The Saskatoon Blades’ top blue line pairing of Libor Hajek and former Victoria Royal Bryton Sayers encapsulates the Western Hockey League in many ways.
Sayers is an undrafted over-age 20 year-old, a diligent journeyman, who must contemplate a future in the CIS, minor pro or perhaps out of hockey. Hajek is a six-foot-two NHL prospect from the Czech Republic selected in the second round of the 2016 draft by the Tampa Bay Lightning.
They will help lead the surprising Blades against the Royals tonight at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.
“It’s great playing with Libor. He is going to be a pro one day,” said Sayers.
Sayers is undecided about his own future, however.
“I’ll see whether it involves hockey or not. [Either way] I’ll be happy,” said the native of Prince Albert, Sask., who is also skilled in carpentry.
His time with the Royals was brief yet memorable. The only WHL playoff games Sayers has played in his career were the 10 with the Royals when he was brought in from a trade with the Lethbridge Hurricanes for a late-season push in 2014-15. Other mid-season or late additions that year, in a phase in which Royals GM Cam Hope was wheeling and dealing, included Alex Forsberg, Greg Chase, Alexy Sleptsov and goalie Justin Paulic.
Having played with WHL teams that missed the playoffs in Lethbridge and again last season in Saskatoon, that short span in Victoria still stands out for Sayers, as the Royals made it to the second round of the post-season before being ousted by Leon Draisaitl and the eventual Memorial Cup-finalist Kelowna Rockets.
Sayers is affable and was well-liked in the dressing room and became close to current Royals such as Ryan Gagnon, Jack Walker and Regan Nagy, making tonight a bit of a homecoming for the feisty, five-foot-10 rearguard.
“These are the moments you love in sports,” said Sayers, reflecting on being back on Blanshard against his old team.
“Dave [Lowry] is such a good coach and it was nice to play for him. This [being back] feels like just a normal day from two years ago.”
The Blades have missed the playoffs the past three seasons and this year’s youthful squad was not highly regarded, either. But Sayers’ steadying veteran presence is among several factors that have staked Saskatoon to a 5-2-1 start and a current five-game undefeated streak.
The hard-working rearguard has a goal and four points in eight games and is plus-3 after being minus-19 last season on a Blades team that struggled.
“We came into this season as underdogs but we’re not going away and we are going to be fighting for a playoff spot,” said Sayers.
If that happens, one of the big reasons will be Blades goaltender Logan Flodell. The former Seattle Thunderbird is first in the WHL in save percentage at .947 and second in goals-against average at 1.80. Flodell has been named first star in his last three starts and was last week’s WHL goaltender of the week.
Flodell will attempt to stare down a Victoria squad (5-5) that appears to have hit its stride on a 4-2 road trip after starting 1-3 at home.
“We have to get as many shots as we can on him [Flodell] and make it difficult for him to see the puck . . . and be banging at those second and third chances,” said Victoria forward Tyler Soy.
Soy had five goals and nine points and Matthew Phillips and Jack Walker five goals and eight points each in the six Royals road games. Four Royals are also working on points streaks tonight with Dante Hannoun recording five points in his last six games, Phillips five goals and seven points in the previous four games, Walker five points in the last four games and Jared Dmytriw three goals and four points in the past four outings.
Victoria outscored the opposition 21-13 on the away swing and finally began showing hints of being the skating and pressuring team that rang up the best regular-season record in the WHL last year.
“We bonded as a team on the road trip and started to click. It was a confidence booster,” said Soy, a seventh-round NHL draft pick of the Anaheim Ducks.
