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WHL Calgary Hitmen

Calgary Hitmen Game Preview - Saturday, January 18 at Winnipeg

January 18, 2020 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Calgary Hitmen News Release


CALGARY HITMEN (22-14-4-1, 49 pts.) at WINNIPEG ICE (26-15-1-0, 53 pts.)

Saturday, January 18, 2020 - 6:30 p.m. MT - Wayne Fleming Arena

TODAY'S GAME

The Calgary Hitmen play Game 3 of a five-game road trip tonight in Winnipeg against the ICE. Calgary is 1-1 on the swing which opened with a 4-3 shootout victory in Swift Current on Wednesday followed by last night's 3-1 setback in Brandon. The Wheat Kings did the bulk of their damage in the first period on goals from Duncan Pierce just 1:43 into the opening frame and Jake Chiasson at 19:38 on the power play. Both goaltenders were terrific as Brayden Peters made 31 saves in the Hitmen net and Jiri Patera 30 stops in the Wheat Kings goal. Josh Prokop cut the Brandon lead to 2-1 with less than four minutes remaining but Neithan Salame erased any thoughts of a Calgary comeback when he scored into any empty net in the final minute. Brandon finished the game 1-6 on the power play while the Hitmen went 0-1. The Hitmen hold the first Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference with 49 points while the ICE are tied for the East Division lead with Prince Albert at 53 points.

BROADCAST INFORMATION

Radio: Sportsnet 960-The Fan

Webcast: WHL Live at whllive.com

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STREAKS

- Carson Focht (2g, 1a) and Josh Prokop (3a) are both riding two-game point streaks while Prokop has points in four of his last five games (2g, 4a).

- Jett Woo (1g, 8a) has points in eight of his last night games.

- Orca Wiesblatt (1g, 1a) saw his two-game point streak end last night in Brandon.

NOTEWORTHY VS. WINNIPEG: Tonight is the first of four regular season meetings between the two Eastern Conference rivals. Last season, when the ICE still played in Cranbrook, the Hitmen went 5-1 against Kootenay. Carson Focht (4g, 6a) led all Calgary skaters with 10 points while James Malm (4g, 4a) picked up eight. Goaltender Jack McNaughton was a perfect 4-0 with a 1.50 goals against average and .939 save percentage. Brad Ginnell (2g, 2a) and Peyton Krebs (1g, 3a) were the top-performers for Kootenay with four points each. In the last five seasons, Calgary is combined 21-4-2-0 against the ICE.

2018-19 SERIES RECAP Sept. 22/18 at KTN: KTN 5 CGY 3...After giving up the first goal, Kootenay struck for four straight. Nov. 11/18 in CGY: CGY 7 KTN 3...Carson Focht and James Malm both recorded four points each. Nov. 16/18 at KTN: CGY 5 KTN 0...Jack McNaughton made 19 saves for his first-career shutout. Jan. 27/19 in CGY: CGY 4 ICE 1...Calgary jumped out to a 2-0 lead before the game was seven minutes old. Mar. 2/19 at KTN: CGY 5 ICE 2...The Hitmen snapped a 2-2 tie early in the second period. Mar. 3/19 in CGY: CGY 6 ICE 2...Carson Focht netted a hat-trick while Josh Prokop scored twice.

INSIDE THE SERIES Shots on Goal: CGY 218 KTN 170 Power Plays: CGY 8-21 (38.1%) KTN 5-32 (15.6%)

FAST FACTS: Calgary is 10-3-1-0 against the East Division while Winnipeg is 6-4-0-0 against teams from the Central Division. Calgary's trip beyond 65 minutes in Swift Current on Wednesday was just their second shootout game of the season. Nine of their 11 overtime games have been decided during three-on-three play...The Hitmen are tied for the third fewest games played in the league this season with 41. Edmonton leads the way at 45.

TOP PROSPECTS INVITE: Defenceman Luke Prokop played in Thursday's 2020 Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game in Hamilton becoming the 27th Hitmen player to compete in the event. Jake Bean was the last to appear, suiting up in 2016. Prokop played a regular shift for Team White in their 5-3 victory over Team Red. He finished with one shot on goal and was +1. The game was a showcase for the top CHL players eligible for the upcoming NHL Draft.

HOME AND AWAY COMPARISON: Calgary is 10-7-3-0 on the road, having won two of their last three games away from Scotiabank Saddledome. Winnipeg is 15-7-0-0 at home and riding a two-game winning streak at Wayne Fleming Arena.

DRAFT WATCH: NHL Central Scouting named two Hitmen players to its midterm rankings list ahead of the 2020 NHL Draft. Defenceman Luke Prokop makes the list at number 86 among North American skaters while goaltender Jack McNaughton is ranked 14th among North American goalies.

BROTHER BATTLE: Tonight's game features a head-to-head meeting of Dakota and Peyton Krebs. Dakota, a 20 year-old with Calgary, is in his fifth and final WHL season while Peyton, at 18-years-old, is in his third season with the ICE.

