As far as the second round of the WHL Playoffs, this is going to be CM Punk versus Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 42.
For the next potentially two plus weeks, Prince Albert Raiders versus Saskatoon Blades in a best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal series will be the thing that is on everyone’s mind in those respective centres. Actually, you can bet it will be on everyone’s mind in “Hockey Town North.”
In Saskatoon, the series will likely be on a lot of people’s minds. With it being a city of 300,000 people, there are a significant portion of hockey fans set to spend $5,000 to $10,000 on trips to see NHL games while staying in posh hotels or heading off to take part in other interests.
Actually if Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan was in season in “The Bridge City,” that is a must treasure to check out. Even for people who hated Shakespeare in school, the folks that make that production happen make Shakespeare cool, but I digress.
Getting back to the second round of the WHL Playoffs, the upcoming Eastern Conference semifinal series between the Raiders and Blades is the one that jumps off the page. Out of the circuit’s four conference semifinal series, this is the only one that is a true rivalry series.
With training camp of the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders still a number of weeks away, Raiders versus Blades is the series that will get centre stage and capture the attention of the sports media in Saskatchewan that keep tabs on things provincially. The fact the winner advances to the Eastern Conference Championship Series just adds that much more to the interest in this encounter.
The series begins this Friday and Saturday with Games 1 and 2 respectively set for both nights at 7 p.m. at the storied and historic Art Hauser Centre. The series switches scenes for the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon for Game 3 on Tuesday, April 14 and Game 4 on Wednesday, April 15 for a 7 p.m. start time on both nights.
This is the series fans on both sides were hoping would materialize, especially Raiders fans. Raiders fans see themselves in a similar fashion to CM Punk being the self-made community owned team that has won the Centennial Cup four times as national championships in junior A before moving up to major junior to capture two more league championships and the Memorial Cup as CHL champions.
Raiders fans see the Blades in a similar fashion like Reigns. They view the Blades as always starting on second base thanks to strong ownership that has resources dating back through their entire history like the Anoa’i wrestling dynasty that Reigns is a part of having the backing of The Rock. The Rock is viewed as always giving everyone with Anoa’i wrestling dynasty a head start.
Of course, Raiders fans are well-known for reminding anyone involved with the Saskatoon franchise that, unlike the Anoa’i wrestling dynasty, the Blades have no championships. To be more accurate, the Blades have never won any league or national titles dating back to the start of their franchise in 1964. You can bet Raiders fans have already passed on this reminder via social media on the Blades various accounts.
Blades fans dislike the Raiders, but it can be argued that isn’t to the same extent of Raiders fans disliking the Blades. Still, more and more Blades fans are getting their jabs back towards Raiders supporters on social media.
Going into this series, the Raiders will hold the role as favourites. They topped the Eastern Conference and finished second overall in the WHL regular season standings with a 52-10-5-1 mark. Prince Albert was rated fourth in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings.
In the first round of the playoffs, they eliminated the Red Deer Rebels, who finished eighth overall in the Eastern Conference, in five games. The Rebels did give the Raiders a push creating a post-season intensity in their encounters. The Raiders finished things off in crowd-pleasing fashion last Friday with a 4-3 overtime victory at the Hauser, where Brandon Gorzynski netted the extra-time winner.
The Blades were sixth in the Eastern Conference and placed 10th in the overall regular season standings with a 34-27-5-2 mark. There weren’t a lot of expectations outside of those linked to their club that they would even make it out of the first round of the post-season.
During the regular season, Saskatoon was a club that was consistently inconsistent. The Blades were able to go out and pick up victories against the top teams in the league and would turn around and lose to squads that missed the post-season and were at the bottom of the overall standings.
They have played their best hockey of the campaign in the 2026 WHL Playoffs in their seven game series win against the Edmonton Oil Kings. The Oil Kings were heavy favourites in that series with having finished third in the Eastern Conference and fifth in the overall regular season standings with a 45-18-3-2 mark. The Blades were the only team in the first round of the WHL Playoffs that eliminated an opponent that had a superior regular season record.
Last Monday, the Blades took that first round series in dramatic fashion in Game 7 with a 3-2 overtime victory at Roger’s Place in Edmonton. Blades heart and soul 20-year-old left-winger Rowan Calvert deflected home a point shot from star import left-winger David Lewandowski on the power play at the 7:23 mark of the extra session.
During the 2020s, the Blades have played in more Game 7s in the WHL Playoffs than any other team at four, and they have a 3-1 record in those contests. That string of Game 7s started in the 2023 post-season for Saskatoon.
