The Saskatoon Blades have traded overage winger Brandon Lisowsky and their 2028 fifth-round selection to the Victoria Royals in exchange for 20-year-old forward Tanner Scott, a 2025 second-round pick, and a 2026 second-round pick.
The 2025 second-round pick will be Victoria's second-best second-round pick, which cannot be determined until the draft order has been finalized.
Lisowsky played in 256 regular-season games with the Blades, scoring 143 goals and adding 136 assists. He was a plus-68.
“This is obviously one of the hardest decisions we’ve had to make in my time as GM,” Blades president and general manager Colin Priestner said in a statement. “Brandon was one of the best goal scorers the club has ever seen and was a major part of five very successful seasons with the Blades.”
The Blades thanked Brandon and his family for their contributions to the organization and the Saskatoon community during Brandon's five years with the team. Priestner addressed the media shortly after the deal was announced.
“Brandon and I were very honest with each other throughout offseason about the coming year. Brandon knew it was a huge year for him to earn an opportunity with an NHL team,” Priestner said.
"We talked about the direction we may have to take the team in the second half to recoup some high draft picks, and we agreed in September to sit down at Christmas and discuss what the second half might look like for him either here or elsewhere on a team with the assets to load up for a championship run, and after talking, we both agreed this was the best outcome.”
Scott, a Sherwood Park, AB product, comes to the Bridge City in his final season with six goals, 10 assists, 16 points, and a plus-2 rating in 25 games. Scott has 245 career WHL games under his belt, with 54 goals, 88 assists, 142 points, and 54 penalty minutes.
Scott joins the Bridge City Bunch one week prior to the league’s trade deadline on Friday, Jan. 10 but Priestner was adamant that the move doesn’t signal a fire sale in Saskatoon.
“Any trades we are considering from now until the deadline will have to include both high picks and quality younger players coming back to us to consider doing, and we are firmly committed to making the playoffs this season with the goal of winning the division still a major factor in any moves we make.”
