It’s been a busy start to the season on the WHL Hot Stove and Prince Albert Raiders General Manager Curtis Hunt has made several trades only 13 games into the 2022-2023 season.
The first trade of the season for the Raiders came on Sept. 30 when Vladislav Shilo was dealt to the Winnipeg ICE in exchange for forward Alessandro Segafredo and defenseman Owen Boucher.
Boucher says he was a bit blindsided by the trade news, but he was excited to become a Raider.
“I was initially shocked. I didn’t expect a trade coming at all. Once I found out it was PA, I knew they were kind of in a rebuild with lots of younger guys so it’s going to be a good opportunity.”
Boucher had been in Prince Albert only days before the trade as a member of the Winnipeg ICE. Boucher says he felt a little stranger walking into the Art Hauser Centre for the first time as a Raider.
“It was really weird at first. My last game as an ICE player was against the Raiders. It was awkward walking into that room after that. I know playing in Winnipeg, we dreaded coming into PA because we knew it was going to be a hard game because they are tough to play against. So it’s nice to be on the other side.”
Alessandro Segafredo has since been released by the Raiders and is no longer a part of the team.
The Raiders made another pair of trades on Oct. 11 to bring a couple new faces into the forward core. Prince Albert shipped defensemen Tayem Gislason and a condition 2024 5th round pick to the Red Deer Rebels in exchange for forward Carter Anderson.
Anderson says he has enjoyed the fresh start he has had with the Raiders
“It’s been good. It was exciting to be acquired by PA, it gives me a fresh start. It’s been a bit different then [Red Deer] but I feel we have a good team here, but we need to keep working and the wins are going to come.”
Later that same day, Prince Albert acquired Tanner Gould from the Tri-City Americans in exchange for a 2026 7th round draft selection.
Gould says it was a long journey from Kennewick, but he enjoys his new surroundings in Prince Albert.
“It was a pretty quick turnaround. I found out I was going and I had a flight that same night. I think I was at four different airports in the span of three days. The coast is nice weather and all that, now that I’m up here, I like it better honestly.”
Gould says there has been an adjustment in the move from Tri-City to PA, but that the experience has been positive overall.
“[Coach] Truitt is definitely a little harder around the edges then Stu [Barnes] in Tri-City but I think that’s a good thing. He really holds his players accountable. The adjustment from Tri to here has been really good and positive in every way.”
The Raiders are back in action on Saturday night when they welcome the Swift Current Broncos to the Art Hauser Centre. Puck drops at 7pm.
sports@paherald.sk.ca
Raider additions settling into new surroundings in Hockeytown North
PA Golf and Curling Club ready to host the Canadian Mixed Championship in November
The Prince Albert Golf and Curling Club is ready to host another National Curling Championship.
The 2022 Canadian Mixed Curling Championship will be hosted in Prince Albert from November 6-12 and will feature 14 teams from across Canada.
Host Committee Secretary Pat Bibby says the Golf and Curling Club are looking forward to hosting the event.
“We feel fortunate with Curling Canada that we’ve hosted several national events here and they come back to us. We are quite happy to host them whenever we can.”
So far, the Golf and Curling Club have around 100 volunteers organized for the tournament. Bibby says the committee is thankful for the number of volunteers they have, but they are always open to accepting more people who wish to donate their time.
“We have awesome volunteers, we have always had a lot of support in terms of volunteers. We are pretty close to the number we need, but there’s always a last-minute thing or two so if there’s someone still floating around, they can give us a shout.”
The opening draw of The 2022 Canadian Mixed Curling Championship will take place on Sunday, Nov. 6 at 1pm. and the Rock and Iron Bar and Grill will be open for breakfast each day for viewing.
sports@paherald.sk.ca
PA’s Klassen named Portland Winterhawks captain
The new captain of the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks has some Prince Albert roots.
Gabe Klassen of Prince Albert was named the 48th captain in the history of the Portland Winterhawks last week. The former Minto was drafted 19th overall in the 2018 WHL Prospects Draft.
Klassen says he had no idea he was going to be named the captain and that he takes pride in being chosen for the role.
