The Saskatoon Blades are a strong competitor for first place in the East Division in 2025-26. Every eligible player from last season’s roster returned, a rarity at the best of times, but even more impressive after the NCAA plucked several high-profile players from the Western Hockey League (WHL). Things looked even better after they split their first two games against the Prince Albert Raiders, who also project to be in the mix for first in the East, especially since the Blades’ northern rivals weren’t missing any key players at NHL camps. If everything goes right, this could be a championship-calibre team in the next couple of seasons.
The only problem is that, as the NCAA continues to recruit players from the WHL, the Blades may not have a couple of seasons to make a title run. On Sept. 14, 17-year-old forward Zac Olsen announced his commitment to Colorado College for 2026-27. The 2023 second-round pick had a strong rookie season with Saskatoon last year and is primed to be a solid middle-six contributor as a sophomore. Still, his breakout season will be spent south of the border rather than with the team that could desperately use him on their top line.
Olsen’s commitment was part of the new normal for the WHL, with talented prospects leaving for bigger and better opportunities. Yet Saskatoon has largely avoided the college pressure, and some players have changed their minds after joining the Blades. It just goes to show how important it is to create a positive culture around the team to avoid the pinch from the NCAA.
NCAA Commitments Could Hurt Championship Plans
The Blades weren’t in great shape after suffering a heartbreaking loss to the Moose Jaw Warriors in the 2023-24 semi-final. They’d mortgaged the future for a run at the championship, and when it didn’t pay off, they were back at square one. Five of their top seven players left the team, either after graduating or moving on to professional hockey, as well as their head coach. Not only was Saskatoon suddenly without 117 goals, but they also lost the visionary behind their playoff push, and it didn’t appear the roster had the firepower to make up for the deficit.
However, the young core stepped up alongside a group of wily veterans, and despite early predictions that the Blades would bottom out, they ascended to the top of the standings and remained there until the 2025 Trade Deadline. It was at that point that the Blades had to make a decision: either push for another deep playoff run and make next season’s rebuild even more difficult, or take a step back and retool on the fly. They chose the latter, trading away several key pieces for picks and prospects.
That was likely the same plan this season. Saskatoon’s young core is another year older, but they could still use some time to develop, so management could see if anyone is desperate for a deep playoff run. If that’s the mindset, the 2026 Trade Deadline could look very similar to 2025; starting goalie Evan Gardner could be moved since he will likely join the Columbus Blue Jackets next season, as could Rowan Calvert, a 20-year-old who is one of the best clutch players in the league, and 20-year-old import Dominik Petr, especially if he’s having a career year.
Those losses are manageable and part of the regular life cycle of a WHL team. Olsen’s departure, however, forces the Blades to adjust their plan on the fly, and it will only get more complicated if he’s joined by 18-year-old Hayden Harsanyi, who also committed to Colorado College with an unspecified enrollment date. They are expected to be top-six players on a championship team. Without them, Saskatoon will have to rely on younger players who may not have the stamina to play a full WHL season and then a deep playoff run.
GM Priestner Isn’t Worried About Depth
According to their president and general manager, Colin Priestner, the Blades are in a great place to absorb some unexpected changes. “I feel like we’re very, very deep,” he said during training camp. “This is the most excited about a group I’ve been in a long time.”
Part of Priestner’s confidence comes from his prospects. If Olsen and Harsanyi leave, they could easily be replaced by the likes of Adam Halat, who led his AAA league in points in 2024-25, or Jagger John, one of the fastest players at training camp for two years running.
Gardner, who could be one of the best goalies in the WHL this season, also has replacements lined up. “We think there are four guys who are WHL-level goalies,” said Priestner. “We’re going to have a couple of good goalies start the year in Junior A. It’s just the way it is; you keep two goalies, and we think we have four really good ones.”
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That isn’t just the blind optimism of a team official. Behind Gardner is the 19-year-old Ethan McCallum, who proved last season that he is capable of playing a starting role in the WHL. If he sticks around this season, there’s a good chance he’ll come back to Saskatoon and take over the crease. The backup job will then go to one of Ryley Budd, who’s long been pegged for a future starting job, and newly-signed Taye Timmerman, who was a standout at training camp and earned a backup job to start the 2025-26 season.
