By Trevor Redden

Guhle, Wiesblatt back with Raiders after U-17 tournament

Nov 14, 2018 | 7:31 AM

Raider rookies Kaiden Guhle and Ozzy Wiesblatt have returned to Prince Albert with a wealth of experience after competing in the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in New Brunswick last week.

Amongst the best players in Canada in their age category, both players were identified as leaders on their respective teams coming into the tournament. Guhle was assigned the captain role for Canada Red, and Wiesblatt was named as an alternate for Canada Black.

“They could have given it to so many guys in that group, everybody was a leader. It was an absolute honour to be the captain of that team,” Guhle said.

“Wearing the maple leaf for the first time, and having a leadership role too, it was a really cool experience,” echoed Wiesblatt.

With a goal and two assists, Wiesblatt tied for fifth in scoring on Canada Black. After a 5-3 victory over Canada White on Saturday, Wiesblatt and his teammates earned fifth place in the tournament. The Raider forward found some chemistry on a line with Saskatoon Blades rookie Kyle Crnkovic, chipping in with a pair of assists as Crnkovic earned a hat trick in the fifth-place contest.

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“We played together at the WHL Cup, so I think our chemistry started there. We just kind of clicked I guess so that was really nice,” Wiesblatt said.

Guhle and Canada Red advanced to the semi-final round, falling to silver-medalist Finland before being edged 4-3 in a shootout by Sweden in the bronze medal game.

Despite the disappointing finish, Guhle was thrilled with the opportunity to play.

“It was obviously a really big honour to wear the maple leaf for the first time, and I’m really proud of how the guys played throughout the tournament,” Guhle said.

Sunday’s bronze medal game was nationally televised, adding an extra layer of excitement for the Raider defender.

“It was a bit nerve-wracking for the first couple minutes, I think everybody was a little bit nervous, but it was cool to play on TSN and that’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time.”

Three-game week ahead

After playing just three games over the last 20 days, the Raiders will play 15 games over the next 30 days leading up to the Christmas break, starting Wednesday night against Medicine Hat.

The Tigers come to town in third place in the Central Division with 21 points, 13 back of the league-leading Raiders, and just one point up on fourth-place Lethbridge with three more games played. Medicine Hat is on a four-game swing through the East Division which started with a 4-2 loss in Saskatoon on Tuesday and will carry on through Brandon and Swift Current this weekend.

On Friday, the Raiders host the Tri-City Americans for the lone meeting of the year between the two teams. The game will be the fifth of a six-game East Division swing for the Americans, who head home after a Saturday night tilt in Saskatoon.

Friday is the last game of a five-game homestand for the Raiders as they set out for Brandon on Saturday for the first of six games this year against the Wheat Kings.

On Twitter: @Trevor_Redden

trevor.redden@jpbg.ca