The WHL's Saskatoon Blades were seemingly blindsided by Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Zach Olsen's decision to join the NCAA's Colorado College rather than return to the Blades for a third season.
Zach Olsen was one of the Toronto Maple Leafs' 10 selections made in the 2026 draft. The Leafs picked him at 73rd overall in the third round. That pick came in the trade that sent defenseman Brandon Carlo to the St. Louis Blues.
With new prospects coming into the system, the organization and development staff must provide a plan and a process for those youngsters.
For Olsen, he had just completed his second season with the WHL's Saskatoon Blades, scoring 18 goals and 34 points in 57 games. It seemed that the Maple Leafs' prospect would return to Saskatoon for a third season, but the Blades appeared to be blindsided by a change of preference by Toronto.
Saskatoon's GM, Colin Priestner, shared his perspective on the situation in a media availability going into the WHL's 2026-27 campaign, which was confirmed in early August.
"With Olsen… he's not here," Priestner told the media. We wish he was here. We spent a lot of time talking to him over the three or four months leading into his decision."
Instead of returning to the Blades for a third year, Olsen will be joining Colorado College of the NCAA for 2026-27. This was not the original plan that Priestner was informed about by Toronto.
"Toronto told us he was coming back, and Toronto fired some of their staff and their new staff came in, and the plan changed," Priestner said. "That's life in our league."
The Blades' GM is referencing the staff overhaul that Leafs GM John Chayka executed since being hired in early May.
He let go of a large chunk of the organization's development team. Some names include assistant GMs Dr. Hayley Wickenheiser and Darryl Metcalf, who both had a say in player development, as well as director of player development Danielle Goyette, and several others.
One new addition to fill those voids includes Brad Rossen, hired as vice president of research and development. Also, Patrick O'Sullivan was promoted from development coach to director of NHL development.
Though the situation is now out of Priestner's hands, the club would happily take him back if the opportunity arises.
"I think the school that took (Olsen) made a ton of lofty promises to him about what his role will be," he said. "So, we'll see if those are fulfilled, and if they're not, then we'll be here as a good landing spot if he ever wants to come back."
See more of The Hockey News on Google — Save us as Preferred Source
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
