The Blades made the first big splash on deadline day Tuesday by acquiring NHL Edmonton Oilers prospect Jake Chiasson from the Brandon Wheat Kings.
A shortage of healthy forwards sent the Saskatoon Blades into the Western Hockey League’s trade deadline pool on Tuesday.
The Blades made the first big splash on deadline day by acquiring NHL Edmonton Oilers prospect Jake Chiasson from the Brandon Wheat Kings in exchange for a 2023 first-round pick and two second-round picks (2025, 2026).
Chiasson, who wore the ‘A’ as an alternate captain for the Wheaties this season, has two goals and four assists for six points in his last 10 games.
Saskatoon played its last game without four forwards — Brandon Lisowsky, Tyler Parr, Josh Pillar and Jayden Wiens — as well as defenceman Ben Saunderson, all sidelined by injury.
The Blades had an abundance of draft capital to play with after a June transaction that sent the WHL playing rights of Brad Lambert to the Seattle Thunderbirds. When Lambert joined Seattle on Monday, the Blades were able to cash in on two conditional WHL Prospects Draft picks, a first-round pick in 2023 and a second-round pick in 2024. Saskatoon also received fourth- and sixth-round selections for 2023 in that June deal.
Chiasson — a 6-foot-2, 188-pound Abbotsford, B.C. product — has 10 goals and 18 assists for 28 points in 37 games this season.
Chiasson, who was originally chosen in the first round, 15th overall, by the Wheaties in the 2018 WHL Draft, has 30 goals and 51 assists for 81 points in 141 WHL career games.
He was selected in the fourth round, 216th overall, by the Oilers in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. However, he remains unsigned by the pro club.
Chiasson was among the 30 top eligible forwards invited to the the 2022 Team Canada world junior team summer camp.
“He’s someone we’ve really liked since before the bantam draft and has past experience playing with (Trevor) Wong and (Aidan) De La Gorgendiere at different events, so he should fit in seamlessly,” said Blades general manager Colin Priestner in a team media release.
“Jake brings a lot to the table and we expect him to be a very motivated player who can help bring speed and skill to our lineup.”
FLAMAND, HOFFROGGE TRADED
Elsewhere, Saskatoon product Nolan Flamand, a former 2004-born Saskatoon AAA Blazer forward, was traded from the Kelowna Rockets to the Brandon Wheat Kings in exchange for 2005-born Martensville product Trae Johnson, a third-round pick (2023) and a fifth-round pick (2024).
The 5-foot-9, 181-pound Flamand has four goals and 12 assists in 35 games this season. Selected 27th overall by the Rockets in the 2019 WHL Draft, Flamand has registered 15 goals and 48 assists for 63 points in 114 career regular-season games.
Johnson, a 6-foot, 170-pound forward, has two goals and four assists in 37 games with the Wheat Kings this season. He too was originally a second-round pick in the WHL Draft, taken 35th overall in the 2020 draft.
Meanwhile, the Edmonton Oil Kings have added 2003-born defenceman Jacob Hoffrogge from the Everett Silvertips in exchange for a 2025 seventh-round pick.
Hoffrogge, a Saskatoon minor hockey product and former Saskatoon AAA Contact, was originally selected by the Wheat Kings in the second round, 41st overall, in the 2018 WHL Draft. The 5-foot-11, 160-pound Hoffrogge had two goals and two assists in 23 games with Everett this season.
On Monday, the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets announced that Lambert, their former first-round pick, had been assigned to Seattle.
Lambert, a native of Lahti, Finland who played one season with the under-13 Saskatoon AA Kodiaks, will reunite with former Kodiak teammate Kevin Korchinski on the Thunderbirds.
Lambert was acquired by Seattle in June after being originally selected by the Blades in the 2020 CHL Import Draft.
The 19-year-old Lambert has three points in 14 games with the American Hockey League’s Manitoba Moose after being selected 30th overall by the Jets at the 2022 NHL Draft.
He recently competed with Finland at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship.
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