SERIES PREVIEW: Saskatoon Blades vs. Prince Albert Raiders
For Saskatchewan hockey fans, the only three words sweeter than ‘Game 7, overtime’ might be ‘Raiders versus Blades’.
Of course, Game 7 overtime is how the underdogs from Saskatoon have set the stage for a second-round tilt against their bitter foes from Hockeytown North.
Saskatoon, which entered the postseason as the sixth seed in the East, took out Edmonton on the road thanks to a timely snipe from veteran Rowan Calvert, while the Eastern Conference-leading Raiders only needed five games to dispatch the Red Deer Rebels- albeit also in overtime, thanks to Dallas Stars prospect Brandon Gorzynski.
Prince Albert cruised to a 6-1-1-0 record against the Blades in the regular season, including back-to-back 4-0 shutout wins to close out the campaign.
But the playoffs are a whole new game, and the Blades have already shown they’re capable of late comebacks and pulling off an upset.
The Raiders and Blades both scored 21 goals in Round One.
Projected 2026 NHL first-round draft pick Daxon Dudolph and rookie blueliner Brock Cripps paced PA with eight points each- including one game-winner each.
Hulking Calgary Flames pick Hunter Laing and 2025 Edmonton Oilers selection David Lewandowski have also netted eight points, with both skaters burying three goals and five assists.
The series also boasts a top goaltending matchup, with Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Evan Gardner taking on Michal Orsulak, who is ranked second among all North American goaltenders by NHL Central Scouting ahead of this year’s NHL Draft.
Gardner is battle-tested with three overtime games under his belt, plenty of playoff experience, and the most saves of any goaltender in the 2026 WHL Playoffs (217).
Orsulak has only lost one match in regulation time dating back to January 10, 2026, and ranks third among all WHL goaltenders in playoff goals-against average with 1.99. He even got the primary assist on Cripps’ game-winner in Game 2.
On the awards front, Prince Albert has finalists in nearly every category, highlighted by top NHL Draft prospects Rudolph and Orsulak, who are up for Defenceman and Goaltender of the Year, respectively, while making the WHL Eastern Conference First All-Star Team.
Cootes is in the running for the Brad Hornung Memorial Trophy for Most Sportsmanlike Player, Cripps is in the mix for Rookie of the Year, and on the staff front, General Manager Curtis Hunt and Ryan McDonald are finalists for Executive and Coach of the Year.
Saskatoon’s Gardner has been named a finalist for the Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Trophy as WHL Humanitarian of the year for a third-straight campaign.
The last time these teams tangled in the postseason, Saskatoon was fresh off a 50-win campaign and the 2024 Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy as WHL regular-season champs.
While the Raiders proved to be a handful, the Blades moved on in five and eventually reached Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Championship.
The next chapter in this historic rivalry begins on Friday, April 10, at 7:00 p.m. ST at the Art Hauser Centre, before shifting over to the SaskTel Centre for Game 3 on Tuesday, April 14, at 7:00 p.m. ST.
STAT PACK
| Saskatoon Blades | Prince Albert Raiders | |
| Record | 34-27-5-2 (3rd East) | 52-10-5-1 (First East) |
| Playoff Leaders | Hunter Laing (3G-5A, 8 pts)
David Lewandowski (3G-5A, 8 pts) Rowan Calvert (3G-5A, 8 pts) |
Brock Cripps (3G-5A, 8 pts)
Daxon Rudolph (3G-4A, 7 pts) Brayden Dube (2G-5A, 7 pts) |
| Season Leaders | David Lewandowski (17G-48A, 65 pts)
Cooper Williams (23G-34A, 57 pts) Hunter Laing (24G-31A, 55 pts) |
Daxon Rudolph (28G-50A, 78 pts)
Aiden Oiring (28G-41A, 69 pts) Brandon Gorzynski (27G-42A, 69 pts) |
| Leading Goaltender (Playoffs) | Evan Gardner (4-1-2, 2.53 GAA, .916 save percentage) | Michal Orsulak (4-1-0, 1.99 GAA, .891 save percentage) |
| Power Play (Playoffs) | 18.5% (11th) | 25% (8th) |
| Penalty Kill (Playoffs) | 66.7% (15th) | 69.2% (14th) |
| First Round | Def. Edmonton (4-3) | Def. Red Deer (4-1) |
| Last WHL Championship | – | 2019 |
2025-26 REGULAR SEASON SERIES
Prince Albert leads 6-1-1-0
September 20, 2025- Prince Albert 2, Saskatoon 3 (OT)
December 14, 2025- Prince Albert 5, Saskatoon 4
January 31, 2026- Saskatoon 4, Prince Albert 0
February 1, 2026- Prince Albert 3, Saskatoon 1
February 14, 2026- Saskatoon 4, Prince Albert 5 (SO)
March 20, 2026- Saskatoon 0, Prince Albert 4
March 21, 2026- Prince Albert 4, Saskatoon 0
GAME BREAKERS
Saskatoon: Six-foot-6 Hunter Laing and stalwart veteran Brayden Dube both enter Game 1 on five-game point streaks. Laing is coming off a second-straight 20-plus goal season and looks to find his scoring touch against the rough-and-tumble Raiders. The Calgary, Alta. product kicked off a second-period outburst against Prince Albert on February 14 to salvage a point in a 5-4 shootout loss.
