Comparing the Saskatoon Blades to the Top Teams in the WHL

The Saskatoon Blades have returned home after 19 days on the road, touring through the U.S. Division, and it’s fair to say that things could have gone better. In their six road games against Western Conference opponents, the Blades only came away with one win, defeating the 11th-place Tri-City Americans 4-2.

“Lots of times you can see, and I noticed it throughout the trip, where one thing goes wrong and it seems to compound on us,” said alternate captain Rowan Calvert, who acknowledged the team, himself included, strayed away from the team’s structure when the going got tough. But the road trip wasn’t all bad, with Calvert adding, “It was good to face some adversity, and I think we’ll be better for it.”

Not only did the Blades face some tough opponents and learn what it takes to win, but they also now know much more clearly where they stand in the Western Hockey League (WHL). Following the road trip, Saskatoon has now faced the first-place team in both conferences, and the Blades now have a much clearer picture of how they stack up against two of the toughest teams in the league and what it will take to finish first.

Goaltending Shines Against Everett

Once again, the Everett Silvertips are the best team in the WHL. After 15 games, they have just two losses, and in both cases, the Silvertips were missing key players. Landon DuPont and Clarke Scheafer were out against the 7-0 loss to the Penticton Vees, while Carter Bear sat out for the 3-2 overtime loss against the Portland Winterhawks. While they may sit one point lower than the Oil Kings in the standings, they have four games in hand.

The Oct. 24 game was never going to be easy for the Blades, and after the first period, the Silvertips led 3-0 and dominated the shot counter 17-4. By the end of the game, Everett outshot Saskatoon 39-16. But it was far from a poor effort from the Blades. “I actually thought prior to their first goal, we did some OK things,” said head coach Dan DaSilva after the game. “After the first 20, I was very proud of the guys’ resiliency, their ability to push back, and bend and not break.”

History was not on the Blades’ side that night; Saskatoon has lost 12 straight times to the American team since 2011. But despite the loss, the Blades showed that they could go toe-to-toe with one of the strongest programs in the WHL right now. They got fantastic goaltending from Evan Gardner, who finished the game with a .923 save percentage (SV%) and currently sits third in the league with a .918 SV%. Even when the Blades struggle, he remains consistent, making him a good candidate to make his World Junior debut in December.