Moving from the small community of Lanigan, Saskatchewan to the province’s largest city in Saskatoon has been a bit of an adjustment for 15-year-old Kayden Stroeder.
No longer surrounded by a town of just under 1,500 residents, now playing on the same ice as the University of Saskatchewan Huskies at Merlis Belsher Place.
“Moving to the city has definitely been an obstacle for me,” said Stroeder. “A new school and new people, but all of the people have been so supportive. So it’s been awesome.”
That move to Saskatoon is paying off in spades for Stroeder though, who is quickly becoming one of the most talked about junior hockey prospects in North America with the Saskatoon AAA Contacts.
Playing 34 games in his first season in the Saskatchewan Male U18 AAA Hockey League with the Contacts, Stroeder has exploded for 22 goals and 49 points to lead his team in scoring by a whopping 22-point margin.
“Kayden is a real special player and we were really excited to have him as part of our program this year,” said Contacts head coach Mark Peterson.
“We’re pretty sure that he’s going to be a one-and-done guy. He sees the game at a different level. I think his vision and his compete are going to be two things that take him a long ways in his hockey career.”
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A star at the U15 level last season with the Humboldt AA Broncos, Stroeder became one of the most productive 14-year-old prospects in western Canada in 2023-24 scoring a mind-boggling 58 goals and 127 points in only 27 games of action.
That led him to being selected with the fifth overall pick in the 2024 WHL Draft by the Edmonton Oil Kings, eventually being called up by the big club in late December.
What followed was something not seen before for the Edmonton franchise, as Stroeder posted six points in six games before being sent back down which stands as the most points scored by a 15-year-old in Oil Kings history.
“It’s so cool,” said Stroeder. “Just some of the guys on their team and how successful they’ve been, just trying to be like them one day is super cool. That stat is pretty cool and I’ll always try to remember it.”
While Stroeder has been one of the most productive rookies in the Saskatchewan Male U18 ranks, that hasn’t carried over to team success for the Contacts in 2024-25 who have rarely dressed a full lineup due to injury and WHL call ups.
Playoffs are still a faint possibility for the 10-23-4 Contacts, who trail the Estevan Great North Bears for the eighth and final seed by 12 points but only have seven games left on their schedule.
For Peterson, it’s not hard to look back at their collection of one-goal losses as tough to stomach but is encouraged at the direction their prospects are headed.
“It’s about the development of these players,” said Peterson. “It’s awesome to see these guys get this opportunity because when they come back, they’ve got something that they can add into their toolbox that they’ve experienced.”
Getting to see firsthand what goes into a successful WHL stint in Edmonton, Stroeder is aiming to get his game improved at both ends of the ice to close out the season before making that next jump to the junior level.
“You can’t take anything off,” said Stroeder. “You wake up every single day and have something to prove.”
It’s an all-Saskatoon matchup for the Contacts on Saturday afternoon as they’ll face the rival Saskatoon Blazers at Merlis Belsher Place at 12:30 pm, before hosting the Prince Albert Mintos at 2:15 pm Sunday.