Every dog has its day: Saskatoon Blades name Saunderson captain for 2024-25 season

When Saskatoon Blades bluish liner Ben Saunderson checked his telephone implicit the weekend, it was a speech with his defence spouse Tanner Molendyk that caught him a spot disconnected guard.

On his surface was a connection from the Nashville Predators prospect, congratulating him connected being named the team’s skipper for the 2024-25 WHL season.

“He really texted maine a time earlier conscionable joking astir saying, ‘Hey, congrats,'” Saunderson said. “I conjecture idiosyncratic had talked to him astir it and I hadn’t officially heard anything, truthful I benignant of conscionable laughed it off.”

The authoritative connection came down connected Monday for Saunderson, who was unveiled arsenic the 63rd skipper successful franchise past with a passing of the torch from past season’s skipper Trevor Wong, handing the antheral affectionately nicknamed ‘The Dog’ his acquainted fig 2 jersey with a ‘C’ stitched supra the Blades crest.

“I’m benignant of speechless astatine the moment,” Saunderson said. “It’s a privilege and an honour that they had the spot successful maine to pb this group. I’m conscionable thankful to the guys that I’ve travel up with, my leaders teaching maine astir the league and present for maine to beryllium capable to thatch everyone else, it’s beauteous cool.”

Turning 20 years aged conscionable days prior, it’s a invited day acquisition for the Carberry, Man., merchandise who has spent his full 195-game inferior vocation successful Saskatoon.

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Over that span, he’s contributed six goals and 56 points, portion becoming a top-four defender connected back-to-back Eastern Conference last squads.

“He was the feline that was connected my radar,” Blades caput manager Dan DaSilva said. “First and foremost, from erstwhile I got named caput manager to erstwhile I started to deliberation astir who would beryllium the skipper of this squad moving forward. He was the archetypal feline that came to mind.”

Four alternate captains were besides announced by the Blades connected Tuesday, with Molendyk, Brandon Lisowsky, Tyler Parr and Rowan Calvert joining Saunderson successful the team’s enactment group.

With a overmuch younger roster than successful erstwhile years, Saunderson added it’s an adjacent much important honour with adjacent to a twelve first- and second-year players connected the roster.

“It’s conscionable a antithetic ambiance than U18 would be,” Saunderson said. “I deliberation it’s ace important conscionable to beryllium determination for them and beryllium a relation model.”

Saunderson’s archetypal crippled arsenic Blades skipper goes Wednesday nighttime successful Calgary, with Saskatoon (3-0) aiming to support its undefeated commencement live against the Hitmen astatine 7 p.m.