The Saskatoon Blades got a big boost for their game against the Edmonton Oil Kings on Jan. 9, 2026, with the return of David Lewandowski, David Willhoft, and Elias Pul, who were gone for a month with Germany at the World Junior Championship. The team had done well in their absences, putting up a 5-2-1 record, but with many of their rivals loading up for the playoffs, the Blades were going to need all hands on deck for the second half of the season.
Fans are very familiar with Lewandowski, who led the team in scoring with 32 points before leaving for Minnesota last month, as well as Willhoft, who might be one of the fastest players in the Western Hockey League (WHL) this season. Pul, on the other hand, was a bit of a mystery. Would he fit in with the rest of the tightly-knit Blades?
The short answer: yes, very much so. In his first game in Saskatoon, Pul was easily one of the most noticeable players on the ice. He was unafraid and battled hard, which led to some great scoring chances. Even though the game ended in a 3-1 loss, if this is a sign of what’s to come, the Blades may have found exactly what they need to have a big finish in 2025-26.
Pul Gives the Blades More Grit
Pul started his first game with the Blades on the fourth line with rookies Gavin Clark and Ben Bowtell, which was possibly surprising to some who expected him to fill in for Dominik Petr, the 20-year-old Czech veteran who was traded away for Pul. Petr was a mainstay in the top six for the Blades in his 29 games with the team and, before the trade, had nine goals and 21 points.
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While Petr had experience and skill, he lacked the grit that those units needed, which is part of the reason why the Blades began to struggle as the season progressed. A shakeup was needed to get things going again, so, with two other Germans on the roster, Blades’ president and general manager Colin Priestner thought it made sense to give him a shot, saying, “We think he has a lot of untapped potential in this league that he can unleash after learning the North American style over the first three months in Spokane.”
When asked about what he brings to the Blades, Pul was brief in his personal assessment. “I play hard, also a lot of speed,” he said ahead of his first game, and that’s exactly what he brought to the ice. In one of his first shifts, he screened an Oil Kings’ player to let defenceman Brayden Klimpke get through untouched, which led to an excellent scoring chance for the Blades. It was admittedly a borderline play that could have been an interference call from another referee, but it was a perfect showcase of his willingness to do what it took to help his team. That’s already a playoff mentality, and there’s still three months left.
Later in the game, Pul flashed his speed and strength, getting into the corners and behind the net to fight for the puck. It made him look far bigger than his 6-foot-1, 168-pound frame suggested, and with him on their line, Clark and Bowtell began taking more risks and getting into more plays. The two youngsters have never been shy about getting into the tougher areas, but they looked more confident with Pul alongside them.
I was impressed by Elias,” said head coach Dan DaSilva. “I thought that he, in fairly limited minutes based on the penalties and all that stuff, I thought that he was pretty good. He’s big, he skates well, he was physical on the forecheck, and you noticed him every time he was out there, so I think he’s only going to get better as he gets more comfortable with his surroundings.”
A World Junior Mentality in the WHL
The Germans had another tough World Junior tournament in 2026, failing to win any round robin games before facing Denmark in the relegation round. Yet, winning that game still gave the Germans a lot of confidence for the future of their program and what it takes to be a team in the Top Division.
“It was a good experience,” Pul said about his second World Juniors. “We play against good players, you have to compete from the beginning of the game. If you don’t compete, it’s going to be hard to go through. You have to be ready from the first game.”
The Blades have often struggled to start on time this season, leading to several early trades. At the deadline, however, Priestner remained quiet, instead looking at the return of Pul and Willhoft from the German national team as a sort of deadline acquisition.
“A guy like Willhoft, who, in the first half, was still finding his legs, and there were nights where you really noticed him, but the offence, the production wasn’t there,” said Priestner. “Then you see him get a point a game at the World Juniors, player of the game several times, and [was named] one of the top three players for his team by the tournament. There’s a guy who could be a huge addition for us in the second half offensively now that he’s used to North America, and he’s got a lot of confidence coming off the World Juniors.”
“Elias Pul, it’s the same thing. It’s a guy who scored at the World Juniors, and he’s going to give us really good depth at that age, at 19.”
Blades Strengthened By a Tight-Knit Roster
Players play better when they feel they are part of the team, and the Blades have done an excellent job of creating an environment where everyone is valued and respected. Priestner chose not to break up his core group because they have become so close, and the one trade he completed was to give an older player a better place to play meaningful minutes. It’s a culture of respect, and that goes a long way to making new players adjust that much quicker to the new systems and style.
It should come as no surprise that Pul felt welcomed immediately. “All the boys are good, they are very welcoming, and I feel like a family,” he said. Sure, it also helps to have two other Germans on the team with whom he can speak German, but the other players have embraced him just like they did his fellow countrymen.
“I don’t think we’re the kind of team that anyone wants to play,” said Priestner. “There are teams that have splashier lineups, for sure, more NHL first-rounders, but I don’t bet against teams like us that are really well coached, and the guys love being here. They have a very tight family, and that’s what we’re betting on.”
Pul showed that he was willing to stick up for his brothers on the ice in his very first game with the team. That’s a testament to how quickly he has adjusted, and a great sign for how well he will adapt to Blades’ hockey. He couldn’t have made a better first impression.
