The Saskatoon Blades had a lot of questions heading into 2024-25, but the biggest was who was going to take over as the primary scorer. The team lost Yegor Sidorov, Easton Armstrong, Fraser Minten, Trevor Wong, and Alexander Suzdalev, who combined for 121 goals last season (nearly 50% of all the goals the Blades scored.) The quintet also put up just under 45% of Saskatoon’s assists, with Wong’s 86 assists leading the team. Those were some big skates to fill, and while no one doubted Brandon Lisowsky’s ability to put the puck away, he was going to need a lot of help to bring the Blades back to the top of the standings.
Yet, after three games, the Blades sit first in the Eastern Conference, are the only team without a regulation or overtime loss, and they did so without the support of Lisowsky or Tanner Molendyk, both of whom are still away at NHL camps. They haven’t been gritty, 2-1 wins either; the Blades currently sit second in the Western Hockey League (WHL) with 17 goals. There are many reasons for Saskatoon’s hot start, but one of the biggest has to be newcomer Ben Riche, who leads the team with four goals. He has not only meshed well with the core in Saskatoon, but he’s become exactly what the team needed – someone who can put pucks in the net.
Riche Thriving With First-Line Deployment
A native of Bethune, Saskatchewan, Riche began his career with the Moose Jaw Warriors in 2021-22 and promised to be a premier sniper in the WHL, but by the 2023-24 season, the 2020 second-round bantam draft pick hadn’t scored more than 15 goals in a season. With the Warriors were looking at making at run at the league title, Riche was shipped off to the Victoria Royals for veterans Brayden Schuurman and Kalem Parker.
In Victoria, Riche was given a more prominent role, moving up to the second line, and responded by scoring a hat trick in his second game with the team. But the Royals struggled to string wins together, and although they made the playoffs, they were quickly sent home by the Portland Winterhawks. Riche went scoreless in the series despite finishing the season with 15 goals and 34 points. The hope was the team would take a step forward the following season and Riche would emerge as a valuable top-six centre.
That’s when the Blades came calling, offering the Royals 20-year-old Vaughn Watterodt in a one-for-one swap. General manager Colin Priestner was frank about the trade, saying, “With our 20 year old situation, we felt it was the right time to make a move to ensure Vaughn had a great landing spot in the league with an emerging team. Getting a skilled 19-year-old centre back in Ben Riche made it a lot easier to do.”
However, the move couldn’t have turned out better for the Blades. Riche instantly fit in with Saskatoon’s returning group and never felt like there was a transition period. “Honestly, from the moment I stepped in, I came a little bit early and we did a little kids camp which was good for me to come meet some of the guys,” he said ahead of the 2024-25 season. “They were very welcoming, great group and it’s always been super positive and a great atmosphere in the room… Even though it’s a fairly different group from last year you can tell it’s pretty tight, right? Everybody is very inclusive and we’ve got a good leadership core so that makes it a lot easier to come into a group like this and have some fun.”
Fun is right. Riche led the WHL preseason with two goals and seven points in four games, and in the Blades’ home-and-home series against the Swift Current Broncos to begin the season, he scored three goals and added two assists while playing on the Blades top line. “It’s exciting for me,” he said when asked about being one of the team’s go-to producers. “That’s something I’ve always wanted to do and I’ve wanted to develop into that role in this league and I know I can, so that’s what I’m here to do and show.”
DaSilva’s Focus on Speed
There’s no question that Riche has become an instant favourite in Saskatoon thanks to his incredible production so far, but the coaching staff have been equally impressed with him. From day one, head coach Dan DaSilva was blown away with how fast he was. “I knew, obviously, his skating, he’s a really fast skater,” he said, “but I didn’t realize how fast he was. We had a practice on Monday (Sept. 16) where he was just flying by everyone. It was crazy how fast, he was at another level.”
Skating has always been big for DaSilva. It was the first thing he mentioned about Riche, and the Blades’ coach mentioned it again when talking about recently acquired defenceman Cameron Sytsma, saying, “I’m a big fan of guys who can move on the ice. I think the way that the game’s going, has been going for a few years, you got to be able to skate.” But it’s not all about skating, and DaSilva addressed a few things he wanted Riche to improve on. “He’s got some things defensively we need to work on,” he admitted, “but he’s the preseason point leader so hopefully that carries over.”
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Riche smiled when told about those comments, but he didn’t seem too surprised. “[My skating is] something that I’m confident in, it’s something I’ve worked on a lot over the past 10 years, it’s something I know I like to use and I’m going to continue to keep using it.” He was also confident with DaSilva’s criticisms, adding, “I think the consistency is definitely important. It’s something I’ve been working on a lot and I think that’s kind of me as a player. So I think I just got to keep working at these little things.”
Lisowsky’s Immanent Return Promises Even Greater Returns
So far, Riche has been thriving alongside Tyler Parr, who leads the team with seven points, and youngster Willy James, who is looking to earn a more consistent role after playing 26 games last season. His speed and awareness enable him to get to the right spot at the right time, making him the line’s primary finisher.
But the top line is likely going to get shuffled slightly in the near future, as it looks like Lisowsky will soon be returning to the lineup after he was made one of the team’s alternate captains for this season. That’s going to affect Riche’s deployment slightly, as Lisowsky served as the primary finisher for Minten and Suzdalev, although Minten took over as the second line’s scorer in the playoffs. Having two guys who play similar roles could result in some clashes, but Riche isn’t looking at fighting for a spot on the top line. Instead, he’s excited about the potential of playing alongside a great player like Lisowsky. “It’s been great,” he said during the preseason regarding finding consistency with his new linemates. “Hopefully when Lisowsky gets back here we can fire it up a little bit more.”
Riche has done everything asked of him and more early into 2024-25, which has made him one of the Blades’ best players to start the season. His ability to push the play and score goals has made the transition from last season’s championship-calibre roster to this season’s retooled lineup focusing on youth a much easier one. Who knows? Maybe with him centreing the top line, Saskatoon can remain one of the top teams in the WHL.
