That chill you are feeling is because training camp for the Saskatoon Blades is just over two weeks away from starting.

The Bridge City Bunch will bring together their veterans, prospects and invitees to SaskTel Centre – beginning Friday, August 28 and running through the weekend. The approximately 80 players will be split into four teams, named after prominent Blue and Gold Alumni, to compete for the Kirkness Cup – named in honour of the longtime and popular Blades’ dressing room attendant Bob Kirkness, who passed away in 2021 after a battle with cancer. The Alumni team names are after late defenceman Wade Belak, late forward Clayton Chappell, star defenceman and Stanley Cup-champion with Washington Mike Green and 2013 Memorial Cup goaltender Andrey Makarov.

Among the players at camp will be 20-year-old Saskatoon product Tyrone Sobry. He was reacquired by the Blades from Prince George Tuesday afternoon for a sixth round pick in the 2028 W-H-L Prospects Draft. The left shot defenceman played 29 games with the Bridge City Bunch after being picked up in a trade with Prince Albert in mid-October, only to be sent to the Cougars at the trade deadline in January. The acquisition of Sobry gives the Blue and Gold three 20-year-old players again after defenceman Tristen Doyle may a late decision, just this past Friday, to attend Merrimack College this coming season.

The Blades will play their first of five pre-season games at 2 o’clock on Tuesday, September 1 – a rookie contest against the arch-rival Prince Albert Raiders. Saskatoon opens the regular-season on Friday, September 18 in Brandon with the home opener on Saturday, September 26 against P-A. Following are the news releases from the Blue and Gold…..

Blades bring home familiar face Sobry from Cougars

Saskatoon, SK – A familiar face is back with the Blue and Gold. The Saskatoon Blades have acquired 20-year-old defenceman Tyrone Sobry from the Prince George Cougars in exchange for a sixth-round pick in the 2028 Western Hockey League Prospects (WHL) Draft.

“We were informed on Friday that Tristan Doyle would be leaving for NCAA, so we immediately inquired about adding Tyrone back,” said Blades president and general manager Colin Priestner. “Our coaches felt he was exactly what our defensive core needed as a 20-year-old. He plays hard, simple hockey and is extremely well liked in our room. He will be a strong shutdown presence for us this year.”

The 6-foot-2 blueliner was acquired by the Blades on October 14, 2025 in a trade with the Prince Albert Raiders. Sobry recorded three goals, four assists, and 20 penalty minutes in 29 games with Saskatoon last season. The left-handed blueliner was acquired by the Cougars at last year’s trade deadline, where scored one goal and three assists in 28 games. Sobry added a shorthanded goal, an assist, and a +1 rating in 12 playoff games with Prince George last spring. In 144 career WHL games, the Saskatoon native has seven goals and 14 assists for 21 points.

“It’s good to be home,” said Sobry. “I can’t wait to be back in the Blue and Gold.”

Blades announce 2026 Training Camp presented by Motion Fitness

Saskatoon, SK – The Saskatoon Blades open 2026 Training Camp presented by Motion Fitness on Friday, August 28 at SaskTel Centre. Day one features headshots and players split into four teams ahead of morning practices. Each team is named after a Blades alumnus who played during a different period throughout the club’s history. This year’s four teams are Team Belak, Team Green, Team Chappell, and Team Makarov.

All four teams will play for the Kirkness Cup throughout the weekend, in memory of the late Bobby Kirkness. The longtime dressing room attendant for the club passed away in 2021 after a battle with cancer. As he fought leukemia in 2016, the team renamed the training camp tournament the Kirkness Cup. Round-robin scrimmages begin at 3:00pm on Friday with Team Belak versus Team Green. Team Chappell and Team Makarov close Day 1 with a scrimmage at 4:45pm.

Saturday features the remainder of round-robin play from 9:30am to the final game at 6:15pm. The Kirkness Cup Third Place Game is Sunday at 9:00am, followed by the Kirkness Cup Championship Game at 12:00pm. All practices and scrimmages are open to the public.

