Calgary Hitmen Game Preview - Tuesday, October 23 at Red Deer
Published on October 23, 2018 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Calgary Hitmen News Release
CALGARY HITMEN (4-6-2-0, 10 pts.) at RED DEER REBELS (7-3-1-0, 15 pts.) Tuesday - 7:00 p.m. MT - ENMAX Centrium
TODAY'S GAME
The Calgary Hitmen, winners of a season high three in a row, wrap up a five-game road trip tonight in Red Deer against the Rebels. The Hitmen are 3-1 on the swing following Saturday's 4-3 overtime victory in Brandon. Mark Kastelic scored the game winner on a power play 45 seconds into the extra session. Kastelic's marker was not only his team-leading 10th goal of the season in 12 games but also his second goal of the night. Luke Prokop, with his first career Western Hockey League goal, and Luke Coleman also scored for the Hitmen who built period leads of 2-0 and 2-1. Connor Gutenberg, Baron Thompson and Chad Nychuk replied for the Wheat Kings. The Hitmen, who went 3-4 on the power play and killed their lone shorthanded situation, outshot Brandon 33-31.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Radio: Sportsnet.ca/960 (Alt Stream)
Webcast: WHL Live at whl.neulion.com
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STREAKS
- Mark Kastelic (7g, 6a) is riding a career high six-game point streak.
- Josh Prokop (3g, 2a) and Carson Focht (1g, 4a) both have points in three straight games.
- Egor Zamula (3a) and Jake Kryski (1g, 1a) have points in back-to-back games while goalie Carl Stankowski has won back-to-back starts.
- Luke Coleman (2g, 2a) has points in four of his last five games.
NOTEWORTHY VS. RED DEER: Tonight is the third of eight regular season meetings between the Hitmen and Rebels. Red Deer has won both games by a combined score of 10-8. Mark Kastelic (2g, 1a) is Calgary's top performer in the season series with three points while Zach Huber (2g) is next with two. Brandon Hagel (2g, 5a) leads the Rebels with seven points. Jeff de Witt (3g, 1a) and Dawson Barteaux (4a) are next with four points each. The two teams will meet again in just over a week on Saturday, Nov. 3 at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
2018-19 SERIES RECAP Sept. 28/18 at RD: RD 4 CGY 3...Brandon Hagel (1g, 2a) led the Rebels scoring attack. Sept. 30/18 vs. RD: RD 6 CGY 5 OT...The Rebels erased a 5-3 deficit with two goals in the final 4:18.
INSIDE THE SERIES Shots on Goal: CGY 82 RD 58 Power Plays: CGY 0-7 (0%) RD 3-11 (27.3%)
HEATING UP: Calgary is on a three-game winning streak and has posted a 4-1-1-0 record in their last six games.
WHL HONOURS: Hitmen captain Mark Kastelic has been named the WHL On the Run Player of the Week for the week ending Oct 21. Kastelic recorded eight points (5g, 3a) and a plus-two rating in four games during a road trip through the East Division, highlighted by a pair of multi-goal performances. Originally selected in the second round, 41st overall, by the Hitmen in the 2014 WHL Bantam Draft, the 19-year-old has led the Hitmen this season with 17 points (10g, 7a) in 12 games, including five power-play markers, one short-handed goal, and two game-winning goals. Kastelic presently sits in a tie for 14th in WHL scoring and is third in the league in goals.
NHL WATCH: On Oct. 1, 110 players from the Canadian Hockey League were listed among NHL Central Scouting's October 'Players to Watch' list for the 2019 NHL Draft. Among them was Hitmen defenceman Jackson van de Leest who received a "C rating' which indicates fourth/fifth/sixth round candidate. The second year Hitmen blueliner was Calgary's first-round pick, 16th overall, in the 2016 Western Hockey League Bantam Draft.
