GAME PREVIEW: Calgary vs Saskatoon – 01.10.25
HITMEN HEADLINES: The Calgary Hitmen (22-11-3-1) play the first of two weekend home games tonight as they welcome the Saskatoon Blades (23-13-2-2) 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. Calgary extended their winning streak to four games on Wednesday with a 5-1 home ice victory over Moose Jaw. Oliver Tulk scored his first hat-trick of the season and third of his WHL career while Ben Kindel recorded three assists. David Adaszynski and Axel Hurtig rounded out the Hitmen scoring attack with Anders Miller making 23 saves between the pipes. Saskatoon also last played on Wednesday, falling 4-2 in Edmonton to the Oil Kings. Hayden Harsanyi and Cooper Williams scored for the Blades who saw their two-game winning streak come to an end.
WHERE THEY STAND: The Hitmen are in a three-way tie with Medicine Hat and Saskatoon for the WHL’s Eastern Conference lead at 48 points each. Calgary has two games in hand on the Blades and three on the Tigers.
SASKATOON: Tonight marks the third of four regular season meetings between the two clubs. The road team is 2-0 after Calgary edged the Blades in their last meeting just over a month ago. Ben Kindel (3g, 2a) and Oliver Tulk (2g, 3a) top Calgary with five points each in the season series. Carter Yakemchuk (1g, 2a) is next with three. The recently traded Tanner Molendyk (1g, 3a) has been the top performer for the Blades with four points while Hudson Kibblewhite (2g, 1a) and Rowan Calvert (1g, 2a) have three points each. Their final head-to-head battle is back in Saskatchewan when the Hitmen make a Valentine’s Day visit on Friday, Feb. 14.
2024-25 SERIES RECAP
Oct. 2/24 in CGY: Blades 5 Hitmen 3…The Blades overcame deficits of 2-0 and 3-2.
Dec. 7/24 in SAS: Hitmen 5 Blades 4 OT…Ben Kindel scored the winner 29 seconds into the extra session.
INSIDE THE SERIES
Shots on Goal: CGY 47 SAS 53 Power Plays: CGY 1-7 (14.3%) SAS 4-9 (44.4%)
STREAKS: Ben Kindel (13g, 28a) is on a career high and franchise record setting 21-game point streak. Kindel eclipsed Pavel Brendl’s 20 game point streak set during the 1998-99 season when the import tallied 49 points from Dec. 2/98 to Jan. 26/99…Oliver Tulk (15g, 25a) is on career high 18-game point streak…Brandon Gorzynski (1g, 3a) is on a three-game point streak…Axel Hurtig (2g, 1a) has scored in back-to-back games…Goaltender Anders Miller has won his last four starts while posting a 1.75 goals against average and .936 save percentage… Connor Hvidston (1g, 3a) saw his four game point streak end Wednesday against Moose Jaw while a three game point streak for Carson Wetsch (3g, 2a) was also snapped along with two-game point streaks for Kalem Parker (1g, 1a) and Carson Birnie (1g, 1a).
INKED: Yesterday the Hitmen announced the singing of their fourth-round pick in the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft as 18-year-old forward Ethan Merner committed to a WHL Scholarship and Development Agreement. The product of Kelowna, BC, will join the club immediately and was sixth on the BCHL’s Langley Rivermen in scoring this season with 18 points (12g, 6a) in 30 games.
HITMEN DEBUT: 19-year-old WHL U.S. Division All-Star defenceman Sawyer Mynio is expected to make his Calgary Hitmen debut tonight against the Blades. Mynio was acquired last week from Seattle in exchange for 18-year-old defenceman Linden Burrett, 17-year-old forward Sawyer Mayes plus four picks in the WHL Prospects Draft, first and fourth-round selections in 2025 and first and fourth-round picks 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.
REASSIGNED: Yesterday the Hitmen returned three affiliate players back to their minor hockey teams as Kale McCann, Koy Funk and Easton LaPlante all saw ice time during their stay in Calgary. McCann made his WHL debut on Wednesday against Moose Jaw.
HOME AND AWAY COMPARISION: The Hitmen are riding a nine-game home ice winning streak and are 13-2-1-1 in the ‘Dome this season. Their 25 home points are tied with Spokane for fifth most in the WHL. Saskatoon is 10-10-0-1 on the road.
FAST FACTS: Calgary hasn’t been outshot since Nov. 13 in Portland, a run of 18 straight games…The Hitmen are 15-4 in their last 19 games picking up 30 of a possible 38 points…The Hitmen have two of the WHL’s Top-3 scorers as Oliver Tulk and Ben Kindel share third place with 61 points each…Today is Calgary’s eighth game in 15 days since the holiday break, they are 5-2 in this stretch.
CAREER MILESTONE WATCH: Tanner Howe is one point shy of 250 and two assists short of 150…Carter Yakemchuk is two assist shy of 100…Oliver Tulk is 11th in franchise scoring with 220 points, two back of Brady Brassart (222 points) for 10th place. Tulk’s hat-trick Wednesday against Moose Jaw moved him into a tie for 10th on the clubs’ all-time goal scoring list with Chris Nielsen at 93, one goal back of Jakob Stukel who sits ninth with 94…Carson Wetsch played career game 150 on Wednesday against Moose Jaw.
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 7-3-1-0 against teams from the East Division…The Hitmen are riding a five-game overtime winning streak…Calgary is tied with Edmonton for the second most goals scored in the Eastern Conference, averaging 3.95 goals per game…The WHL’s Trade Deadline passed at 6:00 p.m. MT last night.
MAYFAIR DIAGNOSTICS INJURY REPORT: Lukas Hansen (Upper Body, Day-to-Day), Carter Yakemchuk (Lower Body, Week-to-Week).
HITMEN MONTH-BY-MONTH: September (1-1-0-0), October (4-4-2-1), November (7-2-1-0), December (6-3-0-0), January (4-0-0-0).
PROSPECT WATCH: Antonio Correia, one of three Hitmen picks in the second round of the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft, is playing AAA U18 Hockey in Manitoba as a 15-year-old with the Winnipeg Bruins. In 27 games the forward has 23 points (11g, 12a).
UPCOMING GAMES: The Hitmen return to the ‘Dome for a pair of weekend games welcoming the Saskatoon Blades for a Friday, Jan. 10 contest at 7:00 p.m. before hosting the Brandon Wheat Kings on Sunday, Jan. 12 at 2:00 p.m. Not only will it be another Sunday Funday presented by Brookfield Residential, but also the Hitmen’s 30th Birthday Bash.
