Saskatoon Contacts star rookie Stroeder netting bevy of points at AAA, WHL levels

Moving from the tiny assemblage of Lanigan, Saskatchewan to the province’s largest metropolis successful Saskatoon has been a spot of an accommodation for 15-year-old Kayden Stroeder.

No longer surrounded by a municipality of conscionable nether 1,500 residents, present playing connected the aforesaid crystal arsenic the University of Saskatchewan Huskies astatine Merlis Belsher Place.

“Moving to the metropolis has decidedly been an obstacle for me,” said Stroeder. “A caller schoolhouse and caller people, but each of the radical person been truthful supportive. So it’s been awesome.”

That determination to Saskatoon is paying disconnected successful spades for Stroeder though, who is rapidly becoming 1 of the astir talked astir inferior hockey prospects successful North America with the Saskatoon AAA Contacts.

Playing 34 games successful his archetypal play successful the Saskatchewan Male U18 AAA Hockey League with the Contacts, Stroeder has exploded for 22 goals and 49 points to pb his squad successful scoring by a whopping 22-point margin.

“Kayden is simply a existent peculiar subordinate and we were truly excited to person him arsenic portion of our programme this year,” said Contacts caput manager Mark Peterson.

A prima astatine the U15 level past play with the Humboldt AA Broncos, Stroeder became 1 of the astir productive 14-year-old prospects successful occidental Canada successful 2023-24 scoring a mind-boggling 58 goals and 127 points successful lone 27 games of action.

That led him to being selected with the 5th wide prime successful the 2024 WHL Draft by the Edmonton Oil Kings, yet being called up by the large nine successful precocious December.

What followed was thing not seen earlier for the Edmonton franchise, arsenic Stroeder posted six points successful six games earlier being sent backmost down which stands arsenic the astir points scored by a 15-year-old successful Oil Kings history.

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“It’s truthful cool,” said Stroeder. “Just immoderate of the guys connected their squad and however palmy they’ve been, conscionable trying to beryllium similar them 1 time is ace cool. That stat is beauteous chill and I’ll ever effort to retrieve it.”

While Stroeder has been 1 of the astir productive rookies successful the Saskatchewan Male U18 ranks, that hasn’t carried implicit to squad occurrence for the Contacts successful 2024-25 who person seldom dressed a afloat lineup owed to wounded and WHL telephone ups.

Playoffs are inactive a faint anticipation for the 10-23-4 Contacts, who way the Estevan Great North Bears for the eighth and last effect by 12 points but lone person 7 games near connected their schedule.

For Peterson, it’s not hard to look backmost astatine their postulation of one-goal losses arsenic pugnacious to tummy but is encouraged astatine the absorption their prospects are headed.

“It’s astir the improvement of these players,” said Peterson. “It’s awesome to spot these guys get this accidental due to the fact that erstwhile they travel back, they’ve got thing that they tin adhd into their toolbox that they’ve experienced.”

Getting to spot firsthand what goes into a palmy WHL stint successful Edmonton, Stroeder is aiming to get his crippled improved astatine some ends of the crystal to adjacent retired the play earlier making that adjacent leap to the inferior level.

“You can’t instrumentality thing off,” said Stroeder. “You aftermath up each azygous time and person thing to prove.”

It’s an all-Saskatoon matchup for the Contacts connected Saturday day arsenic they’ll look the rival Saskatoon Blazers astatine Merlis Belsher Place astatine 12:30 pm, earlier hosting the Prince Albert Mintos astatine 2:15 p.m. Sunday.