WORLD STAGE: Luke Prokop has been selected to play for Hockey Canada at the 2018 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge. The eight-team tournament will take place from Nov. 3-10 in Saint John and Quispamsis, N.B. The 16-year-old will become the 28th player in franchise history to participate in the tournament joining fellow teammates Jackson van de Leest (2017), Carson Focht (2016), Jake Kryski (2014), Tristen Nielsen (2016), Carl Stankowski (2016) and Riley Stotts (2016) who have also played in the international event. Focht and Nielsen won gold with Canada White while van de Leest helped Canada Red capture silver.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: Defenceman Dakota Krebs is in his second season with the Hitmen after being acquired from the Tri-City Americans on Jan. 6, 2018. The 19-year-old product of Okotoks, AB is the oldest of three brothers with WHL ties as Peyton plays for Kootenay and Dru was drafted in May of 2018 by Medicine Hat.
PROSPECT WATCH: James Gibson, Calgary's fourth-round pick, 71st overall, in the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft is off to a hot start this season. The 15-year-old is playing in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League with the OHA Edmonton Elite 15's. In 11 games Gibson has 21 points (15g, 6a) to lead his team in scoring.
CORRAL SERIES: The Hitmen will play a trio of regular season games this season at the historic Stampede Corral. "The Corral Series" presented by Adrenalin Source for Sports, will see the Hitmen host the Brandon Wheat Kings on Friday, Feb. 1, the Regina Pats on Wednesday, Feb. 6 and the Prince Albert Raiders on Friday, Feb. 8. All will be 7:00 p.m. starts in the vintage building that first opened on Dec. 15, 1950 and was the original home of the Calgary Flames from 1980-83. Each game will be dedicated to a former elite team who once called the Stampede Corral home by wearing commemorative jerseys of the Calgary Centennials, Calgary Wranglers and Calgary Cowboys. The series will feature a number of exciting events including an opening night pre-game celebration and beer gardens, a luncheon, merchandise and other activities that will make this a week to remember. Tickets go on sale Nov. 26.
RECENT MOVES: On Oct. 6 the Hitmen acquired a fourth-round selection in the 2019 WHL Bantam Draft and a conditional fifth-round pick in 2020 from the Tri-City Americans in exchange for defencemen Dom Schmiemann. On Oct. 4 the Hitmen reassigned goaltender Matthew Armitage and forward Orca Wiesblatt. Armitage, a 19-year-old from Creston, BC, played 20 games for the Hitmen during the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons while Wiesblatt, an 18-year-old Calgary product, played in 51 contests with the Hitmen during that same time. On Sept. 27 the Hitmen acquired 20-year-old forward Kaden Elder from the Swift Current Broncos in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2019 Western Hockey League Bantam Draft. On Sept. 26 Calgary added Josh Prokop to the roster. He had started the season in the BCHL with the Vernon Vipers. The Hitmen acquired the rights to Prokop last season in a trade with the Swift Current Broncos.
HITMEN IN THE NHL: Nine graduates of the Calgary Hitmen are in the National Hockey League this season. They include: Ryan Getzlaf (ANA), Michael Stone (CGY), Victor Rask (CAR), Karl Alzner (MTL), Andrew Ladd (NYI), Johnny Boychuk (NYI), Travis Sanheim (PHI), Martin Jones (SJS), and Jake Virtanen (VAN).
HITMEN GO GREEN: On Sept. 26, National Tree Day, the Calgary Hitmen announced their participation in an environmental initiative called One Ticket, One Tree. The Hitmen will begin a pilot project where a tree will be planted for reforestation projects in the province for each game day and group ticket sold to the One Ticket, One Tree game when they host the Oil Kings on Mar. 8 at 7:00 p.m. In addition, Hitmen players will be in the community this season doing their part to reduce their ecological footprint and bring awareness to local environmental issues.
HITMEN VS: (BDN 1-0), (EDM 0-1), (EVT 0-0), (KAM 0-0), (KEL 0-0), (KTN 0-1), (LET 1-0), (MH 0-0), (MJ 1-0), (POR 0-0), (PA 0-2), (PG 0-0), (RD 0-1-1-0), (REG 0-0-1-0), (SAS 1-1), (SEA 0-0), (SPO 0-0), (SC 0-0), (TC 0-0), (VAN 0-0), (VIC 0-0).
