[{"id":76884,"date":"2026-07-02T15:19:56","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T19:19:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blades\/?p=76884"},"modified":"2026-07-02T15:19:56","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T19:19:56","slug":"blades-sign-2009-born-forward-trevin-vargo-to-whl-scholarship-agreement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blades\/article\/blades-sign-2009-born-forward-trevin-vargo-to-whl-scholarship-agreement","title":{"rendered":"Blades sign 2009-born forward Trevin Vargo to WHL Scholarship Agreement"},"content":{"rendered":"

Saskatoon, SK \u2013 <\/strong>The Saskatoon Blades are pleased to announce the signing of 2009-born forward Trevin Vargo to a Western Hockey League (WHL) Scholarship and Development Agreement.<\/p>\n

“Trevin was listed by us last year after having a phenomenal season in Anaheim, and he carried that right into Shattuck St. Mary\u2019s this past year where he often played on the same line as Kain Martiniuk,” said Blades president and general manager, Colin Priestner, “He is big, competitive, skilled, and can play both centre and wing. He\u2019s a guy we feel can really move up our lineup throughout his career, and we\u2019re extremely pleased he chose Saskatoon for his development path.”<\/p>\n

Vargo recorded 22 goals and 28 assists for 50 points in 52 games with Shattuck St. Mary’s 16U AAA last season. The impressive campaign helped lead Shattuck St. Mary’s to a 47-7 regular season record. Vargo’s impressive offence continued at US U16 Nationals with two goals and an assist in four games.<\/p>\n

“I am very grateful for the opportunity to play for an organization like the Saskatoon Blades,” said Vargo, “I can’t wait to get started and contribute to the team.”<\/p>\n

The Blades are excited to welcome the Vargo family to the organization and look forward to working with Trevin on the next step of his hockey career in Saskatoon!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Saskatoon, SK \u2013 The Saskatoon Blades are pleased to announce the signing of 2009-born forward Trevin Vargo to a Western Hockey League (WHL) Scholarship and Development Agreement. “Trevin was listed by us last year after having a phenomenal season in Anaheim, and he carried that right into Shattuck St. Mary\u2019s this past year where he…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":445,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[541],"tags":[{"term_id":649,"name":"Trevin Vargo","slug":"trevin-vargo","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":649,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw","term_order":"0"}],"class_list":["post-76884","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-trevin-vargo","category-541","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":null,"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blades\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76884","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blades\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blades\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blades\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/445"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blades\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76884"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blades\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76884\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":76910,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blades\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76884\/revisions\/76910"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blades\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76884"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blades\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76884"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blades\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76884"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":76886,"date":"2026-06-30T15:55:04","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T19:55:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blades\/?p=76886"},"modified":"2026-06-30T15:55:04","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T19:55:04","slug":"blades-announce-2026-27-regular-season-schedule","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blades\/article\/blades-announce-2026-27-regular-season-schedule","title":{"rendered":"Blades announce 2026-27 regular season schedule"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n

Saskatoon, SK<\/strong> \u2014 The Saskatoon Blades are excited to announce the highly-awaited schedule for the 2026-27 Western Hockey League (WHL) regular season.<\/p>\n

\"\"The Blue and Gold begin the new season with a three-game road trip. Opening weekend begins Friday, Sept. 18 with a tilt in Brandon against the Wheat Kings, followed by a 2024 Eastern Conference Final rematch the next night against the Moose Jaw Warriors. Saskatoon concludes the trek by beginning a home-and-home weekend against the Prince Albert Raiders. The Blades visit the Art Hauser Centre Friday, Sept. 25, before returning to SaskTel Centre the next night at 7:00pm for the Go Merlin Ford Lincoln Home Opener.<\/p>\n

The day-by-day breakdown for matchups is as follows: Monday (1), Tuesday (9), Wednesday (8), Friday (24), Saturday (18), Sunday (8).<\/p>\n

Fans will get home a little earlier from SaskTel Centre this year. All three Wednesday night games at SaskTel Centre this season will begin at 6:30. This change is an effort to make weeknight games easier for families to attend and allow other fans to come straight to the rink from work. Home games on Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday begin at 7:00pm CST, with Sunday puck drops set for 4:00pm. Doors to SaskTel Centre open one hour prior to puck drop every game.<\/p>\n

