SurgeStack Playoff Preview: Calgary Meets Edmonton for 3rd Year in a Row

The Stingers finally come to Calgary in 2025, and now it's playoff time; will they be able to beat the Surge?

The Calgary Surge had their best regular season in their three years of existence, finishing with a 17-7 record. Even with four extra games, the Surge still only lost seven of the 24. The 17 wins blew the previous totals of 12 and 11 from 2023 and 2024, respectively. While I would love to call the 2025 Calgary Surge better than those two previous squads, there’s still a lot of basketball left to be played.

The 2023 and 2024 teams each made it to CEBL championship weekend: the final four teams. The inaugural group in 2023 even made it to the championship game before falling to the Scarborough Shooting Stars.

My hesitancy in calling this year’s Surge team the best is because they haven’t made it as far as the other teams. Yet. The 2025 Surge have a high potential to be the best we’ve seen. But that would mean a championship. To get there, Calgary has a tough road ahead.

Surge set to host Western Conference Play-In against Edmonton

For the first time this season, the Calgary Surge will host their provincial rivals, the Edmonton Stingers.

That sounds crazy, right? The two Alberta teams played each other three times this season, twice in Edmonton and once in Red Deer. As a fan, I was quite upset that the Surge weren’t hosting a game against the Stingers in Calgary this year. I think that was a betrayal of the fanbase in Calgary. I hope they don’t make that mistake again next year. Whether it’s WinSport or the Saddledome, Calgary Surge home games should be played in Calgary.

Thankfully, Calgary will get to host Edmonton after all, as the teams will meet in the playoffs for the third straight season. In 2023, the Surge defeated the Stingers 84-68 to send Calgary to the West Final. The Surge also downed Edmonton again in 2024, this time in the Stingers’ barn, winning 78-69 to advance the southern Alberta hoopers to the West Final for the second straight season. While Edmonton has been a good team the past two years, Calgary has been their kryptonite in the playoffs.

The Stingers finished the 2025 season with a 15-9 record. Any other season, that record would be good enough for first or second in the league. However, it put them third in such a brutally tough Western Conference. The West was so good this year that the top three teams, Vancouver, Calgary, and Edmonton, ended up being the league’s top three teams.

What can the Surge expect from the Stingers?

In the three games the Surge and Stingers have played this season, Edmonton have won twice. For a while, the Stingers looked like they were going to catch Calgary in the standings as Edmonton went on a seven-game winning streak across June and July, which included two wins over the Surge. On July 6, the Stingers gave the Surge their worst loss of the season, beating them 113-90. The 23-point loss was Calgary’s low point.

After the devastating loss, it looked like the Surge were significantly outmatched compared to the Stingers. The Surge’s lack of depth was exposed and Edmonton’s lineup was thorough with their production.

The Stingers are led by CEBL MVP nominee Sean East II. The American guard broke the CEBL single-season scoring record this year. He is dangerous on the court. Starting all 24 games, he averaged 22.8 points on 53/41/91 (FG%/3P%/FT%) shooting. His shooting splits are arguably the best this league has ever seen from a guard.

Sean East II / Photo via CEBL

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Edmonton knew the talent they had with East II, and they let him take the reins. The lefty is shifty yet stable. His quickness and court vision make him incredibly difficult to guard. In the three games against Calgary, the Louisville, Kentucky native had 22, 11 and 22, respectively. While East II is an elite offensive threat, that’s not a horrible job by the Surge at containing him.

Complimenting East II, is likely CEBL second team All-Star, Scottie Lindsey. The American torched the Surge for 28 on June 18 and then dropped 29 on them on July 6. He’s a league vet who plays so well with his MVP point guard.

Edmonton is deep. They have CEBL 6th Man of the Year nominee Chris Smith off the bench and projected 2025 All-Canadian forward Keon Ambrose-Hylton in there as well.

If you were to ask me who would win between Edmonton and Calgary in July, I would have definitely said Edmonton. But now? I’m not so sure.

Surge defence vs. Stingers MVP offence

When the Surge lost to the Stingers on July 6, they were without one of their most elite players.

Jameer Nelson Jr. was away from the team, attending the NBA Summer League with the San Antonio Spurs. He’s back in Calgary now and thank heavens he is.

Along with his teammate, Greg Brown III, Nelson Jr. was named as a finalist for CEBL Defensive Player of the Year. While Brown III was an incredible rim protector for the Surge this year, I think Nelson Jr. wins this award as a no-brainer. Nelson Jr., the son of a former NBA All-Star, broke the CEBL record for most steals in a single season, all while doing it despite missing numerous games and having multiple matches to spare in the regular season. The 24-year-old finished the season with 57 steals, giving him an average of three per game.

