Ed Helms to star in new hockey comedy-drama filmed in Alberta

We love seeing Alberta featured in big Hollywood movies, and a new one filmed in Edmonton has a serious hit of star power.

Ed Helms (The Hangover), Paulina Alexis (Reservation Dogs), and Jana Schmieding (Rutherford Falls) will be starring in the upcoming hockey comedy-drama Smudge the Blades, which just wrapped up filming in Edmonton this month.

Smudge the Blades is a coming-of-age hockey film from director Cody Lightning (Hey Viktor!) and was filmed around Alberta with locations including Edmonton, Enoch, and Maskwacis.

The comedy is a must-see for hockey fans. The narrative revolves around an Indigenous youth hockey club dubbed the Treaty 6 Blades and their hopes to make the most of the members’ final year of eligibility amid their violent league in northern Alberta.

If the film’s title sounds familiar, it’s because of its partner: Indigenous-owned sportswear brand Smudge the Blades. The brand’s founder, Harlan Kingfisher, will be serving as an executive director alongside Cody Lightning.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Helms, Alexis, and Schmieding will star alongside Lightning in the Smudge the Blades film, which aims to hit the festival circuit in 2026.

“Rez hockey in Canada is bigger than high school football in Texas,” says Lightning, known for his role on Marvel’s Echo. “I’m so honoured to have this incredible cast to bring to life the experiences of Indigenous hockey players, on and off the ice.”

The film searched far and wide to cast for the young Indigenous hockey players.

Key cast members include Treycen Wuttunnee, Isaiah Kakepetum, River Rayne Thomas, Elijah James Lee Moar, Ezekiel James Mekanak and Tyler Halcrow, who round out the actors portraying the Treaty 6 Blades.

Are you excited to see the Smudge the Blades film when it debuts? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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