Game Preview: Game 36 vs Calgary Hitmen
December 29, 2024 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Medicine Hat Tigers News Release
Tonight's Matchup: Tonight's matchup is the fourth of eight matchups between the Medicine Hat Tigers and the Calgary Hitmen. The Tigers are looking to take a commanding 4-0 series lead against the Hitmen this season after besting Calgary through the first 3 matchups. The Tigers prepare for a home and home against the Hitmen this week leaving some important points up for grabs over the coming days.
2024 Season Series:
Calgary 3 @ Medicine Hat 7 (Nov. 30, 2024)
Medicine Hat 4 @ Calgary 3 (Oct. 30, 2024)
Calgary 2 @ Medicine Hat 4 (Oct. 23, 2024)
Last Game: The Medicine Hat Tigers dominated in their first game back following the holiday break. Jordan Switzer collected his first career shutout, while Liam Ruck and Hunter St. Martin collected two points each to help the Tigers to a 4-0 win over the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
2024-25 Standings: 20-14-1-0 Central Div. - 1st Eastern Con. - 2nd Home (13-5-1-0) Away (7-9-0-0)
2024-25 Tigers Statistical Leaders:
Skater Stats Goalie Stats
Goals - Hunter St. Martin (23) Wins - Jordan Switzer (12)
Assists - Gavin McKenna (41) Save % - Harrison Meneghin (.891)
Points - Gavin McKenna (60) GAA - Harrison Meneghin (2.93)
PIMs - Oasiz Wiesblatt (82) Shutouts - Harrison Meneghin / Jordan Switzer (1)
Plus/Minus - Gavin McKenna (+24)
Special Teams:
Power Play: 32 - 138 - 23.2%
Penalty Kill: 111 - 146 - 76.0%
Recent Transactions: The Tigers 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 29 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 29 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 (4th)
Goals Hunter St. Martin - 23 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 Oasiz Weisblatt - 5 GWG (Tied 4th)
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 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)
Vs Lethbridge 4-0 Win Vs Prince Albert Wed. Jan 8 7:00 PM (MT)
Upcoming Milestones:
Player Upcoming Milestone Currently At
Marcus Pacheco 200 Career Games 187 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 (3) 2nd Star (2) 3rd Star (1) 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 1 12
5 Liam Ruck 1 2 1 8
6 Jordan Switzer 1 2 1 8
7 Markus Ruck 1 2 0 7
8 Oasiz Weisblatt 1 1 1 6
9 Ryder Ritchie 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
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