While the Winnipeg Ice have been running away with the WHL’s East division since the start of the season, the remaining five teams have been neck and neck up to this point. With just eight points separating the sixth place Regina Pats from the second place Brandon Wheat Kings, the final two playoff spots will be very much up for grabs in the division.
The Prince Albert Raiders have been keeping up with the pack all season long, and sit just five points behind the Blades and Warriors for third place, and six points behind the Wheat Kings for second.
After a less than impressive 0-4-0-0 start to the season, the Raiders have gone 12-10-1-1 since then. Prince Albert has been playing consistent hockey lately, going 6-3-1-0 in their last 10 games, second best in the division. Two of those wins have come against Winnipeg, a 4-3 overtime decision in Manitoba, and a 4-1 upset at the Art Hauser Centre.
Tikhon Chaika got the start in every one of those 10 games. After Carter Serhyenko’s difficult start the season, head coach Marc Habscheid leaned on Chaika to be the backbone of the team, and he has answered the call so far. In 14 games, Chaika has posted a 2.61 GAA and a .909 SV% to go along with his 6-3-0-1 record.
The team’s response following the Kaiden Guile trade with Edmonton was also a positive sign. The Raiders have gone 4-2-1-0 since their former captain was traded thanks to contributions from veteran players, as well as newcomer Carson Latimer, who was one of the players arriving in P.A. in the Guhle deal.
In six games with Prince Albert, Latimer has been one of the biggest contributors on offense, scoring three goals and adding five assists for eight points in six games.
Reece Vitelli was named the new captain shortly after Guhle started his campaign in Edmonton, and has seen an improvement in his game as well. He put up a goal and three assists in the Raiders’ last two games against the Saskatoon Blades.
Ozzy Wiesblatt has been putting his name on the scoresheet as of late as well. In his last eight games, the San Jose Sharks first rounder has 11 points, and leads the team in scoring with 23 points in 26 games.
Since arriving from the Regina Pats just five games into the season, Sloan Stanick has made his mark in the Raiders offense as well. In 21 games dressed in a Raider uniform, Stanick has jumped to fourth in team scoring with 17 points, and 13 of those with the green and gold.
After a rude welcoming that saw him suspended for three games after a goalie interference penalty in Moose Jaw, Stanick has found his spot in the lineup, paired on a line with Wiesblatt and Latimer. The three forwards have contributed the most offense for Prince Albert, with 22 points combined in the last eight contests (Latimer played in six of those games).
While Prince Albert has managed to pull out some big wins lately, there are still some unanswered questions heading int the second half of the season.
After the Raiders sent Carter Serhyenko down to the junior A level and the acquisition of goaltender Cole Tisdale from the Tri-City Americans, that left fans wondering what direction the goalie carousel would take next. Serhyenko started in 17 of the Raiders first 18 games of the season, with Ronin Geraghty serving as the backup while Chaika had not yet arrived in Canada. Serhyenko posted a 6-10-1 record, sporting a 3.55 GAA and a .881 SV% in that stretch.
With Tisdale being dealt from the Americans to the Raiders in an exchange for just a seventh round pick in the 2025 WHL Prospects Draft, Chaika may see fewer starts. Tisdale has appeared in eight games this season, split between the Kelowna Rockets and the Americans. He has a perfect 4-0-0-0 record with a stellar 2.65 GAA and a .910 SV%, almost identical to Chaika’s stats.
The deal gives some breathing room for Chaika, who won’t be required to start in game after game. While Chaika seems to be the new number one goalie in town, if Tisdale puts up the kind of numbers he did out west, there will be a good battle between the two goalies for the starters job.
Dealing Ozzy Wiesblatt will be a question for fans to debate, especially after the Raiders received a strong return in the Kaiden Guhle trade. So far, however, the Raiders have not indicated they have any plans to trade the 19-year-old San Jose Sharks first rounder.
The Raiders got a lot younger in the deal with Edmonton, but are still looking to get back to where they were in their championship season. The team has a solid foundation in the players and picks acquired from the Oil Kings, and from selecting Cole Peardon and Ryder Ritchie in the first round of the prospects draft just a few weeks ago. If the Raiders plans to keep acquiring promising young talent, dealing a high caliber forward like Wiesblatt could be in the mix.
In most rebuild cases, teams usually find themselves hanging around the bottom of the standings, most notably the Ottawa Senators in the NHL over the last few seasons. That is not the case for the Raiders, as they have a real shot at cracking a playoff spot by the end of they year. With 40 games left in the season (21 at home, 19 on the road) there is a lot of time to climb up the standings, and for other teams to fall down.
The biggest faller so far in the East division has been the Saskatoon Blades. After comfortably sitting in second place all season, they have been kicked down to fourth. If the Raiders can keep their consistent play up and get some help from other teams, this squad has a good chance at grabbing a playoff spot by the end of they year, whether it’s a top three spot in the division or a wild card spot.
There’s a lot to look forward to in the second half, and it all kicks off on Dec. 27 when the Raiders host the Blades at the Art Hauser Centre at 7pm.
@kyle_kosowan•sports@paherald.ca
