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WHL Medicine Hat Tigers

Game Preview: Game 35 vs Lethbridge Hurricanes

December 28, 2024 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Medicine Hat Tigers News Release


Tonight's Matchup: Tonight's matchup is the fifth of eight matchups this season between the Medicine Hat Tigers and the Lethbridge Hurricanes. The Tigers and Hurricanes meet for the third straight time, continuing a heated series between the two rivals. The Tigers have taken one of the last two matchups but remain 1-4 against the Hurricanes this season. With both teams familiar and tensions high, Medicine Hat will look to tilt the balance in their favour as they hit the ice once again following the holiday break.

2024 Season Series:

Medicine Hat 6 @ Lethbridge 7 (Nov. 06, 2024)

Medicine Hat 3 @ Lethbridge 4 (Dec. 06, 2024)

Lethbridge 2 @ Medicine Hat 3 (Dec. 14, 2024)

Medicine Hat 1 @ Lethbridge 4 (Dec 15, 2024)

Last Game: The Medicine Hat Tigers brought energy and determination to Lethbridge, pushing back after an early Hurricanes lead. They narrowed the gap to 2-1 and applied steady pressure, testing the Hurricanes' goaltending and defence. Despite their best efforts and several quality chances, the Tigers ultimately fell short in a 4-1 loss.

2024-25 Standings:

19-14-1-0 Central Div. - 1st Eastern Con. - 1st Home (12-5-1-0) Away (7-9-0-0)

2024-25 Tigers Statistical Leaders:

Skater Stats Goalie Stats

Goals - Hunter St. Martin (22) Wins - Jordan Switzer (11)

Assists - Gavin McKenna (41) Save % - Harrison Meneghin (.891)

Points - Gavin McKenna (60) GAA - Harrison Meneghin (2.93)

PIMs - Oasiz Wiesblatt (78) Shutouts - Harrison Meneghin (1)

Plus/Minus - Gavin McKenna (+24)

Special Teams:

Power Play: 31 - 134 - 23.1%

Penalty Kill: 109 - 144 - 75.7%

Recent Transactions: The Tigers traded Matt Paranych to the Regina Pats in exchange for a 2025 3rd Round Pick and a 2028 4th Round Pick. The Tigers have most recently called up three players from SAHA, including Riley Steen, Luke Ruptash and Brayden Ryan-MacKay on December 28.

Real Recognize Real:

Bryce Pickford and Gavin McKenna were both named to the CHL's Team of the Month for November. Pickford currently leads the league in goals by a defenceman with 13, while sitting tied for second in points by a defenceman with 33. McKenna is the WHL's league leader in points with 60 and has been on a tear all season.

Picking It Up:

The offseason addition of Bryce Pickford from the Seattle Thunderbirds has been gold for the Medicine Hat Tigers. Pickford currently sits at 33 points through 28 games with Medicine Hat this season, placing him tied for second in points by a defenceman and first in goals by a defenceman with 13. Pickford was also named to the CHL's Team Of The Month for November, showcasing his importance to the Tigers lineup. Pickford's 33 points through 28 games shows significant growth from the 18-year-old having only posted 34 points through his previous 121 games with Seattle.

McKenna Magic: Tigers phenom Gavin McKenna headed to Ottawa for Team Canada's World Jr. Camp on December 10. The 17-year-old was the only player selected to the camp who wasn't draft-eligible until the 2026 NHL draft. McKenna currently leads the league in points with 60 through 30 games and is riding a 14-game point streak posting 31 points during his run. McKenna looks to continue his success at the World Jr. Championships and display his excellence to all of the hockey world. On December 13, McKenna was officially named to the squad.

Roaring Runs:

Player Name Streak

Gavin McKenna 14 Game Point Streak - (31 Points)

League Leaders:

Stat Categories Player (Rank)

Points Gavin McKenna - 60 Points (1st)

Points (Defencemen) Bryce Pickford - 33 Points (3rd)

Goals Hunter St. Martin - 22 Goals (Tied 7th)

Goals (Defencemen) Bryce Pickford - 13 Goals (1st)

Assists Gavin McKenna - 41 Assists (1st)

Short Handed Goals Hunter St. Martin - 4 SHG (Tied 1st)

Power Play Assists Gavin McKenna - 14 PPA (6th)

Game Winning Goals Hunter St. Martin / Oasiz Weisblatt - 4 GWG (Tied 5th)

