award on Tuesday.

    On Wednesday, the Raiders named rookie defencemen Nolan Allan and Landon Kosior as the co-winners of the Belle Merrell and Calla Grasley Award as the team’s scholastic player of the year.

    Also on Wednesday, overage defenceman Jeremy Masella captured the Travis Laycock Award as the team’s humanitarian of the year.

    For Protas, he cemented himself as one of the WHL’s top players in 2019-20. He has the potential to have even better days in the sport of hockey in the years to come.

Hurricanes get two conference front office awards, other notes

Hurricanes GM Peter Anholt, left, was named a top executive.

    As the WHL has continued to roll out its major conference awards online, the Lethbridge Hurricanes took a couple of big honours as far as front office work goes.

    On Tuesday, Hurricanes general manager and alternate governor Peter Anholt was named the executive of the year for the Eastern Conference. Anholt has been with the Hurricanes since the start of the 2014-15 campaign and played a major role in turning the Hurricanes around from being one of the WHL worst franchises into a club that now enjoys elite status.

    This season, the Hurricanes posted a 37-19-2-5 record to finish third in the WHL’s Central Division and eighth overall in the entire league standings. The Hurricanes had locked up a playoff berth for a fifth straight year before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the final part of the regular season and the entire post-season for all CHL leagues.

    Anholt selected Slovakian left-winger Oliver Okuliar in the first round and 49^th overall in the 2019 CHL Import Draft. The 19-year-old finished second in Hurricanes team scoring with 33 goals and 35 assists for 68 points in 55 regular season games to go with a plus-25 rating in the plus-minus department.

    Anholt acquired overage centre Brett Davis in a trade with the Red Deer Rebels to help boost the Hurricanes scoring. In 57 regular season games played between the Rebels and Hurricanes, Davis had 25 goals and 24 assists.

    Anholt brought in depth right-winger Dino Kambeitz to further solidify the Hurricanes offence. The veteran GM added local Lethbridge products in left-winger Zack Stringer and netminder Erick Roest via separate WHL Bantam Drafts.

Zack Stringer was a big local WHL Bantam Draft pick by the Hurricanes.

    Stringer had a solid campaign as a 16-year-old rookie netting 11 goals, 23 assists and a plus-13 rating in 48 regular season games. Roest will attempt to crack the team’s roster next season as a 16-year-old rookie in goal.

    On Friday, the Hurricanes claimed the Eastern Conference business award. The Hurricanes have tried out new things like having intermission segments with skaters dressed in dinosaur costumes and providing more features on their website.

    They strive to give back to the community contributing over $163,000 to communities and organizations in Lethbridge and surrounding area.

    Matt Bardsley, who is the vice-president and general manager of the Kamloops Blazers, was named the Western Conference executive of the year on Friday. Bardsley helped build the Blazers roster and revamp the coaching staff by bringing in Shaun Clouston as head coach to allow the Kamloops club to top the B.C. Division with a 41-18-3-1 mark.

    The Seattle Thunderbirds claimed the Western Conference business award on Friday.

    On Monday, Edmonton Oil Kings head coach Brad Lauer was named the coach of the year for the Eastern Conference. Lauer guided the Oil Kings to the best record in the Eastern Conference and third best overall mark in the league at 42-12-6-4.

    Everett Silvertips head coach Dennis Williams was named the Western Conference’s coach of the year on Monday. Williams guided the Silvertips to the second best record in the WHL at 46-13-3-1.