After a historic Game 7 victory in Round 1 of the 2026 WHL Playoffs against the Edmonton Oil Kings, the Blades are hungry to build off of a successful campaign. Forwards Zach Olsen and Cooper Williams (Toronto Maple Leafs), along with defenceman Brayden Klimpke (Montreal Canadiens) were all selected at the 2026 NHL Entry Draft last week. Prospects such as Kain Martiniuk, Cohen Lewko, and Julian Revel hope to begin their journey in the WHL.<\/p>\n

{SEASON TICKETS}<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

The Blades play the East Division\u2019s Raiders and Swift Current Broncos eight times, the Wheat Kings and Regina Pats seven times, and the Moose Jaw Warriors six times. Mark Sunday, Dec. 27 on your calendar because the Blades host the Raiders for the annual Teddy Bear Toss presented by SaskMilk! The Blades face each Central Division club (Calgary Hitmen, Edmonton Oil Kings, Lethbridge Hurricanes, Medicine Hat Tigers, Red Deer Rebels) four times.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the U.S. Division\u2019s turn to visit the prairies, each club (Portland Winterhawks, Everett, Seattle Thunderbirds, Spokane Chiefs, Tri-City Americans, Wenatchee Wild) rolling through once during the regular season. The Blades defending WHL Champion Everett Silvertips to SaskTel Centre on Wednesday, Oct. 21.<\/p>\n

The Blue and Gold make their trek to B.C. at the end of February, playing each B.C. Division squad (Kamloops Blazers, Kelowna Rockets, Penticton Vees, Prince George Cougars, Vancouver Giants, Victoria Royals) once this season.<\/p>\n

{FULL 2026-27 WHL REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE}<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Saskatoon, SK \u2014 The Saskatoon Blades are excited to announce the highly-awaited schedule for the 2026-27 Western Hockey League (WHL) regular season. The Blue and Gold begin the new season with a three-game road trip. Opening weekend begins Friday, Sept. 18 with a tilt in Brandon against the Wheat Kings, followed by a 2024 Eastern…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":445,"featured_media":76887,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[541],"tags":false,"class_list":["post-76886","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","category-541","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/06\/29183334\/2026-27-Schedule-Release.jpg",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blades\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76886","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blades\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blades\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blades\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/445"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blades\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76886"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blades\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76886\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":76903,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blades\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76886\/revisions\/76903"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blades\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/76887"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blades\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76886"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blades\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76886"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blades\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76886"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":76900,"date":"2026-06-30T15:42:41","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T19:42:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blades\/?p=76900"},"modified":"2026-06-30T15:42:41","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T19:42:41","slug":"state-of-the-western-hockey-league-june-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blades\/article\/state-of-the-western-hockey-league-june-2026","title":{"rendered":"State of the Western Hockey League \u2013 June 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

Calgary, Alta. \u2013<\/strong> WHL Commissioner Dan Near issued today the following State of the Western Hockey League update following the successful conclusion of the 2025-26 WHL season, including changes to the WHL schedule and travel regulations aimed at improving the overall WHL Player Experience in response to feedback received directly through a survey of WHL players.<\/p>\n

SUCCESSES, 2025-26<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

WHL continues to thrive in its local communities<\/strong><\/p>\n

More than 3.2 million fans attended regular season WHL games this year, representing a 4% increase from 2024-25. The WHL averaged 4,144 attendees per game in the regular season, representing the highest average attendance of any Junior League in the world.<\/p>\n

WHL enjoys strong showing at 2026 NHL Draft <\/strong><\/p>\n

With four WHL players being selected in the top 10, the WHL led the way early in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft. Of the first 100 players selected, 23 hailed from the WHL. The next highest total from any development league was the Ontario Hockey League with 16.<\/p>\n

Overall, the WHL saw 37 current players and two alumni selected in the 2026 NHL Draft, with the mark of 39 serving as the WHL\u2019s best total in over 15 seasons, since 43 players were selected in the 2010 NHL Draft.<\/p>\n

WHL on Victory+ sets records in 2025-26<\/strong><\/p>\n

The first regular season of the WHL on Victory+ was a resounding success, with average regular season viewership increasing by over 50 per cent year over year.<\/p>\n

The 2026 WHL Playoffs on Victory+ saw a 63-per-cent jump in average viewership, with WHL Playoff action generating audiences rivalling that of historical linear cable broadcasts.<\/p>\n

