Game Preview: Calgary vs Regina – 01.05.25
HITMEN HEADLINES: The Calgary Hitmen (20-11-3-1) open a five-game homestand this afternoon as the welcome the Regina Pats (10-20-4-2) to Scotiabank Saddledome. Note the earlier 1:00 p.m. start time in another Sunday Funday presented by Brookfield Residential. In addition to $3 sips and snacks all game long, look for family fun entertainment on the west concourse. There are also $6 Hitmen Happy Hour food and drink deals throughout the day. The post-game family skate is postponed however to make way for the Calgary Wranglers game that will follow at 6:00 p.m. The Hitmen are coming off Friday’s 6-2 victory in Red Deer which saw six different goal scorers in Kalem Parker, Dax Williams, Ethan Moore, Sawyer Mayes, Carter Yakemchuk and Oliver Tulk. Ben Kindel also chipped in three assists while goaltender Anders Miller was excellent in making 32 saves. Hitmen 16-year-old prospect Koy Funk also made his WHL debut. The Pats were in Red Deer last night and posted a 4-3 overtime victory. Braxton Whitehead scored the game winner 2:12 into the extra session after the Rebels had forced OT with 4:40 remaining.
WHERE THEY STAND: The Hitmen are tied with Medicine Hat for the Central Division lead and second place in the WHL’s Eastern Conference at 44 points each while Regina is 10th with 26 points.
REGINA: Today marks the second of four regular season meetings between the two clubs. Calgary is 1-0 against the Pats after a win in the Saskatchewan capital in late October. Ben Kindel (2g) and Oliver Tulk (2a) lead Calgary in the season series with two points each while Brandon Gorzynski (1g) has also scored for the Hitmen. Zachary Lansard (1g) produced the lone goal for the Pats. Last season the Hitmen went 0-1-1-0 at home against Regina. Their next meeting is in two weeks on Sunday, Jan. 19 when the Pats are back in the ‘Dome.
2024-25 SERIES RECAP
Oct. 25/24 in REG: Hitmen 3 Pats 1…Ben Kindel scored twice for Calgary including the game winner with 7:20 remaining.
INSIDE THE SERIES
Shots on Goal: CGY 33 REG 26 Power Plays: CGY 2-5 (40%) REG 0-1 (0%)
STREAKS: Ben Kindel (12g, 24a) is on a career high 19-game point streak, the longest streak in the WHL this season…The Hitmen franchise record is 20 games set by Pavel Brendl during the 1998-99 season when the import tallied 49 points from Dec. 2/98 to Jan. 26/99…Oliver Tulk (12g, 23a) is on career high 16-game point streak…Connor Hvidston (1g, 2a) has points in three straight games…Carter Yakemchuk (2g, 2a) is on a two-game goal scoring streak…Carson Wetsch (1g, 1a) has points in back-to-back games…Goaltender Anders Miller has won his last three starts while posting a 2.00 goals against average and .929 save percentage.
UNLIKELY TRADE PARTNERS: Yesterday the Hitmen completed a trade with division rival Red Deer adding 19-year-old forward Carson Birnie to the club in exchange for 17-year-old prospect Parker MacDougall, 16-year-old prospect Ethan Dundas plus a pair of picks in the WHL Prospects Draft, a fifth-round selection in 2025 and a third-round pick in 2026. Birnie was an alternate captain with the Rebels this season and was tied for third in team scoring with 19 points (9g, 10a). He is expected to make his Hitmen debut today and wear number 15.
BACK END BOLSTERED: Yesterday the Hitmen added 19-year-old WHL U.S. Division All-Star defenceman Sawyer Mynio to the roster in a trade with Seattle. In return the Thunderbirds receive 18-year-old defenceman Linden Burrett, 17-year-old forward Sawyer Mayes plus four picks in the WHL Prospects Draft, first and fourth-round picks in 2025 and first and fourth-round pick in 2026. Mynio, a third-round pick of the Vancouver Canucks, is coming off a season where he recorded 53 points (16g, 37a) in 63 games.
