WHL Saskatoon Blades

Blades Host Oil Kings in Back-To-Back Exhibition Games

Published on September 17, 2021 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Saskatoon Blades News Release


Hockey is back, Blade City.

560 days separated from the Saskatoon Blades last home game (an overtime thriller vs. Regina which landed Saskatoon in the playoffs), the Blue & Gold return to home ice, hosting the Edmonton Oil Kings in back-to-back home exhibition games.

Friday's contest begins at 7:00pm, with Saturday's afternoon tilt dropping the puck at 4:00pm - both of which at SaskTel Centre with doors opening one hour ahead of time.

Can't make the game? Tune into our YouTube live stream!

Players to Watch

32 players are currently rostered with the team, and although five of the 32 are either skating elsewhere or traveling into Saskatoon, not every player will suit up on Friday. However, it's like fans will get to see a little bit of everyone over the two games.

A plethora of rookies are looking to create a good impression in a game setting, including 2020 2nd round selection Lukas Hansen, and rookie defender Tait Humphries. Neither have laced up in a WHL game of any kind before, and will surely be chomping at the bit to earn their place on the roster come the regular season.

Several rookies from the 2021 Hub Season are also expected to provide bigger roles this season, including top-line winger Brandon Lisowsky, and Team USA U18 captain Pavel Bocharov. Lisowsky led the team in rookie scoring last year with 17 points (8G-9A) in 24 games, while Bocharov has been training throughout the off-season with Team USA's development program and represented his country well at the 2021 Hlinka Gretzky Championship last month.

https://twitter.com/BladesHockey/status/1436814307317084162

In goal, two rookies are fighting for the back-up position to veteran Nolan Maier - Saskatoon's Ethan Chadwick, and Austin Elliott of Strathmore, AB. Both were selected by the Blades in the 2019 WHL Bantam Draft.

He's not a player, but it's worth taking a look at the Saskatoon Blades bench this weekend as new bench boss Brennan Sonne takes his perch in his pre-season debut. Sonne joined the Blades organization earlier this off-season after spending nearly half a decade as a head coach in France's top professional league. The Maple Creek, BC product returns to the WHL after beginning his coaching career in Everett. Newly named assistant coach Dan DaSilva will also make his pre-season coaching debut with the Blades.

The Other Side

This is uncharted territory for the reigning Central Division champions, having not played in Saskatoon since January 25th of 2020, when the Oil Kings defeated Saskatoon by a 3-2 score.

Edmonton cracked into pre-season play last weekend, beating the Red Deer Rebels 5-3 thanks to a pair of third-period markers by Jacob Boucher.

Saskatoon holds a sizable advantage over Edmonton historically, holding a 4-1-1-0 record over the Oil Kings when playing in Saskatoon over the last five years.

NHL Property

The spotlight will surely be cast on the rookies in this two-game series, considering the number of players on both teams who are skating with NHL teams.

Saskatoon has three players away at NHL camps:

Tristen Robins - San Jose Sharks

Colton Dach - Chicago Blackhawks

Rhett Rhinehart - Colorado Avalanche

Edmonton has a total of nine players attending NHL camps:

Jake Neighbours - St. Louis Blues

Dylan Guenther - Arizona Coyotes

Carson Latimer - Ottawa Senators

Jakub Demek - Vegas Golden Knights

Jalen Luypen - Chicago Blackhawks

Josh Williams - Pittsburgh Penguins

Ethan Peters - Toronto Maple Leafs

Simon Kubicek - Edmonton Oilers

Sebastian Cossa - Detroit Red Wings

2021-22 season ticket memberships are now on sale for as low as $17 per game for adults, and $5 for children.

Be sure to contact one of our ticket associates by calling/texting (306) 975-8844, or shoot us an email at info@saskatoonblades.com.

Check out the Saskatoon Blades Statistics

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Western Hockey League Stories from September 17, 2021


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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