VIDEO: Martinuik, Dernisky pushing pace ahead of Blades pre-season

For Kain Martinuik, 481 days has been a long wait to finally get the chance to skate on Western Hockey League ice.

Nearly 16 months after his name was called at the WHL Prospects Draft, Martinuik is on the cusp of making his pre-season debut with the Saskatoon Blades.

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“I’ve been waiting a while for this, so I’m super happy to be here,” Martinuik said.

Saskatoon brass, coaches and fans got their first look at their 2025 first-round selection over the weekend at SaskTel Centre after three days of Blades training camp.

After missing out on last year’s camp due to obligations at Shattuck St. Mary’s, the famous private boarding school where he played in Minnesota, the 16-year-old Martinuik has arrived in the Bridge City to start the next chapter of his hockey career.

“There’s a couple policies where I couldn’t play and sign stuff, because I was under USA Hockey,” Martinuik said. “By the end of the year we got it all figured out, and I’m super happy to be here.”

The Peachland, B.C. product was taken with the 15th overall pick by the Blades in 2025 after a standout season with the Shattuck St. Mary’s 14U AAA club, where he posted 44 goals and 80 points in just 57 games.

Martinuik followed that up with a 29-goal, 62-point season with the school’s 16U AAA program before he signed his WHL standard player agreement with the Blades in March.

“He’s going to have a big year, I think,” said Blades president and general manager Colin Priestner.

“He’s got all the tools to be a big-time player for us. There’s some transition coming from Shattuck to the WHL, but I don’t imagine he’s going to be someone that needs a full year of reps before he can produce.”

Not since 2022 have the Blades boasted a first-round pick at training camp, as the team traded their first-round selections in both 2023 and 2024 while pursuing deep playoff runs.

Forward Teagan Dernisky was selected 15th overall by the Saskatoon Blades in the 2026 WHL Draft. He made his training camp debut with the team this weekend. (Rick Elvin/Saskatoon Blades)

The buzz around SaskTel Centre was even louder because Martinuik was joined at camp over the weekend by 2026 first rounder Teagan Dernisky.

Blades head coach Dan DaSilva coached Martinuik recently at Team Canada’s U17 World Hockey Challenge camp, but this weekend was his first look at what Dernisky will bring to the fold.

“We’ve heard so much about them,” DaSilva said.

“Obviously high draft picks for us, both those guys. They’re really special players and competitive kids. I’ve seen (Martinuik) a little bit, but this is the first time getting eyes on Teagan.”

Also taken with the 15th overall pick by Saskatoon in May, Dernisky is fresh off a breakout season with Yale Hockey Academy’s U15 Prep team in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League.

Dernisky, 15, dominated the CSSHL’s U15 division alongside second overall pick and linemate Parker McMillan, leading the league in scoring with 43 goals and 98 points in 30 regular-season games.

Dernisky said he was flattered the Blades traded up to draft him in May, adding that the environment is exactly what he was hoping for.

“Everyone is so welcoming here,” Dernisky said. “I already feel like I’m kind of part of the family, which is awesome.”

While he averaged 3.27 points per game this past season, his 64 penalty minutes and his ability to overcome his five-foot-seven frame also stood out to Priestner and the Blades.

“He’s little out there, but he’s scrappy,” Priestner said. “I don’t think he’ll be very shy against Prince Albert in the rookie game. He’s just one of those guys, and he can also rip a puck, so it’s fun to watch him out there.”

In the hours after selecting Dernisky, Priestner called the top prospect a ‘rat’ and praised his effectiveness at getting under the skin of opponents. It’s a part of the game which the red-headed winger fully embraces, despite some family objections to his hockey role models.

“I watch a lot of Brad Marchand and what he did on Team Canada,” Dernisky said. “My dad hates him, but I love him. He’s awesome to watch.”

Training camp isn’t the first time the future Blades teammates have linked up, with the pair getting the chance to skate together during the summer.

“I talked to (Dernisky) a few times over the off-season,” Martinuik said. “I actually ended up skating with him a few times back at home in B.C. I like him. He’s super good. Super skilled. He can put the puck on your stick if you need it.”