• On Monday, the XFL filed for bankruptcy citing in a release the harsh economic impacts and uncertainties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The XFL suspended operations on March 12 and laid off most of its employees on Friday. The 2020 campaign was the first of a rebooted XFL and drew a high amount of positive reviews. A rowdy version of the league ran for one season in 2001. The XFL was owned by WWE chairman/president Vince McMahon and Alpha Entertainment. On Wednesday, the WWE laid off a significant number of its performers.
• The 2020 Saskatoon Fringe Festival became a casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic on Tuesday, when it was cancelled. The Fringe Festival was slated to run July 30 to August 8.
• Canada Basketball announced on Tuesday its under-15 and under-17 men’s and women’s national championships set for Aug. 2-9 were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Kingston, Ont., was slated to host the men’s under-15 and under-17 tournaments. Charlottetown, P.E.I., was set to host the women’s under-15 and under-17 tournaments.
• The Canadian Elite Basketball League announced on Wednesday its original regular season start in May had been pushed back to June due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. A league release cited government regulations currently limiting the size of public gatherings and causing the closures of team practice facilities as the reasons for the schedule change. The regular season was originally slated to start on May 7 with the Niagara River Lions hosting the Ottawa Blackjacks. The Saskatchewan Rattlers won last year’s inaugural CEBL championship.
• The Thursday edition of the weekly Quad Town Forum is online, and the Vibank, Sask., publication is well worth the read. Brad Brown, who is the publisher and owner of the Forum, has a great tribute piece on late Edmonton Oilers system forward Colby Cave. As a staffer for the Prairie Post in Swift Current, Brown covered Cave during part of the two-way player’s time with the WHL’s Broncos from 2012 to 2014. Brown typed out a good piece on Prince Albert Raiders 17-year-old rookie defenceman Landon Kosior. I contributed a piece on Saskatchewan Roughriders star left guard Brendon LaBatte. The online version of the Quad Town Forum can be found by clicking right here.
• The feel good tweet of the week so far comes from University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s basketball team head coach Lisa Thomaidis. She shared a short video put together by team video coach Connor Jay of the squad’s U Sports national title win on March 8. The Huskies downed the Brock University Badgers 82-64 in the national final held in Ottawa, Ont.

It's been 5 weeks since our @USPORTSca National Championship. So grateful to @CJ7Ten for capturing our @HuskieWBB "One Shining Moment" in such a beautiful way. @HuskieAthletics ` pic.twitter.com/GmPVRVrCz1

— Lisa Thomaidis (@LisaThomaidis) April 14, 2020

    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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Capitals good landing spot for Raiders’ Leason

Brett Leason celebrates scoring for the Raiders in the WHL playoffs.

    The NHL Entry Draft might have worked about better than first envisioned for Brett Leason.

    The 20-year-old right-winger from the Prince Albert Raiders was tabbed as a potential first round selection after being listed 25^th among North American skaters in the final rankings released by NHL Central Scouting in April.

    On the final day of this year’s NHL Entry Draft being held on Saturday in Vancouver, B.C., Leason was selected in the second round and 56^th overall by the Washington Capitals.

    Before the draft day festivities began, Leason received the E.J. McGuire Award of Excellence. The award is given to candidate who best exemplifies the commitment to excellence through strength of character, competitiveness and athleticism.

    Leason was presented the award after persevering through going undrafted in 2017 and 2018 and having a breakout season with the Raiders posting 36 goals, 53 assists for 89 points and a plus-55 rating in 55 regular season games.

Brett Leason had a breakout season with the Raiders in 2018-19.

    He helped the Raiders finish first overall in the WHL regular season with a 54-10-2-2 record and win their second WHL title and appear in the Memorial Cup tournament. In the WHL playoffs, Leason posted 10 goals and 15 assists for 25 points and a plus-six rating in 22 games.

    The Calgary, Alta., product also earned a spot on Canada’s team at the last world junior tournament played in Vancouver and Victoria, B.C.

    While you can bet Leason, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 210 pounds, would have loved to have been selected in the first round, he ended up in a good NHL landing spot.

    The Capitals have qualified for the NHL playoffs in 11 of the last 12 seasons. They’ve won 45 or more games in each of the past five campaigns.

    Washington captured the Stanley Cup in 2018. Last season, the Capitals topped the Metropolitan Division with a 48-26-8 record before being upset in the first round of the post-season by the Carolina Hurricanes in a series that went the maximum seven games.

    The Capitals likely won’t fall off the map any time soon being loaded with veteran talent like the great Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Nicklas Backstrom, John Carlson, Brooks Orpik and netminder Braden Holtby.

Brett Leason (#20) and Aliaksei Protas (#21) were drafted by the Capitals.