TICKET SPECIALS: The 2018-19 Hitmen Hockey Pass is on sale and includes 34 game tickets to be used anytime, in any combination. Pass holders also receive a $50 Scotiabank Saddledome gift card and a complimentary ticket to a select Flames, Roughnecks or Stampeders game. Passes start at less than $7 per ticket for kids and under $15 for adults. Also available is the 10-game Hitmen Flex Pack to be used for any game, in any combination. Students and kids tickets are $10 per game, adults and seniors $20. Applicable fees and taxes apply. Visit HitmenHockey.com to score yours today! ROUGHNECKS NIGHT: The Hitmen invite fans to Come for the Party, Stay for the Hitmen game when Calgary hosts the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Friday, Oct. 26. It's Roughnecks Night at the Scotiabank Saddledome. The night will feature the same Hitmen hockey but with Roughnecks in-game entertainment, chants and giveaways! This includes music throughout the game; something that has never been done before in the Western Hockey League. The Roughnecks professional dance team Drill Crew and mascot Howie the Honey Badger will be in attendance and the Hitmen will use the "Necks goal song. The party kicks off with a Roughnecks style Happy Hour from 5:30 p.m. until the opening face-off at 7:00 p.m. Happy Hour includes: - $5 14 oz. Bud or Bud Lite, 1 oz. Highball, OR 6 oz. House Wine - $5 Cheeseburger, Mini Mac & Cheese, Pop & Hot Dog Combo, OR a Pizza Slice
UPCOMING GAMES All times in MT. Schedule subject to change. DATE
OPPONENT TIME BROADCAST
Oct. 26 vs. Lethbridge 7:00 p.m. Sportsnet 960-The Fan
Oct. 28 vs. Saskatoon 4:00 p.m. Sportsnet 960-The Fan
Nov. 2 vs. Medicine Hat 7:00 p.m. Sportsnet 960-The Fan
Nov. 3 vs. Red Deer 1:30 p.m. Sportsnet 960-The Fan
Nov. 4 at Medicine Hat 6:00 p.m. Sportsnet 960-The Fan
PROMO CALENDAR
- Roughnecks Night on Oct. 26 vs. LET - Hometown Heroes and Sunday Funday on Oct. 28 vs. SAS
- Diwali Celebration on Nov. 3 vs. RD
- The Brick Teddy Bear Toss on Dec. 9 vs. KAM
- Carols for Christmas on Dec. 14 vs. KEL
- Novice Jamboree on Dec. 16 vs. LET
- Soccer Day on Dec. 30 vs. VAN
- Airdrie Day on Jan. 1 vs. VIC
- Wizarding Day on Jan. 5 vs. MH
- CBE Night on Jan. 25 vs. PG
- Dodge Skate with the Hitmen on Jan. 27 vs. KTN - The Corral Series - Presented by Adrenalin Source for Sports on Feb.1 vs. BDN, Feb. 6 vs. REG and Feb. 8 vs. PA. Tickets on sale starting Nov. 26 - Family Game on Feb. 10 vs. MJ
- Lunar Celebration/Calgary Catholic on Feb. 15 vs. MH - TELUS BE BRAVE on Feb. 27 vs. SC - Multicultural Night on Mar. 1 vs. BDN - WHL Suits up with Don Cherry to Promote Organ Donation - Presented by RE/MAX on Mar. 3 vs. KTN - One Ticket, One Tree on Mar. 8 vs. EDM - Fan Appreciation on Mar. 17 vs. EDM
MILESTONE WATCH
- Carson Focht needs two points for 50.
- Ryder Korczak picked up an assist last Friday in Moose Jaw for his first-career WHL point while Devan Klassen grabbed his first-career WHL point with an assist Oct. 17 in Saskatoon.
- Mark Kastelic eclipsed the 100 career point total Oct. 16 in Prince Albert.
Western Hockey League Stories from October 23, 2018
- Alexeyev Scores Twice as Red Deer downs Hitmen - Calgary Hitmen
- Pats to Host Breast Cancer Awareness Night Sunday - Regina Pats
- Anderson-Dolan and Smith Named Co-Captains for 2018-19 Season - Spokane Chiefs
- Eight T-Birds Games to be Broadcast on JOEtv this Season - Seattle Thunderbirds
- Calgary Hitmen Game Preview - Tuesday, October 23 at Red Deer - Calgary Hitmen
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