Alexander Suzdalev had performed a number of video games at SaskTel Centre earlier than, however his first in a Saskatoon Blades jersey was one to recollect.
Making his house debut with the Blades on Wednesday evening, Suzdalev was concerned in 4 of the workforce’s first 5 objectives of the evening, recording a hat trick earlier than the tip of the second interval and main the best way to a 7-2 victory over the Vancouver Giants.
It was a breakout evening for the Washington Capitals prospect, forming fast chemistry with linemates Fraser Minten and Brandon Lisowsky.
“It’s lots of expertise, for positive it’s lots of expertise,” Suzdalev mentioned. “You possibly can see that within the practices we’ve lots of good gamers. I feel if we will stick collectively as a gaggle, we will do nice issues.”
The Blades are hoping Suzdalev would be the lacking piece they’ll want in the direction of a WHL championship run, buying and selling for the towering winger and a 2025 sixth-round decide in a blockbuster take care of the Regina Pats on New 12 months’s Eve.
Going again down Freeway 11 had been import defenceman Samuel Barcik, rookie ahead Zach Moore, unsigned prospect Dayton Deschamps, a 2026 first-round decide, a third-round decide in 2026 and a 2025 fourth-round choice.
Swapping out Pats navy for Blades blue and gold has taken some adjustment for Suzdalev, however he’s prepared to assist contribute to what he hopes will likely be a prolonged playoff run.
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“For positive the (first) couple days had been a little bit bizarre however I’m getting used to it now,” Suzdalev mentioned. “Forgetting final yr’s playoffs, in fact, it’s a brand new begin and we’re going for a championship.”
Coming over from his native Sweden final yr to play in his first WHL season, Suzdalev torched the league with 38 objectives and 86 factors in 66 video games earlier than including one other 10 factors in opposition to Saskatoon in a memorable seven-game opening-round playoff collection.
“It feels actually good, nice participant in Suzy and an excellent man,” Blades captain Trevor Wong mentioned. “Clearly it’s good to have him on our aspect now.”
Suzdalev’s partnership with former Pats phenom Connor Bedard was properly documented all through the season, serving to to kind probably the most harmful traces in all of junior hockey.
A participant who gave Blades head coach Brennan Sonne matches is now becoming into his personal system.
“How do you guard or test anyone that’s within the nook who can go top-shelf from the objective line on a one-timer bullet?” Sonne mentioned. “As exhausting as that was to defend, I hope it’s the alternative and he’s tough to defend for different groups as a result of he’s elite.”
Following the announcement of the commerce, Blades president and basic supervisor Colin Priestner acquired a pair of texts from a sure former linemate of Suzdalev’s.
“I acquired a textual content from Connor Bedard,” Priestner mentioned. “(His mother Melanie) and Connor each texted me like, ‘Salt of the earth human being, one in every of Connor’s finest pals.’ Connor was like, ‘You guys are going to like him,’ and that was nice.”
Spending his early childhood in Russia, Suzdalev has since fashioned a friendship with Blades sniper Egor Sidorov, with whom he’s rooming and sharing the identical language, on and off the ice.
“He’ll convey on our workforce a number of ability for positive,” Sidorov mentioned. “He’s a humorous man, constructive, he’ll convey that (positivity) too.”
Following his debut season within the WHL, Suzdalev went again abroad and signed with Mora IK of the Swedish tier-two league, the place he wearing 13 video games earlier than being returned to junior hockey by the Capitals.
That stint is one thing Suzdalev mentioned he’ll be leaning on over the again half of the WHL season.
“I’ll take some expertise with me taking part in in opposition to males for positive,” Suzdalev mentioned. “It’s a tough sport, extra mature, extra structured. So I’m attempting to take that in right here and do the very best that I can do.”
The Blades roster is now set following the WHL commerce deadline, capped off with Saskatoon including veteran defenceman John Babcock from the Kelowna Rockets.
Mixed with the additions of Suzdalev, Minten, Easton Armstrong, Grayden Siepmann and Rhett Melnyk, the Blades are amongst a small group of groups which are anticipating to contend for a WHL championship this spring.
“You need to win and also you need to be the very best you could be,” Suzdalev mentioned. “That’s for positive our objective and we’re going to do all the pieces we will to do it.”
Suzdalev’s addition is one that can present added firepower to Saskatoon’s top-six ahead core of Lisowsky, Minten, Wong, Sidorov and Armstrong, in keeping with Priestner.
That offers the Blades their finest probability in a decade at lastly successful the franchise’s first Ed Chynoweth Cup.
“That is our probability at future,” Priestner mentioned. “It’s our probability to make our personal future and manifest future is what we will do. Now we have the items, there’s no excuses. Now we have the coaches that we would like, we’ve the gamers we would like, we’ve the trainers we would like, we’ve the workers we would like.
“Now we have all of the horses to get this carried out.”
The Blades haven’t misplaced in regulation since Nov. 22 and can look to stretch their level streak to 17 consecutive video games on Saturday evening after they host the Victoria Royals at 7 p.m.
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