Jameer Nelson Jr. is guarded by Niagara’s Kimbal MacKenzie during August 10th’s season final at the Scotiabank Saddledome / Photo via CEBL

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Nelson Jr. will likely be tasked with containing Sean East II in the West Play-In game, which will be a huge benefit for Calgary. While he’s been a prominent scorer for the Surge lately, I hope they will put his effort towards defence in this game.

Thursday’s playoff game will be the first time that the Surge will have both Jameer Nelson Jr. and Evan Gilyard II in their arsenal against Edmonton. This is probably the biggest reason I feel the Surge can topple their provincial foes.

Gilyard II had proved to be an elite scorer, despite his size. In his CEBL debut, the Chicago product had 25 points. A few days later, he broke the franchise record for points scored in a single game with 37 in front of a rowdy crowd during the Calgary Stampede at the Scotiabank Saddledome. Gilyard II’s introduction the the Surge showed that he is a main piece of the team.

Although Gilyard II took over Nelson Jr.’s starting point guard role, the two paired up in the backcourt when the latter returned from NBA Summer League. While I was skeptical at first, the fit has been seamless.

Jameer Nelson Jr.’s defence is the big X-Factor for me against Edmonton and it’s why I think the Surge will beat the Stingers. Sean East II could take that and flip it on its head, making me eat my words but we’ll have to see who steps up in playoff time.

As I mentioned before, Greg Brown III's rim protection earned him a DPOY nomination. He’ll match up well against Keon Ambrose-Hylton—two athletic forwards who play above the rim.

While I like the individuals on Calgary for their defence, their interior defence can be a little slow and sloppy. Often caught out of rotation, the Surge can be exposed when they are leaking a little too obviously for a fast break. That’s more of a coaching factor, which I hope Surge bench boss Kaleb Canales can address.

Need Canadians to produce

A significant part of success in the CEBL is having Canadian players who can make a meaningful impact on your team. In this league, at least two Canadians must be on the court at all times and 60% of the active roster must be Canadian. Having solid Canadians is vital to being a prosperous team in this league.

Sean “Rugzy” Miller-Moore goes up for a floater against the Saskatchewan Rattlers / Photo via CEBL

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Sean “Rugzy” Miller-Moore was just nominated for Canadian Player of the Year after having a career year. He’s a fan favourite in Calgary, for good reason. The Bramptonian versatile player and very important to the Surge’s success. However, Rugzy’s can rely a lot on the fastbreak. He is an elite athlete and has a lot of success when running the floor and playing above the rim. Sometimes, when the Surge are playing in the half-court, his offensive game can get stalled, resulting in inefficiency. Although I hoped Rugzy would continue to improve his shooting this year, he is still wildly inconsistent. He shot 26.8% from beyond the arc, which is just not good enough to make defences respect him. But if Calgary can keep prioritizing their fast-paced style of play, I think Miller-Moore will have success and score 20+.

The player I have not been able to figure out this year is Canadian forward Gabe Osabuohien. The Toronto native is one of the best playmaking forwards in the league and is a superb rebounder. But when he is passing and grabbing balls off the glass, he chooses not to score. This was illustrated on July 31 against Scarborough when he had two points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. A double-double with boards and assists!

Osabuohien's lack of production in points is not something to be concerned about. Scoring is not his game. He loves play-making from the high post. Watch him against the Stingers on Thursday; he loves the little back-door pass to the man cutting to the basket. It works a lot of the time, but sometimes the defence can read it really easily and it looks like he’s forcing it. Osabuohien is a huge part of the Surge’s success on offence and has quick hands on defence. Watch out for him to make an impact in the playoffs.

On the bench, Calgary will hope they’ll get a carryover of late-season success from Olumide Adelodun, Javonté Brown and Khyri Thomas.

Adelodun and Thomas are such similar players and offer the Surge timely scoring. Adelodun, a Calgary native, has been the Surge’s most consistent three-point shooter, which is an area they’ve struggled especially compared to last season.

Javonté Brown had his best game with the Surge in their season finale against the River Lions, where he had a double-double and scored the target score winner in a prominent role with the regular starters resting. Brown has a lot of potential to make an impact. His length and footwork make him a force in the paint but his poor hands hold him back from being reliable. At the Saddledome, he was living up to the potential that he brings. Hopefully, he can carry that over into the playoffs.

Another Battle of Alberta playoff game awaits

Surge and Stingers fans have been spoiled with three straight playoff games. I think this year’s edition will be the tightest yet. Even though the Surge are narrowly favoured, Edmonton has no reason not to steal it from Calgary.

The league’s top team, the Vancouver Bandits, await the winner at the West Semi-Final on August 16.

Tonight’s Battle of Alberta tips off at 7:30 p.m. MT from WinSport in Calgary.