The Saskatoon Blades’ defence has been under the microscope throughout this season, and that hasn’t changed in the playoffs against the high-scoring Edmonton Oil Kings. But after six games, the Oil Kings haven’t been able to match their production thanks to the Blades’ incredibly tight defence, led by 20-year-old defender Tristen Doyle. His veteran presence is helping the Blades shut down one of the league’s toughest teams, pushing them to Game 7.
Doyle has taken his game to another level in this series and now leads the team with a plus/minus rating of plus-5 and sits tied for third in points with five. He’s been exactly what Saskatoon has needed in the postseason, and with him on the blueline, the team has a chance to be the only upset in the first round of the 2026 Western Hockey League (WHL) Playoffs.
Doyle Stands Out In Game 6’s Frustrating Loss
Game 6 ended in frustration for the home team on Sunday afternoon in Saskatoon. With seven minutes remaining in the second overtime, David Lewandowski was called for a controversial hooking penalty, and just over a minute later, the Edmonton Oil Kings’ Miroslav Holinka fired the puck past Evan Gardner, giving Edmonton the win to even the series.
Head coach Dan DaSilva didn’t mince words when talking with the media after the game. “Maybe (the refs) had Easter dinner plans, I’m not sure,” he said, then adding, “There’s probably eight penalties in overtime that could have been called, one just minutes before on our captain along the boards. He gets hit behind without touching the puck, without the pick really ever coming near him. They don’t call that, a pretty egregious hit from behind, board, whatever you want to call it. Then they decide to step in and call a trip that’s 190 feet away from our end.”
The disappointing loss detracted from the great things the Blades were doing throughout the game, specifically on the back end. Doyle was all over the ice, playing physically but also controlling zone exits and maintaining puck possession. Although he didn’t get on the scoreboard, he was responsible for several scoring chances throughout the game, including overtime. In the last four games, though, he put up at least one point, including a two-assist effort in Game 2 in Edmonton.
Before the playoffs, Doyle was primarily an offensive defender, earning plenty of power play time alongside the rest of the Blades’ big hitters, like David Lewandowski, Rowan Calvert, and Cooper Williams. But with Isaac Poll once again on the sidelines after suffering an injury in Game 2, Doyle has been tasked with playing a much more defensive role, and he’s been one of the Blades’ most consistent 200-foot players. Only Calvert has matched his plus/minus rating, but Doyle has also been on the ice more frequently, taking just one penalty in six games. He’s been consistent, calm, and exactly what the Blades have needed against the Oil Kings.
Doyle Was Acquired for the Playoffs
Doyle’s play in the playoffs is a noticeable shift from what fans saw throughout the regular season, where he played more of a reduced role with the Blades, often on the second or third pair. He finished second among Blades’ defencemen with 38 points, a career high, but the Blades management knew that once they got to the playoffs, Doyle was going to be that much more valuable.
“We absolutely love and have huge confidence in our emerging four-man D group at 2007- Kachkowski, Poll, Martin and Klimpke – and we felt it was very important to add one veteran defenceman to that group to insulate them and give them the opportunity to thrive in their roles since we didn’t have any 19 or 20 year year-old defencemen returning with Siepmann and Saunderson graduating,” said Blades general manager and president Colin Priestner after acquiring Doyle in July 2025.
“If those four 18-year-olds hadn’t come along as far as they did, we probably wouldn’t have made this move, but because of their development, we felt our window to compete for a championship was cracked open, especially with the goaltending that we have behind them.”
Doyle’s 190-plus games in the WHL prepared him for these exact moments against the Oil Kings. He scored the game-winner against Edmonton in Game 3 and was instrumental in their other victories. “They want the puck in their hands, and they’re a puck-possession team, and they come at you hard and fast,” he said after Game 3, “but you just gotta control when they’re coming into our zone because that’s when they’re dangerous off the rush.”
The Oil Kings were the fourth-highest-scoring team in the WHL this season, averaging 4.22 goals per game, which was only outpaced by the Medicine Hat Tigers, Prince Albert Raiders, and Everett Silvertips. In the playoffs, though, the Oil Kings have been held to just 3.17 goals per game, and that’s thanks to Doyle’s experience. He may only have one playoff goal in his career, but he’s seen a few things in four seasons in the WHL, and a tough series like this is nothing new.
“That’s playoff hockey,” Doyle said. “Momentum swings, and I thought we did a great job controlling it and not getting too down or not getting too high, and it helped us out in the long run.”
The Blades head to Edmonton for Game 7 on Monday, Apr. 6, with the game set to start at 7:00 pm MST.
