WHL Calgary Hitmen

Calgary Hitmen Game Preview - Wednesday, January 29 vs. Winnipeg

Published on January 29, 2020 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Calgary Hitmen News Release


CALGARY HITMEN (25-15-4-1, 55 pts.) vs. WINNIPEG ICE (29-16-1-0, 59 pts.)

Wednesday, January 29, 2020 - 7:00 p.m. MT - Scotiabank Saddledome

TODAY'S GAME

The Calgary Hitmen, winners of three in a row, host the Winnipeg ICE (29-16-1-0) tonight in a 7:00 p.m. start at Scotiabank Saddledome. It is Obscure Jersey Night were fans are asked to wear their most obscure jersey for the chance to win a number of great prizes;

- 1st prize - Special personally autographed Brent Krahn jersey and a $150 FanAttic C of Red Gift Card.

- 1st Runner Up and 2nd Runners Up - Limited edition autographed Bret 'The Hitman' Hart T-shirt and $50 C of Red Card.

Tonight against the ICE is also RE/MAX Chuck-A-Puck where four lucky participants will win a hot air balloon ride courtesy of RE/MAX. The Hitmen are coming off a home-and-home sweep of Red Deer which culminated with a 5-2 win at the 'Dome on Sunday. Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Riley Stotts led the way with a goal and an assist. The 19-year-old now has 10 points (7g, 3a) in four games against the Rebels this season. Dakota Krebs, Riley Fiddler-Schultz, Orca Wiesblatt and Josh Prokop also scored for the home side with Mark Kastelic and Jett Woo both providing two assists. The Hitmen outshot Red Deer 30-25 to improve to 3-0-1 against their Central Division rivals. Rookie goaltender Brayden Peters made 23 saves in the Hitmen net to pick up the win while Byron Fancy and Ethan Anders combined to make 25 stops for the Rebels. The Hitmen holds the first Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference with 53 points while the ICE lead the East Division with 59 points.

BROADCAST INFORMATION

Radio: Sportsnet.ca/960 (Alt Stream)

Webcast: WHL Live at whllive.com

ATTACHED: Media Kit

STREAKS

- Orca Wiesblatt (2g, 2a) is on a four-game point streak.

- Mark Kastelic (2g, 4a) and Jackson van de Leest (3a) are both on three-game streaks.

- Riley Stotts (3g, 3a), Jett Woo (5a) and Josh Prokop (2g, 1a) all have points in back-to-back games.

- Goaltender Brayden Peters is 6-2 in his last eight starts with a 1.88 goals against average and .926 save percentage.

NOTEWORTHY

VS. WINNIPEG: Tonight is the third of four regular season meetings between the two Eastern Conference rivals after they split back-to-back meetings in Winnipeg earlier this month. Riley Stotts (2g), Riley Fiddler-Schultz (1g, 1a), Carson Focht (1g, 1a) and Orca Wiesblatt (1g, 1a) all have two points each against the ICE this season. Isaac Johnson (1g, 3a) is the top-performer for Winnipeg with four points while Peyton Krebs (2g, 1a) and Owen Pederson (3a) have three each. Their final meeting is Thursday, Feb. 27 once again in Calgary for the TELUS BE BRAVE #EndBullying Game.

2019-20 SERIES RECAP

Jan. 18/20 at WPG: WPG 5 CGY 2...The ICE built a 5-0 second period lead.

Jan. 19/20 at WPG: CGY 3 ICE 2...Carson Focht led the Hitmen with 1g, 1a.

INSIDE THE SERIES

Shots on Goal: CGY 59 WPG 51 Power Plays: CGY 1-4 (25%) WPG 4-9 (44.4%)

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, Brent Krahn spent four seasons with the Hitmen as a goaltender from 1999 to 2003. He is fourth all-time in Hitmen regular season wins (74) and saves (2,912) and is fifth in shutouts (7).

FAST FACTS: Tonight begins a busy stretch of three games in four days for the Hitmen...Calgary is 11-4-1-0 against the East Division...January is the busiest month of the season for Calgary with 14 games...

POST-GAME AUTOGRAPHS: Meet forward Cael Zimmerman after today's game. Zimmerman 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 13-7-1-1 at home, grabbing points in 10 of their last 13 games while posting an 8-3-1-1 record at the 'Dome. Winnipeg is 11-8-1-0 on the road and coming off a nine game homestand. Their last trip into an enemy building happened on New Year's Day in Saskatoon where they posted a 6-1 victory.

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: 119

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 (8-4-0-0).

HITMEN ALUMNUS: Pavel Padakin, who played parts of three seasons in Calgary from 2012-13 to 2014-15, is in the KHL with Nizhnekamsk Neftekhimik. In 33 games, the 25-year-old forward has 13 points (3g, 10a). While with the Hitmen, Padakin tallied 93 points (50g, 43a) in 137 games which included a pair of ENMAX Teddy Bear Toss markers.

IN THE COMMUNITY: On Tuesday, Hitmen players Tyson Galloway, Devan Klassen, Brayden Peters and Evan Toth all attended the Calgary Zoo for a promotional photo shoot. They are serving as Zoo ambassadors asking people to recycle their old cell phones at the Calgary Zoo in an effort to help preserve gorilla habitat in the wild. Check the Zoo website for more information or contact cellphones@calgaryzoo.com

ONE YEAR AGO: Last year on this day, Calgary skated to a 5-2 win in Regina. Carson Focht and Mark Kastelic both scored twice while Kaden Elder added three assists.

PROSPECT PROFILE: The Hitmen selected Grayden Siepmann the first round, 13th overall, in the 2019 WHL Bantam Draft. Siepmann is a 5'10", 167-pound defenceman from Abbotsford, BC. This season the 15-year-old has advanced to Midget Prep with Yale Hockey Academy. In 19 games he has 10 points (2g, 8a).

UPCOMING GAMES

All times MT. Schedule subject to change.

Date Opponent Time Broadcast

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)

Sun., Feb. 9 vs. LET 4:00 PM Sportsnet 960-The Fan

PROMO CALENDAR

Hitmen single game tickets are on sale at all Ticketmaster locations. Upcoming home game highlights include:

- 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.

- '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 three points behind Ryan Getzlaf for 10th spot on the clubs all-time points list. Getzlaf tallied 215. Kastelic eclipsed 100 career assists on Sunday against Red Deer.

- Riley Stotts is two 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

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Western Hockey League Stories from January 29, 2020


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