WHL Calgary Hitmen

Calgary Hitmen Game Preview - Sunday, January 26 vs. Red Deer

January 26, 2020 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Calgary Hitmen News Release


CALGARY HITMEN (24-15-4-1, 53 pts.) vs. RED DEER REBELS (15-24-2-3, 35 pts.)

Sunday, January 26, 2020 - 2:00 p.m. MT - Scotiabank Saddledome

TODAY'S GAME

The Calgary Hitmen open a five-game homestand this afternoon in a rematch with the Red Deer Rebels. Game time is 2:00 p.m. at Scotiabank Saddledome. It's Sunday Funday presented by Ricky's All Day Grill featuring face painters, concourse activities and giveaways. Following the game fans are invited to take part in 'Dodge Skate with the Hitmen', a 90-minute skate featuring 45 minutes with Hitmen players. Sunday Funday pricing sees a $9.99 ticket for kids 12 and under and a $15.99 ticket for adults (plus applicable fees and taxes). Last night the Hitmen skated to a 5-2 victory in Red Deer. Mark Kastelic and Riley Stotts both scored twice and added an assist to lead the charge. Josh Prokop also found the back of the net for the Hitmen who built period leads of 1-0 and 3-0 while Jett Woo and Jackson van de Leest both added a pair of assists. The Rebels goals came from Ben King and Jace Isley. The Hitmen outshot Red Deer 30-22 as Brayden Peters made 20 saves in the Hitmen net to pick up the win while Ethan Anders turned away 25 shots for the Rebels. On the special teams front, the Hitmen went 1-3 on the power play and killed all four Rebels chances. Calgary holds the first Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference with 53 points while the Rebels trail Saskatoon for the second Wild Card spot by 14 points.

BROADCAST INFORMATION

Radio: Sportsnet 960-The Fan

Webcast: WHL Live at whllive.com

ATTACHMENT: Media Kit

STREAKS

- Mark Kastelic (2g, 2a), Jett Woo (3a), Jackson van de Leest (3a) and Orca Wiesblatt (1g, 1a) all have points in back-to-back games.

- Goaltender Brayden Peters is 5-2 in his last seven appearances with a 1.86 goals against average and .927 save percentage.

- Riley Fiddler-Schultz (1g, 1a) saw his two-game point streak snapped last night in Red Deer.

NOTEWORTHY

VS. RED DEER: Today is the fourth of eight regular season meetings between the two clubs. The road team is a perfect 3-0. Riley Stotts (6g, 1a) leads the Hitmen attack against their Central Division rivals with seven points. Mark Kastelic (2g, 2a) is next with four. Cameron Hausinger (1g, 1a) and the departed Dawson Barteaux (1g, 1a) and Brett Davis (2a) are the top-performers for the Rebels with two points each. Calgary is 6-4-2-0 in their last 12 home games against 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.

Jan. 25/20 in RD: CGY 5 RD 2...The Hitmen built a 4-0 third period lead.

INSIDE THE SERIES

Shots on Goal: CGY 94 RD 63 Power Plays: CGY 3-9 (33.3%) RD 1-16 (6.3%)

ALUMNUS OF THE GAME: This 25h anniversary season, the Hitmen in partnership with Adrenalin Source for Sports, are honouring an alumnus at each home game. Today's alumnus, Brad Mehalko spent one season with the Hitmen in 1997-98 helping the franchise to their first post-season berth. He tallied 75 points (26g, 49a) in 55 regular season games and added another 15 points (5g, 10a) in 17 playoff contacts as the Hitmen advanced all the way to the Eastern Conference Final.

FAST FACTS: Today is the second game in a stretch of three games in eight days and four in 15 days between the Hitmen and Rebels. The Hitmen are 12-9-3-0 against the Central Division ...January is the busiest month of the season for Calgary with 14 games.

ROAD TRIP RECAP: Calgary went 3-2 on their recent road trip which ended last night in Red Deer, outshooting their opponents by a combined 176-126 with the overall score tied 15-15. Ten different players found the scoresheet with Riley Stotts (4g, 2a) producing a team-leading six points. Josh Prokop (2g, 3a) and Carson Focht (3g, 2a) were next with five each while Mark Kastelic (2g, 2a), Orca Wiesblatt (1g, 3a) and Jett Woo (4a) recorded four points.

POST-GAME AUTOGRAPHS: Meet forward Blake Allan after today's game. Allan will be signing autographs at the Hitmen Booster Club table located behind section 212.

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 12-7-1-1 at home, grabbing points in nine of their last 12 games while posting a 7-3-1-1 record at the 'Dome. Red Deer is 8-13-1-0 on the road having last played in an enemy building on Jan. 17 where they dropped a 4-3 overtime decision in Lethbridge.

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: 116

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 (7-4-0-0).

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 ALUMNUS: Nick Schneider, who played the 2017-18 season with the Hitmen, has split this season between the AHL's Stockton Heat and ECHL's Kansas City Mavericks. The 22-year-old Calgary Flames prospect is 9-13-2 with a 3.52 goals against average and .878 save percentage with the Mavericks while posting a 1.38 goals against average and .938 save percentage in 43 minutes with the Heat.

IN THE COMMUNITY: On Wednesday the Hitmen participated 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. They helped with on-ice drills and then signed autographs

UPCOMING GAMES

All times MT. Schedule subject to change.

Date Opponent Time Broadcast

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

Sat., Feb. 8 at RD 7:00 PM Sportsnet.ca/960 (Alt Stream)

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's two goals last night in Red Deer moved him past Brandon Segal and into fourth place on the clubs all-time goal scoring list with 111. He is now five points back of Ryan Getzlaf for 10th spot on the clubs all-time points list.

- Riley Stotts is four 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.

Check out the Calgary Hitmen Statistics



Western Hockey League Stories from January 26, 2020


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