While the Prince Albert Raiders fell short of the ultimate goal of an Ed Chynoweth Cup, it was still an incredible season.
In an interview with the Daily Herald, Raider general manager Curtis Hunt says he was proud of the team and the support they received from the community.
“I think it was a fantastic year. Fifty plus wins is special, always. But I think in the community, the fan support, the excitement around the 50-50, the playoff run. (I’m) obviously disappointed in how that finished. That being said, three wins away, it was the best of five to go to play (in Kelowna), I guess. I thought we put our best foot forward. I thought our coaches did a tremendous job. It’s just another year of being proud to be a Raider.”
With the end of the season, it marked the end of the road for the three Raider 20-year-olds in forwards Brayden Dube, Aiden Oiring along with rearguard and two-year captain Justice Christensen.
Brayden Dube was acquired via trade from the Seattle Thunderbirds as part of a blockbuster deal that sent former Raider captain Nolan Allan to the Pacific Northwest. While Allan hoisted the Ed Chynoweth Cup with Seattle during his lone season there, Dube suited up in 266 games for the Raiders across four seasons registering 83 goals and 96 assists during his time in the green and gold.
Hunt says Dube developed well in Prince Albert and will have a great hockey career ahead of him.
“It’s a guy with just so much pure natural talent. His ability to accelerate his shot, his release, certainly a game breaker ability. You can’t teach the ability to get rid of that puck so quickly in a shot and he’s been a great Raider since arriving from Seattle. I think he’s going to go on, I think he’s gonna have a really good next steps. I think he’s got the ability to play some pro, whether it’s in Europe or in North America and continue to score as he gets older, bigger, stronger, but I think it’s been great development for him.”
Dube is committed to play college hockey this fall with former Raider teammate Max Hildebrand at Bemidji State.
Like Dube, Oiring was a trade addition during the 2022-23 season and made the most of his opportunity with the Raiders. After being in and out of the lineup for a loaded Winnipeg ICE team, Oiring came to Prince Albert on New Year’s Eve of 2022 in a deal that saw Carson Latimer head back to the ICE.
Across four seasons, Oiring skated in 271 games with the Raiders scoring 101 goals and 163 assists while being one of the key faceoff takers for the Raiders.
“Aiden Oiring’s certainly so reliable in every situation. I think last year as a 19-year-old, we probably ran him into the ground a little bit, he was probably a 27 minute player. This year with the depth we had, I thought he even had a better year just because he had the energy all the way through to be the player that he is. He’s one of those guys, just a quiet leader. He comes to the rink every day with a smile on his face. A workmen like mentality and incredible compete and drive. I think the sky is the limit for him as well with his next steps.”
Oiring is committed to play college hockey next season for the University of Nebraska-Omaha.
The final 20-year-old from the Raiders moving on is defenceman Justice Christensen, who has donned the ‘C’ in Prince Albert for the last two seasons. After being a listed player who made the team for the 2022-23 season, Christensen appeared in 299 games tallying 61 goals and 107 assists.
“Justice is what our league really is all about. I think it’s such a great message for players who don’t get drafted or get drafted later, comparing themselves to other people. All he did was work and compete and try to get stronger and try to improve his game. From being an invite or a list walk on to becoming our captain, to dragging our team into the fight on so many nights. Playing with so much courage, pride and passion in the jersey and earning himself an NHL camp, NHL exhibition games and eventually the contract that gives them an opportunity to get his feet wet this year, depending on what the American league team does. Those guys are tough to replace.”
Christensen has signed a professional contract with the Grand Rapids Griffins, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings.
Now that the season has finished, there’s still a lot on the calendar for Hunt as Raider general manager. He described the kitchen table at his vacation cottage as “half clean and half covered with all my papers”.
Between end of season player evaluations and the never ending conversations between himself, director of player personnel Bruno Zarillo and head coach Ryan McDonald, the next big event for the Raiders on the docket is the CHL Import Draft in early July.
Another major aspect looming over the Raiders heading into the offseason is what will happen when it comes to players being recruited by NCAA schools.
Amongst Raiders eligible to return next season, Jonah Sivertson (St. Cloud State), Max Heise (Michigan State) and Brandon Gorzynski (Arizona State) all have verbal commitments.
Earlier this offseason, the University of North Dakota announced that they had recruited Prince George Cougars star defenceman Carson Carels to join their hockey program next season. Carels is expected to be a high pick at the NHL Draft next month.
In an interview with Brendan Pawliw of myPrinceGeorgeNow, Cougars general manager and head coach Mark Lamb says it wasn’t a surprise to him that Carels committed.
“He’s a great kid, with a great family. He kept myself and Jim Playfair up to speed on what was going on. This just didn’t happen over the last few days, it has been going on all year and good hockey players have good options.”
Last offseason, several players eligible to return to the WHL decided to forego playing junior and make the jump to the NCAA. The list included Tomas Mrsic who played for Colorado College after a breakout 18-year-old season with the Raiders.
With the successful season the Raiders just had, there are several names that could be intriguing for schools down south including Daxon Rudolph who led the team in scoring during the regular season and will be a high selection in the NHL Draft next month.
When asked about the NCAA factor, Hunt says the Raiders will look to roll with the punches.
“We really don’t know. I think that has to be a conversation with a player, his parents and their agent. We hope to have some input into the conversation but we may or may not get that. Certainly we’ve talked about it with our guys in year-end meetings and certainly follow-up calls. I think we have an opportunity with our group if you look at it. If everybody returns that can, I think we can continue to maybe even build on the success we have.”
Hunt referenced the quote from Lamb in his response, but says he believes Prince Albert can play a vital role in development for players.
“Mark Lamb had a quote the other day that said good players have options and we recognize that good players have options. I think when it comes down to it sometimes the money that could be distributed plays a factor and roll into that. We’ll just roll with the punches as they come and continue to sell the product that we have. We have a great team, we have a great community, we’re a great hockey town and a great town to develop and I stand by that with both feet in the ground.”
