Medicine Hat Tigers Win 2025 WHL Championship Series Presented by Nutrien

May 17, 2025 - Western Hockey League (WHL) News Release

Medicine Hat Tigers celebrate win
(, Credit: Larry Brunt/Spokane Chiefs)

The Tigers clinched the Ed Chynoweth Cup with a 4-2 win over the Western Conference Champion Spokane Chiefs in Game 5 of the 2025 WHL Championship Series presented by Nutrien.

After a scoreless first, Dallas Stars prospect Niilopekka Muhonen registered his first goal of the playoffs to ignite the scoring for the Tigers. In the third, a pair of quick goals from Gavin McKenna and Florida Panthers prospect Hunter St. Martin extended the Tigers' lead to 3-0. Spokane potted two goals in quick succession to make it 3-2 before Bryce Pickford sealed the deal with an empty netter.

The Tigers' run to the WHL Championship was an entertaining one, starting with a five-game series victory over the Swift Current Broncos in the first round of the 2025 WHL Playoffs.

The second round featured a four-game sweep of the East Division Champion Prince Albert Raiders and led into a four-game sweep of the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the WHL's Eastern Conference Championship Series presented by Nutrien.

Through 18 games, the Tigers went 16-2, including an even 8-1 on the road and 8-1 in the home confines for Co-op Place. Medicine Hat's high-powered offense scored 86, while the defense locked down and only allowed 46 goals.

The Tigers playoff momentum was built off the strength of a 47-17-3-1 regular season, which culminated with a Central Division crown on the final day of the regular season.

Phenom Gavin McKenna led the way during the regular season, winning the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy as WHL Player of the Year, thanks to an impressive campaign that saw him finish second in WHL scoring with 129 points (41G-88A) in 56 games.

He continued his eye-popping pace during the post-season, extending a point streak that dated back to November 2024 all the way into the WHL Championship Series. McKenna's impressive run lasted for 54 games, extended across both the regular season and playoffs, and saw the product of Whitehorse, Yukon, record 137 points.

Captain Oasiz Wiesblatt was the only player in the WHL to register 100 points while also collecting more than 100 minutes in penalties during the regular season.

The 2025 WHL Championship Series received an instant injection of energy when Calgary Flames prospect Andrew Basha and Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Cayden Lindstrom returned to the Tigers lineup for Game 1.

For Basha, his WHL Playoffs debut marked his return to the Medicine Hat lineup for the first time since late December, whereas Lindstrom was back on the ice for the first time since April 5, 2024. The two stars combined to open the scoring in Game 1 of the WHL Championship Series - a storybook moment after working through injury adversary all season long.

Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Harrison Meneghin was a workhorse for the Tigers, putting on an inspiring performance, finishing the playoffs with 14 wins and three shutouts.

Nashville Predators prospect Tanner Molendyk and fellow blueliner Bryce Pickford were catalysts on the backend for Medicine Hat, anchoring a defence crew that was stifling during the WHL Championship Series.

Pickford's WHL Championship performance included a goal-scoring streak that started during the Eastern Conference Championship and ran for eight games.

Calling the shots and building the team, Head Coach and General Manager Willie Desjardins became the third winningest coach in WHL Playoffs history (84 wins), passing Mike Johnston of the Portland Winterhawks with a Game 4 triumph.

Desjardins engineered the off-season acquisition of Pickford, the early season trade for Meneghin, and the deadline deal that brought Molendyk and Misha Volotovskii over from Saskatoon, among others. His efforts behind the bench and in the boardroom earned him a nomination for both the WHL Coach of the Year and WHL Executive of the Year awards.

The Tigers roster features eight NHL Drafted prospects, including Basha, Lindstrom, Meneghin, Molendyk, Niilopekka Muhonen (Dallas Stars), Ryder Ritchie (Minnesota Wild), Hunter St. Martin (Florida Panthers), and Veeti Vaisanen (Utah Mammoth), and NHL Draft eligible players ranked by Central Scouting, including Pickford (100, N.A. skaters), Kadon McCann (116, N.A. skaters), Jonas Woo (156, N.A. skaters), and netminder Jordan Switzer (25, N.A. goaltenders).

Joining the WHL for the 1970-71 season, the Tigers first WHL title came in 1973. In 1987 and 1988, the Tigers strung together back-to-back WHL Championships before winning again in 2004 and 2007.

Representing the Western Hockey League, the Tigers will look to claim the franchise's first Memorial Cup title since back-to-back triumphs in 1987 and 1988 when they travel to Rimouski, Que., for the 2025 Memorial Cup, scheduled from May 23 through June 1.

The Memorial Cup - largely considered to be one of the most difficult trophies to win in hockey - features the championship teams from the Western Hockey League, Ontario Hockey League, and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, along with the host Club, competing in a round-robin tournament.

TIGERS GOALTENDER MENEGHIN NAMED 2025 WHL PLAYOFFS MVP

Spokane, Wash. - Medicine Hat Tigers netminder Harrison Meneghin has been named the 2025 WHL Playoff MVP.

The WHL Playoff MVP award is presented to a player deemed to have made the strongest contribution to his Club throughout the WHL Playoffs, as voted by members of the media.

The prospect of the Tampa Bay Lightning authoured an inspiring story during the 2025 WHL Playoffs, backstopping Medicine Hat to its first Ed Chynoweth Cup since 2007, returning to the team days after the sudden passing of his father on the final day of the WHL Regular Season.

Selected by the Lightning in the seventh round (206th overall) of the 2024 NHL Draft, Meneghin went 14-1 with three shutouts, a 2.35 goals-against average, and a .906 save percentage through 16 games this post-season.

Meneghin's outstanding effort helped the Tigers claim the sixth WHL Championship in franchise history.

Acquired from the Lethbridge Hurricanes on October 4, 2024, Meneghin went 23-10-1-1 with a 2.58 GAA, .900 SV%, and three shutouts in 36 regular season appearances.

The 6-foot-4, 174-pound puckstopper was solid from Game 1 of the first round, when he delivered an emotional 21-save shutout in a 4-0 win over the Swift Current Broncos.

Meneghin posted his second shutout of the WHL Playoffs with an 18-save effort in a 3-0 win over the Prince Albert Raiders during the second round.

The product of South Surrey, B.C., brought his best hockey to the WHL Championship Series, including a 36-save showing during a 4-1 win in Game 1. With the series knotted 1-1 through two games and Game 3 set in Spokane, Meneghin turned in a perfect 28-save night as the Tigers clawed out a 6-0 win. He then made another 28 saves on 30 shots in Game 4, helping the Tigers push the Chiefs to the brink of elimination.

In Game 5 of the WHL Championship, Meneghin logged 34 saves to seal the deal for Medicine Hat.

Meneghin is the third player and goaltender in Medicine Hat Tigers history to be named WHL Playoff MVP, following in the footsteps of fellow netminders Kevin Nastiuk (2004) and Matt Keetley (2007).

Medicine Hat Tigers celebrate win (Larry Brunt/Spokane Chiefs)

Western Hockey League Stories from May 17, 2025

• Medicine Hat Tigers Win 2025 WHL Championship Series Presented by Nutrien - WHL
• Tigers Win 4-2 to Claim Their Sixth WHL Championship - Medicine Hat Tigers
• Tigers Goaltender Meneghin Named 2025 WHL Playoffs MVP - Medicine Hat Tigers
• Medicine Hat Tigers Win 2025 WHL Championship Series Presented by Nutrien - Medicine Hat Tigers

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.