When it comes to a rivalry series, you can throw out the records. At some point in the Eastern Conference semifinal between the Raiders and Blades, something that no one imagined will likely happen.
During the regular season, the Raiders won six out of the eight head-to-head meetings with the Blades. At the moment, the Blades are entering their post-season series with a whole bunch new confidence.
In net, the Blades are backed by one of the WHL’s best in Evan Gardner, who has a signed NHL entry-level contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets. During the regular season, Gardner recorded a 25-16-6 record, a 2.96 goals against average, a .902 save percentage and three shutouts. He had a 2.53 goals against average and a .916 save percentage in the series win over the Oil Kings.
Gardner is the biggest challenge that stands in the Raiders way of getting to the Eastern Conference final. Plus, the Blades cast of characters like captain Tyler Parr, Calvert, Lewandowski, Tristen Doyle, Cooper Williams, Zach Olsen, Hayden Harsanyi and Brayden Klimpke are out to show how well they really can play as a team and that they can take down another heavy favourite.
The Raiders have a roster that contains nine players who score 20-or-more goals in the regular season. They included Max Heise (29), Daxon Rudolph (28), Aiden Oiring (28), Brandon Gorzynski (27), Braeden Cootes (24), Jonah Sivertson (24), Brayden Dube (24), Alisher Sarkenov (21) and Maddix McCagherty (20). Captain Justice Christensen just missed hitting 20 goals posting 18 tallies.
During the regular season, Raiders 18-year-old rookie import netminder and starter Michal Orsulak posted a 28-4-4 record, a 2.22 goals against average, a .907 save percentage and four shutouts. He posted a 1.99 goals against average and a .891 save percentage in the five game series win over the Rebels, but you can expect the save percentage to go up as he will likely face more shots against the Blades.
The Raiders hope to get Heise back in the lineup after he was lost to an awkward hit by Rebels centre Owen DeWitt in Prince Albert’s Game 1 victory in that set. Still, the Raiders will expect their depth to be able to carry the day.
It is unwise to expect this series to be a romp by the Raiders. It is wise to expect it will be a well-remembered set by the fans of the victorious club.
- During the series against the Rebels, the Raiders had their three biggest 50/50 payouts of the 2025-26 campaign for their home contests. Game 1 saw a payout of $38,710, Game 2’s payout was $48,185 and Game 5’s payout came in at $70,415. It is likely there will be higher payouts in the series against the Blades. Tickets for the Raiders 50/50 draws can be purchased at 9 a.m. on game days and one hour before puck drop at the Hauser.
- The other Eastern Conference semifinal features the defending WHL champion Medicine Hat Tigers taking on the Calgary Hitmen. The Tigers finished second in the Eastern Conference and third overall in the WHL standings with a 50-10-5-3 mark in the regular season. The Hitmen were third overall in the Eastern Conference and eighth overall in the WHL at 38-21-8-1 in the regular season. The Tigers won seven of the eight head-to-head encounters between the two sides.
- The Everett Silvertips will take on the Kelowna Rockets in one of two Western Conference semifinal series. The Silvertips finished first overall in the WHL during the regular season with a 57-8-2-1 mark. They were rated first in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. The Rockets were fourth in the Western Conference and seventh overall in the WHL at 38-21-6-3. They will host the CHL’s championship tournament – the Memorial Cup – from May 22 to 31. The Silvertips won all four of their head-to-head meetings with the Rockets in the regular season.
- The Penticton Vees will face the Prince George Cougars in the other Western Conference semifinal series. The Vees, who are playing their first season in the major junior ranks, finished second in the Western Conference and fourth overall in the WHL during the regular season with a 44-14-6-4 mark. They were rated eighth in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. The Cougars placed third in the Western Conference and sixth overall in the WHL with a 44-22-2 mark during the regular season. The Vees took five of the six head-to-head encounters against the Cougars in the regular season.
- Raiders 16-year-old rookie defenceman Brock Cripps is having an amazing debut in the WHL Playoffs. Following the five game opening round series win over the Rebels, Cripps leads the Raiders in scoring with eight points coming off three goals and five assists to go with a plus-six rating. That is something you don’t normally see from a 16-year-old in the major junior ranks.
Darren Steinke is a Saskatoon-based freelance sportswriter and photographer with more than 25 years of experience covering the WHL. He blogs frequently at stankssermon.blogspot.com.
