The Saskatoon Blades looked quite different on their return to SaskTel Centre on Jan. 15. After a flurry of blockbuster trades at the Western Hockey League’s (WHL) trade deadline, the Blades saw longtime stars and fan favourites Tanner Molendyk, Brandon Lisowsky, Lukas Hansen, Misha Volotovskii, and Ben Riche leave the team. Several new, younger faces have arrived in their place, giving the team a very different look. “It’s felt a little bit like training camp 2.0,” head coach Dan DaSilva said last week. “With all the new faces, we’re having to revisit things that we haven’t done in a while.”
Although the Blades’ top lines took a significant hit, the team is now in a better position for the future. Their core group is much younger and filled with talented players who are sure to become household names in Saskatoon before too long. However, it’s never easy to see a star leave. To make the transition a little easier, here’s a look at the Blades’ newest members as they start their journey in Bridge City.
Tanner Scott
Tanner Scott was the first new face to arrive in Saskatoon after the team traded Lisowsky, the Blades’ fourth-best goal-scorer of all time, to the Victoria Royals on Jan 3. Some might look at the trade, which included two second-round draft picks, and think this move was the start of a rebuild, but general manager Colin Priestner was careful not to use those words. “We feel there is a lot of upside for him to be a very important player for us in the second half of the season,” said Priestner about their newest acquisition. “Getting second-round picks in the next two drafts from Victoria was critical for us, but the only way we were going to move a player like Brandon was if we got a high-quality, 20-year-old back on top of the draft picks, and we feel we got that in Scott.”
Scott is a quality player. Last season, he broke out with 19 goals and 56 points in 68 games and finished third on the team in scoring, helping the Royals return to the playoffs for the first time in three seasons. Injuries prevented him from taking off this season, and he was limited to 25 games, but he put up 16 points in that span. He’s continued to produce in Saskatoon, scoring a goal and three points in his first three contests. But he is known for his awareness and speed. Against the Red Deer Rebels on Jan. 18, he was instrumental in setting up the game-winning goal in overtime, moving the puck ahead for…
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