Carrot River local Jayden Wiens staying with the Saskatoon Blades

Wiens didn’t score a point during his first two WHL games but felt good after his debut in Prince Albert. He was told that he’d be sticking around the Blades a bit longer after their home opener.

On his way back home to Carrot River to pick up more stuff for the extended stay, Wiens received a call from Steve Hildebrand, the Blades’ associate general manager, and heard the eight words he didn’t expect to hear: “Congratulations, you’re a Saskatoon Blade for the year.”

“I was kind of overwhelmed right after the call,” Wiens said. “I had to process it a little bit. It took me a while, but it was really a good feeling knowing I get to be in the WHL at 16 years old. It probably took me two to three days just to process everything and let everyone know. I had a ton of support from back home. I’m in Saskatoon now and looking forward to the year.”

“I wasn’t expecting to make it, but they told me after the game on Saturday that they were liking what I was doing with they puck and they know I have a lot of offensive upside. They’re not worried about my offensive skills or anything, but more of my defensive side of the game. The defensive side of the game wasn’t going to be worked on as much in midget AAA; I’d go back and be more of an offensive threat. To get to the next level you need to be a 200-foot player.”

Priestner told northeastNOW that Wiens being in the WHL as a 16-year-old eighth-round pick is rare, although it’s a testament to how far he’s developed as a player.

“It was clear that he was far past the eighth-round pick projection and was more like a third-round pick,” Priestner said. “A lot of people watch him and say he reminds them of Matthew Phillips (a sixth-round pick of the Calgary Flames in 2016 who played three full WHL seasons with the Victoria Royals). He’s got a good amount of upside and I see him as a big part of our future.”

Priestner said Wiens appeared on the Blades’ radar following his 2018-19 season with the Trojans, a campaign that he said almost came out of nowhere.

Wiens finished Top 50 in SMAAAHL scoring as a 15-year-old and was fifth in Trojans scoring with 34 points (seven goals and 27 assists) in 44 games, but it was when the lights shined brightest that he took his game to another level.

Wiens was the Trojans’ leading post-season scorer at nine points (four goals and five assists) in seven games, had four points (three goals and one assist) in four games at the Telus Cup Western Regionals. He was the Trojans’ leading scorer at the Telus Cup national midget hockey championship with eight points (six goals and two assists) in seven games.

Jayden Wiens (right) being presented the Tisdale Trojans’ Rookie of the Year award from Dennis Kubat, current Trojans head coach, in April 2019 (Aaron Schulze/northeastNOW Staff).

Priestner expects the offensive side of the WHL will come easier to Wiens, but the defensive side will be his toughest adjustment. To ease Wiens’ transition to major junior hockey, the plan is for him to come in and out of the line-up and spend most of his time in the bottom-six, whether it be at center or wing. He said it’s common for natural centers to start out their WHL career on the wing, citing former second overall 2017 NHL Draft Pick Nolan Patrick for the Brandon Wheat Kings and Wiens’ fellow Blades teammate Kirby Dach who was selected third overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2019.

“It’s his first time playing and it’s a pretty fast game for any rookie really, especially a 16-year-old,” he said. “He got thrown into some situations in Prince Albert when our center Eric Florchuk went down early in the game with injury and he actually subbed in on the first line a few shifts. He didn’t get a ton of ice time in the game, maybe nine or 10 minutes, but I think he did well.”

Wiens noticed the pace of the WHL and its lack of time and space on the ice were the biggest differences from midget AAA. He said he’ll need to play smarter, learn how to play against 20-year-old grown men, learn all the Blades’ systems, and be more precise with his passing.

However, the biggest difference Wiens noticed is the atmosphere in the WHL: playing hockey in front of thousands of raucous fans.

“In Prince Albert, I remember sitting in the room and you could just hear the rink bumping,” he said. “They were calling out the names and the rink would go crazy. My heart was pumping. It was really hard to focus. I went out there and sat on the bench and the whole rink is just packed; there’s not an empty seat in the house.

“The coolest moment in Saskatoon was when we first came out of the tunnel with the smoke, fire, fireworks, and another packed rink. Having the whole crowd cheer when I came out was pretty cool.”

Blades center Jayden Wiens (white) takes the faceoff with former Trojans teammate and current Raiders defenceman Landon Kosior (12 Green) watching (Facebook/Tisdale Trojan Hockey Club).

Wiens will be part of a Blades team that has championship expectations. As of Sept. 25, the Blades are ranked third team in the Canadian Hockey League. Wiens intends to pick the brains of some of the veterans, including a couple of NHL draft picks in Dach and Florchuk at center.

However, making the WHL is half the battle for Wiens. With his NHL draft year under two years away in 2021, he wants to make an impact for his team as soon as possible.

“I want to be a difference maker,” he said. “I’m not the kind of guy to sit back and wait for my opportunity. I want to go in there and fight for jobs and I intend to make an impression.”

The Blades play their next home game on Friday, Sept. 27 at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre against the Winnipeg Ice.

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aaron.schulze@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @SchulzePANow

by Aaron Schulze

Carrot River local Jayden Wiens staying with the Saskatoon Blades

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