The Saskatoon Blades went from a pair of 19-year-old goaltenders to just one Thursday.
The Bridge City Bunch dealt Ethan McCallum (pictured) to Penticton for Vancouver’s fifth round pick in the 2026 W-H-L Prospects Draft and a conditional fifth rounder in 2027. The move leaves Evan Gardner with the Blue and Gold while 17-year-old Ryley Budd has been recalled to Saskatoon, at least through the Christmas break. Following is Les Lazaruk’s conversation about the deal with Blades’ President and G-M Colin Priestner, plus the news release from the Bridge City Bunch…..
Blades reduce goaltending log-jam in deal with Vees
Saskatoon, SK – The Saskatoon Blades have acquired a pair of fifth-round picks from the Penticton Vees in exchange for 19-year-old goalie Ethan McCallum. The Western Hockey League (WHL) Prospect Draft picks include the Vancouver Giants fifth-round selection in 2026 and a conditional 2029 fifth-rounder.
“Ethan has been a fantastic Blade over his year-and-a-half with us,” said General Manager and President Colin Priestner, “It was never an easy spot to be an older goalie backing up a franchise player like Evan Gardner, but he did it with a great attitude and class. We were hopeful we would find him an opportunity in the league before the trade deadline to let him show what he can do, and we’re very excited for him to get this chance in Penticton.”
The Brandon, MB native appeared in 38 games with the Blades throughout this year and the 2024-25 campaign. In 25 games last season, McCallum went 10-10-0-3 with the Blue and Gold, sporting a .902 save percentage (SV%) and 3.26 goals against average (GAA). The 6-foot-4 goaltender is 4-6-0-0 with a .886 SV% and 3.49 GAA.
The Blades want to thank Ethan for his contributions on the ice and in the community of Saskatoon and wish him all the best out west.
With the move, Saskatoon’s called up 2008-born netminder Ryley Budd to the team. Priestner says the rookie netminder will remain with the club through the Christmas break. The Blades second-round (42nd overall) pick of the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft won his WHL debut on November 21 in 3-2 fashion against the Swift Current Broncos.
“We have two excellent younger goalie prospects in Taye Timmerman and Ryley Budd who we feel are ready for the challenge of competing for our backup spot and showing what they have at this level learning from Gards and our goalie coach, Jeff Harvey,” said Priestner.
Timmerman is one of 44 players representing Hockey Canada at the 2025 Junior A World Challenge. The challenge is set for December 7 – December 13 in Trois-Rivières, QB. Timmerman was signed by the Blades at the beginning of the 2025-26 season. In 14 games with Warman this season, the Winnipeg, MB native has a 4-9-0-0 record with a .868 save percentage (SV%) and 4.56 goals against average (GAA).
It’s a rare Friday and Saturday off for the Bridge City Bunch before welcoming the Regina Pats to SaskTel Centre on Sunday, Dec. 7 at 4:00pm.
