Projected Blades Roster...

[Trav]

Goaltenders (Already finalized)

Holtby
Zemlak


Forwards

Wutzke - Just acquired from the Americans, good pick up.
Belyk
Braid - Best player on the ice on Saturday I thought.
Brandis
Durand
Gillies
Hamilton
Hulak
Kaye
Klotz - Regina won't get away with their cheap shots
McCrae
Patterson
Philp
Toomey
Wintoneak

Cameron, McLeod, Cuthbert???

There's going to be at least three forwards gone.

Blades look to have a big forward corps, think there's only one or two forwards that are under 6'0. Quite a few 6'2 and up.

Defensemen

Elliot
Niemi
Patterson
Ward
Zahn
Klassen
Macpherson - Battle for last spot
Wall - Battle for last spot.

Funk - Hockey future doesn't sound that great due to his injury.

[hobster]

Due you forgot about mike kaye

[Trav]

my bad, dunno how I forgot those two. Looking at the forwards, I'm going to assume, Cuthbert is gone, Mcleod could be as well, Hamilton could be sent back since he's 16 and Cameron has been listed as a player on the bubble.

Who do you guys think will be gone up front?

[hobster]

This is mine
mccrae
hulak
gillies
durand
kaye
brandis
wintoneak
patterson
klotz
wutzke
toomey
hamilton
braid

ward
patterson
funk
zahn
niemi
funk
mcpherson

holtby
zemlak

there's mine i like mcpherson over klassen and i like braid over belyk, and thats how i would round out the lineup, and as well i put wutzke in there cause we need a big power foward left winger, funk is a little banged up right now but he will deffinitly be ready for the home opener.

[Trav]

during pre-season, can't see him being cut, especially since it's been said that him, Braid and Wutzke were linemates for the Blazers last year.

[hobster]

Im thinking belyk is a little to small for the dub good speed yes but braid is the bigger one and has a better defencive game as well oh and another thing i woyuldn't go by preseason for stats wise to much at all

[Sinbin1]

If they keep Phlip I think they are in for another mediocre year!

[WHL Crazy]

Projected Blades Roster.

Forwards
Gillies-McCrae-Kaye
Brandis-Durand-Hulak
Cameron-Patterson-Wintoneak
Hamilton-Toomey-Klotz

2 of these will make it:
Belyk, Braid, Philp, Cuthbert, Wutzke, McLeod

My guess is.........I have no ****ing clue!

Defense
Ward-Patterson
Niemi-Elliott
Funk-Zahn
Klassen-Mcpherson

Goalies
Holtby
Zemlak

Pretty good roster and I think good for top 3 in the division this coming year. I good mix of grit, skill and toughness as well as keeping the future in mind. By no means is this a WHL championship team but you never know!

[penman]

Can they Skate???
philip looks everybit as good as klotz did last preseason and look where it got him. big guys seem to improve quickly. I would keep him. Or send him to the raiders he seems to be pretty hard nosed .

Mr. Klotz is a ??able skater at best in fact he is brutal ,drafted or not he is baaad so if you compare someone to him you are wasting your time. They may scare some of the players some of the time but at a camp were ther are several tough guys oops all of a sudden my career is done . Also poor philip what does he have to look forward to being compared to one baad skater and not a good player ???

[wango tango]

roster observations after the tuesday game.

klassen looked better than ward. i'm wondering if ward needs a change of scenery. niemi, elliott, and zahn were the best d for the team that night. c. patterson as one of the blades 20's must pick it up. will funk ever get back to 100% and in the lineup? i'll be curious to see how berg, wall, and macpherson do in the last 2 pre season games vs pa.

klassen, ward, niemi, elliott, zahn, funk, macpherson, c. patterson, berg, and wall. 10 guys, 7, maybe 8 spots. my guess is they'll keep 8 for now. klassen, ward, niemi, elliott, zahn, funk, c. patterson, and berg.

the wutzke trade makes things muddier up front. you don't deal for a guy, and not have a plan for him. it's what now? 18 forwards, and 13 or 14 spots. the forwards just couldn't get anything going. i did notice g. patterson some, durand, kaye, hulak, mcleod, braid a little. too many guys not doing enough to make an undisputed spot for themselves.

[hobster]

Well i heard Lorne Mollecken talk on the pre game show yesterday too Les Lazarunk about Wutzke, and suposibly that trade was because the Blades are a little weak on the left wing right now ,and he's a big power foward so i see this guy staying from what the coahes coments were .

[MVNWriter23]

That Gillies will be with Saskatoon this season; and by what I've heard from management he will definately continue to season with you guys for at least this season.

[Shortys]

That Gillies will be with Saskatoon this season; and by what I've heard from management he will definately continue to season with you guys for at least this season.

Gillies will be back with us for sure. He will not make The Wild yet, I am guessing he will be at the Wild camp right to the end so they can get him used to some of their systems, but he will definately be back. He is also too young for the Wilds AHL team, so I figure we have 2 more full seasons of him with us. As soon as he is 20, he will be playing in the AHL, not for us as an overager. As for trading, I dont foresee that happening in his whl career, although I thought that about Setoguchi as well :D

[WHL Crazy]

What are you talking about Hobster!!!??? The Blades aren't thin/Weak on the left wing at all.

Hulak, Braid, Cameron, Hamilton, Klotz and now Wutzke are all left wingers to go along with Colton Gillies who is playing left wing this year. Boogaard'd

[hobster]

Not sure then im just going by what lorne said in the pregame show the other day

[WHL Crazy]

Again Lorne proves how he is one of the worst GM's in the league.

[Some_Arrogant_Jerk]

ugh... there is a difference between weak and lack of depth. After Hulak, there isnt that much, so they wanted to throw in another potentially good LW.

Lorne knows what he is doing, alot more than some guy who was banned from a WHL fans site for being an idiot.

[WHL Crazy]

Hulak isn't even the Blades best player. I think Durand and McCrae who should each get around 70ish pts will finish ahead of Hulak in scoring. The Blades do have a solid offence and goaltending but their defense is what will make this team a .500 team only this year.

[Eye.Of.The.Tiger]

I agree with WHL crazy about Chris Durand and McCrae, along with Gillies they are the heart and sole of this hockey club. Durand has been underachieving ever since leaving Seattle but i think hes due for a big year. If Gillies can break out of his shell offensively he could be looking at a 20-30 goal campaign, so i'd hardly say that Hulak is the class of the team

[howley]

My prediction is Hulak leads the team in scoring. If not...I'll give someone my house...again.

[hobster]

not so sure when he wont even be on the top line or top pp for that fact the top line will be kaye mccrae gillies thats allready set in stone right from the head coaches mouth and the pp will be gillies mccrae durand with funk and niemi on the point