Brayden Schenn and Cody Eakin are set to renew their rivalry when they face-off Saturday.
Brayden Schenn and Cody Eakin will remain friends after they renew rivalries on Saturday.
The two biggest names changing teams at the Western Hockey League's trade deadline will meet for the first time this weekend. Schenn was dealt to his hometown Saskatoon Blades while Eakin moved across two provinces to play for the Kootenay Ice.
The former East Division rivals and teammates on Canada's world junior team are both primed for a title run, but their paths may need to go through each other first.
"It's two heavy contenders," Eakin said. "We're both chasing the same title and to meet up along the line, everyone kind of looks at (Saturday's game) as a measuring stick."
Although their teams are new, neither player will need an advanced scouting report prior to Saturday's game.
"I've played Eaks quite a bit when I was in Brandon and he was in Swift Current," Schenn said. "I kind of know what he's all about and have a lot of fun playing against him. He's definitely a challenge."
The two players may be forever linked together following the circumstances six weeks ago. Although neither player asked for a trade, both were dealt for a king's ransom in the days and hours leading up to the deadline.
Eakin went first for a package that included five players and three draft picks. Schenn was moved just hours before the deadline in exchange for two prospects and four draft picks.
Here were two players dealt to new teams with such fitting story lines. In Schenn's case, he was heading home, where he would once again live with his family. Eakin, on the other hand, went to a team and a city with so many similarities to the one he departed.
Clearly, it wouldn't have been as fitting had Schenn gone to Kootenay and Eakin to Saskatoon.
"That's the business and wherever we ended up, we were going to enjoy it," Eakin said. "We were going to enjoy the hockey and work towards the same goal and that comes midway through May."
For Schenn, the move means home-cooked meals and his old bed -- not to mention shorter bus rides.
"In Brandon, three and a half hours is your closest trip to Regina," Schenn said. "In Saskatoon, you're pretty central. You have two hour trips and it's not as bad. It's nice having nicer bus trips."
Eakin, meanwhile, went from the smallest populated WHL city in Swift Current, Sask. to its next smallest in Cranbrook, B.C. The biggest difference between the cities is the scenery from the flat prairies to the picturesque mountains.
"It's a bit of a change going from the rolling countryside to the mountains, so that's cool," Eakin said.
Another similarity for the new players is the pressure and expectations that come with being dealt at the deadline. Schenn's Blades lead the league in points and have won 12 of the 13 games he's played since returning from a shoulder injury suffered at the world juniors.
Saskatoon, however, holds the distinction of never having won a WHL championship since its inception in 1966. It's the type of streak that Schenn doesn't want to be reminded of it after growing up cheering for the Blades.
"There's a little added pressure, but it's not just me that's going to win a championship -- it takes a whole team to do that," Schenn said. "We think we have the team to do it and obviously, as I found out last year, it's not easy and playoffs are a different time."
Likewise, Eakin feels the pressure surrounding his acquisition in Kootenay.
"(In a small town) the team's always kind of put on a pedestal so to speak," Eakin said. "Everyone knows what's going on and how (the team is) playing and it's a lot of healthy pressure."
Both players made their first trip back to play their former teams recently. Each received a warm welcome from the home crowd, which also included a short video feature highlighting their time with their former teams.
Now the two can set their sights towards what may be the first of many battles between their two new teams. The game will give each team an indication how they stack up against each other should they meet in a playoff series.
"It's good to see what we could be facing up against down the road," Eakin acknowledged. "When playoffs come, it's a brand new season and whether we meet or we don't meet, it's a fresh start."
In the meantime, Eakin can expect a text message from Schenn.
"Probably a friendly chirp," Schenn said.
And maybe more to follow.
