GAME PREVIEW: Calgary at Edmonton | 03.28.26
HITMEN HEADLINES: The Calgary Hitmen (37-19-8-1), winners of two in a row, wrap up a home-and-home set with the Edmonton Oil Kings (42-18-3-2) tonight on the road in a 7:00 p.m. start at Rogers Place. Fans can watch today’s game for FREE on Victory+. The Hitmen posted a 3-1 home ice triumph over the Oil Kings on Sunday in the first half of this back-to-back. Andrei Molgachev scored twice with Julien Maze (1g, 1a) adding a single on a day when Calgary built period leads of 1-0 and 3-0. Both clubs finished with 30 shots on goal while Hitmen netminder Eric Tu made 29 saves in a first-star performance. Forward Ethan Moore also chipped in a pair of assists in the victory.
WHERE THEY STAND: Calgary is fourth in the Eastern Conference at 83 points, five points ahead of fifth place Brandon (78) with both clubs having three games remaining in the regular season and the Wheat Kings also in action tonight on the road in Saskatoon. Edmonton is locked as the third seed with 89 points.
EDMONTON: Tonight marks the seventh of eight regular season meetings between the two Central Division rivals and their second in four days. Calgary leads the season series 5-1 thanks to four home ice victories. Overall, the Hitmen have outscored the Oil Kings by a combined 25-15. Kale Dach (3g, 5a) and Ethan Moore (2g, 6a) lead the charge with eight points each. Andrei Molgachev (4g, 3a) is next with seven. Blake Fiddler (3g, 1a) and Miroslav Holinka (2g, 2a) are the top performers for the Oil Kings with four points each. Kayden Stroeder (2g, 1a), Andrew O’Neill (1g, 2a), Gavin Hodnett (3a), Carter Sotheran (3a) and Lukas Sawchyn (3a) are all next with three points each. Their final meeting is in just four days on Sunday, Mar. 22 once again in the Alberta capital.
2025-26 SERIES RECAP
Sept. 27/25 in CGY: Hitmen 6 Oil Kings 3…Six different Hitmen scored in the win with points from nine different players.
Oct. 26/25 in EDM: Hitmen 3 Oil Kings 2…Brandon Gorzynski scored twice for Calgary.
Jan. 28/26 in CGY: Hitmen 5 Oil Kings 2…Trailing 2-1 after 40, the Hitmen erupted for four third-period goals.
Feb. 13/26 in CGY: Hitmen 5 Oil Kings 3…Calgary erased a 3-1 first period deficit.
Feb. 14/26 in EDM: Oil Kings 4 Hitmen 3…Edmonton built a 4-0 second period lead.
Mar. 15/26 in CGY: Hitmen 3 Oil Kings 1…Andrei Molgachev scored twice for Calgary while Eric Tu made 29 saves.
INSIDE THE SERIES
Shots on Goal: CGY 168 EDM 179 Power Plays: CGY 6-25 (24%) EDM 2-24 (8.3%)
STREAKIN’: Julien Maze (7g, 9a) is on a career high 11-game point streak. Ben MacBeath (1g, 7a) and Andrei Molgachev (3g, 2a) are both on four-game point streaks. Harrison Lodewyk (2g, 3a) has points in back-to-back games. Eric Tu has picked up back-to-back wins. Keaton Jundt (2g) saw his two-game goal scoring streak end Sunday against Edmonton while a two-game point streak for Wyatt Pisarczyk (1g, 1a) was also halted.
SCORING DEPTH: Last Wednesday against Brandon, Keaton Jundt scored in the second period to reach the 10-goal mark. The Hitmen now have 10 players with 10 or more goals this season. Julien Maze leads the club with 38 which is tied for seventh most in the WHL.
JERSEY AUCTION: On Sunday the Hitmen worn a fan designed sweater in the Real Canadian Superstore ‘Design a Jersey Game. All 27 game worn and game issued jerseys are up for bid until Thursday, Mar. 19 at 8:00 p.m. MT at https://fans.winwithdash.com/team/calgaryhitmen Proceeds will be directed to President’s Choice Children’s Charity which aims to feed 1 million kids annually.
HE’S BACK: Defenceman Parker Schellenberg, who started the season on the Hitmen roster, has once against been added to the club as an affiliate player joining Jack Poole who was added last week. The 2009 born Schellenberg played 31 games in the Alberta Junior Hockey League this season with the Bonnyville Pontiacs. There he recorded eight points (2g, 6a). Schellenberg was Calgary’s first-round pick, third overall, in the 2024 WHL U.S. Priority Draft. The Hitmen now have 24 players on their roster made up of 14 forwards, eight defencemen and two goaltenders.
FRANCHISE RECORD: Ben MacBeath has set a new club record for points in a single season by a rookie defenceman with 49, smashing the previous high of 39 set by Jake Bean in the 2014/15 campaign. MacBeath has established the mark in his 17-year-old season while Bean set the record at age 16. The club record for most points by a 17-year-old defenceman is 64 and is held by Bean with MacBeath now second all-time, two points ahead of Carter Yakemchuk (47).
FRANCHISE FIRST: The Hitmen have three players among the WHL’s Top-20 Rookie scorers for the first time in club history. Kale Dach is fourth (73pts) followed by Andrei Molgachev fifth (58pts) and Ben MacBeath who is 13th (49pts). Dach is the highest scoring Hitmen rookie since Andrew Ladd tallied 75 points in 2003/04. The only player higher than Ladd’s performance is Pavel Brendl who recorded an eye popping 134 points as a freshman in 1998/99.
FAST FACTS: The Hitmen have clinched a berth in the WHL Playoffs for the second season in a row and need just one win to clinch home ice advantage in the opening round of the post season. Calgary is 17-8-1-0 against the Central Division. Ethan Moore’s two assists on Sunday against Edmonton moved him into sole possession of 32nd place on the club’s all-time regular season points list with 145, one point ahead of Michael Bubnick (144). Radel Fazleev holds 31st place with 147 points.
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTEBOOK: The Hitmen power play, which has scored at least once in 18 of the last 21 games, leads the WHL at 32.5%. Calgary’s penalty kill, which has killed 14 of the last 15 shorthanded situations, is fourth at 80.4%.
HOME AND AWAY COMPARISON: The Hitmen are 18-9-4-1 on the road, just one win behind last year’s total of 19 in enemy buildings which saw the club post an overall record of 19-11-2-2. Edmonton is 22-6-2-2 at home where they have won two straight and are 5-1 in their last six games.
SHOT CLOCK: Wyatt Pisarczyk is three shots away from 100 while Axel Hurtig (94) needs six shots to reach the century mark.
WHL REGULAR SEASON CAREER MILESTONES: Hunter Aura is one assist shy of 50 while Ben MacBeath is one point away from 50. Harrison Lodewyk reached the 100-point plateau on Sunday against Edmonton.
MAYFAIR DIAGNOSTICS INJURY REPORT: Rylan Ng (Upper Body, Indefinitely), Jakub Seidl (Illness, Day-to-Day).
UPCOMING SCHEDULE: Calgary is back home for their final regular season home game and Fan Appreciation Day presented by CARFAX Canada on Saturday, Mar. 21 against the Lethbridge Hurricanes. Game time is 6:00 p.m. at the ‘Dome. Among the highlights, presentation of the Hitmen Players Awards from the 2025-26 season in a special pre-game ceremony and $10,000 in prizes to give away including two ‘Jersey Off Our Back’ experiences post-game. The Hitmen will then conclude their 68-game regular season schedule the next day on Sunday, Mar. 22 back in Edmonton in a 4:00 p.m. start at Rogers Place.
