In the hours leading up to each of the 142 games of Kazden Mathies’ junior hockey career, it’s been a familiar routine for the 18-year-old.

A pre-game meal of chicken and rice, before putting on a lucky suit and hitting the ice just minutes down the road from where he grew up.

“I eat at the same time every day, leave my house at the same time every day,” said Mathies. “I’ll keep the same suit if we win and if we lose, I’ll switch a suit.

“I’m pretty superstitious.”

That consistent nature has paid off for Mathies, who is in the midst of his third WHL season and has become a key forward down the middle for the Saskatoon Blades nearly a year since being acquired from the Seattle Thunderbirds in exchange for a 2027 fifth-round pick.

After incorporating into the lineup last season from

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