Game Preview: Game 41 vs Red Deer Rebels
Tonight’s Matchup: Tonight’s matchup is the sixth of eight matchups between the Medicine Hat Tigers and Red Deer Rebels. The Tigers look to get some revenge against the Rebels after dropping four of five matchups this season against Red Deer. The Tigers look to capitalize on a struggling Rebels team that has posted a 0-5-2-0 record over their last 7 games. The Tigers on the other hand have gone 7-2-1-0 over their last 10 games, and have recently acquired star defenceman Tanner Molendyk from the Saskatoon Blades.
2024-25 Season Series:
- Medicine Hat 2 @ Red Deer 4 (Oct. 25, 2024)
- Red Deer 0 @ Medicine Hat 3 (Oct. 9, 2024)
- Medicine Hat 3 @ Red Deer 6 (Oct. 4, 2024)
- Red Deer 4 @ Medicine Hat 3 (Sept. 28, 2024)
- Medicine Hat 2 @ Red Deer 4 (Sept. 27, 2024)
Last Game: The Medicine Hat Tigers stormed out to a commanding 4-0 lead in the first period, with Kadon McCann potting two of those quick goals. Although the Raiders closed the gap over the next two periods, the Tigers answered each time to maintain their cushion. In the final minutes, Ryder Ritchie iced the game against his former team with an empty-net marker, capping a high-scoring 7-4 victory for Medicine Hat.
2024-25 Standings:
23-15-2-0 Central Div. – 1st Eastern Con. – 1st Home (16-5-1-0) Away (7-10-1-0)
2024-25 Tigers Statistical Leaders:
| Skater Stats | Goalie Stats |
| Goals – Hunter St. Martin (25) | Wins – Jordan Switzer (15) |
| Assists – Gavin McKenna (42) | Save % – Harrison Meneghin (.891) |
| Points – Gavin McKenna (62) | GAA – Harrison Meneghin (2.93) |
| PIMs – Oasiz Wiesblatt (100) | Shutouts – Harrison Meneghin / Jordan Switzer (1) |
| Plus/Minus – Gavin McKenna (+26) |
Special Teams:
- Power Play: 39 – 151 – 25.8%
- Penalty Kill: 125 – 164 – 76.2%
Recent Transactions: The Medicine Hat Tigers have acquired Nashville Predators prospect Tanner Molendyk and forward Misha Volotovskii from the Saskatoon Blades in a blockbuster trade. In exchange, the Tigers send forward Hayden Harsanyi, defenseman Jack Kachkowski, and five draft picks, including a 2025 first-round pick. The Tigers also traded a 2028 8th round pick to Regina for 2007 born goalie Cruz Chase.
Real Recognize Real:
Bryce Pickford and Gavin McKenna were both named to the CHL’s Team of the Month for November. Pickford currently leads the league in goals by a defenceman with 17, while sitting tied for 5th in points by a defenceman with 37. McKenna is tied for the WHL’s league lead in points with 62 and has been on a tear all season.
Picking It Up:
The offseason addition of Bryce Pickford from the Seattle Thunderbirds has been gold for the Medicine Hat Tigers. Pickford currently sits at 37 points through 34 games with Medicine Hat this season, placing him tied for 5th in points by a defenceman and first in goals by a defenceman with 17. Pickford was also named to the CHL’s Team Of The Month for November, showcasing his importance to the Tigers lineup. Pickford’s 37 points through 34 games show significant growth from the 18-year-old having only posted 35 points through his previous 121 games with Seattle.
