Teams in the WHL’s Western Conference are going to get used to the Prince Albert Raiders (1-2-1-0) by the end of the month.
The Raiders will kick off a streak of eight consecutive contests against Western Conference opponents on Friday night when the Everett Silvertips (2-1-0-0) pay a visit to the Art Hauser Centre.
Raiders head coach Jeff Truitt says the Silvertips will provide a good test for Prince Albert early in the season.
“They’re a fast skating team, they’re on their checks, they’re very disciplined in their structure and they’ve got great high-end talent. That’s going to be a real good test for us. If you’re going to give that team a lot of time and space, (Dominik) Rymon, (Julius) Miettenen and their back end is really good. They shoot the puck a ton. No matter if they’re big or small they’re getting to the front of the net so they play with a lot of passion and a lot of heart that way so it’s a hard-driving team.”
Last season, the Raiders hosted opponents from the B.C Division and took part in a road trip through the U.S. Division in November. Prince Albert fared well against opponents from the Western Conference, posting an overall record of 6-4-0-1 in 11 games.
Truitt says teams from the Western Conference will play differently then the teams the Raiders face on a regular basis in the East.
“It’s always good to play the other conference and last year we did okay against that Western Conference. It’s another year and things do change. That conference is really competitive right now. The teams we are playing against in the next couple games in Everett and Spokane play a little bit of a different style, but the competitiveness is through the roof.”
The Raiders feature several rookies who will be playing against Western Conference opponents for the first time in their WHL careers. Daxon Rudolph was selected by the Raiders first overall in 2023 and has posted two points in four games to begin his WHL career.
Rudolph says he is looking forward to seeing teams from the Western Conference at home and the upcoming BC Division road trip for the Raiders later this month.
“It’ll be cool to see. I got a couple of buddies on those teams in the states and in B.C.. I haven’t seen too much of them. It’ll be super fun with a couple of US teams coming here before we leave to BC. I think all the guys are super excited for that road trip and what that brings us. I think everyone in the room is really looking forward to it, and I am as well.”
Plenty of eyes will be on Prince Albert on Friday night to watch two of the most exciting young defenseman in the country. Rudolph was taken first overall by Prince Albert in 2023, while Everett features 2024 first overall pick Landon DuPont who was granted exceptional status to play in the WHL as a 15-year-old. He is the second player to be granted exceptional status in league history with Connor Bedard being the only other player.
Truitt says both players are confident with the puck and don’t play like they are rookies.
“They’re not making those young guy mistakes. Both of them look like they’ve played in the league for a while. That’s always a real treat to watch two young, talented guys on the ice at the same time. There’s a lot of great talent in 16-to-17 year olds in this league. The top two of them are going to be on the ice here Friday night.”
The Raiders will also be wearing special jerseys for Hockey Fights Cancer. The jerseys will be auctioned off with proceeds benefiting the Canadian Cancer Society. Puck drops at 7 p.m.
sports@paherald.sk.ca
