Game Preview: Game 39 vs Swift Current Broncos
Tonight’s Matchup: Tonight’s matchup is the third of four matchups between the Swift Current Broncos and the Medicine Hat Tigers. The Tigers look to take back the series lead against Swift Current after dropping last nights game 4-1 to the Broncos. The Tigers’ Bryce Pickford looks to continue his success after potting his 16th of the season last night in Swift Current.
2024-25 Season Series:
- Medicine Hat 4 @ Swift Current 3 (Dec. 4, 2024)
- Medicine Hat 1 @ Swift Current 4 (Jan 3, 2025)
Last Game: The Swift Current Broncos rode a four-goal performance from Luke Mistlebacher to a 4-1 win over the Medicine Hat Tigers. After the Tigers closed the gap on a power-play marker from Bryce Pickford, Mistlebacher completed his hat trick late and iced the game with an empty-netter. The result evens the season series at 1-1 heading into the second half of the home-and-home.
2024-25 Standings:
21-15-2-0 Central Div. – 1st Eastern Con. – 2nd Home (14-5-1-0) Away (7-10-1-0)
2024-25 Tigers Statistical Leaders:
| Skater Stats | Goalie Stats |
| Goals – Hunter St. Martin (24) | Wins – Jordan Switzer (13) |
| Assists – Gavin McKenna (41) | Save % – Harrison Meneghin (.891) |
| Points – Gavin McKenna (60) | GAA – Harrison Meneghin (2.93) |
| PIMs – Oasiz Wiesblatt (96) | Shutouts – Harrison Meneghin / Jordan Switzer (1) |
| Plus/Minus – Gavin McKenna (+24) |
Special Teams:
- Power Play: 36 – 147 – 24.5%
- Penalty Kill: 120 – 158 – 75.9%
Recent Transactions: The Tigers called up three players from SAHA, including Riley Steen, Luke Ruptash and Brayden Ryan-MacKay on December 28.
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 16, while sitting fourth in points by a defenceman with 35. McKenna is the WHL’s league leader in points with 60 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 36 points through 32 games with Medicine Hat this season, placing him fourth in points by a defenceman and first in goals by a defenceman with 16. Pickford was also named to the CHL’s Team Of The Month for November, showcasing his importance to the Tigers lineup. Pickford’s 36 points through 32 games show significant growth from the 18-year-old having only posted 35 points through his previous 121 games with Seattle.
McKenna Magic: Tigers phenom Gavin McKenna headed to Ottawa for Team Canada’s World Jr. Camp on December 10. The 17-year-old was the only player selected to the camp who wasn’t draft-eligible until the 2026 NHL draft. McKenna currently leads the league in points with 60 through 30 games and is riding a 14-game point streak posting 31 points during his run. McKenna looks to continue his success at the World Jr. Championships and display his excellence to all of the hockey world. On December 13, McKenna was officially named to the squad.
Roaring Runs:
| Player Name | Streak |
| Gavin McKenna | 14 Game Point Streak – (31 Points) |
League Leaders:
| Stat Categories | Player (Rank) |
| Points | Gavin McKenna – 60 Points (1st) |
| Points (Defencemen) | Bryce Pickford – 36 Points (4th) |
| Goals | Hunter St. Martin – 24 Goals (Tied 5th) |
| Goals (Defencemen) | Bryce Pickford – 16 Goals (1st) |
| Assists | Gavin McKenna – 41 Assists (1st) |
| Short Handed Goals | Hunter St. Martin – 4 SHG (Tied 1st) |
| Power Play Assists | Gavin McKenna – 14 PPA (7th) |
| Game Winning Goals | Oasiz Weisblatt – 5 GWG (Tied 4th) |
Roster Makeup: 26 players on the roster – 3 Goaltenders – 7 Defencemen – 18 Forwards
| 20 Years Old (2004) | Meneghin, Ward, Weisblatt |
| 19 Years Old (2005) | Pacheco, St. Martin, Basha, Van Mulligen, Neutens, Zahara |
| 18 Years Old (2006) | Cunningham, Lindstrom, Ritchie, Vaisanen, Muhonen, Pickford, Woo |
| 17 Years Old (2007) | Harsanyi, McCann, McKenna, Kashkowski, Switzer, Moss |
| 16 Years Old (2008) | M. Ruck, L. Ruck, Gordon-Carroll, Ryan-MacKay, Steen |
| 15 Years Old (2009) | Ruptash |
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 |
| @ Lethbridge | 4-1 Loss | Vs Swift Current Sat. Jan 4 | 7:00 PM (MT) |
| Vs Lethbridge | 4-0 Win | Vs Prince Albert Wed. Jan 8 | 7:00 PM (MT) |
| @ 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) |
Upcoming Milestones:
| Player | Upcoming Milestone | Currently At |
| Marcus Pacheco | 200 Career Games | 189 Career Games |
| Cayden Lindstrom | 100 Career Games | 99 Career Games |
| Cayden Lindstrom | 50 Career Goals | 46 Career Goals |
| Mathew Ward | 150 Career Assists | 149 Career Assists |
| Gavin McKenna | 200 Career Points | 174 Career Points |
| Cayden Lindstrom | 100 Career Points | 88 Career Points |
Where Are They Now?
| Name (Pos.) | Played | Current Team | Stats (Subject to Change) |
| Rhett Parsons (D) | 2020-2024 | Cincinnati Cyclones (ECHL) | 20 GP – 0 G – 1 A |
| Dru Krebs (D) | 2019-2024 | Greenville Swamp Rabbits (ECHL) | 22 GP – 0 G – 1 A |
| Bogdans Hodass (D) | 2021-2024 | Iowa Heartlanders (ECHL) | 16 GP – 2 G – 3 A |
| Dallon Melin (F) | 2022-2023 | University of Calgary Dinos (USports) | 16 GP – 6 G – 4 A |
| Carter Chorney (F) | 2021-2022 | Grant MacEwan University (USports) | 16 GP – 4 G – 2 A |
| Lukas Svejkovsky (F) | 2019-2021 | Ilves (Liiga) | 10 GP – 6 G – 4 A |
| Beckett Langkow (G) | 2020-2023 | Ontario Tech University (USports) | 10 GP – 7-2-0 – .925 SV% |
| Garin Bjorklund (G) | 2019-2022 | South Carolina Stingrays (ECHL) | 7 GP – 5-2-0 – .943 SV% |
Three Star Tracker:
| Position | Player | 1st Star (3) | 2nd Star (2) | 3rd Star (1) | Total Points |
| 1 | Gavin McKenna | 7 | 5 | 3 | 34 |
| 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 | Mathew Ward | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 12 | Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 13 | Bryce Pickford | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 14 | Brayden Ryan-MacKay | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 15 | Matt Paranych | 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 at the Co-op Place Box Office. You can also listen live with the voice of the Tigers, Will Bryant on Wild 94.5 FM or watch on watch.chl.ca