MAYFAIR DIAGNOSTICS INJURY REPORT: Kyle Olson (lower body, week-to-week), Andrew Viggars (upper body, week-to-week), Egor Zamula (upper body, 3-to-4 months). Total man-games lost: 107

MANITOBA CONNECTIONS: Four Hitmen have ties to the province. Assistant Coach Trent Cassan hails from Medora while Riley Stotts, Evan Toth and Jett Woo are all from Winnipeg.

ROSTER MOVES: The WHL Trade Deadline passed on Jan. 10. Calgary acquired a fifth-round pick in the 2021 Western Hockey League Bantam Draft from the Kelowna Rockets in exchange for 18-year-old forward Jonas Peterek. They also recalled 16-year-old defenceman Tyson Galloway from the BCHL's Merritt Centennials and 19-year-old defenceman Andrew Viggars from the BCHL's West Kelowna Warriors. Both players will remain with the team for the remainder of the season. In a separate transaction, 18-year-old forward Tye Carriere was reassigned to Canmore of the AJHL. The Hitmen made a pair of trades Thursday. In the first move, they added 18-year-old forward Conrad Mitchell and a sixth-round pick in the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft in exchange for 18-year-old forward Hunter Campbell. The second deal of the day had Calgary acquire 18-year-old forward Connor Gabruch from the Spokane Chiefs in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft. On Jan. 2, Calgary acquired 20-year-old forward Kyle Olson from the Tri-City Americans in exchange for 20-year-old forward James Malm, a second-round pick in the 2020 Western Hockey League Bantam Draft and a conditional fourth-round pick in 2022.

WORLD JUNIORS: Two members of the Hitmen claimed medals at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship. Assistant and Goaltending Coach Jason LaBarbera won gold with Team Canada as Goaltending Coach while Egor Zamula struck silver with Team Russia becoming the 23rd player in franchise history to play in the prestigious event. Zamula had five points (2g, 3a) in seven games. On Dec. 9, the Hitmen announced Zamula will undergo season ending back surgery, a procedure that includes an expected recovery time of three to four months. The injury is a result of a degenerative condition that intensified at the World Juniors.

HITMEN PLEDGE: 'The Hitmen Pledge powered by ENMAX' is here. As part of the 25th anniversary season fans and members of the community are asked to take the pledge and donate 25 volunteer hours to a charitable cause. One lucky winner will receive $25,000 to gift to a registered Southern Alberta charity of their choice. Full details can be found at https://hitmenhockey.com/pledge.

PROSPECT PROFILE: David Hymovitch, Calgary's fourth-round pick, 69th overall, in the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft started this season in the Tier 1 Elite Hockey League with the Phoenix Jr. Coyotes where he recorded 17 points (2g, 15a) in 14 games. The 16-year-old forward is now with playing Midget with the Phoenix Jr. Coyotes where he has picked up 38 points (6g, 32a) in 35 games.

UPCOMING GAMES All times MT. Schedule subject to change.

Date Opponent Time Broadcast

Sun., Jan. 19 at WPG 6:30 PM Sportsnet 960-The Fan

Sat., Jan. 25 at RD 7:00 PM Sportsnet 960-The Fan

Sun., Jan. 26 vs. RD 2:00 PM Sportsnet 960-The Fan

Wed., Jan. 29 vs. WPG 7:00 PM Sportsnet.ca/960 (Alt Stream)

Fri., Jan. 31 vs. BDN 7:00 PM Sportsnet 960-The Fan

PROMO CALENDAR

Hitmen single game tickets are on sale now at all Ticketmaster locations. Upcoming home game highlights include: - Dodge Skate with the Hitmen on Sun. Jan. 26 vs. RD. It's also Sunday Funday, presented by Ricky's All Day Grill. - Obscure Jersey Night & RE/MAX Chuck-A-Puck on Jan. 29 vs. TC. Four lucky participants will win a hot air balloon ride courtesy of RE/MAX. - CBE Night on Jan. 31 vs. BDN. Game Sponsor: Wawanesa Insurance. - 'Every Child Matters' on Feb. 1 vs. RD presented by Siksika Health Services in partnership with Siksika Child & Family Services and First Nations Health Consortium.

CAREER MILESTONE WATCH - Mark Kastelic is two games shy of 300 and needs three assists for 100. He is also tied with Brandon Segal for 11th place on the clubs all-time points list with 206, nine points behind Ryan Getzlaf who sits 10th. Kastelic is also one goal back of Segal for fourth spot on the clubs all-time goal scoring list. Segal has 110.

- Riley Stotts is five assists away from 100.

- On Wednesday in Swift Current, Jackson van de Leest played career game 150 while Jack McNaughton moved past Nick Schneider and into 10th place on the clubs all-time saves list at 1,653. McNaughton is 81 saves behind Cody Porter for ninth spot.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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