    Leason will have a chance to develop and be molded to a spot on the team. He won’t be expected to come in and light things up offensively right away.

    He will be looked upon to be a potential piece to keep the good times going for the Capitals.

    Falling to the second round, it can also be argued there might be some doubts as to whether Leason can duplicate his stellar 2018-19 campaign with the Raiders. The doubt card could provide another motivating factor.

    On the other end of the spectrum, the fact Leason slipped in the draft takes some pressure off to come in and make an impact right away.

    Leason gained another bonus in the draft when one of his Raiders linemates in Belarusian left-winger Aliaksei Protas was also selected by the Capitals. The Capitals picked Protas in the third round and 91^st overall.
    Protas, who stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 205 pounds, was a WHL rookie in the 2018-19 campaign, and he steadily improved posting 11 goals, 29 assists and a plus-24 rating in 61 regular season games.

The Raiders celebrate a post-season goal from Brett Leason (#20).

    The 18-year-old had a head turning WHL playoffs posting 12 goals, 10 assists and a plus-12 rating in 23 games.

    Leason and Protas will be able to continue to help each other in the Capitals system.

    You are almost watching to see if the Capitals will sign their centre with the Raiders in Sean Montgomery as a free agent. Montgomery has exhausted his major junior eligibility after playing five seasons with the Raiders.

    Things couldn’t have fallen in place any better for Leason. When the draft came to a close, he was likely thankful things played out as they did.

Blades’ Maier get draft snub

Nolan Maier was passed over in the NHL Entry Draft.

    Nolan Maier has to be wondering why he was the odd man out when it comes to the NHL Entry Draft.

    The 18-year-old product of Yorkton, Sask., couldn’t have done anything more at this point in his hockey career to earn an NHL Entry Draft Selection. The Saskatoon Blades star netminder was passed over at this year’s draft that was held on Friday and Saturday in Vancouver, B.C.

    As a 16-year-old rookie in the 2017-18 campaign, Maier joined the Blades and racked up a string of impressive performances including a run of winning 10 straight games. He became a WHL starting netminder as a 16-year-old rookie, which is not very common in the current era of major junior hockey.

    Maier finished out his rookie campaign posting a 23-17-2 record, a 3.31 goals against average, a .895 save percentage and two shutouts.

    There were times that season you could argue he was one of the top five netminders in the WHL.

Maier followed things up with a stellar sophomore campaign where he posted a 36-10-6 record, a 2.64 goals against average, a .910 save percentage and four shutouts.
    Thanks to Maier’s efforts, the Blades finished fourth overall in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 45-17-8 record and made the post-season for the first time since 2013.

Nolan Maier has been stellar for the Blades in his two WHL campaigns.

    Maier kept up his impressive play in the playoffs helping the Blades advance to the second round. In Saskatoon’s 10 post-season contests, Maier posted a 6-4 record, a 2.86 goals against average, a .903 save percentage and one shutout.

    The Blades fell in a six-game series in the second round to the eventual WHL champion Prince Albert Raiders.

    Maier posted shutout wins over the Raiders, who topped the WHL regular season standings with a 54-10-2-2 record, twice in the 2018-19 campaign. He blanked them once in the regular season and once in the post-season.

    On top of playing for the Blades, Maier has found himself firmly planted on Hockey Canada’s radar. In November of 2017, he was a member of Team Canada Black at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge held jointly in Dawson Creek and Fort St. John, B.C.

    Last August, Maier was on Canada’s under-18 team that won gold at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup held jointly in Edmonton and Red Deer.
    After the Blades were eliminated from the WHL playoffs in April, Maier suited up for Canada at the under-18 world championships held in Ornskoldsvik and Umea, Sweden.

    Earlier this month, Maier took part in Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence Goaltending Camp in Calgary, Alta.

Nolan Maier has been locked on Hockey Canada’s radar.

    On top of all of that, Maier is a well-mannered person that everyone he has met says good things about. He has been one of those perfect representatives for the Blades in the community.

    The only thing more he could have done is maybe found a way to stretch himself to gain three inches in height.

