Spokane, Wash.- Saige Weinstein is ready to set the example.
The veteran Spokane Chiefs defenceman hopes to help his team take its first lead of the 2025 WHL Championship Series presented by Nutrien as they return home for Game 3 with the series tied 1-1.
After falling to the high-flying Medicine Hat Tigers in Game 1, Spokane limited the Tabbies to two goals in Game 2, while snapping Gavin McKenna’s historic 54-game point streak in a chippy, physical affair.
“It’s the emotions of the games,” Weinstein said. “I like the chippiness, personally. I hope that if we come out doing that, we can come out up front.”
Weinstein has two goals and seven assists for nine points in 17 games, but leads all defencemen with a +22 rating over that stretch.
“He’s a big part of our team,” Chiefs Head Coach Brad Lauer said. “Our back end is important to us. We’ve got some good size and good mobility. He’s an emotional player. He plays aggressive. He’s a contact-first kind of guy, but he also does a very good job of moving the puck and making sure that he’s up in the play when he can be.”
Weinstein, 19, has ridden a rollercoaster of emotions and mixed results his entire hockey career, and he believes he’s stronger for it.
After going unselected at the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, Weinstein earned an invitation to a Colorado Avalanche rookie camp.
Determined to make the most of the opportunity, he clawed his way through three different camps with the Avalanche before finally earning an NHL Entry-Level contract as a free agent.
“It’s definitely something that really put a chip on my shoulder,” Weinstein added. “I learned a lot from that, from being down in my shell there and kind of trying to get back up on my shoulders. It was definitely something I want to kind of show other people as well, and other kids that not getting drafted isn’t the only option.”
Lauer hopes Weinstein’s journey and attitude can set the standard for other players looking to take the next step.
“I think that’s junior hockey,” Lauer noted. “When you get to this part of the stage right now, where we are at our group, and there are some guys who have gone under the radar through scouting and stuff like that, but that’s just how it is. Everybody at this level matures at different ages. It’s not always gonna be (at)17 and 18. You know, it’s great to see some of the 20-year-olds have the success they’ve had this year, even our 19-year-olds that have have gone undrafted.”
But that’s all a concern for another day.
For now, Weinstein and company are ready to hunt for a second-straight win in front of a ravenous crowd at the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena in Game 3.
He’ll take on his former Hlinka Gretzky Cup teammate (and Nashville Predators prospect) Tanner Molendyk and the Tigers when puck drops at 7:00 p.m. PST on Tuesday, May 13.
Victory+ will carry the game for viewers in the United States and around the world, while TSN will broadcast the match for fans in Canada.
