Raiders and Blades to renew post-season rivalry in second round of 2026 WHL Playoffs presented by Nutrien

It just might be the fiercest rivalry in the WHL – and now, the 2026 WHL Playoffs presented by Nutrien will be graced by a second-round, best-of-seven battle between the Prince Albert Raiders and Saskatoon Blades.

The second-round clash was confirmed Monday night after the Blades upset the third-seed Edmonton Oil Kings in overtime of Game 7 of their first-round series. Captain Rowan Calvert redirected a power-play point shot to the back of the net, sending Saskatoon to its first ever Game 7 road victory in franchise history.

Prince Albert’s Art Hauser Centre will host Games 1 and 2 on Friday, April 10, and Saturday, April 11, respectively. The series will shift to Saskatoon and SaskTel Place for Games 3 and 4 on Tuesday, April 14, and Wednesday, April 15, respectively.

The Raiders – the No. 1 seed in the WHL’s Eastern Conference – advanced to the second round of the post-season following a five-game set with the Red Deer Rebels.

Prince Albert laid claim to the eight-game regular season series, going 6-1-1-0. The two rivals closed out the regular season with a home-and-home series that saw the Raiders earn back-to-back 4-0 victories March 20 and 21.

2026 NHL Draft-eligible skaters Daxon Rudolph and Riley Boychuk finished the season series with eight points (2G-6A) each to lead the Raiders in scoring against the Blades.

For Saskatoon, captain Calvert led the scoring parade, registering six points (2G-4A) in seven games.

In net, both Michal Orsulak and Steele Bass saw action in three games, with Orsulak going a perfect 3-0-0-0 with a 1.95 goals-against average and .913 save percentage.

Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Evan Gardner took to the crease for six games, going 1-3-0-1 with a 3.14 GAA and .922 SV%.

You don’t have to look too far to find the last playoff meeting between the Raiders and Blades. In 2024, the two Saskatchewan rivals met during the first round of the post-season with Saskatoon emerging after a five-game battle. The Blades went on to advance to Game 7 of the WHL’s Eastern Conference Championship before falling to the eventual WHL Champion Moose Jaw Warriors.

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