The Saskatoon Blades’ current three-game winning streak and collecting 23 of 24 possible points on home ice so far this season was recognized Tuesday by the C-H-L and the W-H-L.
First, the Bridge City Bunch were placed in the 10th spot by the voters involved with the weekly C-H-L Top 10. It’s the second time the Blue and Gold have cracked the national list this season, the only previous time being on October 29th for a one-week stay.
Then, Evan Gardner (pictured) was named the W-H-L’s goaltender-of-the-month for November. The 18-year-old Columbus draft pick is 8-0-1 at SaskTel Centre this year and 23-0-1 at home for his career. Gardner was 7-3-0 in November with a 2.64 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage.
Meanwhile, Saskatoon brings an eight-game SaskTel Centre winning streak into Wednesday’s game with Red Deer. Following are news releases from the C-H-L, the Blades and the W-H-L…..
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Gardner named WHL Goalie of the Month
Saskatoon, SK – Saskatoon Blades netminder Evan Gardner has been named Goaltender of the Month for November. The league announced November’s award winners on Tuesday.
The Columbus Blue Jackets prospect posted a 7-3-0-0 record with a 2.64 goals-against average (GAA) and a .912 save percentage (SV%) to help the Blue and Gold maintain their grip on first place in the Eastern Conference.
Gardner’s allowed two goals or less in five of ten appearances, highlighted by a 33-save effort in a 2-1 win over the Tri-City Americans on November 16. The 6-foot-1 goaltender also earned first star by turning aside 30 of 31 shots faced in a 4-1 victory against the Lethbridge Hurricanes on November 29. Gardner’s has been near unstoppable at SaskTel Centre, rocking a 23-0-1-0 record at home in his regular season career and 6-0-2 through his first postseason last spring.
The 18-year-old sports a 13-5-1-0 record in his sophomore season. His .916 SV% leads all qualified WHL goaltenders while his 2.55 GAA ranks second.
Saskatoon selected Gardner with the 53rd overall pick in the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft. The Fort St. John, BC product has a career record of 34-10-1-2 with a 2.17 GAA, a .922 SV%, and five shutouts while hitting the 50 games-played milestone.
Gardner, who lives with Type-1 diabetes, is also an advocate for diabetes awareness and is auctioning off a custom mask to raise money for Diabetes Camp for Kids in Saskatchewan.
He was snapped up by the Columbus Blue Jackets with the 60thoverall pick in the second round of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft.
Saskatoon (17-6-1-1) has wins in seven of its last 10 games to lead the East Division and Eastern Conference and has yet to lose in regulation on home ice.
The Blades’ sparkling 11-0-1-0 home record will be put to the test when they host the playoff rival Red Deer Rebels (12-10-1-2) on Wednesday, December 4 at 7:00 p.m. ST.
CAPITALS PROSPECT CRISTALL NAMED WHL PLAYER OF THE MONTH
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE / TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2024
Calgary, Alta. – Kelowna Rockets forward Andrew Cristall has been named WHL Player of the Month for November, the Western Hockey League announced Tuesday.
The Washington Capitals prospect put up 13 goals (including his first hat trick of the season) and 18 assists for 31 points and a +16 rating through 12 games, leading all skaters in goals and plus/minus while finishing second in assists.
Cristall tallied nine multipoint efforts through November, including four matches where he notched four or more points. The 5-foot-10, 183-pound right winger kicked off the month with a goal and three assists for four points in a narrow 6-5 loss to the Spokane Chiefs on November 5. His first five-point effort of the campaign came in a one-goal, four-assist night as the Rockets downed the Vancouver Giants 8-3. Cristall, an alternate captain for Kelowna, capped off November with a hat trick and two assists in a 9-1 demolition of the Regina Pats.
He’s currently riding the longest active point streak in the league with 40 points in 15 games dating back to October 19.
Since rejoining the Rockets on October 11 after an extended look at Washington’s training camp, Cristall has exploded for 18 goals and 29 assists for 47 points and a +27 rating through 18 outings.
The Burnaby, B.C. product leads the league with a 2.61 points-per-game average and sits second in points, third in assists and third in plus/minus.
Since being selected by Kelowna with the eighth overall pick in the 2020 WHL Prospects Draft, Cristall has established himself as an all-time Rockets great, scoring 127 goals and 200 assists for 327 points in 209 regular-season games. He is second in all-time franchise scoring.
The Washington Capitals selected Cristall with the 40th overall pick in the second round of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft and signed him to an entry-level contract later that summer.
