‘The city I love’: Blades legend Nolan Maier returns to Saskatoon to join Huskies

One of the most decorated players in Saskatoon Blades franchise history is back home. Keenan Sorokan has the story.

One of the most decorated players in Saskatoon Blades franchise history is back home.

Nolan Maier, who left the Blades in 2022 as the Western Hockey League’s all-time winningest goaltender, has committed to play for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies.

“Saskatoon’s been a second home for me, and lots of the guys in that room have been family,” Maier said Thursday before joining the Huskies for a weekend road trip.

“It’s just been really awesome to re-connect and see a lot of old faces, and just kind of hang out again in the city I love.”

Maier has been on a winding adventure since leaving Saskatoon at the end of the 2021-2022 WHL season, after setting the all-time WHL wins record with 122.

The undrafted goaltender joined the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, an affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers the following season, as he attempted to climb his way through the minor leagues and get regular playing time. From there, he would be sent to the Reading Royals of the East Coast Hockey League.

At the beginning of last season Maier signed a deal with the Providence Bruins, where he played just one game, before being sent down to the Maine Mariners. This season he honed his craft with the Idaho Steelheads, getting seven opportunities to play.

As playing time dried and uncertainty became common he started to look elsewhere to continue his hockey career. He returned home to Yorkton for Christmas with his family, the first time he’d been home for the holiday since playing for the Blades. A text message from Huskies Head Coach Brandin Cote renewed his interest in the university ranks.

“By the time I got home for Christmas, I was looking for Europe and just seeing what my options were, and I didn’t know at the time, so I was just going to wait it out,” Maier said. “And then I got a random text just from him reaching out to see how I’m doing.”

“It was really quite special once me and my family talked and thought about it and chose to come back and stay at home.”

Maier said the decision to stay in Saskatchewan was a “no-brainer.”

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After spending five years in Saskatoon with the Blades, Cote watched Maier and kept tabs on him as he worked his way through the pro ranks. He says the two agreed to stay in touch.

“For him to come back here, where he’s comfortable in the community with family and people that he’s familiar with is just a great fit,” Cote said."

It wasn’t long ago when adding a USPORTS player to a roster mid-season was a rarity. This is the first season Canadian junior hockey players are eligible to play NCAA hockey after a decades-long agreement between the two pathways ended last year. Prior to that many standout junior players in Canada would graduate to USPORTS to take advantage of tuition credits accumulated during their junior careers, while being barred from playing in the NCAA.

With that agreement tossed aside, coaching staffs on both sides of the border are busy with constant recruiting, as players now have a variety of opportunities.

“It’s very exhausting. I don’t like uncertainty. I’m a pretty prepared guy, but you have to you have to learn to just do things on the fly and adjust,” Cote added.

Part of that back-and-forth has seen some players that would have joined the Huskies seek opportunities elsewhere. The Huskies have also benefited from the new rules as players like Ben Saunderson flipped his commitment from the NCAA to the Huskies. Other pro players like Connor Roulette and Bryan Thomson have also joined the Huskies.

“It’s been a give-and-take. But, you know, we’re lucky, especially this year, but it’s definitely a year-round thing,” said Cote.

Maier admits he initially committed to the Huskies after his junior career, but didn’t imagine it would take four years before he joined the team.

“I think it’s always been kind of a dream of mine and a place that I can always kind of, not fall back on, but a place that I knew I was welcomed,” Maier said.

Saunderson, a former teammate of Maier’s for two seasons, watched as Maier set the WHL wins record, which has since been claimed by Daniel Hauser, following his 123rd win last year.

He says Maier has quickly adjusted to life as a Huskie — and he’s happy to have been along for the ride.

“We hadn’t seen each other in a long time. So, the first day, we kind of just sat and talked and showed him around,” Saunderson said.

“It doesn’t take long for guys to grow accustomed with everyone, and now he’s joking around like he’s been here the whole time.”

As the Huskies make a push for another Canada West title, Cote says having a player with Maier’s pedigree doesn’t hurt.

“He’s going to give us everything he has when he’s in that net,” he said.