Roster Makeup: 26 players on the roster - 3 Goaltenders - 7 Defencemen - 18 Forwards

20 Years Old (2004) Meneghin, Ward, Weisblatt

19 Years Old (2005) Pacheco, St. Martin, Basha, Van Mulligen, Neutens, Zahara

18 Years Old (2006) Cunningham, Lindstrom, Ritchie, Vaisanen, Muhonen, Pickford, Woo

17 Years Old (2007) Harsanyi, McCann, McKenna, Kashkowski, Switzer, Moss

16 Years Old (2008) M. Ruck, L. Ruck, Gordon-Carroll, Ryan-MacKay, Steen

15 Years Old (2009) Ruptash

NHL Drafted / Signed Players: Andrew Basha (Calgary Flames), Cayden Lindstrom (Columbus Blue Jackets), Harrison Meneghin (Tampa Bay Lightning), Niilopekka Muhonen (Dallas Stars), Ryder Ritchie (Minnesota Wild), Hunter St. Martin (Florida Panthers), Veeti Vaisanen (Utah Hockey Club)

Tigers Schedule:

LAST FIVE RESULTS NEXT FIVE TIME

Vs Edmonton 7-4 Loss Vs Lethbridge, Sat. Dec, 28 7:00 PM (MT)

Vs Saskatoon 6-4 Win @ Calgary, Sun. Dec 29 2:00 PM (MT)

@ Moose Jaw 5-1 Win Vs Calgary, Mon. Dec 30 7:00 PM (MT)

Vs Lethbridge 3-2 Win @ Swift Current Fri. Jan 3 6:00 PM (MT)

@ Lethbridge 4-1 Loss Vs Swift Current Sat. Jan 4 7:00 PM (MT)

Upcoming Milestones:

Player Upcoming Milestone Currently At

Marcus Pacheco 200 Career Games 187 Career Games

Bryce Pickford 150 Career Games 149 Career Games

Ethan Neutens 150 Career Games 149 Career Games

Cayden Lindstrom 100 Career Games 99 Career Games

Cayden Lindstrom 50 Career Goals 46 Career Goals

Hunter St. Martin 50 Career Assists 48 Career Assists

Mathew Ward 150 Career Assists 147 Career Assists

Gavin McKenna 200 Career Points 174 Career Points

Cayden Lindstrom 100 Career Points 88 Career Points

Where Are They Now?

Name (Pos.) Played Current Team Stats (Subject to Change)

Rhett Parsons (D) 2020-2024 Cincinnati Cyclones (ECHL) 20 GP - 0 G - 1 A

Dru Krebs (D) 2019-2024 Greenville Swamp Rabbits (ECHL) 22 GP - 0 G - 1 A

Bogdans Hodass (D) 2021-2024 Iowa Heartlanders (ECHL) 16 GP - 2 G - 3 A

Dallon Melin (F) 2022-2023 University of Calgary Dinos (USports) 16 GP - 6 G - 4 A

Carter Chorney (F) 2021-2022 Grant MacEwan University (USports) 16 GP - 4 G - 2 A

Lukas Svejkovsky (F) 2019-2021 Ilves (Liiga) 10 GP - 6 G - 4 A

Beckett Langkow (G) 2020-2023 Ontario Tech University (USports) 10 GP - 7-2-0 - .925 SV%

Garin Bjorklund (G) 2019-2022 South Carolina Stingrays (ECHL) 7 GP - 5-2-0 - .943 SV%

Three Star Tracker:

Position Player 1st Star 2nd Star 3rd Star Total Points

1 Gavin McKenna 7 5 3 34

2 Andrew Basha 2 4 1 15

3 Harrison Meneghyn 3 2 1 14

4 Hunter St. Martin 3 1 0 11

5 Markus Ruck 1 2 0 7

6 Liam Ruck 1 1 1 6

7 Oasiz Weisblatt 1 1 1 6

8 Ryder Ritchie 0 2 1 5

9 Jordan Switzer 0 2 1 5

10 Jonas Woo 0 1 2 4

11 Mathew Ward 1 0 0 3

12 Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll 1 0 0 3

13 Bryce Pickford 0 1 0 2

14 Brayden Ryan-MacKay 0 0 1 1

15 Matt Paranych 0 0 1 1

16 Carter Cunningham 0 0 1 1

17 Veeti Vaisanen 0 0 1 1

Check out the Medicine Hat Tigers Statistics



Western Hockey League Stories from December 28, 2024


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