    Maier stands 6-feet and weighs 173 pounds. It seems like those making decisions in NHL personnel departments are weighted towards finding puck stoppers who stand 6-foot-3 three or taller.

    It is safe to say that Maier would have been drafted had he stood 6-foot-3 with the numbers he put up with the Blades.

    Even with that said, three goaltenders were selected in the seventh round who were similar in size to Maier.

    With the 197^th overall pick, Finland’s Filip Lindberg, who stands 6-feet and weighs 180 pounds, went to the Minnesota Wild.

    The Colorado Avalanche took Vancouver Giants netminder Trent Miner with the 202^nd overall selection. Miner stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 187 pounds.

    Everett Silvertips star Dustin Wolf, who stands 6-feet and weighs 156 pounds, was selected 214^th overall by the Calgary Flames.

    At that point, it becomes a head shaker when you reflect on the fact Maier wasn’t drafted.

    A total of 22 netminders were selected in the NHL Entry Draft. At this point in time, it can be argued Maier is better than most of those.

Netminder Nolan Maier celebrates a win with his Blades teammates.

    Still, he was only listed 22^nd among North American goalies in the final NHL Central Scouting rankings in April, so for some reason, he isn’t cracking on the NHL’s radar.

    In Maier’s case, the NHL Entry Draft is a lesson on how life can be unfair.

    All Maier can do is keep building on the tremendous work he has already done and let the chips fall where they may.

    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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Fearless prediction – Blades will make WHL playoffs in 2018-19

The Blades celebrate a goal from their final game in the 2017-18 season.

    Well folks. You heard it here first.

    The Saskatoon Blades will make the WHL playoffs in the 2018-19 campaign. That is my prediction for “the Bridge City Bunch” this season, and I am sticking to it.

    Saskatoon last made the playoffs back in the 2012-13 campaign, when they hosted the Memorial Cup. That marked the final season of the Blades being owned by long-time owner Jack Brodsky.

    In making that prediction, I can already see the jaded followers of the team falling down on the floor in laughter. Actually, I have a gut feeling the Blades might have a playoff spot locked up when March 2019 begins. That notion might potentially cause the jaded fans to die of laughter, so I hope they can control themselves and be alright.

    Due to the fact the Blades are in the midst of their longest playoff drought in team history spanning the last five consecutive seasons, the “I will believe it when I see it” notion has floated around a number of followers of the charter WHL franchise.

Chase Wouters has been named the Blades new captain.

    Edmonton product Mike Priestner bought the Blades from Brodsky before the start of the 2013-14 campaign. The new regime faced a major rebuilding project due to the fact the Blades’ future was mortgaged to stock the team with a roster worthy of hosting the Memorial Cup in 2013 and a major trade that brought star hometown product Brayden Schenn to the club in the 2010-11 campaign.

    The Blades finished first overall in the WHL in 2010-11 with a 56-13-2-1 record, but were swept in the second round of the playoffs by that season’s eventual WHL champions the Kootenay Ice.

    Under Priestner’s ownership, the Blades have slowly improved. In the 2013-14 campaign, the Blades finished with a 16-51-2-3 record for 37 points in the standings, which was an expected drop after hosting the Memorial Cup.

    The club’s record has improved each season since that time.

    For the past two seasons, the Blades were seeing signs that their lengthy rebuild was paying off and that the club had come out of the funk in the aftermath of hosting the 2013 Memorial Cup. Unfortunately, a playoff berth eluded the squad.

    In 2016-17, the Blades posted a 28-35-7-2 record to sit five points behind the Calgary Hitmen (30-32-8-2) for the second and final wildcard berth in the WHL’s Eastern Conference.

Dawson Davidson will serve as a Blades assistant captain.

    The 2017-18 campaign proved to be more heartbreaking. The Blades posted a 35-33-3-1 regular season record to fall three points shy of the Prince Albert Raiders (32-27-9-4) for the second and final wildcard berth in the Eastern Conference.

    Saskatoon had the seventh most points in the 12-team Eastern Conference, which meant two clubs with worse records made the post-season under the current league playoff format.

    The Blades were playing out of an East Division, which was viewed as one of the toughest divisions seen at any time in the history of the WHL. Saskatoon still put together an 18-17-2-1 mark playing against East Division foes.

