Blades beef up blue-line with veteran Schuldhaus, part ways with Goethals

The Saskatoon Blades just got older on the blue-line.

The Blades — who are in Alberta for a road swing, playing four games in five nights, starting Tuesday at Red Deer — tweaked their overage 20-year-old content Tuesday by adding 1998-born defenceman Brandon Schuldhaus from the Moose Jaw Warriors in exchange for a 2020 second-round pick and 2019 fifth-round pick.

The Blades had room after parting ways with overage forward Bradly Goethals.

Goethals, who had one goal in three games this season, was not in the lineup for Sunday’s game against the Prince Albert Raiders. Last season, he had 15 goals and 17 assists for 32 points in 69 games with the Blades after being acquired from the Everett Silvertips.

Schuldhaus, a six-foot-four, 205-pound, left-hand shooting D -man, brings a wealth of experience to the Blades’ blue-line with 189 WHL career regular-season games split between the Seattle Thunderbirds, Red Deer Rebels and Moose Jaw.

Schuldhaus has 12 goals and 53 points, to go along with 166 penalty minutes, during his WHL career.

“Brandon is a high-character, physical shutdown defencemen with 39 games of WHL playoff experience, and we feel he will bring size and skill to our back end,” Blades general manager Colin Priestner said in a release.

“We are very excited to add him to our group. We felt it was important to add a player like Brandon now, instead of closer to the deadline, to get integrated with our group and help us through the busy schedule we have in October.”

Schuldhaus was born in Houston, Texas., but raised in Calgary. His grandfather once played for the Edmonton Oil Kings and at the University of Denver.

Brandon is a high-character, physical shutdown defencemen with 39 games of WHL playoff experience.

Saskatoon could afford to part with a 2020 second-round pick with two other picks in that round from Regina and Swift Current. The Blades also hold Regina’s third-round pick in 2020.

Schuldhaus joins Max Gerlach and Dawson Davidson as the Blades maintain the league maximum of three 20-year-old players.

Schuldhaus will travel to Edmonton to join the Blades for their game Wednesday against the Oil Kings.