GAME PREVIEW: Calgary at Saskatoon | 02.03.26
HITMEN HEADLINES: The Calgary Hitmen (25-13-6-1) open a four game in five nights tour of the East Division tonight on the road in Saskatoon against the Blades (25-20-3-1). Game time is 7:00 p.m. (CT), 6:00 p.m. (MT) at SaskTel Centre. Fans can watch the game for FREE on Victory+. Calgary has been idle since Friday’s 4-1 setback in Lethbridge that snapped a three-game winning streak. The game was scoreless until the final minute of the second period when the Hurricanes scored on a 5-on-3 power play. The ‘Canes then struck on the ensuing 5-on-4 man advantage just six seconds into the third period then added a shorthanded marker to complete a three-goal attack in a span of 3:01. Calgary’s lone marker came off the stick of Caine Wilke with 7:16 remaining before Lethbridge sealed the victory with an empty netter. Saskatoon meanwhile last played on Sunday, falling 3-1 at home to Prince Albert. The Raiders broke a 1-1 third period tie when Aiden Oiring scored a power play goal with 8:10 remaining. Braeden Cootes then added an empty net marker with Saskatoon’s lone goal off the stick of David Lewandowski. Blades goaltender Evan Gardner made 45 saves on a day his club was outshot 48-27, including 23-5 in the third period.
WHERE THEY STAND: The Hitmen are tied with Brandon for fourth place in the Eastern Conference at 57 points, just three points ahead of Saskatoon but with four games in hand on both the Wheat Kings and Blades. Saskatoon at 54 points is sixth, 12 points ahead of seventh place Moose Jaw.
SASKATOON: Tonight marks the third four regular season meetings between the two clubs but their first in over two and a half months. They have split their two previous games with the road team 2-0. Kale Dach (3g) leads all Hitmen in the season series with three points. Caine Wilke (2a) and the departed Brandon Gorzynski (2a) are next with two points each. Six Blades all have one point each against Calgary including Rowan Calvert, Hayden Harsanyi and Hunter Laing who have the goals. Their last meeting is less than three weeks on Saturday, Feb. 21 in Calgary.
2025-26 REGULAR SEASON SERIES RECAP
Nov. 8/25 in SAS: Hitmen 4 Blades 1…Kale Dach scored the second Hitmen hat-trick of the season.
Nov. 14/25 in CGY: Blades 2 Hitmen 1…Evan Gardner made 26 saves in a first-star performance.
INSIDE THE SERIES
Shots on Goal: CGY 51 SAS 44 Power Plays: CGY 1-7 (14.3%) SAS 1-7 (14.3%)
STREAKIN’: Andrei Molgachev (4g, 5a) is on a five-game point streak. Wyatt Pisarczyk (1g, 4a) saw his four-game point streak end Friday in Lethbridge while three game streaks for Keaton Jundt (1g, 2a) and Kale Dach (1g, 3a) along with two-game point streaks for Calder Hamilton (1g, 1a), Hunter Aura (2a) and Ben MacBeath (2a) were also halted against the ‘Canes.
WHO’S NEXT? Calgary’s last 18 goals have been scored by 13 different players in Caine Wilke (2), Andre Molgachev (3), Julien Maze (3), Axel Hurtig, Landon Amrhein, Calder Hamilton, Kale Dach, Jack Poole, Keaton Jundt, Wyatt Pisarczyk, Blake Vanek, Ethan Moore and Rylan Ng.
NHL DRAFT COUNTDOWN: NHL Central Scouting has released its midterm rankings for the 2026 NHL Draft. Three Hitmen are on the list of the top 225 North American skaters. Defenceman Ben MacBeath is #20, forward Landon Amrhein is #85 and forward Andrei Molgachev is #199.
HEADING WEST: Two Hitmen have been named to Team East for the WHL’s inaugural Prospects Game presented by Showpass. Both Defenceman Ben MacBeath and forward Landon Amrhein will play in the Wednesday, Feb. 18 contest at the home of the Vancouver Giants, the Langley Events Centre. All 23 WHL Clubs are represented in the event with each roster consisting of 22 players. NHL Central Scouting worked with the WHL to determine player selection.
TRANSACTIONS: On Monday the Hitmen added forward Antionio Correia to the roster as an affiliate player after reassigning fellow prospect Jack Poole to the CSSHL’s U18 Prep North Shore Warriors. This is Correia’s second stop with the Hitmen after opening the season on the roster and appearing in one game. This season the 16-year-old is a member of the Winnipeg AAA U18 Bruins where he has tallied 36 points (12g, 24a) in 26 games. The Winnipeg, MB product was a second-round pick of the Hitmen, 28th overall, in the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft.
FAST FACT: Calgary has picked up points in 16 of their last 21 games, posting a record of 13-5-3-0…Kale Dach is one shot shy of 100 while Andrei Molgachev is three shots away from the century mark…Luc Trevors is six faceoff wins away from 200…The Hitmen are 7-3-2-0 against teams from the East Division.
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTEBOOK: The Hitmen power play, which has scored at least once in 13 of the last 17 games, has climbed into third place in the WHL at 29.7%…The Hitmen penalty kill is fifth at 80.1%.
HOME AND AWAY COMPARISON: The Hitmen are 12-6-4-1 on the road where they have outscored their opponents by a combined 87-78. Saskatoon is 12-10-0-1 at home but saw their three-game home ice winning streak end Sunday against Prince Albert.
WHL REGULAR SEASON MILESTONES: Ty Meunier is one point shy of 50 while Hunter Aura and Wyatt Pisarczyk are both two points away from 50. Pisarczyk played in his 150th career game on Friday in Lethbridge.
MAYFAIR DIAGNOSTICS INJURY REPORT: Harrison Lodewyk (Lower Body, Day-to-Day)
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: Hitmen forward Caine Wilke is from Saskatoon having last played in the city as a 15-year-old with the Saskatoon AAA U18 Blazers in 2023-24. That season he tallied 52 points (17g, 35a) in 37 games helping the Blazers win the Saskatchewan Male U18 AAA Hockey League Title. Wilke was acquired by the Hitmen from Everett on Sept. 20, 2025, in exchange for a second-round pick in 2028 and a fifth-round pick in 2026 both in the WHL Prospects Draft. The 17-year-old is having a career year with 28 points (10g, 16a) in 41 games after posting 19 points (7g, 12a) in 50 games with the Silvertips last season.
ROSTER CONSTRUCTION: Calgary has 23 players on their roster including 14 forwards, seven defencemen and two goaltenders. There are only six returning players from last season with 12 rookies on the club.
HITMEN IN THE PROS: Carter Yakemchuk is in the American Hockey League with the Belleville Senators. The 20-year-old has 21 points (4g, 17a) in 33 games. Yakemchuk finished his Hitmen and WHL career with 180 total points, highlighted by a franchise record 30-goals by a defenceman in the 2023-24 campaign. That led to Ottawa selecting him seventh overall in the 2024 NHL Draft.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE: The Hitmen road trip heads north tomorrow, Wednesday, Feb. 4 to Prince Albert to face the East Division leading Raiders. Game time is 7:00 p.m. (CT), 6:00 p.m. (MT). Calgary will then use Thursday as a travel day to Manitoba before facing the Wheat Kings in Brandon on Friday, Feb. 6 (7:00 p.m.). It’s then off to Regina on Saturday, Feb. 7 to take on the Pats (6:00 p.m.) followed by the next Hitmen home game on Wednesday, Feb. 11 against the Swift Current Broncos. Game time is 7:00 p.m.