    Internally, the Blades must have felt reasonably confident a post-season berth would happen last season, because management decided to bring back the team’s classic Pac-Man jerseys as the club’s regular look before the start of the campaign. The Blades wore the Pac-Man jerseys during a heyday of stellar campaigns in the 1980s and early 1990s.

    Saskatoon will be guided by rookie 34-year-old head coach Mitch Love this season. Love is viewed as one of the best young coaches in the WHL having spent the previous seven seasons with the Everett Silvertips as an assistant coach.

Max Gerlach has scored 30-or-more goals in three straight campaigns.

    The Silvertips finished third overall in the WHL’s regular season standings in 2017-18 with a 47-20-2-3 mark. They advanced to the WHL Championship series falling to the Swift Current Broncos in six games.

    The Blades two biggest draws will be 17-year-old stars in centre Kirby Dach and goalie Nolan Maier. Dach is being pegged as a prospect that could go early in the first round in next year’s NHL Entry Draft, and Maier aims to build off a sensational rookie campaign that saw him named the Blades team MVP as well as rookie of the year.

    On Thursday, the Blades announced their leadership group, and their picks were great ones. Chase Wouters, who is a standout 18-year-old centre, was named the 59^th captain in Blades team history.

    Wouters appeared in all of the Blades 72 games last season and finished fourth in team scoring with 18 goals and 33 assists, while posting a plus-seven rating in the plus-minus department. He was named the scholastic player of the year for the Eastern Conference posting a 90 per cent average in Grade 11 and an 89 per cent average last year in Grade 12.

    Having just returned from the training camp of the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning, Wouters, who is from Lloydminster, Alta/Sask., had earned the opportunity to be the Blades leader with his efforts on and off the ice.

Josh Paterson had a breakout season for the Blades in 2017-18.

    Overage defenceman Dawson Davidson, overage right-winger Max Gerlach and 19-year-old right-winger Josh Paterson were named assistant captains.

    Davidson and Gerlach know all the ropes of the WHL. Davidson has appeared in 233 career regular season games with the Kamloops Blazers, Regina Pats and Blades displaying an offensive touch on the back end collecting 24 goals and 92 assists over that time.

    The Moosomin, Sask., product had 10 goals and 33 assists in 69 regular season games split between the Pats and Blades in 2017-18.

    Gerlach, who recently returned from the training camp of the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes, has appeared in 209 career regular season games split between the Medicine Hat Tigers and the Blades. Over that time, the Flower Mound, Texas, product has registered 99 goals and 78 assists.

    In each of his three previous WHL seasons, Gerlach has potted 30-or-more goals and collected 35 goals and 35 assists in 65 regular season games split between the Tigers and Blades in 2017-18.

    Paterson has improved steadily in his three campaigns to date with the Blades. The Edmonton, Alta., product had a breakout campaign in 2017-18 for the Blades appearing in all 72 regular season games netting 31 goals and 22 assists, which were both career highs.

Kirby Dach is one of the Blades top players to watch this season.

    Another player to watch will be tough-guy forward Riley McKay. The 19-year-old McKay was acquired by the Blades in an off-season trade with the Spokane Chiefs. Last season, McKay recorded four goals, nine assists and a WHL leading 152 penalty minutes in 62 regular season games.

    Standing 5-foot-11 and weighing 192 pounds, the Swan River, Man., product has displayed a good offensive touch coming up through the Manitoba minor hockey system, and he might turn into more of a power forward.

    Overall, the Blades have a solid roster that has been mainly built through the WHL Bantam Draft and supplemented with some sound trades.

    The Blades open the regular season traveling to Swift Current on Friday night to take on the Broncos at 7 p.m. at the Credit Union i-Plex. Those two clubs go at it again on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre in the Blades home opener.

    The overall hard work everyone in the Blades organization has put in over the past five years is set to show returns in a big way.

Back in the Express with Pilon

Garrett Pilon is embarking on his professional hockey career.

    I was back in the pages of the Saskatoon Express this week with a story on Washington Capitals prospect Garrett Pilon.

