Long road leads Suzdalev to shot at WHL title with Blades

It’s only his second season in the WHL, but Alexander Suzdalev has been living the dream for most of his young junior hockey career.

Last year when he was with the Regina Pats, the dual Swedish/Russian citizen and Washington Capitals third-round pick was playing on a line with Connor Bedard.

The chemistry he built with Bedard was noticeable.

In his rookie WHL season with the Pats, Suzdalev tallied 86 points in 66 games while often playing alongside Bedard. Suzdalev also had 10 points in seven games with the Pats in their first-round playoff series loss to the Saskatoon Blades. Bedard and Suzdalev finished first and second in team scoring for the Pats.

Fast forward a year and Suzdalev is now on the team that ended his Pats season in 2022-23 – and it’s a team with a championship-calibre roster.

The Blades were able to secure Suzdalev’s services after completing a New Year’s Eve blockbuster trade.

Saskatoon acquired Suzdalev and a sixth-round pick in 2025 from the Pats in exchange for a haul that included Zach Moore, Samuel Barcik, Dayton Deschamps, a first-round pick in 2026, a 2025 fourth-round pick and a 2026 third-rounder.

The move raised some eyebrows as Suzdalev hadn’t played in the WHL since his season with the Pats came to an end.

After attending the Capitals’ training camp in the fall, he initially was sent to the American Hockey League to play for Hershey. But Suzdalev didn’t appear in any games in Hershey, prompting Caps management to send him back to his home country of Sweden and allowing him to play for Mora IK in order for him to keep developing.

Sweden might not sound like the home of someone who has the last name Suzdalev, but it is in this case. He and his family are from Khabarovsk, Russia and lived in that country until he was seven.

His family moved to Sweden so his dad could play professional bandy – which is best described as field hockey on skates. Suzdalev said his dad recently retired from the sport at the age of 45, but the family doesn’t have any plans to return to Russia.

While he got to play in his adopted home country of Sweden, Suzdalev said he and the Capitals decided the best thing for his development going forward would be for him to return to the WHL.

“It was everyone’s opinion. WHL is such a good league and good at developing players. They have a good coaching staff here and I like it a lot,” Suzdalev said. “We thought Saskatoon might be a good fit and it’s a good team to play for the rest of the season.”

Blades general manager Colin Priestner outlined how he was able to land the highly sought-after Washington prospect.

“Because he was drafted (into the CHL) out of Europe and came over after his draft year to play with Bedard, he was eligible to not only go back to Europe but also play in the American Hockey League,” Priestner said.

“Hershey is a program where they run a very professional team (but) that’s not as much about the development of Washington’s prospects so much as it is about winning and having older players there and sustaining themselves as a top franchise in the American league. Playing there wasn’t really an option (for Suzdalev) with the role he was going to have there and the type of team he had.

“When he went back to Sweden, I think he was in a bind because they didn’t really have a ton of incentives there to develop him because he wasn’t going to be back next year – and he was the only 19-year-old player playing in a men’s league full of 29-year-olds. I think they just thought the best thing for him would be to come back and join a contender so he can go on a long playoff run.”

Suzdalev landed in Saskatoon at midnight last Friday. When he landed, his gear was missing, but he hoped it would show up in time for the Blades’ game in Regina that same night.

It didn’t, and he didn’t play in the game.

“I was a little bit tired, but you can’t say no to hockey,” Suzdalev said with a grin. “I wanted to try help the team win, but they got the win anyways and that was good.”

Suzdalev’s gear eventually arrived the next day and he was able to suit up against the host Prince Albert Raiders, registering an assist in Saskatoon’s 2-1 shootout loss.

Blades head coach Brennan Sonne said it’s too early to tell where Suzdalev will fit in the lineup – including if he’ll possibly spend some time playing with one of the WHL’s top goal-scorers, Belarussian Egor Sidorov.

“I just don’t know yet,” Sonne said. “You have ideas, but until it actually gets together and you have some looks and see how it feels and things like that, you don’t really know. It’s possible, but I don’t have a straight-up answer for you.”

He might not know where Suzdalev will slot into the lineup as the Blades gear up for the second half of the regular season, but if there’s something certain, it’s the fact that Sonne is happy Suzdalev is on his team.

“Let me put it this way: When we had to penalty kill against Regina (when Suzdalev was with the Pats), we brought out the stats of how many power-play goals he had and from where,” Sonne said. “So we said, ‘We need to worry about this guy and this guy and don’t worry about this as much,’ and he’d still score on us.

“I think his shot is elite. He can score from the corner; he can score from anywhere. I think his skill is elite and he’s a dangerous hockey player.”

Suzdalev is expected to make his home debut for the Blades against the Vancouver Giants on Wednesday.

That date is also significant for the Blades as it’s the date of the WHL trade deadline. Transactions for the most part will need to be finalized by 4 p.m. Saskatchewan time.

Because players like Fraser Minten and Tanner Molendyk and coaches like Sonne were tied to international commitments, it’s likely the game against the Giants will be the first time this season the Blades’ full roster will be intact.

Sonne is excited to finally get everyone back and playing Blades hockey.

“We haven’t had our full team in terms of acquisitions – like elite players. Where do they fit in lines? What do our lines look like? What’s the power play look like? I don’t know because we haven’t had everyone,” he explained. “You’ve got to get eyes on it and reps. I’m really excited to get the group together and get rolling.”