GAME PREVIEW: Calgary vs Swift Current – 03.07.25
HITMEN HEADLINES: The Calgary Hitmen (39-15-3-3) return to Scotiabank Saddledome for the first of two weekend home games tonight as they welcome the Swift Current Broncos (32-25-1-1) to the Stampede City. 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. Both clubs head into action on a roll, the Hitmen on a seven-game point streak (6-0-0-1) and the Broncos riding a three-game winning streak. Calgary has been idle since last Sunday’s 7-0 home ice win over Kelowna on a day where Ben Kindel set up four goals, Carson Wetsch notched his second career hat-trick and Daniel Hauser made 23 saves to record his fifth shutout of the season. Swift Current has been off since Wednesday’s 6-3 comeback win in Saskatoon. Trailing 3-0 just over 12 minutes into the opening period, Swift Current roared back with six unanswered goals. Carlin Dezainde (2g, 2a) led the charge with four points while Grayson Burzynski set up three goals and Joey Rocha stopped all 20 shots in faced in a relief appearance.
WHERE THEY STAND: The Hitmen are third in the WHL’s Eastern Conference with 84 points, two points ahead of fourth place Lethbridge and four points behind front-running Medicine Hat. Calgary has two games in hand on the Hurricanes and three on the Tigers. Swift Current at 66 points holds the eighth and final playoff spot, three points behind seventh place Saskatoon.
SWIFT CURRENT: Tonight is the fifth and final regular season meeting between the two Trans-Canada Highway rivals. Calgary has won the last three to take a 3-1 series lead. Brandon Gorzynski (2g, 2a), Connor Hvidston (2g, 2a) and Oliver Tulk (1g, 3a) lead the Hitmen with four points each. Kalem Parker (2g, 1a), Carter Yakemchuk (1g, 2a) and Ben Kindel (1g, 2a) all have three. Luke Mistelbacher (2g, 3a) has been the top performing Bronco with five points. Brady Birnie (1g, 3a) and Clarke Caswell (3g, 1a) are next with four points each.
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.
Feb. 17/25 in SC: Hitmen 4 Broncos 2…Connor Hvidston (1g, 1a) and Oliver Tulk (1g, 1a) led Calgary with two points each.
Feb. 26/25 in CGY: Hitmen 3 Broncos 0…Daniel Hauser made 23 saves for the shutout while Tanner Howe and Ben Kindel both notched 1g, 1a.
INSIDE THE SERIES
Shots on Goal: CGY 125 SC 80 Power Plays: CGY 2-16 (12.5%) SC 1-13 (7.7%)
STREAKS: Kalem Parker (3a) has tied his Hitmen best and is on a three-game point streak…Daniel Hauser has won his last five starts…Ben Kindel (4g, 8a) has points in seven of his last eight games…David Adaszynski (3a) saw his three-game assist streak end last Sunday against Kelowna.
HAUSER MAKES HISTORY: Daniel Hauser’s 23-save shutout win over Kelowna last Sunday broke a pair of franchise records. He is now on a club record four-game shutout streak moving past Justin Pogge and Martin Jones who both posted three-game shutout streaks. In the process Hauser has also snapped Pogge’s 2006 shutout streak record of 228:47, currently holding a goalless run of 243 minutes and 23 seconds. The WHL record of 265:13 is held by Chris Worthy and was set 57 seasons ago in 1967-68.
HOME AND AWAY COMPARISION: The Hitmen are 23-4-1-1 on home ice and riding a five-game winning streak at Scotiabank Saddledome. Their 48 home points are tied with Medicine Hat for second most in the WHL. Swift Current is 12-15-0-1 on the road.
HAUSER’S HISTORIC CLIMB: Daniel Hauser picked up career victory 118 last Sunday against Kelowna, putting him in sole possession of fifth place on the WHL’s all-time regular season wins list. Hauser is one victory behind Jordan Papirny who holds fourth place with 119. Nolan Maier is first with 122.
FAST FACTS: Calgary remains eighth in this week’s CHL-Top 10 Rankings presented by Delta Hotels by Marriott…The Hitmen have opened the scoring in each of their last 20 games…Calgary’s 39 wins are their most in a single season since the 2015-16 campaign when they notched 42 victories in 72 games…The Hitmen are 17-5-1-0 against the East Division…Calgary is +73 in goals for and against while Swift Current is -6…Carson Wetsch became the third Hitmen to hit the 30-goal mark last Sunday and one of 26 players in the WHL to hit that milestone this season.
WHL LEADERBOARD: Daniel Hauser is second in the WHL with a 2.62 goals against average while his .911 save percentage is third and his five shutouts top the league…The Hitmen have two of the WHL’s Top-6 scorers. Ben Kindel is sixth with 94 points while Oliver Tulk is fifth with 95 points. Tulk has notched the most points in a Hitmen season since Brandon Kozun tallied 107 in the 2009-10 campaign. 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 two-way tie for sixth in goals by a defenceman with 16.
CAREER MILESTONE WATCH: Ben Kindel needs two goals to each 50…Oliver Tulk is sixth all-time in franchise scoring with 254 points, two points behind Kris Beech (256) for fifth place…In late January Tulk became the sixth member of the Hitmen 100 goal-club. He is one goal behind Brandon Segal (110) for fifth place on the clubs’ all-time goal scoring list…Carter Yakemchuk (177) is four points behind Michael Stone (181) for third place all-time in franchise scoring by a defenceman…David Adaszynski is four points away from 100.
COUNTDOWN CLOCK: Counting today the Hitmen have eight games remaining on their regular season schedule against the following opponents: SC (1), BDN (1), EDM (2), LET (1), RD (2), MH (1).
SPECIAL TEAMS TRACKER: The Hitmen power play, which is coming off a five-goal game, is 17th in the WHL at 21.2% while the penalty kill is ninth at 78.6%.
MAYFAIR DIAGNOSTICS INJURY REPORT: None.
ALUMNI HARDWARE: Two former Calgary Hitmen forwards claimed Canada West Awards this week in CIS Men’s Hockey. Sean Tschigerl of the Alberta Golden Bears was named Rookie of the Year while teammate Josh Prokop was handed the UBC Hockey Alumni Trophy for Sportsmanship and Ability.
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.
UPCOMING GAMES: Calgary returns to Scotiabank Saddledome Sunday, Mar. 9 to host the Brandon Wheat Kings in the 5th annual Every Child Matters game presented by Siksika Health Services. Game time is 2:00 p.m. for this unique event that will see the Hitmen wear one-of-a-kind jerseys designed by Indigenous artists to honour and celebrate the Indigenous culture. The Hitmen will then hit the road for a pair of games with stops in Edmonton on Wednesday, Mar. 12 at 11:00 a.m. and Lethbridge on Friday, Mar. 15 at 7:00 p.m.
