Home Opener Preview
A FRESH START: It’s a brand new season for the WHL and the Prince Albert Raiders, and it all gets started tonight with the Moose Jaw Warriors in town. In 2022-23, the Raiders finished with a 28-37-3-0 record, missing out on the playoffs by 10 points. This season, there is a lot of excitement surrounding the team, with returning players like Sloan Stanick and Ryder Ritchie expected to put up big numbers this season.
A NEW LEADERSHIP GROUP: The Raiders announced their full leadership group on Wednesday afternoon. Eric Johnston was named the 48th captain in franchise history. Sloan Stanick and Niall Crocker were awarded alternate captain status.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Ryder Ritchie enters his second WHL season with the Raiders with an extra bit of confidence. At the conclusion of last season, Ritchie was named the WHL’s Rookie of the Year, finishing the season with 55 points. This pre-season, Ritchie led the team with five points in four pre-season games.
NEW ADDITIONS: The green and gold welcome some new faces to the roster this season. Luke Moroz, Oli Chenier, Tyrone Sobry, and Doogan Pederson are all on the Raiders’ opening night roster for their first WHL season. Moroz played in two games last season, while Chenier suited up for a game in Winnipeg towards the end of the year. Sobry was named to the second all-star team in the SMU18AAAHL, after putting up a monster season with the Saskatoon Contacts, which saw the defenceman finish second in team scoring with 14 goals and 23 assists (37pts). Meanwhile, Pederson spent the 2022-23 season with the Fraser Valley Thunderbirds U18 program. The defenceman tallied six goals and 23 assists (29pts).
A LONG WAY FROM HOME: The Raiders also picked up two European players in the CHL Import Draft in the spring. With their first round pick, the Raiders selected 19-year-old Polish forward Krzysztof Macias. And with their second round pick, Prince Albert turned to Czechia, selecting now 17-year-old forward Matej Kubiesa. After passing on their picks in the 2022 CHL Import Draft, Macias and Kubiesa became the first European players drafted by the Raiders since Tikhon Chaika and Vladislav Shilo in 2021.
A NEW GOALIE ENTERS THE SCENE: After Tikhon Chaika signed a deal with Dinamo Minsk of the KHL in Russia, that left a few question marks surrounding the Raiders’ crease. Those questions were answered when Prince Albert acquired 2002-born goaltender Chase Coward from the Red Deer Rebels. After surgeries on both hips and recently returned from Minnesota Wild training camp, Coward is feeling good heading into his final WHL season, and is looking forward to fighting with Max Hildebrand for the #1 starter job.
NHL CAMP: The Raiders will have to play without Terrell Goldsmith this weekend. The 2005-born defenceman is gone at Arizona Coyotes training camp, after it was announced that he would be staying for main camp. The Fort St. James, B.C. product was selected in the fourth round by the Coyotes in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.
KEY DEPARTURES: Landon Kosior, Evan Herman, and Keaton Sorensen all graduated from the WHL last season, and they were major contributors on the scoresheet. Last season, Kosior tallied 63 points, which was 46 more points than the second leading defenceman on the team (Eric Johnston). Sorensen finished fourth in team scoring with 53 points, while captain Evan Herman finished the season with 38 points in 64 regular season games.
A FRESH START: It’s a brand new season for the WHL and the Prince Albert Raiders, and it all gets started tonight with the Moose Jaw Warriors in town. In 2022-23, the Raiders finished with a 28-37-3-0 record, missing out on the playoffs by 10 points. This season, there is a lot of excitement surrounding the team, with returning players like Sloan Stanick and Ryder Ritchie expected to put up big numbers this season.
A NEW LEADERSHIP GROUP: The Raiders announced their full leadership group on Wednesday afternoon. Eric Johnston was named the 48th captain in franchise history. Sloan Stanick and Niall Crocker were awarded alternate captain status.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Ryder Ritchie enters his second WHL season with the Raiders with an extra bit of confidence. At the conclusion of last season, Ritchie was named the WHL’s Rookie of the Year, finishing the season with 55 points. This pre-season, Ritchie led the team with five points in four pre-season games.
NEW ADDITIONS: The green and gold welcome some new faces to the roster this season. Luke Moroz, Oli Chenier, Tyrone Sobry, and Doogan Pederson are all on the Raiders’ opening night roster for their first WHL season. Moroz played in two games last season, while Chenier suited up for a game in Winnipeg towards the end of the year. Sobry was named to the second all-star team in the SMU18AAAHL, after putting up a monster season with the Saskatoon Contacts, which saw the defenceman finish second in team scoring with 14 goals and 23 assists (37pts). Meanwhile, Pederson spent the 2022-23 season with the Fraser Valley Thunderbirds U18 program. The defenceman tallied six goals and 23 assists (29pts).
A LONG WAY FROM HOME: The Raiders also picked up two European players in the CHL Import Draft in the spring. With their first round pick, the Raiders selected 19-year-old Polish forward Krzysztof Macias. And with their second round pick, Prince Albert turned to Czechia, selecting now 17-year-old forward Matej Kubiesa. After passing on their picks in the 2022 CHL Import Draft, Macias and Kubiesa became the first European players drafted by the Raiders since Tikhon Chaika and Vladislav Shilo in 2021.
A NEW GOALIE ENTERS THE SCENE: After Tikhon Chaika signed a deal with Dinamo Minsk of the KHL in Russia, that left a few question marks surrounding the Raiders’ crease. Those questions were answered when Prince Albert acquired 2002-born goaltender Chase Coward from the Red Deer Rebels. After surgeries on both hips and recently returned from Minnesota Wild training camp, Coward is feeling good heading into his final WHL season, and is looking forward to fighting with Max Hildebrand for the #1 starter job.
NHL CAMP: The Raiders will have to play without Terrell Goldsmith this weekend. The 2005-born defenceman is gone at Arizona Coyotes training camp, after it was announced that he would be staying for main camp. The Fort St. James, B.C. product was selected in the fourth round by the Coyotes in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.
KEY DEPARTURES: Landon Kosior, Evan Herman, and Keaton Sorensen all graduated from the WHL last season, and they were major contributors on the scoresheet. Last season, Kosior tallied 63 points, which was 46 more points than the second leading defenceman on the team (Eric Johnston). Sorensen finished fourth in team scoring with 53 points, while captain Evan Herman finished the season with 38 points in 64 regular season games.
