Game Preview: Calgary at Medicine Hat – 10.23.24
HITMEN HEADLINES: The Calgary Hitmen (4-4-1-0) play the opener of a three-game road trip tonight with a stop in Medicine Hat against the Tigers (5-5-0-0). Game time is 7:00 p.m. at Co-op Place. The Hitmen are looking to extend their three-game point streak (2-0-1-0) and are coming off last Saturday’s 6-1 home ice victory over Lethbridge. Ben Kindel led the Calgary attack with three assists on a day when 12 different Hitmen recorded at least a point. The Tigers have enjoyed an even bigger break having been idle since last Friday’s 6-3 win in Moose Jaw. Five different Tigers recorded both a goal and an assist on a night when Medicine Hat outshot the Warriors 43-13.
MEDICINE HAT: Tonight is the first of eight regular season meetings between the two Central Division rivals. Last season Calgary took the season series 4-2, winning their last four meetings. Oliver Tulk (3g, 5a) led the Hitmen with eight points. Ben Kindel (2g, 5a) was next with seven. Andrew Basha (5g, 3a) was the top performer for Medicine Hat with eight points while Cayden Lindstrom (2g, 4a) recorded six. The two clubs will meet again on Wednesday, Oct. 30 back at Scotiabank Saddledome.
2023-24 SERIES RECAP
Sept. 22/23 in CGY: Tigers 4 Hitmen 1…Evan May made 35 saves to record the win, and the Tigers scored two shorthanded goals.
Sept. 23/23 in MH: Tigers 5 Hitmen 3…Andrew Basha snapped a 3-3 tie with 5:49 remaining in the second period.
Dec. 1/23 in MH: Hitmen 7 Tigers 3…The Hitmen stormed back from a 2-0 deficit 1:35 into the opening period.
Dec. 15/23 in CGY: Hitmen 4 Tigers 3…Carter Yakemchuk and Sean Tschigerl both tallied a goal and an assist for the Hitmen.
Feb. 9/24 in CGY: Hitmen 6 Tigers 2…Six different Hitmen notched goals.
Mar. 3/24 in MH: Hitmen 2 Tigers 0…Hitmen goalie Ethan Buenaventura made 32 saves to record the shutout.
INSIDE THE SERIES
Shots on Goal: CGY 198 MH 186 Power Plays: CGY 2-29 (6.9%) MH 4-25 (16%)
STREAKS: Four Hitmen in Ben Kindel (3g, 5a), Carson Wetsch (3g), Carter Yakemchuk (3g, 3a) and Oliver Tulk (1g, 4a) are all on three-game point streaks.
ROAD WARRIORS: Tonight begins a stretch away from the ‘Dome that will see Calgary play 10 of their next 12 games in enemy rinks culminating with a six-game U.S. Division road trip from Nov. 8-16.
FAST FACTS: The Hitmen have scored a least one power play goal in three straight games…Four Hitmen have at least one shot on goal in all nine games this season in Ben Kindel, Carson Wetsch, David Adaszynski and Oliver Tulk…Calgary is tied with Edmonton and Lethbridge for the fewest games played in the Eastern Conference at nine. Moose Jaw leads the way with 12…On Monday the Hitmen reassigned 18-year-old defenceman Brandon Osborne to a TBA team.
INKED: Last Thursday the Hitmen signed 16-year-old prospect Noah Kosick to a Western Hockey League Scholarship and Development Agreement. Kosick was Calgary’s first-round pick, 11th overall in the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft. Last season the product of Victoria, BC, recorded 62 points (12g, 50a) in 29 games as a 15-year-old playing U18 Prep in the CSSHL with Pacific Coast Academy. Kosick made his WHL debut last Saturday against Lethbridge and scored his first career goal.
LEADERSHIP GROUP: Third year forward and San Jose Sharks prospect Carson Wetsch the 32nd captain in Hitmen franchise history. Five teammates will serve as alternates in David Adaszynski, Connor Hvidston, Ben Kindel, Oliver Tulk and Carter Yakemchuk.
HOME AND AWAY COMPARISION: The Hitmen are 0-3-0-0 on the road this season. Medicine Hat is 4-3-0-0 at home.
PROSPECT WATCH: Two Hitmen in Ben Kindel and Reese Hamilton have been selected to play in the 2024 CHL USA Prospects Challenge presented by Kubota. The two-game series will see the top first-year NHL Draft-eligible prospects from the CHL take on the U.S. National Under-18 team Nov. 26 and 27 in London and Oshawa, Ontario.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: Forward David Adaszynski is in his fourth season with the Hitmen and enters tonight with 75 career points (29g, 46a) in 182 games. The 19-year-old was originally selected by Calgary in the sixth-round of the 2020 WHL Prospects Draft, taken 112th overall.
ROSTER CONSTRUCTION: There are 24 players on the Hitmen roster with 18 veterans and seven rookies. Roster breakdown as follows:
20’s (3) – Buenaventura, Hvidston, Muranov
19’s (6) – Adaszynski, Moore, Tulk, Hurtig*, Williams, Yakemchuk,
18’s (5) – Wetsch, Valliant, Leonard, Fawcett, Bowland*
17’s (7) – Hamilton, Mayes, Kindel, Gorzynski, Pisarczyk. Aura*, Svancara*
16’s (3) – Kosick*, Tu*, Ng*
*Denotes rookie
MAYFAIR DIAGNOSTICS INJURY REPORT: Robin Svancara (Upper Body – Indefinitely), Keets Fawcett (Lower Body – Day to Day), Sawyer Mayes (Lower Body – Day to Day).
UPCOMING GAMES: The Hitmen road trip heads east for its next stop in the Saskatchewan capital against the Regina Pats on Friday, Oct. 25 before wrapping up in Brandon on Sunday, Oct. 26. Calgary is then back in Scotiabank Saddledome to face the Tigers in a rematch on Wednesday, Oct. 30 at 6:00 p.m.