TRADE WINDS: On Thursday the Hitmen completed a trade with Wenatchee which sees the addition of 20-year-old goaltender Daniel Hauser to the roster. A two-time WHL All-Star, Hauser has 103 career wins along with a 2.69 goals against average and .908 save percentage in 151 appearances. The product of Chestermere, AB has also picked up 23 career playoff wins during his time with both the Wild and Winnipeg ICE. In return the Hitmen sent 20-year-old Russian Import Maxim Muranov to Wenatchee along with the rights to 17-year-old forward Mason Moe, 15-year-old netminder Mark Djomo, a third-round pick in the 2026 WHL Prospects Draft and a second-round pick in 2027.
HOME AND AWAY COMPARISION: The Hitmen are riding a seven-game home ice winning streak and are 11-2-1-1 in the ‘Dome this season. They have played a league low 15 times on home ice. Regina is 5-10-3-0 on the road.
FAST FACTS: Calgary hasn’t been outshot since Nov. 13 in Portland, a run of 16 straight games…The Hitmen are 13-4 in their last 17 games picking up 26 of a possible 34 points…The Hitmen have two of the WHL’s Top-6 scorers as Oliver Tulk and Ben Kindel share sixth place with 56 points each…Today is Calgary’s sixth game in 10 days…Hitmen d-man Axel Hurtig and Team Sweden play Czechia today for Bronze at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship. Hitmen teammates Tanner Howe and Sawyer Mynio who both played for Team Canada remain on their holiday break.
WE MEET AGAIN: The Pats roster features several former Hitmen in Keets Fawcett, Reese Hamilton, Aleksey Chichkin and Connor Bear. All four were traded to the Pats in two different deals. On Nov. 21 the Hitmen acquired Tanner Howe in exchange for Hamilton, Fawcett, a third-round pick in the 2025 WHL Prospects Draft and a second-round pick in 2027. Almost two months earlier on Sept. 26 the Hitmen sent Chichkin and Bear to the Queen City in exchange for a pair of picks in the WHL Prospects Draft, a fourth-round pick in 2025 and a third-round selection in 2026. Chichkin played 61 games with the Hitmen last season in his rookie campaign. The shutdown defenceman recorded 10 points (1g, 9a) and 92 penalty minutes. Bear, a former Hitmen prospect, skated in four games with the Hitmen during a pair of callups a season ago and was held pointless. Hamilton notched 31 points (8g, 23a) in 42 games during his rookie season with Calgary while Fawcett tallied 45 points (19g, 26a) as a freshman.
CAREER MILESTONE WATCH: Tanner Howe is one point shy of 250 and two assists short of 150…Carson Wetsch is one goal shy of 50, needs one assist to reach 50 and two points to hit the 100 mark…Carter Yakemchuk is two assist shy of 100…Friday in Red Deer Oliver Tulk moved into a tie for 11th in franchise scoring with Ryan Getzlaf at 215 points, seven points behind Brady Brassart (222 points) for 10th place. Tulk 14th on the clubs’ all-time goal scoring list 90, two goals back of Ryan White and Kris Beech who share 12th place with 91.
DID YOU KNOW? During the holiday break Hitmen forward Oliver Tulk announced this will be his final season in the WHL. The 19-year-old has committed to play next season in the NCAA with the Wisconsin Badgers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison…Calgary is 5-3-1-0 against teams from the East Division…The Hitmen are riding a five-game overtime winning streak.
MAYFAIR DIAGNOSTICS INJURY REPORT: Lukas Hansen (Upper Body, Day-to-Day).
UPCOMING GAMES: The Hitmen return to Scotiabank Saddledome on Wednesday, Jan. 8 to host Moose Jaw before welcoming the Saskatoon Blades on Friday, Jan. 10. Both are 7:00 p.m. starts.
