The Blades went from having zero picks through the first five rounds to selecting twice in the third and once in the fourth during the 2024 Prospects Draft.
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The draft chart looked pretty bare at the start through five rounds, but the Saskatoon Blades promptly got back in the mix for Thursday’s WHL Prospects Draft with some wheeling and dealing.
Indeed, the Blades went from having zero picks through the first five rounds to selecting twice in the third and once in the fourth during the 2024 Prospects Draft.
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Saskatoon completed three trades to move up on the board, using its first pick to select forward Jagger John in the third round, 61st overall, from the Northern Alberta Xtreme U15 prep team. The 5-foot-6, 160-pound Fort McMurray, Alta., native had 20 goals and 18 assists for 38 points in 27 games this season but shone in the 2023 and 2024 playoffs with the NAX U15, NAX U15 prep and NAX U17 blue teams with 19 goals and 14 assists through 13 games.
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With their second pick, Saskatoon selected defenceman Julian Revel from the Burnaby Winter Club Academy U15 prep team in the third round, 66th overall. The 5-foot-9 ½ , 143-pound left-shot blueliner had six goals and 19 assists for 25 points in 26 games.
In the fourth round, the Blades added right winger Cohen Lewko from the Rink Hockey Academy. Lewko, a 5-foot-11, 170-pound product of Sanford, Man., scored 19 goals and 23 assists for 42 points in 26 games.
In the sixth round, at 133rd overall, the Blades selected right-shot defenceman Spencer Kuntz from the Rink Hockey Academy. Kuntz is a 5-10, 145-pound product of Winnipeg, Man..
Treyce Pavlic, a left winger from Surrey, B.C., who played at the Delta Hockey Academy, was chosen in the seventh round, 155th overall in the draft. Pavlic, listed at 5-foot-8 and 156 pounds, recorded 14 goals and 36 assists for 50 points in 27 games this season.
Left winger Tristan Hoko, from West Kelowna, B.C., got picked in the eighth round, 177th overall. The 5-foot-7, 164-pound forward scored 26 goals and added 13 assists for 39 points in 27 games this season for the Okanagan Hockey Academy U15 prep squad.
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Saskatoon product Millar Anderson, a centreman for the Saskatoon AA Generals, got picked by his hometown team in the ninth round, 199th overall. Listed at 6-feet tall and 160 pounds, Anderson had 14 goals and 29 assists for 43 points in 29 games this season.
In the 10th round, the Blades selected Rylee Belyk, a left-shot D-man from Battleford who played for the West Stars this season. The 6-foot-1, 172-pound Belyk had six goals, 13 assists and 24 penalty minutes in 29 games.
In the 11th round, Saskatoon chose Drysen Loewen, a 5-foot-11, 138-pound goalie from Fort St. John, B.C., who played for the GPAC Storm U15 AAA squad.
Lincoln Eaves, a 5-foot-7, 159-pound forward from Lethbridge, Alta., was taken in the 12th round with the 265th pick overall. Eaves racked up 21 goals and 30 assists for 51 points in 33 games with the Lethbridge Golden Hawks.
With their final selection in the draft, the Blades picked up center Hunter Ethelston, a 6-foot tall, 155-pound product of Brandon, Man., who had 11 goals and seven assists for 18 points in 29 games with the Brandon AAA U15 Wheat Kings. He added five goals in 11 playoff games
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HOW THE DEALS WERE MADE
Saskatoon was able to acquire third-round picks through trades with the Kamloops Blazers and Kelowna Rockets. First was a pick-swap with the Blazers, as the Blades sent away a 2026 fourth-round pick and a 2027 third-round pick (originally acquired from the Prince George Cougars) in exchange for the 66th overall pick this year. Minutes later, Saskatoon picked up the 61st overall pick in this year’s draft from Kelowna in exchange for a 2025 fourth-round pick (Everett Silvertips) and a 2027 third-rounder (Spokane Chiefs).
Later Thursday morning, the Blades acquired a 2024 fourth-round pick (77th overall) from the Victoria Royals (originally belonging to the Vancouver Giants) in exchange for a 2028 second-round pick.
U.S. PRIORITY DRAFT
The Blades made a pair of selections in the 2024 Western Hockey League U.S. Priority Draft on Wednesday.
In the first round, the Blades selected 2009-born forward Mason Moreland from California.
At 6 feet tall and weighing 154 pounds, the two-way centerman scored 28 goals and 11 assists in 66 games with the Anaheim Ducks Jr. U14 AAA squad. Moreland dressed for three games at the United States’ U14 nationals, scoring two goals and one assist.
Moreland hails from Coto de Caza, Calif.
In the second round, Saskatoon added to its blueline corps with the 44th and final pick of the draft by selecting Noah Morrison.
Morrison, a right-handed shot who stands 6 feet tall and weights 161 pounds, lit the lamp 14 times in 79 games with the Dallas Stars Elite 14-U program and dished out 48 helpers as well.
At U.S. U14 nationals, Morrison made his physical presence felt with 12 penalty minutes in three games.
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