The Saskatoon Blades made two trades over the past week, trading away backup goalie Ethan McCallum to the Penticton Vees, then moving 20-year-old forward Dominik Petr to the Spokane Chiefs for German import Elias Pul and 17-year-old defenceman Kaden Allan.
“I felt over the last month our group was in need of a shakeup,” said Blades General Manager and President Colin Priestner, following the deal with Spokane. “With the significant long-term injuries we have on the blue line, we thought it was a great opportunity to add a big 17-year-old defenceman that we feel has a great chance to be drafted to the NHL this summer…We also really liked the potential of adding Elias to our group to complement our other two Germans.”
For a team expected to push for first place in the Eastern Conference, the Blades have had an up-and-down season that threatens to leave them in the same place as 2024-25, falling quickly to a tough opponent in the first round of the playoffs. With nearly half the season gone, the Blades need to get back on track to what they know they can be – a team capable of challenging for the WHL title.
McCallum Makes Room for Promising Youngsters
It was an unusual choice for the Blades to start the season with two 19-year-old goalies. In the past, they’d generally gone with one veteran and one youngster. That’s how Evan Gardner got his start, playing occasionally behind Austin Elliott until he took over the crease in the 2024 Western Hockey League (WHL) Playoffs. But McCallum kept the Blades alive when Gardner missed 13 games with an injury last season, posting a .902 save percentage (SV%) over that stretch while facing no less than 36 shots a game.
But this season hadn’t gone as smoothly for the Blades’ backup. In his 13 games in Saskatoon in 2025-26, McCallum had a .886 SV% and a 3.49 goals against average and managed just three wins. Then, at the end of November, 17-year-old Ryley Budd was called up for his WHL debut. There were some bumps throughout the game, but overall, he looked incredibly consistent despite his lack of experience.
Budd’s performance seemed to be the final straw, as McCallum was traded to the Vees less than two weeks after the rookie’s first WHL game. In exchange, the Blades got a fifth-round pick in both the 2026 and 2027 WHL Drafts, but more importantly, they now have space to give their young goalies some much-needed experience. “We have two excellent younger goalie prospects in Taye Timmerman and Ryley Budd, who we feel are ready for the challenge of competing for our backup spot and showing what they have at this level, learning from Gards and our goalie coach, Jeff Harvey,” said Priestner.
With Timmerman currently competing at the Junior A World Challenge for Canada West, Budd was called up to the Blades to serve as Gardner’s backup. However, expect to see both throughout the remainder of the season.
Petr Moved for Younger Options
Petr had a fantastic start with the Blades this season, starting with a four-game point streak which led to six goals and 11 points in his first seven games in Saskatoon. He showed fantastic chemistry with Hunter Laing and David Lewandowski on the second line, and big things were expected from the speedy veteran.
Unfortunately, over the next seven games, Petr managed just three points. While it was hoped that it would be a blip for the veteran, it’s become the norm. In his last 15 games with the Blades, he’s put up seven points and registered a plus/minus of minus-11 while playing on several lines, trying to recapture his initial spark. His 21 points in 29 games were far from bad, but they were below what was expected from a top-line winger.
Related: Saskatoon Blades’ Future is in Good Hands after Ryley Budd Debut
With the Blades sinking in the standings, the team had run out of options and decided that a change of scenery was necessary, which led Petr to head west to Washington, along with a 2029 fifth-round pick. Coming back to Saskatoon are two younger players in Allan and Pul. Allan, a ‘W’ rated prospect up for the 2026 NHL Draft, has great size at 6-foot-3 while showing above-average skating and competitiveness. He didn’t have the best opportunities in Spokane, finishing his time with just nine points in 63 games with the Chiefs, but there is potential for him to mesh well with the Blades’ defence group.
Pul, a 19-year-old in his first season in the WHL, is a very intriguing forward with plenty of international experience for Germany. Like Dustin Willhoft, who joined Saskatoon to start the 2025-26 season, Pul brings a lot of speed and energy to the ice, but hasn’t had the easiest transition to North American hockey. In 22 games with the Chiefs, he has three goals and six points. Before he came over, though, he was named the best young player in Germany’s DEL2. If he can recapture some of the chemistry he had with Willhoft and Lewandowski at the 2024 U18 World Juniors, he could be just what the Blades need in their lineup.
Saskatoon Trying to Get Back on Track
Just over the last month, the team has seen a four-game win streak, surrounded by two five-game losing streaks. Two days after losing to the Medicine Hat Tigers 9-3, they went toe-to-toe with the East-leading Edmonton Oil Kings, pushing them to the brink in a 6-5 regulation loss. Then, on Dec. 9, they thrashed the Moose Jaw Warriors 9-3 on the road, two days after losing 4-0 to the Regina Pats.
“Nobody’s happy right now,” said head coach Dan DaSilva following the loss to the Pats. “It’s honestly been a long stretch here, really, when we headed out on the road to the US, where we really feel we’re not getting the bounces. It’s been a long stretch of, we’re doing a lot of good things, we’re working hard in practices…I almost feel like we’re playing afraid to lose, versus going out there and playing to win, which is a completely different mindset and mentality.”
Changing a mindset can be incredibly difficult, especially in junior hockey, where players are still developing and learning how to overcome challenges both on and off the ice. To help them get out of their funk, Priestner made a couple of moves to bring in some new faces. Previously, the Blades brought in defensemen Tyrone Sobry and Derek Thurston to help deal with some injuries on their blue line, but it didn’t seem to move the needle all that much, prompting more changes.
With the Christmas break coming up soon, the Blades have a chance to get back to basics and recalibrate their mindset to what made them a top team last season. The Blades have beaten the Oil Kings and Prince Albert Raiders, the top two teams in the East, this season, and held the high-flying Portland Winterhawks to just two goals. These two moves will bring in a few players who can help Saskatoon achieve that. If not, then more moves are likely on the horizon.
