Game Preview: Game 40 vs Prince Albert Raiders
Tonight’s Matchup: Tonight’s matchup is the second of four matchups between the Prince Albert Raiders and the Medicine Hat Tigers. The Tigers look to take a 2-0 series lead against the Raiders after winning 3-2 in their previous meeting. Ryder Ritchie looks to continue his success this season with the Tigers as he faces his former team for the second time this season.
2024-25 Season Series:
- Medicine Hat 3 @ Prince Albert 2 (Nov. 20, 2024)
Last Game: The Medicine Hat Tigers jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first period, courtesy of two Mathew Ward goals. Though Swift Current briefly rallied and tied the game early in the third, Ward reclaimed the momentum at the six-minute mark with a breakaway finish. Ryder Ritchie and Oasiz Weisblatt tacked on late markers, securing a 5-2 victory for the Tigers.
2024-25 Standings:
22-15-2-0 Central Div. – 1st Eastern Con. – 2nd Home (15-5-1-0) Away (7-10-1-0)
2024-25 Tigers Statistical Leaders:
| Skater Stats | Goalie Stats |
| Goals – Hunter St. Martin (24) | Wins – Jordan Switzer (14) |
| 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: 37 – 148 – 25.0%
- Penalty Kill: 122 – 161 – 75.8%
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 move strengthens the Tigers’ roster with Molendyk’s elite defensive skills and leadership experience, while Saskatoon gains promising young talent and valuable draft capital.
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.
Roaring Runs:
| Player Name | Streak |
| Gavin McKenna | 14 Game Point Streak – (31 Points) |
| Jonas Woo | 5 Game Point Streak – (6 Points) |
| Oasiz Weisblatt | 3 Game Point Streak – (5 Points) |
League Leaders:
| Stat Categories | Player (Rank) |
| Points | Gavin McKenna – 60 Points (Tied 2nd) |
| Points (Defencemen) | Bryce Pickford – 36 Points (5th) |
| Goals | Hunter St. Martin – 24 Goals (8th) |
| Goals (Defencemen) | Bryce Pickford – 16 Goals (1st) |
| Assists | Gavin McKenna – 41 Assists (Tied 2nd) |
| Short Handed Goals | Hunter St. Martin – 4 SHG (Tied 1st) |
| Game Winning Goals | Oasiz Weisblatt – 5 GWG (Tied 3rd) |
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, 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 |
| 15 Years Old (2009) | N/A |
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 |
| 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) |
| Vs Swift Current | 5-2 Win | Vs Calgary Sat. Jan 18 | 7:00 PM (MT) |
Upcoming Milestones:
| Player | Upcoming Milestone | Currently At |
| Marcus Pacheco | 200 Career Games | 189 Career Games |
| Misha Volotovskii | 200 Career Games | 195 Career Games |
| Cayden Lindstrom | 100 Career Games | 99 Career Games |
| Cayden Lindstrom | 50 Career Goals | 46 Career Goals |
| 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 | Carter Cunningham | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 16 | Veeti Vaisanen | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Gametime is 7:00 PM (MST) Tickets can be purchased at the Co-op Place Box Office or online at Tixx.ca. You can also listen live with the voice of the Tigers, Will Bryant. OR watch on watch.chl.com
