A day removed from the completion of the annual W-H-L Prospects Draft, Les Lazaruk caught up with Saskatoon Blades’ President and General Manager Colin Priestner to review what went on from a Blue and Gold perspective. Following is the complete interview, plus the final draft recap news release from the Bridge City Bunch…..
Blades select nine players in 2026 WHL Prospects Draft
Edmonton, AB – The Saskatoon Blades welcomed nine players to the organization at the 2026 Western Hockey League (WHL) Prospects Draft. The Bridge City Bunch selected five forwards, three defencemen, and one goalie through nine rounds. Six players drafted were Canadian and three were American.
The week started with a deal between the Blades and Prince George Cougars on Wednesday prior to Round 1 of the WHL Prospects Draft. Saskatoon acquired the Cougars 2026 first-round pick of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) Import Draft in exchange for a 2027 first-round pick in the CHL Import Draft. Entering the WHL Prospects Draft, the Bridge City Bunch owned the 18th overall pick, originally belonging to the Cougars. With the Brandon Wheat Kings on the clock at 15th overall, the Blades made a trade to bring the pick into their possession. Saskatoon traded the 18th overall pick and a 2026 third-round selection (67th overall) to the Wheat Kings in exchange for the 15th overall pick and a 2026 fifth-round pick (102nd overall). The Blades selected skilled winger Teagan Dernisky with the selection.
“I think when you watch a player like a Brandon Hagel type for the Tampa Bay Lightning right now, a Team Canada player at the last couple major tournaments for them, that’s the right sort of comparable,” said Blades Director of Scouting Dan Tencer.
The remainder of the draft took place Thursday. The Blades drafted their first defenceman of the draft in the second round in right-handed shot Hayden Harvey. Selected at 32nd overall, The Edmonton, AB native scored 14 goals and 26 assists for 40 points in 29 games with the CSSHL’s OHA Edmonton U15 Prep program. The 5-foot-11 defenceman scored a goal and five assists in six games at the 2026 John Reid Memorial Tournament. Harvey also represented Team Alberta Grey at Alberta Cup, scoring two assists in five games and tacked on 14 penalty minutes.
Saskatoon waited 63 selections before making the next pick. In between picks, the Blades swapped several WHL Prospects Draft selections with the Lethbridge Hurricanes. Saskatoon acquired a pair of seventh-round picks in 2026 for a 2028 sixth-round selection and 2029 eighth-round pick. The picks traded to the Bridge City Bunch were the 154th and 160th overall selections. The sixth-round pick acquired by the Hurricanes originally belonged to the Regina Pats.
A long wait led to drafting two players within a seven-pick span in the fifth round. At 95th overall, the Blades drafted their first American of the draft in 5-foot-11 forward Mason West. Not long after at 102nd overall, the Blue and Gold welcomed local forward Joshua Koehler from the Saskatoon Stallions of the Saskatchewan AA U15 Hockey League (SAAHLAA). The 5-foot-9 winger tallied 28 goals and 50 assists in 22 games with the Stallions. Koehler played seven games with the Stallions U18 AA squad as an affiliate player (AP) and notched three assists.
The Blades used the seventh-round picks acquired earlier in the day to select 6-foot defenceman Jack Arseniuk and American goalie Blake Pickens. Arseniuk scored seven goals and ten assists for 17 points in 29 games with RINK HA Winnipeg U15 Prep of the CSSHL. The Winnipeg, MB native added a pair of goals and assists at the 2026 John Reid Memorial Tournament. Pickens played for Prior Lake Youth Hockey in Minneapolis and was named Goalie of the Year. In ten spring hockey games with the MN Lakers 14U AAA, Pickens has a 4-2-0-0 record with a .924 save percentage (SV%) and 2.57 goals against average (GAA).
The Blades drafted 6-foot-1 forward Brayden Lindsay two picks later in the eighth round. The Tumbler Ridge, BC native scored 23 goals and 13 assists for 36 points in 30 games with the CSSHL’s Pacific Coast Academy U15 Prep. Lindsay added two goals and one assist in four games for Team White at the BC U16 Cup.
The Blades drafted another American in defenceman Rylen Schneider in the eighth round (175th overall). The Edina, MN native potted two goals and 22 assists in 59 games with Shattuck St. Mary’s 14U AAA south of the border.
The Blades final pick of the draft selected 5-foot-7 forward Carson Brown from the CSSHL’s Delta Hockey Academy U15 Prep. The left-handed shot scored 18 goals and 30 assists for 48 points in 30 games.
