Kaeden Tate is mobbed by his teammates after recording his first WHL win on Nov. 15, 2025. (Image Credit: Brian Johnson/Kamloops Blazers)

By Victor Kaisar

Blazers 6 Hurricanes 2

Rookie netminder Tate wins WHL debut as Blazers snap three-game losing streak

Nov 16, 2025 | 9:49 AM

KAMLOOPS — It was a Western Hockey League debut to remember for 16-year-old Kaeden Tate.

The American netminder made 22 saves and picked up a secondary assist on Tommy Lafreniere’s game winning goal as the Kamloops Blazers beat the Lethbridge Hurricanes 6-2 Saturday (Nov. 15) to snap a three-game losing streak.

Tate, who is from Huntington Beach in California, was called up by the Blazers earlier this week.

“It was great,” Tate said of his first taste of WHL hockey. “The boys really helped me out. It was a lot of fun, I loved the speed, the pace. It was great.”

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Drafted by the Blazers in the 2024 U.S. Prospects Draft, Tate is the first American goalie to win a WHL game for the Blazers since Steve Belanger in the early 2000s.

“[There were definitely some nerves in warmups,” Tate added. “I think the first shot I took went right past me but I got in the hang of things and kept going.”

“I’m going to keep working, keep training,” he added. “I know this is the level I have to perform at, so I have to keep going.”

The Blazers’ skaters also helped out the rookie netminder as they found the back of the net at Sandman Centre on six different occasions.

Kayd Ruedig opened the scoring with his third goal of the weekend, as the defenceman deked around the Hurricanes after roofed the puck past Leif Oaten to make it 1-0.

Oaten, who won gold at the 2025 World U17 Hockey Challenge along with Blazers’ defenceman Joaquin Geras, allowed five goals on 36 shots in the loss.

Logan Wormald restored parity for the Hurricanes back level with a power play marker that he snapped past Tate about three minutes later. But Kamloops regained the lead on a powerplay of their own as JP Hurlbert ripped home his 14th of the season.

Second period goals from Tommy Lafreniere and Jordan Keller and a third period marker from Josh Evaschesen had the Blazers cruising at 5-1 in the opening minute of the final period.

Nathan Maloney scored a late consolation for the Hurricanes before Lafreniere’s second of the night, scored short-handed into an empty net with 2:16 remaining, sealed the win for the Blazers.

Ruedig had an assist to go with his goal, while Cooper Moore and Nathan Behm finished with two assists each as the Blazers improved to 9-9-2-2. They’ve got 22 points from 22 games and sit fifth in the WHL’s Western Conference.

Next up for the Blazers is a Tuesday (Nov. 18) game in Kennewick, Washington against the 8-9-1 Tri-City Americans. Their next home game is on Friday (Nov. 21) against the Portland Winterhawks.