Gameday Preview: Game 21 Vs Victoria Royals
Tonight’s Matchup: Tonight’s matchup is the first and only matchup between the Medicine Hat Tigers and Victoria Royals this season. The Royals won last seasons meeting, 4-1. The Tigers look to get revenge this time around as it has all the signs of a good battle between these two skilled clubs!
2023-24 Season Series:
- Medicine Hat 1 @ Victoria 4 (Oct 17, 2023)
Last Game: The Tigers are back in Medicine Hat Friday night feeling good coming off a hard fought 2-1 win over the Edmonton Oil Kings. Gavin McKenna led the way for the Tigers notching 2 assists putting the WHL’s league leader in points only one away from 40 through his first 20 games.
2024-25 Standings:
Rec. 11-9-0-0 Central Div. – 2nd Eastern Con. – 4th Home (7-4-0-0) Away (4-5-0-0)
2024-25 Tigers Statistical Leaders:
| Skater Stats | Goalie Stats |
| Goals – Hunter St. Martin (17) | Wins – Harrison Meneghin (6) |
| Assists – Gavin McKenna (28) | Save % – Harrison Meneghin (.891) |
| Points – Gavin McKenna (39) | GAA – Harrison Meneghin (2.99) |
| PIMs – Oasiz Wiesblatt (52) | Shutouts – Harrison Meneghin (1) |
| Plus/Minus – Gavin McKenna (+16) |
Special Teams:
- Power Play: 20 – 81 – 21.0%
- Penalty Kill: 67 – 87 – 78.2%
Recent Transactions: The Tigers traded defenceman Nate Corbet to the Kelowna Rockets in exchange for forward Ethan Neutens, a 2025 3rd Round Pick, and a 2028 5th Round Pick, on November 14th. The Tigers have also sent forward Brayden Ryan-MacKay back to SAHA’s U18 Prep Team, the rookie has played 13 games for the Tigers this season registering 1 goal.
Milestones:
Gavin McKenna tallies 4 assists Vs the Moose Jaw Warriors on November 9th. His First assist was his 100th Career assist in the WHL. While his second assist was his 150th point in the WHL. Both McKenna and Hunter St. Martin are each one goal away from hitting their respective 50 career goal milestones. Tigers’ rookie Brayden Ryan-MacKay also secured a milestone Saturday Vs the Warriors as he scored his first career WHL goal.
Ruck N’ Roll: Tigers rookies Liam and Markus Ruck returned to Medicine Hat with more than just memories from their stint with Team Canada White at the U17 World Hockey Challenge. Team Canada White clinched a 3-1 victory over Team Canada Red in the gold medal game in Sarnia, Ontario. The Ruck brothers made their mark, combining for 8 points over 5 games — Markus with 2 goals and 2 assists, and Liam with 4 assists.
Hunt…ing for Goals: Hunter St. Martin is having a career year for the Medicine Hat Tigers. With some standout performances this season, he’s tallied 17 goals over 17 games, including an impressive 9 goals in his last 6 games. St. Martin has recorded two hat tricks so far, one of which included an incredible 5-goal game. Now, the Florida Panthers prospect sits just one goal away from reaching his 50th career WHL goal.
League Leaders:
| Stat Categories | Player (Rank) |
| Points | Gavin McKenna – 39 Points (1st) |
| Goals | Hunter St. Martin – 17 Goals (Tied 2nd) |
| Assists | Gavin McKenna – 28 Assists (1st) |
| Short Handed Goals | Hunter St. Martin – 3 SHG (1st) Andrew Basha 2 SHG (Tied 2nd) |
| Power Play Assists | Gavin McKenna – 9 PPA (Tied 3rd) |
Roster Makeup: 26 players on the roster – 2 Goaltenders – 7 Defencemen – 16 Forwards
| 20 Years Old (2004) | Meneghin, Ward, Weisblatt |
| 19 Years Old (2005) | Pacheco, St. Martin, Basha, Van Mulligen, Neutens |
| 18 Years Old (2006) | Cunningham, Lindstrom, Ritchie, Vaisanen, Muhonen, Pickford, Woo |
| 17 Years Old (2007) | Harsanyi, McCann, McKenna, Kashkowski, Paranych, Switzer |
| 16 Years Old (2008) | M. Ruck, L. Ruck, Ryan-MacKay, 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)
Tigers Schedule:
| LAST FIVE | RESULTS | NEXT FIVE | TIME |
| @ Brandon Wheat Kings | 3-0 Loss | Vs Victoria Royals, Fri. Nov 15 | 7:00 PM (MT) |
| @ Lethbridge Hurricanes | 7-6 Loss | @ Saskatoon Blades, Tues. Nov 19 | 7:00 PM (ST) |
| Vs Edmonton Oil Kings | 4-2 Loss | @ Prince Albert Raiders, Wed. Nov 20 | 7:00 PM (ST) |
| Vs Moose Jaw Warriors | 8-4 Win | @ Edmonton Oil Kings, Fri. Nov 22 | 7:00 PM (MT) |
| @ Edmonton Oil Kings | 2-1 Win | Vs Saskatoon, Sat. Nov 23 | 7:00 PM (MT) |
Tickets are available at Tixx.ca or you can listen live on Wild 94.5 or watch at watch.chl.ca.