“He [Head Coach Mike Johnston] told us we were having a special guest to come in and announce it. One of our long-time season ticket holders came in and announced the captains and that’s the first time I found out. It was a pretty special moment to find out I was going to be the captain and that I’ve earned the trust of my coaches and my teammates to wear the C for this organization. I’m really looking forward to the year now.”
Both Klassen and the Winterhawks are off to a great start so far this season. The Winterhawks sit second place in the WHL’s Western Conference with a 7-1-0-0 record and sit just two points behind the undefeated Seattle Thunderbirds.
In just four games this season, Klassen has potted eight goals for Portland. Last season in the Pacific Northwest, Klassen posted 33 goals and 64 points in 68 games for the Winterhawks.
Prince Albert is not a short leisurely away from Portland, Oregon.
Despite having to relocate to pursue his goal of playing in the WHL, Klassen says he was very fortunate to play his midget season at home with the Mintos
“It’s a great organization in PA. That midget league is a strong league and a lot of good players come out of there. It was nice to stay at home for my midget year, a lot of kids have to move away. I was lucky to stay home with a great organization. My coach when I was 15, Ken Morrison did a great job coaching there. We got a lot of players from that that ended up playing in the WHL and still are. Just the competitiveness we had on our team translated to the next level and helped guys move on.”
In 57 career games as a Prince Albert Minto, Klassen potted 42 goals and 31 assists.
One date that is circled on the calendar for Klassen, as well as his close family and friends is Jan. 10, 2023 when the Portland Winterhawks travel to Prince Albert to take on the Raiders at the Art Hauser Centre.
Klassen says it has been a long time coming but he is looking forward to being the villain in his hometown that night.
“It’s crazy that I’ve been in the league for four years and this is my first time coming back home. It’s going to be a super fun night. It will be a little bit weird being on the opposing end where all the fans aren’t rooting for me, but I’m sure we will have a good section rooting for the Winterhawks. It’s a fun rink to play in. It gets pretty loud and energetic.”
sports@paherald.sk.ca
Mintos walk away with pair of losses in Estevan
A road trip to Estevan wasn’t kind to the Prince Albert Mintos as they suffered a pair of 4-3 losses to the Bears this weekend.
Mintos head coach Tim Leonard says the team is showing good signs, but mistakes made have been costly.
“We were disappointed. You go on the road, worst case scenario you hope for a split and we didn’t pull that off. We’re still learning. It seems we are outshooting teams; we’re getting some good chances and we are not burying it. When we make a mistake, it seems to end up in the back of our net, (and) that’s not our goalie’s fault.”
It was a strong first period Friday night for the Mintos as they scored twice in the opening frame. Logan Pickford opened the scoring nine minutes into the first period assisted by Carson Olsen and Abinet Klassen.
Estevan would strike back as Carter Skarbon would answer with just over five minutes remaining in the first period to even the game at 1-1.
The Minto power play gave them the lead as Caden Dunn scored with just over a minute remaining in the first period to give the Mintos a 2-1 advantage after 20 minutes.
Estevan would score the lone goal in the second period as Marc Belanger sniped one past Mintos goaltender Jayden Kraus just over six minutes in.
Estevan would take a lead less then five minutes into the third period as Kole Keen found the back of the net for the Bears.
The Mintos would tie the game up at 3-3 with a short-handed goal from Roper Blanchard with just over six minutes left in regulation.
However, the Bears would counter with their own shorthanded goal from Carter Onrait with less then three minutes remaining in the game to give them a 4-3 lead they never would relinquish.
Leonard says that the Mintos have to control the puck in big situations.
“We got to manage the puck better, we have to put in good spots, put it in a better spot then you received it. We’re going to start doing that. We’re young, we don’t have too many returning guys. So, it’s a big change for a lot of the guys that played AA Bantam and Midget. We’ve been working hard; we just need to make smarter choices with the puck.”
Saturday’s action saw a similar box score as the Mintos would strike twice in the opening frame as Van Taylor struck just seven minutes in and Carter Cole scored a short handed goal for Prince Albert. Evhan Allan would answer for Estevan with an unassisted goal with just 1:25 remaining in the first period.
Blaze Gutzke would score the lone second period goal in the contest for the Estevan Bears.
The Mintos would strike to take the lead back early in the third period as Nolan Patterson scored just over thirty seconds in. The Bears would answer with Allan’s second goal of the contest ten minutes later.
