GAME PREVIEW: Calgary at Red Deer – 10.09.26
HITMEN HEADLINES: The Calgary Hitmen (4-1-0-0), open the Thanksgiving long weekend with a stop in Red Deer tonight to face the Rebels (4-2-0-1). Game time is 7:00 p.m. at Marchant Crane Centrium in a battle of two of the top three teams in the WHL’s Central Division. Fans can watch the game for FREE on YouTube or listen to Hitmen Radio. The Hitmen have been idle since last Sunday’s 7-2 home ice setback to Regina which snapped Calgary’s four-game winning streak. Charlie Kresl and Carter Sanderson both scored for the Hitmen who erased a 2-0 deficit only to see the Pats tally the last five goals. Red Deer meanwhile is back home after a three-game road trip which ended last Saturday with a 5-2 victory in Moose Jaw. Poul Anderson led the Rebels’ charge with five points (4g, 1a) while Nathan Salisbury made 36 saves to record the victory.
RED DEER: Tonight marks the second of eight regular season meetings between the two Central Division rivals. Calgary was a perfect 4-0 in Red Deer last season. It’s their first head-to-head contest since the Hitmen grabbed a shootout victory on opening night three weeks ago. They will meet again in just eight days this time back at Scotiabank Saddledome on Saturday, Oct. 17.
2026-27 SERIES RECAP
Sept. 18/26 in CGY: Hitmen 3 Rebels 2 SO…Artem Katsuro’s lone goal of the shootout in Round 1 stood up as the game winner.
INSIDE THE SERIES
Shots on Goal: CGY 27 RD 37 Power Plays: CGY 1-4 (25%) RD 1-4 (25%)
STREAKIN’: Charlie Kresl (2g, 8a) is on a team leading five-game point streak. Carter Sanderson (5g, 3a) is on a three-game goal scoring streak. Wyatt Pisarczyk (2g, 1a) has points in back-to-back games. Brennan Brown saw his four-game goal scoring streak (4g) end Sunday against Regina while a four-game point streak for Andrei Molgachev (2g, 2a) was also snapped along with two-game point streaks for Julien Maze (3a) and Calder Hamilton (2a).
ROAD RAMBLINGS: The Hitmen are one of six WHL teams without a road regulation loss this season after winning their first two games away from Scotiabank Saddledome. It’s the first time since the 2015-16 season when Radel Fazleev (71pts), Travis Sanheim (68pts) and Jake Bean (64pts) were the top three scorers that Calgary has won their first two games in enemy buildings.
TRADE WINDS: On Thursday the Hitmen completed a trade with the Everett Silvertips acquiring 2007-born defenceman Bode Laylin in exchange for 2008-born forward Caine Wilke and a fourth-round pick in the 2028 WHL Prospects Draft. Laylin, a sixth-round pick of the Calgary Flames in the 2026 NHL Draft, played in the USHL last season recording 38 points (11g, 27a) in 55 games. He is expected to make his Hitmen debut tonight and will wear #5.
TRANSACTION: On Thursday the Hitmen reassigned 17-year-old defenceman Parker Schellenberg to the Bonnyville Pontiacs of the AJHL. The 6’3, 203-pound product of Irvine, CA appeared in two pre-season games this season. The Hitmen now have 25 players on their roster made up of 15 forwards, eight defencemen and two goaltenders.
RECORD BOOKS: Forward Brennan Brown started the season by tying a franchise record with Greg Chase (2013/14) and Brad Moran (1999/2000) as the only players to score in each of the team’s first four games to open a season. Pavel Brendl owns the club record for the longest goal scoring streak by a player to start his season at five games accomplishing the feat twice after missing the team start to the season in both 1998/99 and 2000/01.
SHOW TIME: A total of five Calgary Hitmen alumni were named to opening night rosters in the National Hockey League this season. They include Mark Kastelic (BOS), Beck Malenstyn (BUF), Carter Yakemchuk (OTT), Travis Sanheim (PHI) and Ben Kindel (PIT).
OCTOBER JOURNEY: Calgary plays 11 games in 28 days this month with three of those remaining on the road and six at home highlighted by a five-game homestand from Oct. 12-23.
OFF-SEASON NOTEBOOK: On June 8, the Hitmen announced the promotion of Cass Bruni to General Manager from Assistant GM while Garry Davidson moved from the GM’s chair to a Hockey Operations Advisory Role…On June 30 the Hitmen made two picks in the 2026 CHL Import Draft selecting 19-year-old defenceman and Calgary Flames prospect Jakob Leander along with 17-year-old Russian forward Artem Katsuro…On June 29 the Hitmen announced the signing of 19-year-old forward and Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Carter Sanderson…On July 27 the Hitmen acquired 19-year-old forward Brennan Brown, a third-round pick in 2027 and a conditional fourth-round pick in 2029 from the Swift Current Broncos in exchange for 18-year-old forward Ty Meunier and a seventh-round pick in 2030…On September 11 the Hitmen inked listed prospect 18 year-old defenceman Maden Simard…On September 14 Calgary acquired a fourth-round pick in the 2028 WHL Prospects Draft from the Red Deer Rebels in exchange for 18-year-old defenceman Kaden Meyer…Also on September 14, the Hitmen signed 2025 fourth-round pick and 16 year-old goaltending prospect Donagh Esler-Twiss to a WHL Scholarship and Development Agreement. On Sept. 27, the Hitmen inked 20-year-old forward Charlie Kresl after the product of Denver, CO, attended training camp as a free agent.
MAYFAIR DIAGNOSTICS INJURY REPORT: Rylan Ng (Upper Body, Week-to-Week), Landon Amrhein (Upper Body, Day-to-Day), Teague McGlynn (Lower Body, Week-to-Week), Wyatt Pisarczyk (Lower Body, Week-to-Week).
UPCOMING SCHEDULE: Calgary swings back into action on Thanksgiving Day Monday, Oct. 12 to host the Victoria Royals in the first of five straight games on home ice. Note the early 1:00 p.m. start at Scotiabank Saddledome. The Hitmen will then receive visits from Lethbridge (Oct. 16), Red Deer (Oct. 17), Penticton (Oct. 21) and Medicine Hat (Oct. 23).