But the Blades have also done very well at recruiting high-end players from other leagues. Five American-born players attended the Blades’ training camp this year, with Mason Moreland, a first-round pick in the US Prospects Draft, nearly securing a roster spot before being reassigned to Junior A. Instead, the Blades signed 17-year-old Gavin Clark after inviting him to camp. Although he committed to Merrimack College, he was happy to put that on hold to play a few seasons with the Blades.
It’s not crazy to suggest other Americans could follow him, just like Dustin Willhoft joined his former German teammate, David Lewandowski, this season. Having that familiarity with the team before joining is a huge advantage, and the Blades could see their US prospects, Noah Morrison, Max Suter, and Charles Johnson, join the team before too long. All but Suter were at training camp – Suter was committed to Shattuck St. Mary’s prep school.
Saskatoon’s Culture is Worth Staying For
Clearly, the Blades have a good program, but so do other WHL teams. Yet junior clubs around the league have largely felt powerless to stop the bleeding of talent, and they’ve done what they can to strengthen their position. In an attempt to prevent the outright pilfering of junior rosters, the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) will not issue scouting passes to NCAA teams this season, although agreements can be reached between specific clubs. But even big teams can’t compete with big-money names, image, and comparative (NIL) deals that universities can offer top players.
“Any guy is year to year now, really, if they choose to stay,” Priestner said. “I think we’re going to be a team that’s going to have hopefully a little less turnover than some because people really want to be here, we treat our players really well, we have an unbelievable arena to play in with an NHL-sized rink and a place with a winning tradition over the last 10 years.”
So far, Priestner’s approach to his team has been working incredibly well for Saskatoon. While every team lost parts of their roster, the Blades didn’t and even had players speaking about pushing back their enrollment dates to help their team win. Cooper Williams, a top prospect heading into the 2026 NHL Draft, committed to the University of North Dakota over the summer but chose to join in 2027-28 to stay with the Blades. “Saskatoon has never won a championship,” he said. “We’ve all talked about it the whole year, how special this group can be to win a championship and coming here wanting to do it for us and for the city.”
He’s not the only one. Last season, Ben Riche chose to join Quinnipiac University in 2026-27, but after he was traded to the Prince George Cougars, he moved up his date to 2025-26, leaving the Cougars in the lurch. Had they known Riche would be gone this season, it’s unlikely they would have traded for him. Clearly, Saskatoon was offering something that Prince George couldn’t.
“A lot of teams have been getting calls that we kind of dreaded getting, where they’ve got an 18- or 19-year-old player that’s going to NCAA earlier than we expected,” admitted Priestner. “There’s not a whole lot we can do other than treat our players as well as we can, and give them the best experience. So even if they are presented with an option to leave for the NCAA early, they’ll want to stay with us, because they think they’re going to get the best coaching, training and (ice-time) opportunities that they can possibly get. There’d be no reason to leave.”
The Blades have always treated their players well, which has created a very positive atmosphere within the team and between teammates. Their motto for the past two seasons has been ‘getting better every day,’ which not only reinforces on-ice results and effort, but also their attitude off the ice.
Head coach Dan DaSilva treats his players like teenagers who are still growing and learning; he rarely criticizes a player outright and will always look at the bright side, even when things get tough and frustrating. Priestner is also very honest with his players, treating them with the respect they deserve. Those little things make a huge difference when players are deciding where they want to play.
Whether the Blades make a push for their first Ed Chynoweth Cup this season is still up for debate. The Raiders will also have a strong team again this season with top-end draft talent, as will the Edmonton Oil Kings. Even the Medicine Hat Tigers aren’t expected to take a massive step back despite losing a ton of talent. But no matter what happens, the Blades know they can rely on what they’ve built. So, while players look to the NCAA and wonder what could be, the Blades have stuck to their game plan, and the players have all bought in. There’s still time for Olsen to change his mind about an American college.
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