Being the first player into the corners and initiating board battles is something Dernisky has steadily worked into his game at Yale Hockey Academy, and he said it’s become a calling card of his game.

“That’s my motor,” Dernisky said. “If I’m first one in, I feel I’m ready to go for the game. I like to typically try to hit someone the first shift, so I can focus on the game. Without being first in, I wouldn’t feel like the player I am.”

As for Martinuik, he said fans this season will see his ability to put the puck in the net, as well as defensive maturity in his game.

“You can expect me to be everywhere on the ice at once,” Martinuik said.

“I think I play a 200-foot game, defensive zone all the way to the offensive zone, and I think I’ve got a pretty lethal shot. You can expect a couple snipes from me.”

Both forwards will get their first opportunities to showcase their raw talents on Tuesday against the Blades’ arch-rivals, the Prince Albert Raiders, as Saskatoon kicks off a slate of five pre-season games.

Despite just being old enough to hold a driver’s license, Martinuik said he’s determined to drive play in his rookie season in Saskatoon.

“My goal is just to be a consistent player in the lineup that can contribute every night to the team,” Martinuik said. “I want to play a big role.”

Team Makarov captured the 2026 Kirkness Cup at Saskatoon Blades training camp with a 6-3 victory over Team Chappell on Aug. 30, 2026 at SaskTel Centre. (Rick Elvin/Saskatoon Blades)

Pre-season ahead after Blades camp wraps

Blades fans might need to break out the dictionary for the term ‘snipe’ in Austrian, but on Sunday they got a visual lesson from a forward who’s pushing to crack the lineup.

Konstantin Hutzinger netted two goals, including a penalty shot laser beam, for Team Makarov in a 6-3 comeback win to capture the Kirkness Cup on the final day of training camp.

“It started off great,” Hutzinger said. “Couple of days with the team, we had a great team and everybody had fun. We worked hard, just had fun with it, and that’s what the result was.”

Down 3-2 to Team Chappell in the final scrimmage of the weekend, Team Makarov netted four unanswered goals over the second half of the game to secure the tournament victory.

Hayden Zygarliski, Roman Shynkaruk, Reid Viden, Alexander Sharman also netted goals in the win.

Priestner said Hutzinger, 19, landed on the team’s radar not only due to his 30 points in 45 games in the British Columbia Hockey League with the Cranbrook Bucks, but his performance at the Division IA World Junior Championships for Austria.

“He actually led that tournament in scoring and hit six goals,” Priestner said.

“They were all one-timer, power-play snipes. You can see his shot out here is pretty impressive, so there’s opportunity for a guy like that to come in and show he can belong. We need to score goals.”

Despite being born in Austria and playing his youth hockey overseas, Hutzinger is a dual citizen of both Austria and Canada and, according to the Blades, can crack the team without taking up an import slot.

Also starring on Sunday was goaltender Max Hartel, who stopped all 16 shots he faced in the Kirkness Cup final after entering the game at the 30-minute mark.

“I think I’m in a pretty good spot,” Hartel said. “Just got to earn a spot. Put in all the work this summer. Just got to show up and perform.”

The 16-year-old Calgarian is in contention for Saskatoon’s backup goaltender role after he dominated the Alberta Elite Hockey League’s U18 division last year with a 13-6-2 record, a 1.94 goals-against average and .939 save percentage for the Calgary U18 AAA Buffaloes.

“Hartel had an absolutely special year last year,” Priestner said. “Fans should be excited to see what he can do. What he did in midget AAA last year was pretty unprecedented.”

The Blades will bring a prospect-heavy roster into the WHL pre-season, with their first test against Prince Albert on Tuesday.

Hutzinger said it will be a good chance to see where he stacks up against not only his Blades teammates, but other prospects in the league.

“It’s going to be really fun to see what other teams can do,” Hutzinger said. “Hopefully we can bring the momentum from this camp and win.”

The Blades and Raiders will send out the rookies and prospects at SaskTel Centre on Tuesday, with a 2 p.m. puck drop to kick off Saskatoon’s exhibition schedule.