Saskatoon Blades have a younger look this WHL season

The beginning of hockey season is a beautiful time of year.

It’s a clean sheet of ice, both literally and in the standings. Everyone is 0-0, and the memories of last season are just that — memories.

For the Saskatoon Blades, their accomplishment of finishing with the best record in the Western Hockey League (WHL) might be clouded by the pain and heartbreak of the way the season ended.

The Blades fell short of the ultimate goal when a lucky bounce for the Moose Jaw Warriors in overtime of game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals sent them home early.

Since then, the team has undergone some changes both on the ice and on the bench.

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Former head coach Brennan Sonne took a job with the Coachella Valley Firebirds in the American Hockey League.

This paved the way for Dan DaSilva to be named the latest head coach of the Saskatoon Blades.

DaSilva said his team is continuing to work to be ready for the first game of the season.

“It’s a work in progress, we’re getting there,” said DaSilva. “It felt really good earlier in the week, we’ve had steps every single day.”

The Blades will head into Swift Current on Friday to take on the Broncos.

DaSilva said after playing the Brandon Wheat Kings and Prince Albert Raiders, the players are excited to see a new team on the other side of the ice.

“It’ll be nice to see some new colours across the ice,” said DaSilva. “We are focused mainly on us and that process of getting better every single day.”

The Blades also saw the departures of key players like Fraser Minten, Charlie Wright, Yegor Sidorov, Trevor Wong and more.

Because of that, the Blades have seen their roster get younger.

DaSilva said he’s been very impressed with the willingness to learn and work ethic he sees from younger members of the team.

The head coach said he’s been impressed with newcomer forward Ben Riche, who was acquired from the Victoria Royals for Vaughn Watterodt.

“I knew he was a really fast skater. I didn’t realize how fast he was,” said DaSilva. “We had a practice on Monday where he was just flying by everyone.”

Riche couldn’t help but smile when he heard about his coach’s praise.

“It’s something I’ve worked on a lot over the last 10 years,” said Riche.

Riche led the Blades with nine points in four preseason games.

Getting more than two points a game is a pace Riche was happy to see as he begins his tenure with the Blades.

“It’s a good start. Nice to throw a couple in the back of the net,” said Riche.

With the number of players who moved on from the Blades, some have begun to wonder how successful this new version of the Blades can be.

Defenceman Ben Saunderson said this year is going to see a different style of winning.

“We had a lot of skill and older guys last year and sometimes we would get wins not playing our best hockey,” said Saunderson.

Defence has also become a major priority for the Blades this year, and Saunderson said it’s important to work on.

“We really take pride in defending,” said Saunderson. “Even if you have all the skill in the world, you still have to defend.”

After Friday night’s game against the Broncos, the Blades will head back to Saskatoon for Saturday’s home opener, also against the Swift Current Broncos.