3 Saskatoon Blades to Watch in 2025-26

After finishing 2024-25 with the Cleveland Monsters in the American Hockey League (AHL), Gardner started the new season with an invite to the 2026 World Junior Summer Showcase for Team Canada alongside other World Junior hopefuls Joshua Ravensbergen, Carter George, and Jack Ivankovic. He then returned to Saskatoon in time for training camp, where he looked dialled in, turning away everything thrown at him.

As this season looks like it may be his last in the WHL before turning pro, Gardner will be hungry to leave his mark on the league and on the franchise. He already sits tied for seventh for the most wins in franchise history, and he could easily jump up to third by the end of the season. The sky is the limit for him, and the Blades’ general manager doesn’t doubt that he’s up to the task.

“Certainly, Evan Gardner is one of the best goalies in the country,” said Priestner. “It’s his net.”

Dustin Willhoft

With the recent rule change that allowed CHL teams to carry three European players on the roster, the Blades added another German at the 2025 Import Draft in Dustin Willhöft. Although undersized at 5-foot-8, he led the entire German U20 league last season with 33 goals and 91 points in just 35 games. It’s the highest total ever seen in the league; not even Tim Stutzle put up those kinds of points, finishing his 16-year-old season with 55 points in 21 games.

“Dustin was our number one target in the import draft all along, and we’re extremely excited to have him sign with our club today,” said Priestner. “I believe he will be a fan favourite from day one with his speed, skill, and creativity. He will be a major addition to our offensive group over the next several seasons.”

While it’s always a big change to go from the European ice rinks to North America, Willhöft already looks right at home with the Blades. He showed great chemistry with fellow German David Lewandowski, but no one looked out of place while playing on his line thanks to his incredible speed and creative playmaking. Young players tend to try and show off their goal-scoring abilities in training camp, but Willhöft was feeding players pucks through lanes that didn’t look like they existed. Oozing with vision and skill, he’ll be right at home with the Blades this season.

Jack Kachkowski

The Blades’ defence is a bit thinner this season after the loss of 20-year-olds Ben Saunderson and Grayden Siepmann, who both played in the top four. Tristen Doyle was added to provide the team with some veteran stability, but it still leaves plenty of room for others to step up, and Kachkowski may be gunning for a top-line deployment. He had three goals and five points in 26 games after joining the Blades in January, putting him on a 13-point pace over a full season, while proving to be a reliable defensive presence who could be trusted in a variety of situations. That’s exactly what the Blades need this season in their top four.

But Kachkowski might be ready for a more offensive role. He played hard, shut-down defence at training camp, which was to be expected, but he also showed off his ability to fire pucks on net from the blue line. In the annual intersquad tournament, he scored a hat-trick in the final to help his team claim the Kirkness Cup. That no doubt caught head coach Dan DaSilva’s eye, as he was watching for both veterans and rookies to step up at camp. “If these guys want to make impressions on the coaching staff and management, that’s the things they need to bring every single day, it’s the things that really require zero talent,” he said. “It’s your attitude, it’s your preparation, it’s your habits, it’s your routines.”

Kachkowski could follow a similar trajectory to Saunderson, who was primarily employed in a defensive role before he was promoted to the top pairing in 2023-24. He was always a highly mobile and hard-working player, but he thrived with the bigger role, leading to back-to-back 30-point seasons. Before that, he had never topped 11. Kachkowski plays a similar gritty, mobile game, setting him up for a big 2025-26.

Training Camp Promises an Exciting Season

Outside of these three players, several others had promising performances. Depth forward Kazden Mathies brought a lot of intensity and puck control when he stepped on the ice, newly acquired veteran Dominik Petr was quick and creative with nearly everything he did, and 16-year-old Jagger John might have been the fastest player at training camp. Gavin Clark, one of the team’s newest American recruits, was named the first star in the Blades’ first preseason game against the Prince Albert Raiders.

Last season was a growing year for the Blades, and they proved that there was a lot of talent throughout the roster. This season, they’re a year older and eager to make a mark on the WHL. “Now there’s an excitement and this buzz around the team,” said DaSilva. “It’s great to be excited, it’s great to feel that we have a good group here, but … you have to show up and you have to do the work.”

With the mentality that you have to get better every day, the Blades are primed and ready to put those words into action. It’s going to be an exciting 2025-26.