Overtime would solve nothing as the Mintos and Bears had to go to the shootout to decide Saturday’s winner.
The three shooters for the Mintos Owen Nelson, Logan Pickford and Konnor Watson couldn’t solve Bears netminder Riley Deck and Evhan Allan recorded the shootout winner for Estevan.
Leonard says the Mintos couldn’t finish on chances to put the Bears away early in the games
“They were almost identical. We had a handful of quality chances early to put them away early when we were ahead. Pucks aren’t going in for us right now, we turn around and make a bad decision with the puck and it turns into an odd man rush. We’re not making teams earn it. If teams score good goals on you, you tip your cap to them. But we’ve got to quit handing stuff over.”
The Mintos are back in action on Wednesday night at the Art Hauser when they welcome the Battlefords Stars.
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Northern Bears earn first win, weekend split in Weyburn
The Prince Albert Northern Bears got the monkey off their back and earned their first win of the SFU18AAAHL season as part of a weekend split in Weyburn.
Both teams entered the contest after struggling to start the season. Northern Bears head coach Steve Young says they were expecting a challenging contest.
“We knew it would be a tough game. That’s what we need. We can’t assume it’s a team lower in the standings like we are and that it was going to be easier. We went in with the attitude that it was going to be a tough game so to compete and to win one of them was important. I thought we had chances to win two.”
The Northern Bears started the weekend with a 3-2 victory over the Weyburn Richardson Pioneer Gold Wings.
Kaebree Young opened the scoring for the Northern Bears with a power play goal with just under five minutes remaining in the first period.
After neither team could crack the score column in the second period, Raelyn Vezeau extended the Northern Bear lead with her first SFU18AAAHL goal less then three minutes into the third period.
However, Weyburn would not go down with a fight.
Ashton Bender cut the Northern Bear lead in half with a power play goal at the 10:38 mark.
The Gold Wings completed the comeback eight minutes later as Kaydance Ray sniped her first goal of the season past Northern Bears netminder Brooke Archer.
The game winning goal for the Northern Bears came just in the nick of time, literally.
With the game tied at two with less than five seconds remaining in regulation, Kaebree Young deflected a point shot from Kelsey Ledoux past Weyburn goaltender Hailey Sibbald giving the Northern Bears a 3-2 victory.
Young says the win was much needed for the Northern Bears
“Anytime you win, it’s exciting. But for us, we needed that first win, and it made it even more exciting.”
Brooke Archer earned the win in goal for Prince Albert stopping 28 out of 30 Weyburn shots.
Unfortunately, the results of Sunday’s game didn’t prove as fruitful for the Northern Bears as they fell 3-1 to the Weyburn Richardson Pioneer Gold Wings.
Young says the Northern Bears played a solid game Sunday.
“I thought we played okay. Weyburn is a team that is much improved and worked very hard. We did a lot of good things; we weren’t rewarded with our effort. the puck didn’t go in the net. Frustration in that way, to come out with a split is something we will build from.”
The Northern Bears would open the scoring with 12:28 remaining in the first period as Jacquelyne Chief recorded her team leading third goal of the season to give Prince Albert an early lead.
Weyburn would answer back 10 minutes later at the 2:52 mark as Julianne Girardin scored her first goal of the season to even up the score.
The game was tied after one period with Weyburn outshooting Prince Albert 15-7
Weyburn would take the lead just sixteen seconds into the second period as Ashton Bender recorded her second goal of the weekend to give the Gold Wings the lead.
The Gold Wings would add an insurance marker eight minutes into the third period as Julianne Girardin recorded her second goal of the game.
Young says he saw some improvement from the Northern Bears over the weekend.
“Our power play is getting better; our penalty kill is getting better. We are getting some chances which is helping. We have to build off those things, with the understanding is you have to work to do those things.”
The Northern Bears return to action on Saturday afternoon when they host Swift Current at the Art Hauser Centre. Puck drops at 1:30pm.
sports@paherald.sk.ca
Raiders forward Peekeekoot to pursue educational opportunities
The Prince Albert Raiders announced Thursday that forward Dallyn Peekeekoot has decided to leave the team and pursue educational opportunities.
