
Game Preview: Game 40 vs Prince Albert Raiders
January 8, 2025 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Medicine Hat Tigers News Release
Tonight's Matchup: Tonight's matchup is the second of four matchups between the Prince Albert Raiders and the Medicine Hat Tigers. The Tigers look to take a 2-0 series lead against the Raiders after winning 3-2 in their previous meeting. Ryder Ritchie looks to continue his success this season with the Tigers as he faces his former team for the second time this season.
2024-25 Season Series:
Medicine Hat 3 @ Prince Albert 2 (Nov. 20, 2024)
Last Game: The Medicine Hat Tigers jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first period, courtesy of two Mathew Ward goals. Though Swift Current briefly rallied and tied the game early in the third, Ward reclaimed the momentum at the six-minute mark with a breakaway finish. Ryder Ritchie and Oasiz Weisblatt tacked on late markers, securing a 5-2 victory for the Tigers.
2024-25 Standings:
22-15-2-0 Central Div. - 1st Eastern Con. - 2nd Home (15-5-1-0) Away (7-10-1-0)
2024-25 Tigers Statistical Leaders:
Skater Stats Goalie Stats
Goals - Hunter St. Martin (24) Wins - Jordan Switzer (14)
Assists - Gavin McKenna (41) Save % - Harrison Meneghin (.891)
Points - Gavin McKenna (60) GAA - Harrison Meneghin (2.93)
PIMs - Oasiz Wiesblatt (96) Shutouts - Harrison Meneghin / Jordan Switzer (1)
Plus/Minus - Gavin McKenna (+24)
Special Teams:
Power Play: 37 - 148 - 25.0%
Penalty Kill: 122 - 161 - 75.8%
Recent Transactions: The Medicine Hat Tigers have acquired Nashville Predators prospect Tanner Molendyk and forward Misha Volotovskii from the Saskatoon Blades in a blockbuster trade. In exchange, the Tigers send forward Hayden Harsanyi, defenseman Jack Kachkowski, and five draft picks, including a 2025 first-round pick. The move strengthens the Tigers' roster with Molendyk's elite defensive skills and leadership experience, while Saskatoon gains promising young talent and valuable draft capital.
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 16, while sitting fourth in points by a defenceman with 35. 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 36 points through 32 games with Medicine Hat this season, placing him fourth in points by a defenceman and first in goals by a defenceman with 16. Pickford was also named to the CHL's Team Of The Month for November, showcasing his importance to the Tigers lineup. Pickford's 36 points through 32 games show significant growth from the 18-year-old having only posted 35 points through his previous 121 games with Seattle.
Roaring Runs:
Player Name Streak
Gavin McKenna 14 Game Point Streak - (31 Points)
Jonas Woo 5 Game Point Streak - (6 Points)
Oasiz Weisblatt 3 Game Point Streak - (5 Points)
League Leaders:
Stat Categories Player (Rank)
Points Gavin McKenna - 60 Points (Tied 2nd)
Points (Defencemen) Bryce Pickford - 36 Points (5th)
Goals Hunter St. Martin - 24 Goals (8th)
Goals (Defencemen) Bryce Pickford - 16 Goals (1st)
Assists Gavin McKenna - 41 Assists (Tied 2nd)
Short Handed Goals Hunter St. Martin - 4 SHG (Tied 1st)
Game Winning Goals Oasiz Weisblatt - 5 GWG (Tied 3rd)
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, Molendyk, Volotovskii
18 Years Old (2006) Cunningham, Lindstrom, Ritchie, Vaisanen, Muhonen, Pickford, Woo
17 Years Old (2007) McCann, McKenna, 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), Tanner Molendyk (Nashville Predators)
Tigers Schedule:
LAST FIVE RESULTS NEXT FIVE TIME
Vs Lethbridge 4-0 Win Vs Prince Albert Wed. Jan 8 7:00 PM (MT)
@ Calgary 4-3 Loss (OT) Vs Red Deer Fri. Jan 10 7:00 PM (MT)
Vs Calgary 5-2 Win @ Edmonton Sat. Jan 11 7:00 PM (MT)
@ Swift Current 4-1 Loss @ Calgary Fri. Jan 17 7:00 PM (MT)
Vs Swift Current 5-2 Win Vs Calgary Sat. Jan 18 7:00 PM (MT)
Upcoming Milestones:
Player Upcoming Milestone Currently At
Marcus Pacheco 200 Career Games 189 Career Games
Misha Volotovskii 200 Career Games 195 Career Games
Cayden Lindstrom 100 Career Games 99 Career Games
Cayden Lindstrom 50 Career Goals 46 Career Goals
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 Jordan Switzer 1 3 1 10
6 Oasiz Weisblatt 2 1 1 9
7 Liam Ruck 1 2 1 8
8 Markus Ruck 1 2 0 7
9 Ryder Ritchie 0 3 1 7
10 Jonas Woo 0 1 3 5
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
Gametime is 7:00 PM (MST) Tickets can be purchased at the Co-op Place Box Office or online at Tixx.ca. You can also listen live with the voice of the Tigers, Will Bryant. OR watch on watch.chl.com
• Discuss this story on the Western Hockey League message board...
Western Hockey League Stories from January 8, 2025
- Tigers Acquire Rights to Cruz Chase from Regina - Medicine Hat Tigers
- Silvertips Acquire Landon Cowper from Kelowna Rockets - Everett Silvertips
- Rockets Acquire WHL Prospects Draft Pick for Defenceman Landon Cowper - Kelowna Rockets
- Game Preview: Cougars vs. Giants: 0 - Prince George Cougars
- Rebels Trade Goaltender Tabashniuk to Pats - Red Deer Rebels
- Pats Acquire Local Goaltender Tabashniuk from Rebels - Regina Pats
- Rockets Acquire Forward Hayden Paupanekis And Five Draft Picks From Spokane Chiefs For Forward Andrew Cristall - Kelowna Rockets
- Spokane Chiefs Acquire 2005-Born Forward Andrew Cristall from Kelowna Rockets - Spokane Chiefs
- Oil Kings Continue Homestand against Blades - Edmonton Oil Kings
- Winterhawks Reassign F Luke Wilfley - Portland Winterhawks
- Holinka and Jecho Return from World Juniors with Bronze - Edmonton Oil Kings
- Game Preview: Game 40 vs Prince Albert Raiders - Medicine Hat Tigers
- Cougars Acquire Veteran Sniper Riche from Blades in Exchange for Laing, Dumas, and Draft Picks - Prince George Cougars
- Giants Drop Tight Affair to Cougars 4-2 - Vancouver Giants
- T-Birds Come up Short Versus Royals - Seattle Thunderbirds
- Road Trip Opens with Loss in Lethbridge - Moose Jaw Warriors
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
