The Saskatoon Blades begin their quest for the Ed Chynoweth Cup in Round 1 of the 2025 WHL Playoffs presented by Nutrien against the Calgary Hitmen. Saskatoon finished sixth in the Eastern Conference with a 37-23-4-4 record, good for 82 points. Tonight marks the first series between the two clubs since the 2000 WHL Playoffs and the second all-time.
In the regular season series against Calgary, Saskatoon finished 2-1-1-0 and outscored the Hitmen 16-15. The Blades won the last meeting of the year against Calgary 6-3 at SaskTel Centre. It was a solid finish to the year for the Blue and Gold, going 7-4-1-0 in March. The Blades are the second-youngest team to qualify for the postseason with an average age of 17.9 on their roster.
WHO TO WATCH
2008-born centre Cooper Williams finished second in WHL rookie scoring this season. The Blades second-round (41st overall) pick of the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft scored 21 goals and 36 assists for 57 points in 68 games. It’s the third-most points by a Blades rookie in the last 25 years. In 37 games since the Christmas break, Williams scored 15 goals and 20 assists for 35 points. The Calgary, AB native also earned two WHL Rookie of the Week nods during the season.
The Saskatoon Blades will look to captain Ben Saunderson for their upcoming playoff run. The 63rd captain in franchise history has played 35 career WHL playoff games, scoring two goals and adding nine assists. The Carberry, MB native was part of back-to-back Eastern Conference Final appearances for the Blades in 2023 and 2024. Saunderson set a career-high in points this season with four goals and 32 assists in 67 games.
Sophomore goalie Evan Gardner is expected to start Game 1 tonight against the Hitmen. The Columbus Blue Jackets prospect posted a 23-13-4-1 record in his sophomore season with a .911 save percentage, 2.82 goals against average, and three shutouts. Gardner went 10-1-3 in last year’s run to the Eastern Conference final with Saskatoon.