Prince Albert: Twenty-year-old Brayden Dube is in his final run with the team he’s played more than 230 regular-season games for. He’s netted seven points (2G-5A) in the postseason, including primary assists on two game-winners. The 5-foot-10, 184-pound winger was the top scorer on both teams in the regular season series with five goals in five games- including a two-goal outing in the season finale on March 21.
GOALTENDING
Saskatoon: The ‘Gard’ of the goal brings plenty of spice to go along with his stellar goaltending. The 6-foot-1, 181-pound Gardner knocked out Prince Albert in Round 1 of the 2024 WHL Playoffs as a rookie, and while the wins haven’t been there in 2025-26, his numbers have still been solid. The 20-year-old is 1-3-0-0 against the Raiders with a 3.14 GAA and a 9.22 save percentage. However, he’s also iced a 36-save shutout against the rival team and had four games in which he surpassed 30 stops, including a 47-save effort in a 3-1 loss.
Prince Albert: He may be a WHL rookie, but Michal Orsulak has seen his fair share of high-stakes games. The 19-year-old backstopped Czechia to a silver medal at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship (yep, he’s the goalie who eliminated Canada in the semifinals). Orsulak hasn’t seen much of Saskatoon, appearing in just three games against the Blades, but he’s done well when called upon. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound netminder is 3-0-0-0 against the Blades with a 1.95 goals-against average, a .913 save percentage, and a 16-save shutout.
X-FACTOR
Saskatoon: Captain Tyler Pass and ‘A’ Rowan Calvert are two of the longest-serving Blades in modern franchise history. Both were a part of the powerhouse 2024 team that knocked out the Raiders and came just shy of the Championship Series. Can they climb the mountain in their final playoff run? Calvert came in clutch with the Game 7 overtime winner to eliminate Edmonton, while Parr registered the game-tying goal in Game 5- and dropped the mitts in a heavyweight bout the same night. Calvert led the Blades with seven points (2G-5A) against Prince Albert in the regular season, and Parr added another lamp-lighter.
Prince Albert: Rookie Brock Cripps has been playing with the poise of someone much older than his 16 years. Since the end of the regular season, the 5-foot-10, 160-pound defenceman has gotten a nod as a Rookie of the Year finalist and erupted to tie for the team lead in playoff points. Cripps has logged a goal and an assist in eight games against the Blades, but will try to build on his burgeoning game to send Prince Albert to the Eastern Conference Championship.
SERIES SCHEDULE
Game |
Visitor | Home | Day | Date | Time | |
| 1 | Saskatoon | @ | Prince Albert | Friday | April 10 | 7pm ST |
| 2 | Saskatoon | @ | Prince Albert | Saturday | April 11 | 7pm ST |
| 3 | Prince Albert | @ | Saskatoon | Tuesday | April 14 | 7pm ST |
| 4 | Prince Albert | @ | Saskatoon | Wednesday | April 15 | 7pm ST |
| 5* | Saskatoon | @ | Prince Albert | Friday | April 17 | 7pm ST |
| 6* | Prince Albert | @ | Saskatoon | Sunday | April 19 | 4pm ST |
| 7* | Saskatoon | @ | Prince Albert | Tuesday | April 21 | 7pm ST |
* = if necessary
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