    Pilon was a graduate of the Saskatoon minor hockey system, and for the past three seasons, he became a star playing in the WHL for the Kamloops Blazers and Everett Silvertips. In 207 regular season games split between the Blazers and Silvertips, Pilon recorded 69 goals and 123 assists.

    He collected career highs in goals (34) and assists (46) appearing in 69 regular season games split between the Blazers and Silvertips last season.

    Pilon has a signed three-year NHL entry-level contract with the Capitals and is currently playing pre-season games with the defending Stanley Cup champions.

    The story on Pilon can be found 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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Capitals’ Stephenson set to bring Stanley Cup to Humboldt

Chandler Stephenson is all smiles holding the Stanley Cup.

    Chandler Stephenson’s smile was a mile wide when he brought the Stanley Cup to Kiwanis Memorial Park in Saskatoon on Thursday.

    The 24-year-old centre helped the NHL’s Washington Capitals win hockey’s most storied trophy back in June. During a public event that lasted two-and-a-half hours on Thursday afternoon, people were able to come to Kiwanis Memorial Park to have their picture taken with the Cup and meet Stephenson and get their pictures taken with him.

    On Friday, Stephenson is taking the Stanley Cup to Humboldt. When the Capitals held a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven Stanley Cup championship series over the Vegas Golden Knights, Stephenson said he intended to bring the storied prize to Humboldt, if Washington locked up the set.

    Moments after the Capitals down the Golden Knights 4-3 in Game 5 in Las Vegas on June 7, Stephenson vowed to bring the Stanley Cup to Humboldt.

A couple of young fans get their picture taken with the Stanley Cup.

    The promise came with hope it will help the small Saskatchewan city of about 6,000 people to continue to heal in the aftermath of the April 6 bus crash involving the junior A Humboldt Broncos of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.

    On that day, the bus that was carrying the Broncos to play a Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League playoff game in Nipawin was involved in a collision with a semi-truck just north of Tisdale. The unthinkable event resulted in the deaths of 16 players and team personnel.

    Stephenson is friends and trains in the off-season with Broncos players and crash survivors Brayden Camrud and Kaleb Dahlgren.

    “(I’m) just (hoping) to give back to that community and hopefully put some smiles on people’s faces,” said Stephenson, who has six goals and 12 assists in 67 regular season games with the Capitals last season. “(I) just (want to) make it a good day.

Chandler Stephenson, right, signs and autograph for a young fan.

    “I know the community deserves it.”

    Stephenson will be joined by more than a dozen former and current NHL players for Humboldt Hockey Day, which was organized by the NHL and NHLPA to celebrate the strength and resilience of the community. 
    Stephenson and the Stanley Cup will be at the Elgar Petersen Arena from 12 noon to 1:30 p.m., and interactive games and street hockey contests are slated to run from 12 noon to 2:30 p.m.

    Humboldt Hockey Day also coincides with the first day of Broncos training camp.

The line of people to see Chandler Stephenson and the Stanley Cup was long.

    As for Thursday’s stop at Kiwanis Memorial Park in Saskatoon, the line to see Stephenson and the Stanley Cup stretched from the Vimy Memorial almost all the way to the Broadway Bridge at one point.

    Parents with young children made up the majority of the people that came out to see Stephenson and the Cup. A sizable contingent of Stephenson’s family members were on hand, and it was obvious he knew some of the people who were waiting in line.

    Through the whole session, it seemed like it was impossible to erase the huge smile that was on Stephenson’s face. The graduate of the WHL’s Regina Pats said he was enjoying all the festivities.

    “It was pretty crazy, the anticipation to get it,” said Stephenson, who had two goals and five assists appearing all of the Capitals 24 playoff games in their Stanley Cup winning run. “To have it, it has been a lot of fun.”

Blades open training camp on Saturday

The Blades are set to begin training camp on Saturday.

    The Saskatoon Blades are slated to open their training camp on Saturday.

    Players will meet at the Elite Performance Centre for registration and fitness testing on Saturday. On Sunday, the 39 forwards, 26 defencemen and nine goaltenders brought into camp will be divided into four teams for a series of scrimmages to be held at the SaskTel Centre.