See the full schedule for training camp below:

Friday, August 28th

• 9:15am – 10:00am | Team Belak Practice
• 10:15am – 11:00am | Team Green Practice
• 11:15am – 12:00pm | Team Chappell Practice
• 12:15pm – 1:00pm | Team Makarov Practice

Break

• 3:00pm – 4:15pm | Team Belak vs Team Green (Scrimmage)
• 4:45pm – 6:00pm | Team Chappell vs Team Makarov (Scrimmage)

Saturday, August 29th

• 9:30am – 10:45am | Team Chappell vs Team Belak (Scrimmage)
• 11:15am – 12:30pm | Team Green vs Team Makarov (Scrimmage)

Break

• 4:30pm – 5:45pm | Team Belak vs Team Makarov (Scrimmage)
• 6:15pm – 7:30pm | Team Green vs Team Chappell (Scrimmage)

Sunday, August 31st

• 9:00am – 10:15am | Kirkness Cup Third Place Game

Break

• 12:00pm – 1:15pm | Kirkness Cup Championship Game

About the Alumni

Wade Belak – Wade Belak suited up for 211 games with the Bridge City Bunch between 1993-96. The right-shot defenceman scored 11 goals and 42 assists for 53 career points, tacking on 746 penalty minutes as well, Beloved by fans and his teammates, Belak was a crucial piece in one of the club’s most successful eras in franchise history. The Saskatoon native helped the Blades reach Game 7 of the Western Hockey League (WHL) final in 1994. In 16 playoff games, Belak scored a pair of goals and assists to go along with 43 penalty minutes, ultimately falling short to the Kamloops Blazers. The Quebec Nordiques drafted Belak the same summer 12th overall at the 1994 NHL Entry Draft. The gritty blueliner went on to have a journeyed NHL career, playing 549 games between the Colorado Avalanche, Calgary Flames, Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers, and Nashville Predators. Belak sadly passed away on August 31, 2011, but his passion and devotion as a member of the Blades is still felt by lifelong fans and former teammates to this day.

Mike Green – Before he was scoring 31 goals as a defenceman in the NHL, Mike Green was a staple on the Blades’ backend in the early 2000s. The Calgary, AB native played four full seasons for Saskatoon between 2001-05, scoring 39 goals and 135 assists for 174 points in 267 games. In the summer of 2004, Green was selected 24th overall by the Washington Capitals in the NHL Entry Draft. The right-shot defenceman captured the Calder Cup with the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Hershey Bears in his first pro season in 2006. Green scored three goals and 15 assists for 18 points in 21 playoff games en route to an AHL Championship. The retired pro enjoyed a 15-year NHL career with the Capitals, Detroit Red Wings, and a brief two-game stint with the Edmonton Oilers. Green played in 880 NHL games and scored 150 goals and 351 assists for 501 career points.

Clayton Chappell – The organization was devastated to hear of Clayton Chappell’s passing last August. The Langham, SK native’s tenure with the Blue and Gold was short but impactful. Chappell was loved by his teammates and feared by his competitors. Chappell played 27 games with Saskatoon in the 1987-88 season, registering four goals, five assists, and 27 penalty minutes. Chappell went on to be a force in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) with the Weyburn Red Wings for two seasons. In 1989-90, Chappell recorded 79 points (17G, 62A) and 276 penalty minutes in 68 games with Weyburn. Chappell’s love for hockey and Saskatchewan continued throughout his life, playing hockey for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies in the early 90s and senior hockey with the Dalmeny Fury of the then FCHL in the late 2000s and early 2010s. The mantra is “Once a Blade, always a Blade,” and Chappell carried what it meant to be a Blade throughout his life, whether in his love for hockey or farming.

Andrey Makarov – There’s many names that come to the mind of Blades fans when it comes to elite goaltenders in franchise history. One who made his mark in recent memory was Andrey Makarov. The Kazan, RUS product played two seasons with the Blades between 2011-2013. Makarov’s 66 career wins puts him seventh all-time in franchise history, while his nine shutouts are the third most amongst all Blades netminders all-time.  Makarov went 66-38-7 with a .916 save percentage (SV%) and 2.82 goals against average (GAA) in two seasons with Saskatoon. The netminder was awarded Outstanding Goaltender of the 2013 MasterCard Memorial Cup on home soil at SaskTel Centre. The then 20-year-old Russian made 120 saves, many of them spectacular, in just four games. Makarov played pro from 2013-2024 around the globe, including the AHL and Kontinential Hockey League (KHL).