There have been few defeats as demoralizing as the Saskatoon Blades’ 4-1 home loss to the Calgary Hitmen on Nov. 8. Not only was it the team’s fifth loss, the second-longest losing streak since Dan DaSilva took over as head coach in 2024, but the Blades were excellent off the hop, leading the Hitmen 15-7 in shots. Yet two mistakes from the defence in the first period led directly to two goals, and the Blades couldn’t get their momentum back for the rest of the game.
The Blades are a talented team. Hunter Laing and David Lewandowski are becoming highly-touted NHL prospects, Evan Gardner is one of the best goalies in the Western Hockey League (WHL), and Cooper Williams could become a high draft pick this spring. They also have the most experience of any club in the WHL, with 2299 games played on the roster. By all accounts, they should be challenging for a top spot in the Eastern Conference. But this season, the team has lived and died by its defence. When the team’s defence is playing well, the team wins. If they’re not, they don’t.
That’s why the recent acquisitions of Tyrone Sobry and Derek Thurston are so important for the Blades’ success going forward. After the loss of Ben Saunderson and Grayden Siepmann, Saskatoon knows how important it is to have players who can play in every situation. With their newly bolstered defence corps, the Blades are in a much better place to start winning more games.
Blades Are Building a Strong Two-Way Defence
Heading into the 2025-26 season, the Blades knew their defence was lacking a strong veteran presence. “We absolutely love and have huge confidence in our emerging four-man D group at 2007,” said Blades general manager and president Colin Priestner, “and we felt it was very important to add one veteran defenceman to that group to insulate them and give them the opportunity to thrive in their roles since we didn’t have any 19 or 20-year-old defencemen returning with Siepmann and Saunderson graduating.”
The 2007 group, consisting of Brayden Klimpke, Jordan Martin, Isaac Poll, and Jack Kachkowski, were much better than anticipated last season, especially considering their age. Martin was happy to throw huge hits on anything that moved, Kachkowski had a nasty edge that made facing him a nightmare, and the 6-foot-3 Poll was developing into a premier shutdown defender. Klimpke was arguably the most intriguing; he was small, but with high-end skating and intelligence, he looked to be following Tanner Molendyk’s footsteps.
Doyle gave the Blades another smart, speedy defenceman who could contribute offensively, but as the season progressed, the team noticed that they still lacked a strong two-way presence that could do a little bit of everything. Enter Sobry and Thurston, acquired 10 days apart from the Prince Albert Raiders and Red Deer Rebels, respectively.
“Derek was someone we targeted in the summer as a guy who fit the bill should he ever become available,” said Priestner in the trade announcement with Red Deer. “Derek will bring a hard-nosed, two-way game to our left side, and he’s always been regarded in the league as someone who is an extremely hard worker and high-character player, and we think he will fit in very well in Saskatoon.”
As for Sobry, Priestner reiterated his commitment to boosting the team’s depth. According to Blades’ general manager, “(Sobry) plays a safe, shutdown style and has the ability to penalty kill and bring a physical presence.”
Both Sobry and Thurston specialize in defensive assignments, but have shown the ability to activate with the play and contribute when needed. Although Sobry had just 10 points in 87 WHL games, he was over a point per game during a five-game stint with the Humboldt Broncos of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) this season. Thurston finished last season with 22 points while primarily playing with Philadelphia Flyers’ draft pick Luke Vlooswyk. With more opportunities in Saskatoon, both players had the potential to become key players throughout the season.
Graduating Veterans Left Big Holes to Fill
One of the reasons that the Blades’ young defencemen were able to thrive is that they had two players on their blue line who could cover a lot of the most difficult assignments. 20-year-old defenceman Saunderson and Siepmann were the perfect two-way players. The two players missed just one game between them last season and contributed on the power play, the penalty kill, and even in 3-on-3 overtime. They weren’t all-stars, but they did everything they were asked and rarely made mistakes, giving others a chance to thrive.
To compare, only three other teams in the WHL got at least 135 games out of their top defenders, and of those, only one – the Spokane Chiefs – outproduced Saunderson and Siepmann’s combined 86 points. Their reliability and consistency gave Saskatoon the confidence to release 20-year-old goalie Austin Elliott, who had a tremendous run with the London Knights, and trade away Tanner Molendyk for future pieces, including Kachkowski, at the deadline.
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However, 2024-25 was both Saunderson and Siepmann’s final year of WHL eligibility, leaving the Blades the monumental task of finding top-four replacements for them this season. So far, Klimpke has been a consistent presence on the top pair, but the rest have bounced around as DaSilva has tried to find the combination that will unlock everyone’s potential. Unfortunately, that just wasn’t possible with the current makeup, leading to the three moves this season.
Early Results are Promising, But Need Time to Adjust
It’s still early, but early results from the Blades’ newest members are encouraging. In eight games, Thurston is a plus-1 and has one goal thanks to a booming shot he’s happy to let loose whenever possible. Sobry doesn’t have the same power behind his shot, but he’s much calmer in his approach, and in 12 games, he’s established himself as one of the most intimidating checkers on the team.
It’s also a positive sign that, after the frustrating loss to the Hitmen, the Blades secured a 4-1 win over the Swift Current Broncos on the road, which helped breathe a bit of life back into the team. But, more importantly, the Blades’ defence was much more engaged and active with the play, combining for five points and contributing to every goal on the score sheet. Sobry contributed one assist, Doyle had two, and Kachkowski had the game-winning goal.
Of course, there’s still work to do. Sobry has seen just six wins since joining the Blades, and Thurston just four. The Blades’ defence is still working at finding some consistency after the recent changes, but it will come. Both defencemen have been committed to putting in the work, which could lead to the Blades having one of the strongest blue lines in the Eastern Conference, and that’s before Poll gets back.
