Saskatoon Blades Continue Focusing on Youth and Speed at WHL Drafts

For the Blades, it came down to respecting the players. James got off to a hot start with four goals and seven points in his first 11 games, but injuries and inconsistency ruined his chance of finding a spot in the team’s top six. He scored just one more goal and added 11 more points in his last 32 games, and with Saskatoon looking to bring in some more young players next season, he needed a change of scenery. “For Willy James, it was a great chance at a refresh,” said president and general manager Colin Priestner. “He had a great start to the year for the first 10 games, and then (suffered) a lot of injuries and just never got on track with us. There are so many young guys coming in that are signed, so we didn’t want him to be in a numbers game” (from ‘WHL Draft Day: Saskatoon Blades busy wheeling and dealing,’ Saskatoon Star Phoenix – 8/5/25).

Tastad was in a similar boat. The 6-foot-4 defenceman was a consistent, physical presence on the blue line, playing a reliable shutdown game that often allowed the team’s faster forwards to thrive, but had begun slipping down the depth chart due to others stepping up. “This was an opportunity to find a good home for an older player to perhaps get a bigger role than we had available here, and also to improve our draft capital and positioning,” Priestner said after the deal. “We felt it was a win-win situation.”

Weber, the third player Saskatoon moved, never played for the Blades, having spent the past two seasons with the United States Hockey League’s (USHL) Lincoln Stars, where he put up 25 points in 118 games. A fifth overall pick in the 2021 U.S. Priority Draft, the 6-foot-0 right-shot defenceman never showed any interest in playing in the WHL and committed to Penn State University for 2025-26 back in 2023. While Brady Birnie delayed his enrollment at Bemidji State University to play with Penticton after being traded by the Broncos, there’s no sign of Weber doing the same. Instead, he was used as a sweetener to get the Vees’ first pick in the second round.

Blades Get Aggressive on the Draft Floor

It didn’t take long for the Blades to make their next trade, moving three picks, including their only first-round pick at 22nd overall and their newly-acquired pick from the Vees, to the Broncos for the 15th overall selection, which they used to grab forward Kain Martinuik. “We had Martinuik rated in our top three overall,” explained Priestner, “We didn’t really spend a whole lot of time talking about him throughout the preparation of the week because we just assumed that he was gone in the top five, if not ten. Then, at ten, 11, 12, it’s starting to be like, ‘what’s going on here? Why is this guy falling?’ Maybe it’s being from Shaddock St. Mary’s, a Canadian kid going down south to play.”

The Blades weren’t the only ones intrigued by Martinuik’s potential. Puck Preps gave him an 8.07 rating, writing, “His play comes driven by effort and pacing through the neutral zone and the confidence to never turn down an opportunity to be a difference maker. That means physical checks, hustling back, and stirring the pot that needs stirred.” Puck Preps scout Sachin Bhandari projected him to go ninth overall, citing his perfect blend of size and skill and consistent effort in all areas as to why he’s such a highly-regarded prospect.

After Martinuik, the Blades drafted 11 more players. One of the most interesting is American defenceman Liam Brooks from the U14 Minnesota Voyageurs, who was scooped up with Saskatoon’s eighth-round pick. He finished his season with 35 goals and 82 points in 55 games in AA, then added 11 goals and 17 points in 17 games in AAA. “One of the top offensive defensemen in the state of Minnesota,” said Blades head scout Dan Tencer. “Obviously, with the rules changing and American players considering our league, I think you saw a lot of teams do that with later draft picks today. That was certainly one of the targets for us.”

The Blades added two more top prospects in the U.S. Draft in Max Suter and Charles Johnson. While there was little likelihood of players selected here coming up to Canada to play in years past, the NCAA rule change has opened some doors to players who never would have considered the WHL. Now, teams have another first and second-round pick to bring in top players, greatly improving the talent in the league. Hopefully, Suter and Johnson can soon join 2024 selections Mason Moreland and Noah Morrison, who are set to make their WHL debuts with Saskatoon in September.

Blades Add Dominik Petr from Brandon

The Blades’ only move to bring in an established player was acquiring Dominik Petr from the Brandon Wheat Kings, plus a sixth-round pick (used to select hometown defenceman Dax McDougall), for a fourth-round pick. “ This was just an opportunity for us, with an open 20-year-old spot, to use some draft capital here to help our team,” Priestner said. “He’s an outstanding player. He’s played on the World Junior team already for the Czech Republic. He’s a guy that brings speed. He’s 6-foot-2, and we think he can be a point-per-game guy this year.”

Priestner has had success with similar deals, bringing in Ben Riche from the Victoria Royals before last season began. Although Riche had never surpassed 15 goals or 35 points in a season, he soared with the Blades, hitting 23 goals and 54 points in 37 games before being moved to the Prince George Cougars at the deadline. With the Blades choosing to release 20-year-old Frantisek Dej, who joined the team shortly after the deadline, they had an opening to add another player who could complement their group.

Petr has had plenty of success in the WHL, totalling 92 points in 112 games over two seasons, but likely not what the Czech forward expected. Originally selected 18th overall in the 2023 Import Draft, he entered the 2023 NHL Draft ranked 80th among European forwards on Central Scouting’s Final Ranking. Unfortunately, Petr was never drafted and didn’t become a dominant play driver in Brandon. In Saskatoon, though, he’ll have a host of young, fast forwards to work alongside, which should bode well.

After all the drafting, the Blades will return to the stage on July 2 for the 2025 CHL Import Draft. Although Saskatoon already has two import players, a new policy has allowed teams to carry up to three imports, leading to the draft expanding to three rounds. It will also be the first time the draft will allow trades. That means Priestner will have three more opportunities to improve his roster ahead of the 2025-26 season, and if history has shown us anything, he’s going to take it.