One last look at the 2025-26 Raiders season

“Extremely proud of our group,” said Raiders Head Coach Ryan McDonald. “They worked extremely hard from day one, and again didn’t relent and continued to push right till that last game.”

Looking back to the start of the season, expectations were high in Prince Albert, but not so much around the rest of the league. The Raiders came into this season having lost their 2025 WHL Goaltender of the Year, leading scorer, and half of their defensive core from the East Division Champion Raiders of last year. A lot of people had the Raiders fighting for the top spot in the East Division against the likes of Saskatoon and Brandon, but not dominating the East Division like they did.

Here in Prince Albert though, Raider fans were excited. All summer felt like this was building up off the momentum at the end of 2025, and with some surprises in camp like invite Owen Corkish, the two Czech members of the Raiders being ready for the World Juniors, and young prospects including the likes of local boy Connor Howe coming to camp further ahead in their development than expected, the tone was set early for a great year ahead.

“When I look back at camp, the presence from day one was just absolutely phenomenal. They put their work boots on, they worked every single day tirelessly throughout the year, continued to get better. As we continued to have success, they continued to fall in love with the details and habits and execute them every single day and weren’t worried about the outcome, they worried about the process.”

While the last three games in the Art Hauser Centre finished with the wrong result for Raiders fans, there are still a slew of memories made on the ice from this past season.

The early November U.S. road swing where the Raiders went 5-1-1. Returning the favour from last year and beating Vancouver 6-0 on home ice. The four-game stretch at the end of December that saw the Raiders average eight goals per game. The ceremony honouring Michal Orsulak, Matyas Man, and Braeden Cootes for what they did at the World Juniors. Shutting out the Blades at even strength for over 19 periods of hockey. Two more banners to add to the rafters. The fifth 50-win season in franchise history.

This year was full of great memories, and despite that bitter taste from the finals still in the mouths of the players during exit interviews, McDonald said by the end of the meetings players all left talking about the great moments from 2025-26 season.

“Extremely positive. Guys are heartbroken for what we weren’t able to achieve, but again, when they sat back and looked at it, just extremely proud of the accomplishments of what we were able to accomplish throughout the season.”

What you don’t hear about are the stories off the ice. The post-warmups nod from Riley Boychuk on the bench before he headed back down the tunnel into the dressing room. The sprinting to the bus after a longer than expected Ferris Wheel ride in Seattle. The singing of Happy Birthday in a crowded Rosetown Dairy Queen. The way every team meal had someone sitting next to someone they hadn’t sat next to before.

This team had a special way of making you feel like you’re just as important to their group as the teammates beside them, and I think it’s fair to say that fans felt that closeness as well.

They say history is written by the victors, and so the Prince Albert Raiders of 2025-26 will not be the heroes of this year’s WHL story.

But here in Prince Albert, this team will always be heroes.

I’ll end things off with a look at next season, and where our players are set to go. All of this below is pure speculation and does not reflect any intentions from the Raiders coaching staff, the organization, or the players themselves. Everything below is either my own opinion, speculation I’ve seen online or heard from other members of the media, or fact stated by a release.

20-year-olds moving on (2005):

Justice Christensen

Currently joining the Grand Rapids Griffins in their AHL playoff run. Christensen has signed his AHL entry level deal, and will play with the Griffins next year.

Brayden Dube

Committed to Bemidji State University in NCAA Div. I, where he will join former Raider Max Hildebrand.

Aiden Oiring

Committed to the University of Nebraska-Omaha in NCAA Div. I, the same place where Christensen had committed before signing in the AHL

Next year’s 20-year-olds (2006):

Max Heise

Has made his commitment to play his next season at Michigan State University in NCAA Div. I, but online speculation started to surface that he could be instead returning to the WHL next year.

Maddix McCagherty

Has not made a commitment for next season.

Evan Smith

Has made a commitment to play with the University of Alaska-Fairbanks in NCAA Div. I, but his commitment does not specify whether he is committed to play in the NCAA next season or after his 20-year-old season.

Matyas Man

Has not made a commitment for next season. Ranked 176th overall in the NHL Central Scouting final rankings list among North American skaters.

Linden Burrett

Just like Smith, Burrett also has a commitment to play for the University of Alaska-Fairbanks in NCAA Div. I, but his commitment does not specify whether he is committed to play in the NCAA next season or after his 20-year-old season.

Next year’s 19-year-olds (2007):

Alisher Sarkenov

Ranked 149th overall in the NHL Central Scouting final rankings list among North American skaters.

Brandon Gorzynski

Likely to spend preseason with the Dallas Stars, but has also made a commitment back in July of 2025 to his hometown University of Arizona in NCAA Div. I. His commitment does not specify whether or not he will play there next season, or at the end of his WHL career.

Owen Corkish

Has made a commitment for the 2028-29 season to the University of St. Thomas in NCAA Div. I. Expect him to return to the Raiders next season

Braeden Cootes

Was the first 18-year-old to play a regular season game for the Vancouver Canucks since Petr Nedved in 1990-91, and Cootes played three games at the NHL level before being sent back down. Cootes will likely start the season with the Canucks again, and with newly adjusted rules to allow NHL teams to assign one 19-year-old player to their AHL affiliate, Cootes has possibly played his last game as a Raider

Hubert Clarke

Showed in one playoff game that he’s ready to step into a full-time role with the Raiders

Michal Orsulak

Ranked second overall in the NHL Central Scouting final rankings list among North American goaltenders.

Next year’s 18-year-olds (2008):

Riley Boychuk

Ranked 162nd overall in the NHL Central Scouting final rankings list among North American skaters.

Jonah Sivertson

Ranked 53rd overall in the NHL Central Scouting final rankings list among North American skaters.

Benett Kelly

Ranked 107th overall in the NHL Central Scouting final rankings list among North American skaters.

Daxon Rudolph

Ranked fifth in the NHL Central Scouting final rankings list among North American skaters. Rudolph will likely start the season in the NHL this year, and depending on where he’s drafted, could even see an extended look during the regular season

Steele Bass

Likely to return next season, and could be ready to split more time with Orsulak next season

Next year’s 17-year-olds (2009):

Ben Harvey

A bigger and stronger Ben Harvey should scare a lot of teams next year. At 16-years-old, Harvey played first line minutes at times during the year, and scored big goals during the playoffs playing lower down in the lineup

Liam Myhre

Joined the Raiders as an extra defenceman during the playoffs. Played one game this year with the Raiders, and three the season prior as a 15-year-old

Brock Cripps

Played some big minutes during the playoffs and showed that he will be an elite defenceman in this league

Connor Howe

Often the Raiders 13th forward during the playoffs last year, but will be ready for a big step forward next year

Kyle Obobaifo

Joined the Raiders as an extra forward during the playoffs after losing in the AEHL U18 semi finals, after winning the championship last year

Next year’s 16-year-olds (2010):

Athens Shingoose

Last year’s 16th overall pick joined the Raiders for part of the playoffs this year. In his first year of U18, Shingoose posted 15G-16A-31P in 30 games with the RINK Hockey Academy Winnipeg Prep team in the CSSHL

Walker Bergen

Last year’s 39th overall pick posted 5G-12A-17P in 44 games as a defenceman with the Warman Wildcats U18 AAA team

The Raiders drafted nine other players during the 2025 prospects draft that all have a chance at earning their spot.

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nick.nielsen@pattisonmedia.com

by Nick Nielsen

One last look at the 2025-26 Raiders season

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