Peekeekoot, a product of the Ahtahkakoop First Nation, was selected in the 10th round, 220th overall by the Raiders in the 2019 WHL Prospects Draft.
In 11 games this season, Peekeekoot has recorded two assists.
In 88 career games with the Raiders, Peekeekoot has posted 8 goals and 6 assists.
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Fiddler-Schultz scores five times as Hitmen top Raiders 6-2
A five goal effort from captain Riley Fiddler-Schultz proved key for the Calgary Hitmen as they downed the Prince Albert Raiders 6-2 at the Scotiabank Saddledome Sunday afternoon.
The Raiders would open up the scoring early at the 2:57 mark as Sloan Stanick sniped his third of the season past Hitmen goaltender Brayden Peters on the power play.
But the Raiders could not stop Riley Fiddler-Schultz on Sunday afternoon as the Hitmen captain would strike for five goals in the contest, with four coming in the first period.
Raider head coach Jeff Truitt says that Prince Albert was showing promising signs earlier in the road trip, but came out flat against Calgary.
“You give up four first period goals, it’s not the start that you want. You look at the big picture, two steps forward with a good game in Edmonton along with a good effort in Red Deer and then a subpar one here.”
Fiddler-Schultz scored at the 5:11 on the power play, again at 14:35 mark, and two quick goals less than thirty seconds apart at 16:52 and 17:18 to give Calgary a 4-1 lead after 20 minutes of play.
The fourth goal off the stick of Fiddler-Schultz chased starting goaltender Max Hildebrand for Prince Albert.
Calgary outshot the Raiders 14-12 in the first period.
Grayden Siepmann got the lone goal in the second period for Calgary at the 2:27 mark of the second period.
Fiddler-Schultz continued his career night in the third period striking for his fifth goal of the contest just over thirty seconds into the third period.
The Raiders would get one back at the 13:12 mark off the stick of Owen Boucher, his first as a Raider after being acquired earlier this season from the Winnipeg ICE.
Calgary outshot the Raiders 46-31 in the contest.
Truitt says he wants to see the Raiders return to form next weekend at home.
“I want a response, I want the intensity we had in Red Deer. I want the success we had in Edmonton. We got to refocus and reset and turn the page. We have to go to work. The foundation for everything is work ethic and not cheating. We didn’t execute very well at all.”
The Raiders return home on Saturday, Oct. 29 when they welcome the Swift Current Broncos to the Art Hauser Centre. Puck drops at 7:00pm.
Undefeated Rebels shutout Raiders
The Prince Albert Raiders couldn’t stop the winning streak of the Central Division leading Red Deer Rebels as they fell 3-0 in the Red Deer on Saturday night.
Raider head coach Jeff Truitt says he thought the Raiders came out strong in the first period.
“I thought we came out and played one of our best first periods of the year. We were heavy on the puck and winning board battles and we had puck possession in their zone. I thought we carried the play in the first period. And then the game got really emotional. Guys were battling hard, they wanted to keep their streak together and we want to establish one. Emotions got high, penalties happened.”
Coming into play Saturday, the Red Deer Rebels had not lost in 9 games to start the 2022-2023 season.
Truitt says being in a competitive, emotional game against a team near the top of the standings was a good learning opportunity for the young players of the Raiders.
“A lot of our younger guys really felt that hard emotion for the first time this year. It was good for them to get engaged the way that they did, but lessons have to be learned on this side. The intensity was there, we just have to stay within the boundaries.”
The Rebels would open the scoring in the first period as Red Deer captain Jayden Grubbe sniped one past Tikhon Chaika on the power play at the 9:03 mark of the first period.
Shots were even at six shots apiece after 20 minutes of play.
In the second period, Jace Isley struck at the 5:16 mark for Red Deer’s second power play goal of the game to extend the Rebel lead.
Four minutes later, the Rebels would get their third power play at the 9:15 mark as Jhett Larson picked up his seventh goal of the season and extended the Red Deer lead to 3-0.
Red Deer outshot the Raiders 12-7 in the second period.
All three goals for the Rebels came on the power play.
Truitt says the Raiders did not show the urgency needed on the penalty against a mature, veteran team like Red Deer.