Cristall registered three points in four preseason games with the Capitals ahead of the 2024-25 season and was one of the team’s final cuts before NHL final rosters were due.
He’s also slated to attend Canada’s National Junior Team selection camp starting on December 10 in hopes of representing Canada at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship.
Kelowna (11-10-2-1) has points in seven of its last 10 games and looks to build momentum when the team visits the league-leading Everett Silvertips (21-3-2-1) on Friday, December 6 at 7:05 p.m. PST.
2024-25 WHL Player of the Month
September/October: Gavin McKenna, Medicine Hat Tigers
BLUE JACKETS PROSPECT GARDNER NAMED WHL GOALTENDER OF THE MONTH
Calgary, Alta.— Saskatoon Blades netminder Evan Gardner has been named WHL Goaltender of the Month for November, the Western Hockey League announced Tuesday.
The Columbus Blue Jackets prospect posted a 7-3-0-0 record with a 2.64 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage to help the Blades maintain their grip on first place in the Eastern Conference.
Gardner has allowed two goals or less in five of 10 appearances, highlighted by a 33-save effort in a 2-1 win over the red-hot Tri-City Americans on November 16. The 6-foot-1, 177-pound goaltender also earned first star by turning aside 30 of 31 shots faced in a 4-1 victory against the Lethbridge Hurricanes on November 29.
The 18-year-old sports an impressive 13-5-1-0 record in his sophomore season. His .916 save percentage leads all qualified WHL goaltenders while his 2.55 goals-against average ranks second.
Saskatoon selected Gardner with the 53rd overall pick in the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft. He’s amassed a career record of 34-10-1-2 with a 2.17 goals-against average, a .922 save percentage and five shutouts while hitting the 50 games-played milestone.
The Fort St. John, B.C. product also shined in his first trip to the WHL Playoffs, going 10-1-3 with a 2.33 goals-against average, a .910 save percentage and one shutout as the Blades reached Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Championship.
Gardner, who lives with Type-1 diabetes, is also an advocate for diabetes awareness and is auctioning off a custom mask to raise money for Diabetes Camp for Kids in Saskatchewan.
He was snapped up by the Columbus Blue Jackets with the 60th overall pick in the second round of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft.
Saskatoon (17-6-1-1) has wins in seven of its last 10 games to lead the East Division and Eastern Conference and has yet to lose in regulation on home ice.
The Blades’ sparkling 11-0-1-0 home record will be put to the test when they host the playoff rival Red Deer Rebels (12-10-1-2) on Wednesday, December 4 at 7:00 p.m. ST.
The game will be streamed for free on the WHL’s YouTube channel and on WHL Live as part of the Wednesday Night in the Dub series.
2024-25 WHL Goaltender of the Month
September/October: Jesse Sanche, Everett Silvertips
AMERICANS FORWARD GARLAND NAMED WHL ROOKIE OF THE MONTH
Calgary, Alta.— Tri-City Americans forward Gavin Garland has been named WHL Rookie of the Month for November, the Western Hockey League announced Tuesday.
The 18-year-old led all first-year players with seven goals and eight assists for 15 points and a +12 rating through 12 games. He was also named WHL Rookie of the Week for the second time this season on November 4 after putting up five points in three matches.
Garland tallied five multipoint games in November and was only held off the scoresheet twice.
The 5-foot-10, 190-pound centre had a goal and three assists in a pair of critical back-to-back wins against the league-leading Everett Silvertips on November 3 and 8. Garland, from Calgary, Alta., also scored his 10th goal of the season in a 7-2 decision against the Red Deer Rebels on November 9, extending Tri-City’s modern franchise-record winning streak to 12 games.
Garland has totaled 14 goals and 15 assists for 29 goals and a +19 rating in his first 24 WHL games. He’s tied for the team goals lead and sits second in points while leading all WHL rookies in both categories.
Drafted by the Americans with the 31st overall pick in the second round of the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft, Garland joins the team after spending 2023-24 with the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s Calgary Canucks, where he helped the team claim its first championship in more than 20 years.
Garland also helped Team Canada West claim gold at the 2023 World Junior A Challenge and made the AJHL’s First All-Rookie Team.
Tri-City (18-6-1-0) continues a four-game homestand as they host the Vancouver Giants (11-9-4-0) on Friday, December 6 at 7:05 p.m. PST.
2024-25 WHL Rookie of the Month
September/October: Landon DuPont, Everett Silvertips