Saskatoon Blades: Home is where the wins are

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The Saskatoon Blades are at home for a four-game stretch starting Friday night.

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Here are five things to know as the Blades get set to host the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes on Friday and Swift Current Broncos on Saturday night at SaskTel Centre:

1.     Home sweet home

The Blades are back on home ice, where they are 9-0-1-0 this season.

Saskatoon is 15-6-1-1 overall; with 32 points, they remain in the top spot in the Western Hockey League’s Eastern Conference ahead of Swift Current (14-9-0-0, 28 points), the Medicine Hat Tigers (13-11-1-0, 27 points) and Lethbridge (12-8-1-1, 26 points).

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The Blades will face the Hurricanes on Friday and Broncos on Saturday. Game-time is 7 p.m. both nights.

Next week, they’ll continue the home-stand with games against the Red Deer Rebels (10-10-1-2) and Calgary Hitmen (11-7-3-1).

2.     Diabetes Awareness Night

Friday’s game is Diabetes Awareness Night.

Blades star goalie Evan Gardner, who was selected by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the second round, 60th overall, in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, has type 1 diabetes and remains a spokesperson and role model on this topic.

Gardner once again ranks among the top goalies in the WHL. He is tied for third for both goals-against average (2.62) and save-percentage (.915) and he sits tied for fourth with 11 wins so far this season.

3. Blades sign 2009-born D Morrison

The Blades have signed 2009-born defenceman Noah Morrison to a WHL scholarship and development agreement.

Morrison, a native of Plano, Texas, was selected by the Blades in the second round (44th overall) of the 2024 U.S. Priority Draft.

“Noah is an exciting young player who showed very well at our training camp in the fall,” Blades director of scouting Dan Tencer said in a release.

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“Noah is also highly motivated to be in Saskatoon. Even before the recent NCAA rule changes, we were headed towards this agreement being finalized. He wants to compete against the best players and is also excited to be playing in Canada.”

The 6-foot defenceman has 11 goals, 10 assists, and 36 penalty minutes in 28 games this season with the Dallas Stars Elite 15U AAA squad. Last season, Morrison dressed in three games at last year’s U.S. U14 Nationals and recorded 12 penalty minutes.

4.     Riche, Calvert lead scoring parade

Ben Riche continues to lead the Blades in scoring with 15 goals and 18 assists for 33 points.

Rowan Calvert and Tyler Parr are next — with 11 goals and 13 assists for 24 points and 10 goals an 14 assists, respectively — followed by Brandon Lisowsky, who has 11 goals and 11 assists for 22 points.

Calvert is second in the WHL with eight power play goals.

Riche is first overall in the league with four insurance markers.

5.     Williams leads the rookies

Cooper Williams leads the Blades’ rookie contingent.

He has nine goals and 13 assists for 19 points in 23 games played.

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David Lewandowski is next with five goals and seven assists for 12 points in only 16 games.

Fellow rookie Zach Olsen has chipped in with three goals and six assists for nine points in 18 games.

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