One week away from Raiders camp

One of the biggest questions will be the team’s veteran presence.

Justice Christensen, Aiden Oiring and Brayden Dube have moved on to college and professional careers, leaving three key pieces from last year’s team out of the lineup.

The Raiders had five potential returning 20-year-olds: forwards Evan Smith, Maddix McCagherty and Max Heise, and defencemen Linden Burrett and Matyas Man.

Heise and Burrett have followed through on their college commitments, while Man will remain in Czechia after the Raiders drafted 18-year-old Latvian defenceman Oskars Luks.

That leaves Smith and McCagherty as the team’s two returning 20-year-olds.

Hunt has invited two WHL veterans, Carsyn Dyck and Logan Pickford, to compete for the final 20-year-old spot.

“A couple of guys close to home, a couple of guys we know real well. So we’ll start with four and we’ll see where it goes.”

Dyck, a left-handed forward from Warman, spent the past two seasons with the Portland Winterhawks, recording 14 goals and 24 assists in 102 regular-season games. He spent the previous two seasons with the Estevan Bruins of the SJHL and was called up to Portland both years.

Pickford, a former Prince Albert Minto from Saskatoon, spent his last three seasons with the Victoria Royals. He had 15 goals and 15 assists in 126 WHL games as a 17- and 18-year-old before missing his entire 19-year-old season with a lower-body injury.

“We’ve got veteran players in Smith and McCagherty who bring a wealth of knowledge from not just understanding our culture now, but that came from other cultures that can bring what we hope is the best of both to our group as well,” Hunt said. “So that’ll play itself out as we kind of go through camp and get into the next stages.”

The Raiders will also welcome back Brandon Gorzynski, who decided to delay his eligibility at Arizona State University to return to Prince Albert.

Hunt said he is happy with the foundation of veterans entering camp.

There will also be plenty of new faces, with the Raiders inviting more American players to camp than ever before. A total of 14 scouts will attend camp.

Owen Corkish is an example of an American player the Raiders did not know much about before last year’s camp. After a slow start, Corkish became an important part of the team’s playoff run and developed chemistry with every forward when injuries hit.

Hunt said it can be difficult to evaluate American players early in camp as they adjust to the more structured, team-focused style of hockey played in Canada.

He also believes there is more talent to find in Corkish’s home state of Minnesota.

“I think Minnesota is an unbelievable hockey system. I think the entire country calls them the ‘State of Hockey,’ and certainly it is in terms of how they run their minor hockey and how they develop their players.”

Hunt said many Minnesota players choose to finish high school before coming to the WHL, similar to Corkish.

“It’s probably, you know, the best development road for every player in certainly my opinion,” Hunt said.

The Raiders will be competing with other WHL teams for American players, but Hunt believes the team’s recent success has helped with recruiting.

Last year’s run to the WHL final put a spotlight on the organization and the atmosphere at the Art Hauser Centre, and Hunt said prospects have noticed.

“There’s new guys coming in looking at our program saying, ‘This is where I want to be.’ I think our coaching staff, our training staff has done a terrific job of what I believe is one of the top programs in the CHL in terms of our community, our fan support, and then of course our operation and the people that are in our operation.”

Other storylines heading into camp include the development of the Raiders’ young players, the 2025 draft class getting its first opportunity to crack the roster and the first camp without Mark Odnokon.

The Raiders will dedicate this year’s camp to Odnokon.

paNOW will have more coverage from Raiders camp next week.

by Nick Nielsen

One week away from Raiders camp

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