    Scrimmage games are slated for 10:30 a.m., 1 p.m., 4:15 p.m. and 5:45 p.m. on Sunday. They continue with contests slated for 9 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. on Monday.

    The scrimmages conclude on Monday with a third place game at 2 p.m. and a first place game at 4 p.m. The winning team gets awarded the Kirkness Cup, which is named after long time dressing room attendant Bobby Kirkness.

    Last season, the Blades post a solid 35-33-3-1 record playing out of an incredibly tough East Division in the WHL. Saskatoon fell three points shy of the Prince Albert Raiders (32-27-9-4) for the second wildcard playoff berth in the Eastern Conference.

    The Blades had the seventh best record in the 12-team conference in missing the playoffs.

    The Blades open their regular season schedule on Sept. 21, when they travel to Swift Current to face the Broncos. Those two clubs meet again on Sept. 22 at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre to mark the Blades regular season home opener.

    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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Pats standout Hobbs is finding his way to "The Show"

Connor Hobbs is a star on the Pats blue-line.

    One day the Washington Capitals might look back on the 2015 NHL Entry Draft and admit they got a steal selecting Connor Hobbs in the fifth round.

    For about the last five years, Hobbs’ hockey career has been on a steady upswing. The 19-year-old defenceman was arguably the best Saskatoon product and possibly the best Saskatchewan product to play in the WHL last season.

    He became standout offensive defenceman piling up 19 goals and 22 assists in 58 games with the Regina Pats, while still remaining strong in the defensive zone. In 12 games in the WHL playoffs, Hobbs picked up 10 points coming on four goals and six assists.

    The Capitals selected Hobbs in the fifth round and 143^rd overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft and prudently signed him to a three-year NHL entry-level contract on July 1^st of this year.

    In what is turning out to be a memorable summer, Hobbs, who stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 196 pounds, is among the 41 players who have been invited to Hockey Canada’s national junior team summer development came, which starts Saturday and runs through to Aug. 6. The players take part in practices in Toronto starting Saturday and running to Aug. 2. From Aug. 3 to 6, the players will participate in series of exhibition games against national teams from Finland, Sweden and the United States in Plymouth, Mich.

    Way back in 2012, Hobbs was selected by the Prince Albert Raiders in the fourth round and 67^th overall in that year’s WHL Bantam Draft. He never played a game for the Raiders as his WHL rights were traded to the Medicine Hat Tigers before his 16-year-old season.

Connor Hobbs brings the puck up ice for the Pats.

    Hobbs had a sound 15-year-old season as a rookie in the midget AAA ranks recording six goals and 10 assists in 38 games with the Saskatoon Blazers. He arrived in Tigers training camp in 2013 looking to crack a spot on a team that was loaded with veteran defencemen.

    The rearguard had an impressive camp, where he able to show off what has become his trademark point blast. The Tigers brass made the hard decision to send Hobbs back to the Blazers for his 16-year-old campaign.

    Hobbs took a big step forward collecting 11 goals and 12 assists in 33 games with the Blazers. He also appeared in 10 regular season games with the Tigers collecting a goal, two assists and a plus-one rating in the plus-minus department. In those games, Hobbs looked like he should be a WHL regular.

    During the off-season, those that saw Hobbs work out in Saskatoon could see he had a purpose to do everything he could to ensure he stuck in the WHL for the upcoming campaign.

Connor Hobbs threads a pass in the offensive zone for the Pats.

    In August of 2014, Hobbs earned a spot on Canada’s under-18 team that won gold at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament co-hosted annually in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
    Hobbs returned to the Tigers following that international event to start his 17-year-old season collecting a goal, an assist and a plus-one rating in 12 games. He was fighting for minutes on a defensive unit that was still heavy with veterans. As he was in his draft year, he did the smart thing for his situation and returned home asking for a trade.
    The talented rearguard played four games for the Nipawin Hawks in the junior “A” ranks and suited up for Canada at the World Junior “A” Challenge in Kindersley in December of 2014.

