Game Preview: Calgary vs Red Deer – 11.04.24
HITMEN HEADLINES: The Calgary Hitmen (6-5-2-1) are back on home ice tonight to welcome the Red Deer Rebels (8-5-1-0) to Scotiabank Saddledome. Game time is 7:00 p.m. Be sure to take advantage of the $6 Hitmen Happy Hour from when doors open at 6:00 p.m. up until the opening faceoff. Items include pizza, burgers, hot dogs, 14-ounce beer, highballs and 6-ounce house wine all for $6 each. Both clubs enter play coming off wins over Lethbridge. The Hitmen posted a 5-3 Friday night victory on the road where the line of David Adaszynski (2g, 1a), Maxim Muranov (3a) and Rylan Ng (1g, 1a) combined for eight points. Calgary outshot the ‘Canes 41-22 and also received goals from Connor Hvidston and Chase Valliant. Red Deer meanwhile posted a 5-4 home-ice triumph over the Hurricanes on Saturday. The Rebels were powered by a four-goal second period on a night where 12 different players hit the scoresheet including Talon Brigley who was the only multi-point Rebel with a goal and an assist.
RED DEER: Tonight is third of eight regular season meetings between the two Central Division rivals. Calgary is 0-1-1-0 against the Rebels. Oliver Tulk (5a) leads the Hitmen in the season series with five points while Ben Kindel (2g, 1a) and Carter Yakemchuk (1g, 2a) have three points each. Ollie Josephson (1g, 2a) and Talon Brigley (3a) are the top performers for the Rebels, both with three points. Dating back to last season, Red Deer has won their last 10 games against Calgary with six of those victories by just a single goal. The two teams won’t see each other again until Friday, Jan. 3 in Red Deer.
2024-25 SERIES RECAP
Oct. 5/24 in RD: Rebels 5 Hitmen 2…The Rebels scored three unanswered goals after Reese Hamilton tied the game for Calgary.
Oct. 16/24 in CGY: Rebels 5 Hitmen 4 OT…The Hitmen overcame a 3-0 deficit to earn a point before Hunter Mayo scored the OT winner.
INSIDE THE SERIES
Shots on Goal: CGY 70 RD 58 Power Plays: CGY 4-12 (33.3%) RD 2-5 (40%)
STREAKS: Ethan Moore (2g, 1a) is on a two-game point streak while Connor Hvidston (2g) has goals in back-to-back games. Ben Kindel (8g, 8a) saw his seven-game point streak end Friday in Lethbridge.
TRADE WINDS: Last Thursday the Hitmen acquired 18-year-old prospect defenceman Drew Peterson along with a sixth-round pick in the 2025 WHL Prospects Draft from Prince George in exchange for 18-year-old defenceman Fraser Leonard. Peterson is currently playing with the AJHL’s Bonnyville Pontiacs and available for call up to the Hitmen. Last Tuesday the Hitmen acquired a conditional sixth-round pick in the 2025 WHL Prospects Draft from the Prince Albert Raiders in exchange for 18-year-old Brandon Osborne. The defenceman played 31 career games with the Hitmen during parts of two seasons in Calgary. Following both transactions the Hitmen added 16-year-old prospect Easton LaPlante to the roster as an affiliate player. The defenceman has six points (2g, 4a) in eight games this season while playing U18 Prep in the CSSHL with Calgary IHA.
FAST FACTS: The Hitmen run of at least one power play goal in seven straight games was snapped Friday in Lethbridge. Calgary has outshot their opponent in 11 of their 14 games this season… Three Hitmen have at least one shot on goal in all 14 games this season in Ben Kindel, Carson Wetsch, and Oliver Tulk…Calgary plays 11 games in November but just four of those at home. October saw the Hitmen post a record of 4-4-2-1… Tonight is the last in a stretch that sees the Hitmen play three straight games against teams from their own division. So far they are 1-0-1 and 3-3-1-1 overall against Central Division opponents this season.
YEARLY REWIND: The Hitmen have 15 points through their first 14 games of their 68-game regular season schedule. Last year through their first 14 games they had 12 points after starting the 2023-24 campaign with a record of 5-7-2-0.
HOME AND AWAY COMPARISION: The Hitmen are riding a four-game home ice point streak having gone 3-0-2 in their last five home games. Overall, they are 4-1-2-0 at Scotiabank Saddledome this season. Red Deer is 2-3 on the road.
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.
CAREER MILESTONE WATCH: Maxim Muranov is one point shy of 100 while Oliver Tulk needs one assist to reach the century mark. Tulk is also one goal back of Riley Fiddler-Schultz for 19th place on the clubs’ all-time goal scoring list. Fiddler-Schultz scored 77 goals, Tulk has 76. Keets Fawcett reached the 50-point plateau last Wednesday against Medicine Hat.
ROSTER CONSTRUCTION: There are 24 players on the Hitmen roster with 17 veterans and eight rookies. Roster breakdown as follows:
20’s (3) – Buenaventura, Hvidston, Muranov, 19’s (6) – Adaszynski, Moore, Tulk, Hurtig*, Williams, Yakemchuk, 18’s (4) – Wetsch, Valliant, Fawcett, Bowland*, 17’s (7) – Hamilton, Mayes, Kindel, Gorzynski, Pisarczyk. Aura*, Svancara*, 16’s (4) – Kosick*, LaPlante*, Tu*, Ng*
*Denotes rookie
MAYFAIR DIAGNOSTICS INJURY REPORT: Robin Svancara (Upper Body – Indefinitely), Sawyer Mayes (Lower Body – Day-to-Day)
UPCOMING GAMES: The Hitmen depart Wednesday on their six game U.S. Division road trip which opens Friday, Nov. 8 in Kent against the Seattle Thunderbirds. Their next home game isn’t until Friday, Nov. 22 when they welcome Victoria to the ‘Dome for a 7:00 p.m. start.
