Rookies to watch at Raiders camp

“That entire draft class I thought was fantastic for our group. But, to talk about the guys that weren’t out on the roster, I think we’ve got three young defensemen in [Liam] Myhre, who was here with us in the postseason, with [Kade] Corbet and [Nathan] Castonguay, all those guys had terrific years at U18 and I think they’re all coming in with the mindset to make the club, which creates great competition.”

The Nipawin local, Myhre, was the captain of the Prince Albert Mintos in U18 AAA last year and sat second in team scoring behind forward Max Cooper despite playing ten less games. He’s listed at 6’0 tall, 185 lbs, and posted 10g-17A-27P in 34 games.

Corbet and Castonguay had remarkably similar seasons in the Alberta Elite Hockey League (AEHL) last year where they tied with 22 points in 35 games, and both were called up for a single game Junior A.

For Corbet, he played on the Calgary NW Flames U18 AAA team and won an AEHL championship with them last year, but fell in the semi finals. At 6’1, 198 lbs, Corbet posted 1G-21A-22P last season, and played one game with the AJHL’s Canmore Eagles. He’s also the son of René Corbet, who won a Stanely Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 1996.

Finally for Castonguay, he’s the big man of the 2024 draft class at 6’2, 201lbs. Along with one game in the AJHL with the Fort McMurray Oil Barons, Castonguay played 35 games with the Fort Saskatchewan Rangers where he posted 8G-14A-22P. He’s also won a U15 AEHL championship in 2023-24.

As for the forwards, there’s almost always spots open up front every year at camp, but that could be tight competition considering the Raiders have four 20-year-old forwards at camp this year. Only four forwards from last season have left (Oiring, Dube, Heise, and Cootes).

Kyle Obobaifo, also part of that 2024 draft class, spent some time around the team during playoffs, and Hunt expects him to contend for one of those forward spots.

“Obob could be a dominant player. He’s a big, long kid, he’s got a tremendous stride, a great release, he’s got some quickness in there. We saw that at camp last year with some of his explosive goals. So we’re looking forward to seeing him another year older, another year wiser and just understanding the whole process and probably less distractions than in the past.”

With 17G-32A-49P in 32 games last season, Obobaifo finished second in team scoring with his Calgary NW Flames as Corbet’s teammate. He also managed one assist during five games with the Raiders last year, and nearly scored the Raiders’ Teddy Bear Toss goal on a one-time feed from Connor Howe.

Listed at 6’0, 174 lbs, Obobaifo is the youngest of three brothers playing hockey, with Aaron just finishing his WHL career with the Edmonton Oil Kings, and oldest brother Charles recently finished a NCAA Div. III career.

Another name to watch for will be the leader of the 2025 draft class, 16th overall pick Athens Shingoose. The 16-year-old is looking to make the team in his first year of eligibility after putting up five points in three games during the Canada’s Under-17 National Development Camp.

“He had a terrific camp with the Canada under-17, led their scoring I believe. He’s a dynamic young player, didn’t get in a game last year with us but certainly spent some time, and again, another guy who could come in and certainly make guys pay attention otherwise he’s in and around you in a hurry and the pucks in the back of the net.”

Shingoose led his team in scoring with 15G-16A-31P in 30 games during his rookie year of U18 Prep with the RINK Hockey Academy in Winnipeg. The ‘Wizard of Wayway’ hails from Waywayseecapo, Man., and is listed at 5’8 tall and 139 lbs, but he’s likely put on some weight over the summer.

One more forward to keep an eye on during camp will be Malaki Martin, who the Raiders called up twice during the regular season and he earned an assist in his debut. As a member of his hometown Regina Pat Canadians, Martin finished the year in a three-way tie for second in Sask. Male AAA Hockey League (SMAAAHL) scoring with 37G-41A-78P in 44 games.

Martin is technically a two-time SMAAAHL Champion. In 2024-25, he was called up for three games in the regular season and one in the playoffs. Last year in 2025-26, he lead the SMAAAHL in scoring with 10G-6A-16P in 11 games.

by Nick Nielsen

Rookies to watch at Raiders camp

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