SaskatchewanThe strength of the Western Hockey League isn’t the big city teams like Calgary, Vancouver or Seattle. It’s the smaller franchises.Raiders’ post season success last year powers an experienced team in 2025-26Dan Plaster · CBC News · Posted: Sep 17, 2025 8:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: September 17Veteran forward Aiden Oiring, in orange, and head coach Ryan McDonald, back, look on during a drill at Prince Albert Raiders practice. (Dan Plaster/CBC)With the new WHL season approaching, CBC’s Dan Plaster is previewing every Saskatchewan team. Follow all week for a new story each day.The strength of the Western Hockey League isn’t the big city teams like Calgary, Vancouver or Seattle. It’s the smaller franchises.The league’s smaller markets have won the league championship and hoisted the Ed Chynoweth Cup five times in the last eight seasons. This includes Brandon (2016), Swift Current (2018), Moose Jaw (2024), Medicine Hat (2025) and the Prince Albert Raiders (2019).The Raiders’ success continued a season ago, as they were able to win the final regular season game over the Saskatoon Blades and earn the East Division regular season pennant.It was not looking good late in the season. The Raiders fired head coach Jeff Truitt with six games left in the regular season, naming Ryan McDonald interim head coach.The team went on to win five of the last six games, and took the first round of the playoffs over the Edmonton Oil Kings before losing to eventual WHL champion the Medicine Hat Tigers in four-straight.McDonald, who played for the Raiders from 2006 to 2009, had the interim label removed in the off-season. He said he wants to uphold the values and the tradition of winning the Raiders have built heading into this season.”I think in Prince Albert, we have such a tremendous culture and a long history of it, and I was fortunate to be a part of it as a player and now as a coach, so you really rally around that,” McDonald said. “Tactically, there’s a few subtle little changes that you do make and I’m looking forward to implementing some of those options.”The players are happy to have the familiar face on the bench on a permanent basis this season.”We had so much success with him last year and this year he’s super excited to take on being head coach full time,” said 17-year-old defenceman Daxon Rudoph. “”I think we are going to have a great year and continue to grow and learn from him.”Seventeen-year-old defenceman Daxon Rudolph, left, was the first overall pick in the 2023 WHL Prospects draft. (Dan Plaster/CBC)McDonald will have a lot of options all over the lineup. Defensively, their top pairing of Rudolph and 20-year-old Justice Christensen returns.It’s an important season for Rudolph, who was eighth in team scoring as a 16-year old a year ago. He is eligible for the 2026 NHL draft and looking forward to the increased load that will be placed on his shoulders.”It’s definitely a big role, but I don’t think it’s nothing I can’t handle,” Rudolph said. “I’ve been a leader my whole life and looking to make that big jump this year and be a leader for the younger guys.”Twenty-year-old forward Aiden Oiring is the top returning scorer for the Raiders. The season opener will be the veteran’s 200th career game in the WHL and he will lead a group that has a little of everything.”I think it’s super skilled, we’ve got some older bodies and bigger bodies back this year, and then the returning guys are a year older, so they’re still more experienced and we’re just happy to have them back,” Oiring said.WATCH | Familiar faces in permanent roles look to make an impact for Prince Albert Raiders: Familiar faces in permanent roles look to make an impact for Prince Albert RaidersThe Raiders have taken the interim tag off of head coach Ryan McDonald as they look to ride surprise playoff success into the 2025-26 season.With so much buzz around the Raiders, an important part of McDonald’s job this season will be keeping the team grounded and focused.”I think for us the message will always be, ‘be where your feet are every single day,’ and we want to win the day every day, but focus on the day at hand,” McDonald said.That first challenge for the Prince Albert Raiders will be this weekend when they host the Saskatoon Blades on opening night, Sept. 19, then head to Saskatoon for the return matchup 24 hours later.ABOUT THE AUTHORDan Plaster is a video producer at CBC Saskatchewan. He has more than 30 years of experience in TV, radio and digital media.
Prince Albert Raiders lead strong core of small-market Western Hockey League teams
