Every dog ​​has its day: Saskatoon Blades appoint Saunderson captain for 2024-2025 season – Saskatoon

When Saskatoon Blades blue-liner Ben Saunderson checked his phone this weekend, it was a conversation with his defense partner Tanner Molendyk that caught him a little off guard.

On his screen was a message from the Nashville Predators prospect, congratulating him on being named captain of the team for the 2024-2025 WHL season.

“He texted me a day before he joked and said, ‘Hey, congratulations,’” ​​Saunderson said. “I think someone had talked to him about it and I hadn’t heard anything officially, so I just laughed it off.”

The official word came on Monday for Saunderson, who was unveiled as the 63rd captain in franchise history with the passing of the torch from last season’s captain Trevor Wong, handing the man affectionately known as ‘The Dog’ his familiar number two jersey with a ‘C’ stitched above the Blades emblem.

“I’m a little speechless right now,” Saunderson said. “It is a privilege and an honor that they had the confidence in me to lead this group. I’m just thankful for the guys I came up with, my leaders who teach me about the league and now that I can teach the rest to everyone, it’s pretty cool.

Having turned 20 just a few days earlier, this is a welcome birthday present for the Carberry, Man., product who spent his entire 195-game junior career in Saskatoon.

During that span, he has contributed six goals and 56 points while becoming a top-four defenseman in back-to-back Eastern Conference finals selections.

“He was the guy that was on my radar,” Blades head coach Dan DaSilva said. “First and foremost, from the moment I was named head coach to the moment I started thinking about who would be the captain of this team. He was the first man who came to my mind.”

Four alternate captains were also announced by the Blades on Tuesday, with Molendyk, Brandon Lisowsky, Tyler Parr and Rowan Calvert joining Saunderson in the team’s leadership group.

With a much younger roster than in previous years, Saunderson added that it is an even more important honor with nearly a dozen first- and second-year players on the roster.

“It’s just a different atmosphere than U18 would be,” Saunderson said. “I think it’s really important to just be there for them and be a role model.”

Saunderson’s first game as Blades captain comes Wednesday night in Calgary, with Saskatoon (3-0) looking to keep its undefeated start alive against the Hitmen at 7 p.m.

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