That honour was officially given Friday to Saskatoon Blades forward Trevor Wong who will serve as the club’s captain for the 2023-24 season. The 20-year-old center becomes the 62nd captain in franchise history, taking the reigns from graduated defenceman Aidan De La Gorgendiere who was the club’s captain for the last two seasons.

“To be captain in Saskatoon is really special,” said Wong, “I’m super pumped to get the season going and to lead this team to all the goals we want to accomplish.”

“A bunch of guys came up to me and congratulated me which felt really good. These past couple of years in Saskatoon I’ve tried to build friendships and relationships with the guys, so for them to come up and congratulate me as their new captain is really special.”

The WHL senior was awarded an “A” halfway through the 2021-22 season, wearing it again last year alongside returning defender Charlie Wright and graduated defenceman Blake Gustafson. Wong says he’s had excellent leaders to look up to during his time with both WHL teams.

That isn’t hindering Wong from establishing what his leadership style is going to be.

“I’m not the loudest guy, I won’t be up in your face,” said Wong, “I’m going to try and lead by example. I love building relationships with the guys and I believe those are my best captain traits.”

A fan-favourite in Bridge City, Wong displayed poise in the club’s historic run to the Eastern Conference Championship last season. The former 2018 WHL first-round pick lit the lamp six times and added 15 helpers through 18 appearances. Wong’s impressive campaign last year caught the eyes of NHL clubs, getting an invite to Dallas Stars development camp back in July.

“Trevor embodies our culture,” said Head Coach Brennan Sonne, “With the team we have, there are many leaders and players that are captain material. The thing with Wonger is, what he does speaks so loudly, you don’t really hear what he says. Meaning, he lives, carries, and drives the way we want our team to be – passionate, competitive, aspirational, and a great teammate.”

“We can’t live in the past. Last year was really exciting but we can’t be satisfied. We have a bigger goal than just going to the conference final. The biggest thing for me would be learning from those lessons that we took from conference final and the game sevens before that, making a few tweaks, and ultimately accomplishing our goal which is winning a championship.”