Blades hoping for strong finish to ‘bittersweet’ season without WHL playoffs

This isn’t the end to the season Saskatoon Blades general manager Colin Priestner had in mind.

With the Western Hockey League officially cancelling the 2021 playoffs Monday, the team’s orchestrater is left wondering what could have been for his potential championship-calibre roster.

“It’s obviously bittersweet. We’re proud of what we’ve done in a short period of time here. We would have been a strong contender had there been a long playoff run,” Priestner said.

A season without any playoffs is tough to accept for Priestner, especially after having his team be the class of the East Division in the 24-game shortened season taking place in Regina following years of disappointment or modest success.

Priestner accepted the job as general manager nearly three years after his father, Mike Priestner, bought the team before the 2013 season.

At that time, Saskatoon’s prospects of winning were bleak. The team just finished hosting the Memorial Cup after a series of trades that left the club without many of its top draft picks for years to come.

The team returned to the playoffs following a five-year drought in 2019, but unlike that season, Saskatoon is proving to be one of the best teams in the league this season, sitting three points back of the Brandon Wheat Kings for the division lead with one game in hand.

Seeing the team which he’s had a hand in building every step of the way end its season without any trophy to play for is an odd experience.

“It’s something you look back on in maybe a few years and say, ‘Geez, we really had a strong team there,’ ” Priestner said.

Saskatoon managed to get off to the best start in its 57-year history by registering nine wins and an overtime loss before falling in regulation time.

Priestner understands the obstacles the league faced to try and organize a post-season — various provincial and American health regulations, no fans in the stands and asking coaches, trainers and players to remain in hub locations for another two months.

“The reality of being in a bubble for as long as they have been, I think it’s a difficult task for anybody to spend that much time in isolation from family and friends,” Priestner said. “It’s a decision that I could definitely understand why the majority of teams decided against it.”

Overage forward Caiden Daley is turning his attention towards a division banner with no playoff possibilities.

“We waited 12 months to play hockey, so a couple of extra months wouldn’t have hurt us at all,” he said. “It’s unfortunate that we didn’t get to play the playoffs, but these next four games are huge. The division is pretty much our championship.”

Luckily for Priestner, both goaltenders, eight defencemen and many of the team’s top scorers are eligible to return to the team next season.

That’s not making the end any easier for head coach Mitch Love.

In a year with little time away from a team setting, Love has approached his players as more of an equal member of the team going through the same isolating experiences, which have helped the team bond and become close like a family.

Love is having a tough time leaving such a special season behind with less than a week remaining.

“We just talked about savouring these days that are left as a group — as a family,” Love said.

“Elephant in the room, it’s been gruelling. Our kids have done a great job of supporting each other, and it’s something we’ll remember for the rest of our lives.”

Saskatoon plays the Prince Albert Raiders on Thursday, before wrapping up the season with games on Friday, Monday and Wednesday.