“We didn’t block any shots. There wasn’t any urgency on the first one that they scored on in the first period. You don’t get any blocked shots or hard clears. You’re facing a very mature team in Red Deer that can move the puck and they can make you pay on mistakes. If you don’t get the puck down the first time, they can just regroup and do it again.”
The Raiders finish out their Alberta road trip with a Sunday afternoon tilt against the Calgary Hitmen from the Scotiabank Saddledome. Puck drops at 4pm.
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Hildebrand, penalty kill shine as Raiders start road trip with win over defending WHL champion Oil Kings.
It wasn’t easy, but a strong penalty kill unit and a great performance in net by Max Hildebrand lifted the Prince Albert Raiders to a 2-1 victory over the defending WHL champion Edmonton Oil Kings at Rogers Place on Friday night.
Raider head coach Jeff Truitt says that Prince Albert played well in the victory.
“I thought that we had a real committed performance here tonight. Guys came out with a lot of energy and were physical in the first period to set the tone a little bit. I liked our attention to detail early on and it carried through for us. Overall, I thought that we had committed to in our meeting earlier in the day.”
The Edmonton Oil Kings would open the scoring at the 12:27 mark of the first period as Jaxsen Wiebe, making his season debut for Edmonton would get his first goal of the season.
Prince Albert would answer just over two minutes later as the Raider captain Nolan Allan would pick up his second road goal of the season to tie the game at 1.
Shots were even 10-10 after the first period.
The Oil Kings seemed poised to strike early in the second period after Harrison Lodewyk got a stick into the face of Edmonton forward Dawson Seitz sending Lodewyk off for four minutes with a high sticking double minor.
But the Raiders would strike short handed as Landon Kosior would pick up his fourth goal of the season short handed to give the Raiders a 2-1 lead after 40 minutes of play.
Truitt says the penalty kill unit did the job
“There were times when I thought we could’ve been more aggressive. But we had guys blocking shots and your goaltender needs to be your best penalty killer and [Hildebrand] certainly was. We had some timely clears when we were hemmed in our zone. I thought as a unit, they worked and made some nice plays.”
Edmonton outshot the Raiders 10-8 in the second period.
In the third, Max Hildebrand stood tall in the net for Prince Albert against the Edmonton siege. Overall, he stopped 26 of 27 Oil King shots to earn his first regular season victory in the WHL
Truitt says Hildebrand stood tall when it mattered most for the Raiders
“He was real solid. He faced some quality shots in the second period when we took penalties and he stood tall. I’m real proud of Max and the way he has performed here. I think he should have had a couple wins earlier in the season, but we didn’t give him any support. To get this one for him early on in the year is huge.”
The next game for the Raiders is on Saturday night when they take on the undefeated Red Deer Rebels at the Peavy Mart Centrium.
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Carlton runner takes silver at cross country provincials
It was a podium finish for Carlton cross country runner Jacob Klassen.
The Grade 11 runner finished second in the Senior Boys division in the provincial race Saturday at Wapiti Valley Ski Hill with a time of 17 minutes and 12 seconds.
Klassen says winning a medal was special, especially considering the quality of the competition.
“It means a lot. (To have) that much success at this level, showing I can compete with the best and showing what I can do and progressing to the top, feels good.”
Klassen finished with a bronze medal last year as a Grade 10. He says mental fortitude was a key reason for his success.
“It was definitely one of the toughest courses I’ve ever ran in my life. All those hills at Wapiti were definitely a challenge but that’s where the mental side of running comes in. You’ve got to be mentally tough and tell yourself you can keep doing it. It’s something that really helped me get that silver. I had a strong mentality.”
Overall, it was a strong showing for the Carlton Crusader cross country team at Wapiti. Kelly Klassen, a teacher at Carlton says the meet went really well for the Crusaders.
“It went really well. All the kids ran good races. It was a challenging course for them and they did well to finish well in the spots they did.”
It was an extra special weekend for Kelly Klassen, as he got to witness his son Jacob win a provincial medal. He said that he was very proud to see Jacob’s accomplishments.
“It’s awesome. He works so hard for what he wants to achieve. It’s a proud moment to see him achieve what he’s been working so hard to get to. There’s a lot of nerves and excitement, but to finally see him achieve some of the goals he’s been trying to achieve is pretty awesome.”
sports@paherald.sk.ca