    The Pats acquired Hobbs on Jan. 5, 2015, and the Saskatoon product played lots of key minutes collecting a goal, 15 assists and a plus-five rating in 33 regular season games to finish the 2014-15 campaign. He did enough to earn his NHL Entry Draft selection from the Capitals.

Connor Hobbs looks for an offensive zone opening.

    In the present moment, Hobbs has to be considered one of the best defencemen in the WHL. He has reached the point that he pretty much does everything right. 

    He is the guy you want in the defensive zone controlling the puck and bringing it up ice to start an offensive rush.

    On the power play, he has become a skilled quarterback that really commands things and calmly sets in plays. On the defensive side, he can more than hold his own physically.

    Hobbs has put in the time, and he found the right opportunities to allow his career to progress. 

    With the way he has progressed, there is no telling how good he can be, if the upswing in his game continues.

    With the Pats expecting to have a real strong team this coming season, Hobbs will likely be returned to the WHL ranks for his 19-year-old campaign, and he will definitely be a player to watch. 

    WHL fans of any team would be to wise catch Hobbs in action while they still can.

Willo gets Hockey Canada camp call

Kaitlin Willoughby is on  Hockey Canada's radar.

    University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team forward Kaitlin Willoughby is going to get the chance to see how she stacks up with Canada’s best.

    On Wednesday, Willoughby was one of 22 players from the Canadian Interuniversity Sport ranks to receive an invite to Hockey Canada’s Women’s Development Camp, which runs Aug. 5-14 in Calgary. For the CIS players, the camp provides an opportunity to turn heads in order to earn a roster spot for Canada’s women’s team that will play at the FISU Winter Universiade, which will run Jan. 29 to Feb. 8, 2017 in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

    The CIS players will take part in four games including two clashes against Sweden’s national team and two matches against players that are part of Hockey Canada’s women development program. The CIS players are eligible to be picked for Canada’s National Women’s Development team that will play in a three game series against the United States from Aug. 17 to 20 in Calgary.

    After graduating from the midget AAA ranks playing for her hometown Prince Albert Bears, Willoughby quickly attained star status with the Huskies. In the 2013-14 campaign, she was named the CIS rookie of the year after recording 10 goals and 15 assists in 28 regular season games.

    The speedy forward was a key contributor in helping the Huskies win their first ever Canada West title during her rookie campaign. Willoughby permanently carved her place in the history of the Huskies women’s hockey team in the 2014 best-of-three Canada West championship series against the University of Regina Cougars. In a series deciding Game 3, Willoughby potted the double overtime winner to give the Huskies a 2-1 victory at the ancient Rutherford Rink.

Kaitlin Willoughby has piled up the points in three seasons with the Huskies.

    During her three seasons with the Huskies, Willoughby has collected 30 goals and 41 assists in 82 regular season games. The always pleasant and upbeat 21-year-old has also built a reputation for being loved by her teammates and a large number of players from the other U of S Huskies teams.

    Willoughby has more than earned her chance to get on Hockey Canada’s radar.

    With that said, the CIS players will be in tough to earn a chance to play on Canada’s National Women’s Development team that will play in a three game series against the United States. The women’s development camp contains 42 players that are part of Canada’s women’s development program including Saskatoon product Emily Clark, who is already a member of Canada’s senior national women’s team at age 20. Clark is a gritty star forward with the storied and powerhouse University of Wisconsin Badgers of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

    From Aug. 7 to 14 in Calgary, Hockey Canada will also host a selection camp for the under-18 women’s national team. The under-18 camp contains 43 players including defender Willow Slobodzian and forward Mackenna Parker, who are both star players for the Saskatoon Stars.

    The Stars have won the last two straight Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League titles. Both Slobodzian and Parker reside just outside of Saskatoon in Clavet.

    The camp also includes Saskatoon products and forwards Nara Elia and Sophie Shirley. Shirley was a member of Canada’s under-18 team last season. Both spent last season with the Notre Dame Hounds team that plays out of the Junior Women’s Hockey League.

    Defender Brooke Hobson from the Prince Albert Bears rounds out the Saskatchewan players invited to the under-18 camp.

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