Calgary Hitmen Game Preview - Saturday, January 25 at Red Deer
January 25, 2020 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Calgary Hitmen News Release
CALGARY HITMEN (23-15-4-1, 51 pts.) at RED DEER REBELS (15-23-2-3, 35 pts.)
Saturday, January 25, 2020 - 7:00 p.m. MT - Westerner Park Centrium
TODAY'S GAME
The Calgary Hitmen close out a five-game road trip tonight in Red Deer against the Rebels. Calgary is 2-2 on the swing following last Sunday's 3-2 victory in Winnipeg. Orca Wiesblatt netted the game winner, snapping a 2-2 tie with 6:40 remaining in regulation. Riley Fiddler-Schultz, shorthanded, and Carson Focht on the powerplay also scored for Calgary. Cole Muir and Isaac Johnson replied for the ICE who had their three game winning streak snapped. Calgary outshot Winnipeg 20-19 as rookie goaltender Brayden Peters made 17 saves to pick up the win. The Hitmen hold the first Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference with 51 points while the Rebels trail Saskatoon for the second Wild Card spot by 14 points.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Radio: Sportsnet 960-The Fan beginning with a 60 minute pre-game show at 6:00 p.m.
Webcast: WHL Live at whllive.com
STREAKS
- Riley Fiddler-Schultz (1g, 1a) has points in back-to-back games.
- Jett Woo (2g, 10a) has points in 11 of his last 14 games.
- Carson Focht (6g, 5a) has points in eight of his last 12 games.
- Goaltender Brayden Peters is 4-2 in his last six starts with a 1.84 goals against average and .929 save percentage.
NOTEWORTHY
VS. RED DEER: Tonight is the third of eight regular season meetings between the two clubs. They have spilt their first two games with the road team a perfect 2-0. Riley Stotts (4g) leads the Hitmen attack against their Central Division rivals with four points. Carson Focht (1g, 1a), Riley Fiddler Schultz (2a), Luke Prokop (2a) and Orca Wiesblatt (2a) are all next with two points each. The departed Dawson Barteaux (1g, 1a) and Brett Davis (2a) are the top-performers for the Rebels with two points each. Calgary is 4-6-1-1 in their last 12 visits to Red Deer.
2019-20 SERIES RECAP
Sept. 28/19 in RD: CGY 5 RD 1...Calgary snapped a 1-1 tie 11 minutes into the first period.
Dec. 1/19 in CGY: RD 3 CGY 2 OT... Josh Tarzwell netted the game winner 2:13 into the extra session.
INSIDE THE SERIES
Shots on Goal: CGY 64 RD 41 Power Plays: CGY 2-6 (33.3%) RD 1-12 (8.3%)
INSIDE THE ROAD TRIP: Calgary is 2-2 on their current road trip having outshot their opponents by a combined 146-104 but outscored 13-10. Ten different players have picked up at least a point with Carson Focht (3g, 2a) leading the charge with five points. Riley Stotts (2g, 1a), Josh Prokop (1g, 2a) and Orca Wiesblatt (1g, 2a) are next with three points each. On the special teams front, the Hitmen powerplay is 1-12 while the penalty kill has allowed seven goals on 21 chances with two those goals coming when the Hitmen were down 5-on-3.
FAST FACTS: Tonight kicks off a stretch of three games in eight days and four in 15 days between the Hitmen and Rebels. The Hitmen are 11-9-3-0 against the Central Division...Calgary's highest scoring period this season is the third period (52 goals) while the first period (42 goals) has been their lowest...January is the busiest month of the season for the Hitmen with 14 games.
TOP PROSPECTS REWIND: Defenceman Luke Prokop played in the 2020 Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game on Jan. 16 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 11-8-3-0 on the road while Red Deer is 7-10-1-3 at home and coming off last Saturday's 4-3 shootout win over Prince Albert.
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.
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.
MAYFAIR DIAGNOSTICS INJURY REPORT: Kyle Olson (lower body, week-to-week), Andrew Viggars (upper body, day-to-day), Egor Zamula (upper body, 3-to-4 months). Total man-games lost: 113
HITMEN MONTH-BY-MONTH: September (3-0-1-0), October (5-3-0-0), November (6-4-1-1), December (3-4-2-0), January (6-4-0-0).
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.
ALUMNI REPORT: Jake Kryski, who played parts of three seasons with the Hitmen from 2016-19, is playing U Sports Men's Hockey with the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds. The 21-year-old has 13 points (2g, 11a) in 21 games. Kryski notched 119 points (42g, 77a) in 146 career games in Calgary.
PROSPECT PROFILE: Rory Neill, Calgary's third round pick, 62nd overall, in the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft is in the Manitoba Midget Hockey League with the Winnipeg Wild. The 16-year-old defenceman is having an excellent season with 40 points (8g, 32a) in 25 games.
IN THE COMMUNITY: On Wednesday the Hitmen took part in a pair of community events. During the day Carson Focht and Jett Woo volunteered for a Hockey Gives Blood promo shoot. The video will be released later this year on social media. During the evening Jackson van de Leest and Andrew Viggars both took part in a Siksika Minor Hockey Association mega practice involving close to 100 kids. The Hitmen defencemen helped with on-ice drills and then signed autographs.
UPCOMING GAMES
All times MT. Schedule subject to change.
Date Opponent Time Broadcast
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
Sat., Feb. 1 vs. RD 1:30 PM Sportsnet 960-The Fan
Fri., Feb. 7 vs. PA 7:00 PM Sportsnet 960-The Fan
PROMO CALENDAR
Hitmen single game tickets are on sale 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 with prizes for the most obscure & RE/MAX Chuck-A-Puck on Jan. 29 vs. WPG. 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, who played career game 300 in Winnipeg last Sunday, needs two assists for 100. He is 11th on the clubs all-time points list with 207, eight 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.
- Jack McNaughton is 54 saves behind Cody Porter for ninth place on the clubs all-time saves list. Porter has 1,734.
Western Hockey League Stories from January 25, 2020
- T-Birds Fall to Winterhawks in Shootout - Seattle Thunderbirds
- Raiders Fall In Shootout to Tigers - Prince Albert Raiders
- Portland Pots Six in Shootout Win against Seattle - Portland Winterhawks
- ICE Score 5 Unanswered Goals to Beat the Royals - Winnipeg Ice
- Royals Slip against Ice - Victoria Royals
- Kastelic and Stotts Pace Hitmen over Rebels 5-2 - Calgary Hitmen
- Warriors Out-Shoot Broncos But Fall at Mosaic Place - Moose Jaw Warriors
- Comeback Kings Rally for 3-2 Road Win over Blades - Edmonton Oil Kings
- Game Day Hub: January 25 - Portland Winterhawks
- Gameday Hub: January 25th - Saskatoon Blades
- ICE Look to Regain 1st in the East Division. - Winnipeg Ice
- Game 46 at Prince Albert - Medicine Hat Tigers
- Calgary Hitmen Game Preview - Saturday, January 25 at Red Deer - Calgary Hitmen
- Young Americans Team Falls 8-2 in Portland - Tri-City Americans
- Rockets snap losing streak - Kelowna Rockets
- Robins, Crnkovic Shine as Blades Top Tigers 6-5 in Thriller - Saskatoon Blades
- A Proud Performance from Portland - Portland Winterhawks
- Blazers Blank Cougars 3-0 - Prince George Cougars
- Rockets Slip Past T-Birds in Overtime - Seattle Thunderbirds
- Royals Doubled up by Wheat Kings - Victoria Royals
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.
