Growing up in the centre of the ‘C of Red’ in Calgary, Saskatoon Blades defenceman Brayden Klimpke spent a lot of his childhood at Scotiabank Saddledome cheering on the Calgary Flames.
It’s an environment he looks back on fondly, as he now chases his own hockey dreams in the WHL.
“My family always had season tickets to the Flames games growing up,” said Klimpke. “My memories there were the playoffs, watching guys like [Johnny] Gaudreau and [Matthew] Tkachuk growing up.”
Klimpke is back in Saskatoon for his second full season playing with the Blades, taking cues from some of his childhood idols in Calgary which have translated into his own identity on the ice.
That identity is as a mobile blueliner who has quickly become one of Saskatoon’s most-relied-on skaters at both ends of the ice.
“My favourite player was probably Matthew Tkachuk when he was on the team,” said Klimpke. “I loved the way he played, he was gritty and got under guys’ skin. Probably Mark Giordano was the most memorable [player]. A captain of the team, steady defenceman, won a Norris trophy, so an easy guy to look up to being in Calgary.”
Klimpke is coming off a 2024-25 season where he emerged as a top-four defenceman for Saskatoon, netting three goals and 26 points in 59 games to finish third on the team in points from the blueline.
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He’s followed that up with two points in Saskatoon’s first four games of the 2025-26 season, including a memorable goal on Sept. 20 in the team’s home opener against the Prince Albert Raiders.
Caught out on a lengthy shift in overtime, the soon-to-be 18-year-old hopped on a Hayden Harsanyi rebound 1:25 into the extra frame to secure Saskatoon’s first win of the WHL season by a 3-2 final.
“To be honest I was a little gassed there, it was a long shift,” said Klimpke. “Their guy fell, I saw an opportunity to grab the puck there. An odd-man rush, pass to Harsanyi in the slot, he shot it and I just tried to whack the rebound on net.”
Klimpke’s jersey this season is also features a bit more stitching than in years past, as he was chosen as one of the Blades’ three alternate captains ahead of puck drop on opening night.
Blades head coach Dan DaSilva said it was a pleasant surprise to see the locker room select the two-way defender as part of their leadership group, especially considering the rest of the group are at least 19 years of age.
According to Klimpke, it’s a nod which he isn’t taking lightly and aims to showcase his leadership abilities over the course of the Blades’ season.
“I was just honoured, to be completely honest with you,” said Klimpke. “I didn’t really expect it, so it was a nice surprise and I was happy. It’s nice to know that my teammates see me as that, it allows me to be more vocal and help those guys out.”
The Blades have split each of their first two weekends of the WHL season, rallying on the road against the Lethbridge Hurricanes last Friday 5-3 before dropping a 4-1 decision to the reigning WHL champion Medicine Hat Tigers on Saturday.
Even though the team holds a .500 record to begin the year, Klimpke believes in the early returns in both work ethic and talent the team has showcased.
“The way the team has bought into Blades hockey this early has been noticeable for sure,” said Klimpke.
“Obviously the game versus Medicine Hat didn’t go our way, but I thought the last two periods we played pretty good and bought into how our team wants to play. It’s been cool to see this early on.”
The Blades (2-2) are back at SaskTel Centre on Friday night to battle the Red Deer Rebels (1-2) with a 7 p.m. puck drop.
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