GAME 38 PREVIEW | New year, same house as Blades host Wheat Kings
Key Players, Notable Stats, How to Watch and More
What’s more Saskatchewan than hockey?!
Tonight’s a fun new twist on celebrating and making fun of ourselves for being from Saskatchewan! It’s Show Us Your Sask Night presented by Sylvan Learning as the Saskatoon Blades welcome the Brandon Wheat Kings to SaskTel Centre.
Caesars will be on special, the Blades X Carhartt Collection featured at the Frozen Pond, and we’re encouraging y’all to bust out the Canadian tuxedo.
It’s the Blades first game of the the first home game of the New Year. The Blades are 1-0 in 2026 after a 3-2 victory in Brandon on Thursday. The Bridge City Bunch are on a three-game win streak since returning from the Christmas break. The Blades have outscored opponents 10-4 in those three games.
Standings
All Kaz, no brakes
Martensville, SK native Kazden Mathies scored the game-winning goal in Thursday’s win against Brandon. The 18-year-old winger has 11 goals and seven assists for 18 points in 37 games this season. Mathies is one of Saskatoon’s most effective faceoff takers at 50.7%.
Bang, bang, Hunter Laing!
Calgary Flames draft pick Hunter Laing scored his seventh powerplay goal of the season on Thursday against the Wheat Kings. The 6-foot-6 winger tied the game 2-2 just under halfway through the third period. Laing leads the team in scoring with 16 goals and 17 assists for 33 points in 34 games.
Gardfather
Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Evan Gardner has won three consecutive starts. The Fort St. John, BC native’s latest victory came in 3-2 fashion with 34 saves on Thursday against the Wheat Kings. Gardner picked up his ninth career shutout with a 28-save performance Sunday against the Regina Pats. The 6-foot-1 goalie is tied for the second most shutouts in franchise history alongside Andrey Makarov. The Gardfather has a 14-8-2-1 record with a .900 save percentage (SV%), 2.89 goals against average (GAA), and two shutouts.
The good guys
Laing leads the team in scoring with 16 goals and 17 assists for 33 points in 34 games. Alternate captain Rowan Calvert has the most goals on the team at 19, a team-leading eight coming on the man-advantage. Second-year defenceman Jordan Martin has the best +/- at +8. Gardner has a 14-8-2-1 record between the pipes with a .900 SV%, 2.89 GAA, and two shutouts.
The opposition
After an 1-5-1-0 start to the season, the Brandon Wheat Kings have been one of the hottest teams in the Western Hockey League (WHL). The visitors have since gone 21-8-0-0 since their tough start, including a 11-1-0-0 record in December. Brandon’s lineup is flooded with offence with seven players scoring at more than a point per game. Former Swift Current Bronco Luke Mistelbacher leads the way offensively with 20 goals and 24 assists for 44 points in 35 games. At the other end of the ice, rookie goalie Filip Ruzicka has been a steady presence between the pipes. The 6-foot-7 netminder has a 16-5-0-0 record with a .911 SV%, 2.87 GAA, and one shutout.
Milestone watch
Forward Zach Olsen is three games away from 100 in his WHL career
Captain Tyler Parr is five assists away from 100 in his WHL career
Watch and listen
Fans can watch tonight’s game for FREE on Victory+ TV. Coverage begins 15 minutes before puck drop hosted by Tanner Chubey. Click HERE to make your free account today.
