GAME PREVIEW: Calgary at Swift Current – 02.17.25
HITMEN HEADLINES: The Calgary Hitmen (33-15-3-2) play a Family Day Monday matinee this afternoon on the road in Southwest Saskatchewan against the Swift Current Broncos (28-22-1-1). Game time is 4:00 p.m. MT at InnovationPlex. The Hitmen are coming off Saturday’s 4-2 defeat in Prince Albert to the Raiders. Ben Kindel and Tanner Howe both scored in the loss with Kindel hitting the 30-goal mark for the first time in the WHL career and Howe counting Calgary’s second shorthanded goal of the season. Tied, 2-2 heading to the third period, PA scored twice in the opening 2:18 to break the game open. Swift Current also enjoyed Sunday off following Saturday’s 6-5 home ice shootout victory over Saskatoon. Connor Gabriel scored the winner in the 10th round after Carlin Dezainde completed his hat-trick to force overtime 3:29 into the third period.
WHERE THEY STAND: The Hitmen are tied for third in the WHL’s Eastern Conference with Lethbridge at 71 points, five points behind front-running Medicine Hat but with three games in hand on the Tigers. Swift Current is in the eighth and final playoff spot with 58 points, six points behind East Division leading Prince Albert and the number two seed in the conference.
SWIFT CURRENT: Today is the third of five regular season meetings between the two Trans-Canada Highway rivals. The season series is tied 1-1 but the home team is 2-0. Brandon Gorzynski (1g, 2a) leads the Hitmen with three points while Kalem Parker (2g), Connor Hvidston (1g, 1a), Carter Yakemchuk (1g, 1a) and Oliver Tulk (2a) all have two points each. Luke Mistelbacher (2g, 2a) has been the top performing Bronco with four points. Brady Birnie (1g, 2a) and Carlin Dezainde (1g, 2a) are next with three points each. Their next meeting is Calgary’s next home game on Wednesday, Feb. 26 in the TELUS BE BRAVE #EndBullying Game at 11:00 a.m.
2024-25 SERIES RECAP
Oct. 9/24 in SC: Broncos 4 Hitmen 1…Broncos goaltender Reid Dyck was the first star making 30 saves.
Dec. 15/25 in CGY: Hitmen 4 Broncos 3…The Hitmen stormed back from a 2-0 first period deficit.
INSIDE THE SERIES
Shots on Goal: CGY 65 SC 35 Power Plays: CGY 1-7 (14.3%) SC 1-6 (16.7%)
STREAKS: Ben Kindel (1g, 2a) is on a three-game point streak…Tanner Howe (1g, 2a) has points in back-to-back games.
HOME AND AWAY COMPARISION: The Hitmen are 12-11-2-0 away from Scotiabank Saddledome. Swift Current is 17-8-1-0 at home.
SITTING OUT: Hitmen forward Ben Kindel has been handed a two-game WHL imposed suspension following his crosschecking major and game misconduct Sunday in Prince Albert. Kindel won’t be eligible to return to the lineup until Friday in Brandon.
THE GREAT EIGHT: Last Tuesday’s 3-2 overtime win against Lethbridge set a new franchise record for most overtime wins in a single season with eight. The previous mark of seven was established during the 2016-17 season. The Hitmen are also on a franchise record setting seven-game overtime winning streak.
HAUSER’S HISTORIC CLIMB: Hitmen goaltender Daniel Hauser picked up career victory 113 on Tuesday against Lethbridge. He is now one win behind Griffen Outhouse for ninth place on the WHL’s all time regular season wins list with 114.
FAST FACTS: Calgary’s 33 wins are their most in a single season since the Covid-19 shorted 2019-20 campaign when they notched 35 victories in 64 games before the season was halted…The Hitmen have outshot their opponent 42 times this season…The Hitmen have moved up two spots this week in the CHL Top-10 Rankings, to sit seventh…The Hitmen are 12-5-1-0 against teams from the East Division…Calgary is +47 in goals for and against while Swift Current is -4.
WHL LEADERBOARD: The Hitmen have two of the WHL’s Top-5 scorers. Ben Kindel is fourth with 85 points while Oliver Tulk is fifth with 84 points. It’s the first time the Hitmen have had two 80-point scorers in a single season since the 2013-14 campaign when Brady Brassart and Greg Chase tied for the team lead with 85 points each…Carter Yakemchuk is in a three-way tie for third in goals by a defenceman with 15
CAREER MILESTONE WATCH: Wyatt Pisarczyk is in line to play his 100th career WHL game tonight in Swift Current…Oliver Tulk is sixth all-time in franchise scoring with 243 points, 13 points behind Kris Beech (256) for fifth place…In late January Tulk became the sixth member of the Hitmen 100 goal-club. He is five goals behind Brandon Segal (110) for fifth place on the clubs’ all-time goal scoring list…Carter Yakemchuk (172) is three points behind Jake Bean (175) for fourth place all-time in franchise defence scoring.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: Forward Ethan Moore is in his third season with the Hitmen and enters today with 77 career points (36g, 41a) in 179 games. Last season he rattled off a personal best 14-game point streak from Dec. 13 to Jan. 26. During the 2021-22 campaign, Moore led the Okotoks AAA U18 Oilers in scoring with 39 points (17g, 22a) in 33 games.
DID YOU KNOW? Calgary is second in the Eastern Conference in goals for with 204. Their 157 goals against are the second fewest…Calgary has 11 players with 10 or more goals this season…The Hitmen power play is 18th in the WHL at 19.5% while the penalty kill is 11th at 76.0%.
MAYFAIR DIAGNOSTICS INJURY REPORT: Lukas Hansen (Upper Body, Week-to-Week), Axel Hurtig (Lower Body, TBD).
HITMEN MONTH-BY-MONTH: Sept. (1-1-0-0), Oct. (4-4-2-1), Nov. (7-3-1-0), Dec. (6-3-0-0), Jan. (12-1-0-1), Feb. (3-3-0-0).
COUNTDOWN CLOCK: Counting today the Hitmen have 15 games remaining on their regular season schedule against the following opponents: SC (3), REG (1), BDN (2), MJ (1), RD (3), KEL (1), EDM (2), LET (1), MH (1).
NHL RADAR: Three Hitmen are on NHL Central Scouting’s midterm rankings of the top North American skaters and goalies eligible for the 2025 NHL Draft. Among the skaters, Ben Kindel is ranked 20th with Brandon Gorzynski on the document 81st. In the goaltending department, Anders Miller is 19th.
PROSPECT WATCH: Hitmen prospect Dominik Silbernagel, a fifth-round pick 95th overall in the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft, is playing U18 Prep in the CSSHL with RINK Hockey Academy in Kelowna. In 30 games the 15-year-old forward has 17 points (7g, 10a).
ALUMNI WATCH: Former Hitmen defenceman Travis Sanheim is a member of Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off. The 28-year-old Philadelphia Flyers defenceman played three seasons with Calgary (2013-16) recording 162 points (35g, 127a) in 186 games.
UPCOMING GAMES: Calgary’s six games in nine nights tour across the East Division continues Wednesday, Feb. 19 in Regina against the Pats. The swing will also take the Hitmen to Regina (Feb. 19), Brandon (Feb. 21) and Moose Jaw (Feb. 22).
