Saskatoon Blades Will Find Different Ways to Win in 2024-25 – Hockey Writers – Season Preview

The 2024-25 Western Hockey League (WHL) season is right around the corner and all eyes will be on the Saskatoon Blades. Last season, they finished first with 50 wins and 105 points thanks to the strength of their veterans. Unfortunately, most of those veterans are gone, either old or gone, leaving a huge gap at the top of the roster that won't be easy to fill.

However, the remaining veterans of the Blades are not too worried about the pressure of the upcoming season. “I don't think our mindset is changing this year,” said 20-year-old defender Ben Saunderson. “It is not a fixed year for us. We're still looking to come out on top every night…It's going to be a different way to win. We had a lot of talented older guys last year and sometimes we got wins without playing our best hockey, and it's going to take our full effort every night. “

“It will be a different way to win”

📽️ Defender Ben Saunderson ahead of Saturday @merlinyxe Home Opener pic.twitter.com/6qrx3sZJ08

– Saskatoon Blades (@BladesHockey) September 19, 2024

Saunderson's high level of confidence his team does not deserve. This team knows how to win and has done so consistently for the past four seasons. But, without Fraser Minten, Trevor Wong, Alexander Suzdalev, Yegor Sidorov, Easton Armstrong, and Charlie Wright, the Blades won't have as strong an offense as they did last season. Instead, Saskatoon will rely on their strong defense and determination to pull out the win. They won't be as good, but this team is still as competitive as ever.

The Moose Jaw Series Has Left a Chip on Its Shoulder

Heading into the 2023-24 playoffs, Saskatoon was the favorite to capture the Ed Chynoweth Cup for the first time in franchise history. Unfortunately, they ran into the Moose Jaw Warriors in the Conference Finals, losing to them in seven games. Those memories will be hard to forget for returning veterans.

While the seventh overtime loss was a tough pill to swallow, Rowan Calvert may have had one of the most painful experiences of the last game for the Blades. A native of Moose Jaw, his older brother, Atley Calvert, played for the Warriors and helped them sweep the Prince George Cougars, while Rowan was at home, supporting his family. But it was hard not to think about being on the ice instead.

Related: Saskatoon Blades Well-Represented at NHL Training Camps

“To be honest, I didn't want to go to the game,” he said before the Blades' first game against the Swift Current Broncos. “That's what really hit me. He brought the Cup into the house and I said to him, 'Don't bring it into the house.' I wasn't too happy about that to be honest and that's more than I thought about getting so close to it…it inspired me and it's something I'll think about for a long, long time.”

But the Blades are not bitter about the loss. “We weren't angry about our efforts,” added Saunderson. “The focus is, it's hockey and sometimes the bounce doesn't go your way…I don't think anyone hangs their head.” It shouldn't be either; six of the seven games in the series went to extra time, and although many left with broken hearts after losing 3-2, no one was ashamed of what they had accomplished, and now they can take that motivation to the rest of the team.

Blades Pride Their Defense Ability

However, no matter how determined the players are, they will have a hard time putting the goal in the net. Of the 10 Blades who scored the most goals in the playoffs last season, only Brandon Lisowsky, Tanner Molendyk, Saunderson and Grayden Siepmann remain, and these four have combined for 13 goals. Sidorov alone scored 15, while Minten and Armstrong combined for 14. That will leave Calvert, Misha Volotovskii, Tyler Parr, and Lukas Hansen to handle most of the duties. Calvert believes they are ready, however. “They are taking steps to be top guys after we are deep guys and play a different role in the team's success,” he said. “Everybody has more jump and everybody's a little bit more excited.”

Still, that's a huge burden to place on a team that has never seen anyone score more than 31 points in a single season. Ben Riche was added to help in that area, and although he leads the WHL in scoring on the season with nine points in four games, he has yet to post more than 35 points on the season. It will certainly help to have Evan Gardner back in net and he will look to build on his impressive rookie numbers, but one player cannot change the situation.

This is where the Blades' secret weapon comes in – defense. “It's something we really pride ourselves on defending here,” Saunderson said, “and even if you have all the skill in the world you still have to defend it. It's very important to us and something we look to do every night. ” New coach Dan DaSilva reiterated the importance of playing a strong defensive game, saying, “First and foremost, we have to be structured and sound defensively. It's not going to be easy to score against us. We're going to be very, very defensive. We're very proud of that.”

In addition to Saunderson and Molendyk, who recently returned from the Nashville Predators training camp, the Blades will also have Siepmann, who made an important step last season after being released from the Calgary Hitmen and invited to the rookie camp of the Washington Capitals. At 6-foot-4, Morgan Tastad will add much-needed body and size in the backfield as will 6-foot-2 17-year-old Isaac Poll, and 16-year-old Brayden Klimpke has flashed early. thanks to his speed and intelligence, we heap praise on both Saunderson and DaSilva.

Saskatoon's Young Men Will Learn from the Best

No one is kidding that this team will repeat last season's success. However, no one is considering this a rebuilding season despite the many 16 and 17 year olds on the roster. Instead, the focus was on leadership and helping young guys succeed while playing tough, competitive hockey. Saunderson reflected on last season's defeat as a catalyst for this season, saying, “Last year's loss gives motivation to the older guys and we're just trying to put that through the younger guys, we're here to win games… here for five years now, I know what it's like every day and what it takes to be successful in this league and just to show the boys where they should go. “

Players like Klimpke, Zach Olsen, Vlastimil Blazek, Willy James, Cooper Williams, and Colten Worthington couldn't ask for a better place to be. Each looks poised for a very successful junior career and all have shown flashes during training camp and preseason games, but now it's time to find out how to be successful during the WHL season. According to DaSilva, it all comes down to one thing – getting better every day.

There is still much to do before the Blades' season opener on Friday, September 20 and their home opener on Saturday, September. 21 both against the Broncos. Winning those games will take a lot of lonely hockey. But Saskatoon knows what it's getting into, and is ready to try new things to stay one of the best in the league.

Sign up for our NHL Prospects & Draft Substack newsletter