Roaring Runs:
| Player Name | Streak |
| Gavin McKenna | 15 Game Point Streak – (33 Points) |
| Jonas Woo | 6 Game Point Streak – (7 Points) |
| Oasiz Weisblatt | 4 Game Point Streak – (6 Points) |
League Leaders:
| Stat Categories | Player (Rank) |
| Points | Gavin McKenna – 62 Points (Tied 1st) |
| Points (Defencemen) | Bryce Pickford – 37 Points (Tied 5th) |
| Goals | Hunter St. Martin – 25 Goals (8th) |
| Goals (Defencemen) | Bryce Pickford – 17 Goals (1st) |
| Assists | Gavin McKenna – 42 Assists (2nd) |
| Short Handed Goals | Hunter St. Martin – 4 SHG (Tied 1st) |
| Game Winning Goals | Oasiz Weisblatt – 5 GWG (Tied 3rd) |
Roster Makeup: 24 players on the roster – 2 Goaltenders – 7 Defencemen – 15 Forwards
| 20 Years Old (2004) | Meneghin, Ward, Weisblatt |
| 19 Years Old (2005) | Pacheco, St. Martin, Basha, Van Mulligen, Neutens, Molendyk, Volotovskii |
| 18 Years Old (2006) | Cunningham, Lindstrom, Ritchie, Vaisanen, Muhonen, Pickford, Woo |
| 17 Years Old (2007) | McCann, McKenna, Switzer, Moss |
| 16 Years Old (2008) | M. Ruck, L. Ruck, Gordon-Carroll |
NHL Drafted / Signed Players: Andrew Basha (Calgary Flames), Cayden Lindstrom (Columbus Blue Jackets), Harrison Meneghin (Tampa Bay Lightning), Niilopekka Muhonen (Dallas Stars), Ryder Ritchie (Minnesota Wild), Hunter St. Martin (Florida Panthers), Veeti Vaisanen (Utah Hockey Club), Tanner Molendyk (Nashville Predators)
Tigers Schedule:
| LAST FIVE | RESULTS | NEXT FIVE | TIME |
| @ Calgary | 4-3 Loss (OT) | Vs Red Deer Fri. Jan 10 | 7:00 PM (MT) |
| Vs Calgary | 5-2 Win | @ Edmonton Sat. Jan 11 | 7:00 PM (MT) |
| @ Swift Current | 4-1 Loss | @ Calgary Fri. Jan 17 | 7:00 PM (MT) |
| Vs Swift Current | 5-2 Win | Vs Calgary Sat. Jan 18 | 7:00 PM (MT) |
| Vs Prince Albert | 7-4 Win | Vs Regina Tue. Jan 21 | 7:00 PM (MT) |
Upcoming Milestones:
| Player | Upcoming Milestone | Currently At |
| Marcus Pacheco | 200 Career Games | 190 Career Games |
| Misha Volotovskii | 200 Career Games | 196 Career Games |
| Cayden Lindstrom | 100 Career Games | 99 Career Games |
| Cayden Lindstrom | 50 Career Goals | 46 Career Goals |
| Gavin McKenna | 200 Career Points | 176 Career Points |
| Cayden Lindstrom | 100 Career Points | 88 Career Points |
Three Star Tracker:
| Position | Player | 1st Star (3) | 2nd Star (2) | 3rd Star (1) | Total Points |
| 1 | Gavin McKenna | 7 | 5 | 4 | 35 |
| 2 | Andrew Basha | 2 | 4 | 1 | 15 |
| 3 | Harrison Meneghyn | 3 | 2 | 1 | 14 |
| 4 | Hunter St. Martin | 3 | 1 | 1 | 12 |
| 5 | Jordan Switzer | 1 | 3 | 1 | 10 |
| 6 | Oasiz Weisblatt | 2 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
| 7 | Liam Ruck | 1 | 2 | 1 | 8 |
| 8 | Markus Ruck | 1 | 2 | 0 | 7 |
| 9 | Ryder Ritchie | 0 | 3 | 1 | 7 |
| 10 | Jonas Woo | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| 11 | Kadon McCann | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 12 | Mathew Ward | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 13 | Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 14 | Bryce Pickford | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 15 | Brayden Ryan-MacKay | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 16 | Carter Cunningham | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 17 | Veeti Vaisanen | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Gametime is 7:00 PM (MST) Tickets can be purchased on Tixx.ca or the Co-op Place Box Office. You can also listen live with the voice of the Tigers, Will Bryant, or watch on watch.chl.com
