March 26, 2021 Regina Saskatchewan
An entertaining game that featured both team’s backups playing, there was certainly no
shortage of scoring in this one with the Saskatoon Blades scoring early and often en route
to a 7-3 win over the Regina Pats. Chase Wouters and Colten Dach led the goal-scoring
parade for the Blades but their blue-line can certainly be credited as well, with Charlie
Wright and Aidan De La Gorgendiere having outstanding games on the blueline. 2005 born
Tanner Molendyk also impressed us with his game, not looking out of place defending the
Blades end.
| Colton Dach | OHA Edmonton | CSSHL U16 | L | F | 6’4″ | 205 | Saskatoon Blades | Fort Saskatchewan, AB | 2003 | 2020-2021: B- |
Colton was the game’s second star this evening against the Pats
and found himself at the right place at the right time while finding the back of the net twice.
Playing in the bumper position on the 1 st powerplay unit, Colton was an immovable object in
front of the net, making it look effortless staying in position and eventually scoring a slick
one timer off a pass from below the goal line. On his second goal, it was a blind turn-and-
shot off his backhand that I’m sure Spencer Welke would want back, but nevertheless
Colton was able to get decent wood on a bouncing puck in an awkward situation. Colton
seems to be very opportunistic, and is tenacious when he wants to be, as evidenced by
some of his hard, aggressive backchecks and ability to separate man from puck. When
there is no imminent threat however is when Colton takes his foot off the gas pedal, and
there were times we noticed he seemed to just coast through the zone, watching the play
develop with no real sense of urgency. Having just turned 18 this January, Colten’s number
one strength is just that–his strength, and we are hopeful that he can continue to put
himself in situations where he can crash and bang his way to net-front goals. Grade: B
| Charlie Wright | Red Deer Rebels U14 | AMBHL | L | D | 6’0″ | 170 | Saskatoon Blades | Red Deer, AB | 2003 | 2020-2021: C |
Despite “only” picking up one assist in the 7-3 drubbing of the
Pats, Charlie was arguably one of the top players on the ice for both sides. His skating and
puck handling abilities were what impressed us most, as there were times it seemed like he
was a fourth forward on the ice while he was carrying the puck deep into the zone. Charlie
not only excelled at keeping pucks in at the offensive blue line, he was adept at calming the
puck down, and using his quick foot speed to bring the puck to the middle of the ice where
he was able to open up and find his line mates. Despite not being the largest defenseman
on the ice by any means, Charlie was always first on puck retrievals in his own end, and he
used his deceptiveness well to evade any forecheckers. Charlie also used his excellent
mobility and active stick when defending the front of his net, blocking multiple passing lanes
at once while keeping the pressure on the puck. Grade B+
| Sammy May | Delta Hockey Academy | CSSHL U16 | L | F | 5’9″ | 170 | Saskatoon Blades | Richmond, BC | 2003 | Not yet rated |
Sammy was on the fourth line tonight, however from the limited
minutes we saw from him, we believe he may very well earn time in the top 6 if he can
continue to progress. Sammy looked like a player who likes to control the puck during the
game, and what we liked was that he was not the typical rookie fourth liner who dumps the
puck off as soon as it touches his tape. When he received the puck on breakouts, he made
conscious, calculated decisions on what he was going to do with it, and used his patience to
either protect the puck or find a linemate to continue on the rush forward. Sammy is also a
good skater, and we never doubted his work ethic or effort level when he was on the ice as
his feet were always moving. One thing Sammy can improve upon is combining his skating
ability and effort with purpose off the puck, as there were times he looked lost on the backcheck, and simply became puck-happy, rather than easing off the gas and staying with
his man. If Sammy can utilize his patience and puck control to find his way into sustained
pressure in the offensive zone, he should see start to see results on the scoresheet, and in
turn more minutes. Grade C+
| Aidan De La Gorgendiere | Yale Hockey Academy | CSSHL U16 | L | D | 6’1″ | 187 | Saskatoon Blades | 2018 | Langley, BC | 2020-2021: C+2019-2020: C+ |
If Charlie Wright was one of the top players on the
ice this evening, his partner Aidan De La Gorgendiere was THE top player on the ice. Yes
Aidan picked up four assists tonight which was impressive enough, but it was his complete
game that made us wonder how every NHL team passed on him in the draft this past year.
The Blades clearly know what they are looking for when they assembled their roster, as
Aidan is another elite skating defenceman that excels in the offensive end. The speed at
which he is able to accept pucks, either passed to him or picked up off the wall and get
them to the net was phenomenal, and he directly influenced 5 of the Blades goals tonight.
When the Pats were breaking out, Aidan trusted his superb skating ability by having a razor
thin gap which allowed him to pick off multiple passes in the neutral zone. One play that
stood out for us was when Connor Bedard was rushing the puck one-on-one with De La
Gorgendiere, he was able to match Bedard’s top-end speed stride for stride while staying in
position going backwards, and eventually forcing Bedard to the corner where the play was
broken up. Aidan also didn’t shy away from the physicality of the game and there were a
few situations in the defensive zone where the puck moved across the ice behind the net
and it was like a cannon going off when he jumped to the puck and stapled the opposing
forward to the wall. Currently at a point per game pace with a skilled Blades team, we would
assume that if he keeps this trend up, he will certainly have some interest at the Pro level.
Grade A-
Logo Credit: The Western Hockey League
Scout: Kyle Jahraus, Alberta