The Saskatoon Blades might not be lighting up the standings quite like they did last season, but don’t let the numbers fool you-this is a team still very much in the hunt.
Heading into Tuesday’s game, the Blades sat at 25-20-3-1, good for 54 points and a .551 winning percentage. That’s a step back from last year’s sixth-place finish, when they wrapped the regular season with a 37-23-4-4 record and 82 points, finishing at a .603 clip. But with about a quarter of the season still on the table, Saskatoon remains within striking distance of fourth place-well within reach for a group that’s still learning how to win.
And that’s the key word here: learning. This is a young squad, one that’s still figuring itself out.
With only two 20-year-olds-Tyler Parr and Rowan Calvert-set to age out, and just five 19-year-olds on the roster, the Blades are leaning heavily on underclassmen to carry the load. That kind of youth brings energy and potential, but it also means growing pains are part of the package.
“We’re definitely still finding our way,” said head coach Dan DaSilva after a 3-1 loss to the Prince Albert Raiders on Sunday at SaskTel Centre.
That quote says a lot. The Blades aren’t lost-they’re searching, adjusting, and evolving.
The flashes are there. You can see the potential in their puck movement, in the way they battle through games, and in the resilience they’ve shown after tough losses.
But consistency is the next step, and that’s often the final piece to fall into place for young teams.
If they can tighten things up and find a rhythm down the stretch, this group has the tools to make some noise. The top-end talent is developing, the systems are in place, and DaSilva’s message is clearly getting through. The question now is whether this young core can take that next step before the postseason arrives.
There’s still time-and there’s still belief in that locker room.