WHL on Victory+ is set to return FOR FREE once again in 2026-27.<\/p>\n

Kelowna Rockets host sold out Memorial Cup presented by Kubota<\/strong><\/p>\n

The 2026 Memorial Cup presented by Kubota was a smashing success in Kelowna, B.C., with every game of the tournament sold out at Prospera Place.<\/p>\n

Hosted in conjunction with the CHL\u2019s 50th Anniversary Season, the sport of hockey congregated in the beautiful Okanagan and enjoyed fantastic weather and competitive hockey featuring the WHL Champion Everett Silvertips, OHL Champion Kitchener Rangers, QMJHL Champion Chicoutimi Sagueneens, and host Kelowna Rockets.<\/p>\n

Everett Silvertips win franchise-first WHL Championship<\/strong><\/p>\n

In May, the Everett Silvertips capped a historic season by hoisting the Ed Chynoweth Cup for the first time in franchise history, defeating the Eastern Conference champion Prince Albert Raiders in five games.<\/p>\n

Seattle Kraken prospect Julius Miettinen was named WHL Playoff MVP, finishing tied for the lead in playoff scoring with 27 points.<\/p>\n

WHL stars secure Canadian Hockey League Awards in June<\/strong><\/p>\n

Four representatives from the WHL came home with hardware from the 2026 CHL Awards in Toronto earlier this month.<\/p>\n

Medicine Hat Tigers defenceman and Montreal Canadiens prospect Bryce Pickford was named CHL Defenceman of the Year, while Everett Silvertips Head Coach Steve Hamilton was presented with the CHL Brian Kilrea Coach of the Year Award. Medicine Hat Tigers forward Markus Ruck was crowned CHL Top Scorer, while Portland Winterhawks forward Alex Weiermair was named CHL Scholastic Player of the Year.<\/p>\n

2026 WHL Prospects Game presented by Showpass<\/strong><\/p>\n

The brand-new WHL Prospects Game made its debut in Langley, B.C., with 40 NHL Draft-eligible prospects putting on an entertaining showcase in front of hundreds of NHL scouts and a near sold-out crowd at the Langley Events Centre, home of the Vancouver Giants, while tens of thousands more watched free on Victory+.<\/p>\n

Team East defeated Team West in overtime, thanks to Prince Albert Raiders defenceman Daxon Rudolph, who scored the game-winning goal. The product of Lacombe, Alta., went on to be the first defenceman selected in the 2026 NHL Draft, when he was chosen by the Buffalo Sabres with the fourth-overall pick.<\/p>\n

WHL Scholarship<\/strong><\/p>\n

The 2025-26 campaign served as the 33rd year of the WHL Scholarship program. This season, 370 WHL graduate players have been awarded WHL Scholarships, representing an investment of over $40 million by WHL Clubs. This season, WHL Clubs have contributed nearly $3 million to the 370 WHL graduates utilizing the WHL Scholarship.<\/p>\n

Administered by the WHL Office, WHL Scholarships are solely funded by WHL member Clubs. Every player who plays in the WHL is eligible to receive the WHL Scholarship. For every season played in the WHL, players receive a guaranteed, full year of WHL Scholarship, including tuition, textbooks, and compulsory fees to a post-secondary institution of their choice. The WHL Scholarship is a full guaranteed academic scholarship with no requirement to play university hockey to qualify.<\/p>\n

NEW FOR 2026-27<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

One week extension of WHL Regular Season Schedule<\/strong><\/p>\n

Beginning with the 2026-27 WHL Regular Season, the WHL regular season schedule will extend by one week. The decompressed schedule will create additional rest and recovery for players, opportunity for additional strength and conditioning, and support the athletes\u2019 educational priorities.<\/p>\n

The 2026-27 WHL Regular Season begins Friday, September 18, and will end one week later than has been historically scheduled. The final day of the 2026-27 WHL Regular Season will be contested Sunday, March 28, 2027.<\/p>\n

The 2027 WHL Playoffs are scheduled to begin Wednesday, March 31. The WHL tiebreaker game will no longer be used to break a tie for the eighth seed in a conference.<\/p>\n

The decision to decompress the WHL schedule was approved by the WHL Board of Governors and WHL General Managers in association with a variety of initiatives to continue to augment the WHL Player Experience, to enhance player development, and to adapt to the changing hockey landscape.<\/p>\n

Air Travel for Select Road Games<\/strong><\/p>\n

Beginning with the 2026-27 WHL Regular Season, WHL Clubs will be permitted to travel via air for one (1) set of road games to start and return home, under the following parameters:<\/p>\n