On November 21, 2025, Saskatoon Blades prospect Ryley Budd made his long-awaited Western Hockey League (WHL) debut, starting in goal against the Swift Current Broncos. The 17-year-old netminder had received several call-ups since signing with the team, but never had the opportunity to play minutes with the team until now.
In his first WHL game, Budd faced 15 shots from the Broncos and turned away all but two shots, preserving his first victory in what promises to be a prolific junior career. He showed high-quality reflexes and adaptability, tracking the puck well and, most importantly, making big saves when necessary.
It is, to put it nicely, misleading to project a player’s career after just one game, especially if he is still in the junior stages. So many things can happen over the course of a few weeks, let alone several months. But with current starter Evan Gardner aiming to potentially turn pro in 2026-27, the Blades will have to look to their next best goaltender. Budd finally gets a chance and he showed the team exactly what they needed to see.
Budd’s bumpy start to 2025-2026
Budd joined the Blades as perhaps the most enticing goaltender the team has had in years. When he was taken 42nd overall in the 2022 WHL Drafthe became only the third goalie to be drafted in the second round by Saskatoon since 1990, and was described as having “an excellent work ethic.” A year later, Budd won the 2023-2024 Canadian Sport School (CSSHL) U18 Top Goalie award after one of the best goaltending seasons in league history. He was the Blades’ future in net, but other than several call-ups in 2024-25, including five between February and March, he hadn’t seen any WHL action.
2025-2026 was supposed to be Budd’s year, as all the other top goalies in recent years were entering their 17-year-old seasons. But the Blades had already locked Gardner and Ethan McCallum into their fold, and listed 18-year-old Taye Timmerman had a very strong training camp, leaving the Blades with too many goalies and not enough spots.
“We think there are four guys who are goalies at the WHL level,” said President and CEO Colin Priestner after this season’s training camp. “We’re going to start the year with some good goaltenders in Junior A. It is what it is; you keep two goaltenders, and we think we have four very good ones.”
Budd joined the Bonnyville Pontiacs of the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) to start the season, having played a few games the previous season. After seven games, he had three wins, 192 saves and a save percentage of .881 (SV%). Only three other U18 goalkeepers have started a match in the competition, and only one – teammate Nathan Salisbury – has faced more shots. Timmerman, meanwhile, was posted to the Warman Wolverines, just 15 minutes away from the Blades’ home arena. Because Budd was over four hours away, he suddenly found himself, through no fault of his own, fourth on the team’s depth chart.
But last weekend finally gave Budd the rest he needed. After returning from their road trip through Alberta, several Blades were struck by the flu, including Gardner, McCallum and Timmerman. Suddenly the team with too many skilled goaltenders was not enough, and Budd was told to get to Saskatoon as soon as possible. The next morning at Blades training he was told that he was finally starting his very first WHL match.
Highs and lows from Budd’s first game
Although he only saw 15 shots against the Broncos, it wasn’t an easy first game. Swift Current has a young, fast team that loves to get to the net and find gaps and holes in a team’s defense. However, Budd proved difficult to beat.
The Broncos’ first goal came midway through the first period on a tapped shot from the point, the only real hole the Broncos found during the game. Their only other goal came midway through the second, when Budd came far out to clear the puck behind his own net, but accidentally hit the goal post, allowing Anthony Wilson to easily put the puck into the empty net.
“It sucks right now, but I just had to get through it, and the guys had my back, which is great,” Budd said after the game. “When a moment like that happens for me in a big game, it’s hard, it’s hard to accept that, and these guys were all there for me. Jack (Kachkowski), he came to me, a lot of other guys came to me, all gave me taps and told me it was going to be good, just keep playing, keep going, you’ve got this. That’s huge, having that support group behind me. It helps with the confidence.”
Related: Saskatoon Blades’ top performers 2025-26 after 23 games
Allowing a goal like that can ruin a game for a young goalkeeper, but the team made sure Budd felt like he was doing a great job, because he was. “Budder was good,” he agreed head coach Dan DaSilva. “It’s never easy. He came in late last night, with all the illnesses we’ve had this week, three goaltenders and a couple of forwards as well, a bit of a funky week that way, but I thought Ryley did a great job. It’s his first WHL start, first career win, very happy for him, it’s been a long time coming, and he really deserves it. I thought he was solid there, made a save when he needed to, and I’m happy for him.”
Blades are ready for the future
Budd’s first match was a blur. “It was such a relief. I didn’t even know how much time was left, so I actually didn’t even hear the horn,” he added in the post-match interview. “I’ve watched on TV, backed up a lot of games over the years, and to actually be there, it was really special. This was a pretty amazing night.”
The biggest takeaway from the evening was how much Budd felt part of the team. When he allowed the second goal, the Blades rallied around him, keeping him calm and focused. It probably helped that there were some very familiar faces among the blue jerseys.
“Me and Coop (Cooper Williams) have been playing together in camps and playing against each other since we were really young,” Budd said, “and to have such a special bond with someone like Coop, even with guys like (Zac) Olsen, I have a little funny baby picture of us on the ice. It’s cool to have those relationships with guys I grew up with, Coop in particular. It’s really cool to have those moments and be here with them and let our hockey careers continue grow together.”
Budd’s relationship with Williams and Olsen could result in an even better team next season, especially if those two forwards decide to stick around for another season before joining the NCAA. Williams has already changed his college commitment to stay and help Saskatoon win a title, so there’s a possibility he postpones it again to play with his good friend, like Olsen, who has committed to Colorado College next season.
If his first game is any indication of his trajectory, the Blades will be in very good hands for years to come. He isn’t the tallest goalkeeper at 6ft 11in, but he has quality reflexes and good positioning, which makes saves look easy. He’s a great successor to the crease Gardner has had the past two seasons, keeping the Blades in the playoff hunt.
#Saskatoon #Blades #future #good #hands #Ryley #Budds #debut #Hockey #Writers #Latest #news #analysis