[{"id":51504,"date":"2026-05-13T14:00:16","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T20:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/?p=51504"},"modified":"2026-05-13T14:00:16","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T20:00:16","slug":"vaisanen-signs-pro-contract-with-jyp-jyvaskyla","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/article\/vaisanen-signs-pro-contract-with-jyp-jyvaskyla","title":{"rendered":"V\u00e4is\u00e4nen Signs Pro Contract With JYP Jyv\u00e4skyl\u00e4"},"content":{"rendered":"

Medicine Hat, AB –\u00a0<\/strong>The JYP Jyv\u00e4skyl\u00e4 have signed defenceman Veeti V\u00e4is\u00e4nen<\/strong> to a professional Liiga contract, the team announced on Tuesday, May 12th.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

V\u00e4is\u00e4nen was selected by the Utah Mammoth of the NHL in the third round (96th overall) of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. Shortly after, the Hamina, Finland native was selected by the Tigers in the second round (107th overall) of the 2024 CHL Import Draft.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The 6-foot-1 blueliner joined the Tigers at the beginning of the 2024-25 season and would go on to win the Ed Chynoweth cup with the Tigers in 2025.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Through 105 games in the orange and black, V\u00e4is\u00e4nen has posted 10 goals and 37 assists totalling 47 points and plus-51 rating.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

V\u00e4is\u00e4nen has represented his country at the World Junior Championships the past two years, winning a Silver Medal in 2025.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Tigers would like to congratulate Veeti and his family on this incredible achievement and thank him for his contributions to the organization and the community during his tenure.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Medicine Hat, AB –\u00a0The JYP Jyv\u00e4skyl\u00e4 have signed defenceman Veeti V\u00e4is\u00e4nen to a professional Liiga contract, the team announced on Tuesday, May 12th.   V\u00e4is\u00e4nen was selected by the Utah Mammoth of the NHL in the third round (96th overall) of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. Shortly after, the Hamina, Finland native was selected by…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":599,"featured_media":51505,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[844],"tags":[{"term_id":930,"name":"Veeti V\u00e4is\u00e4nen","slug":"veeti-vaisanen","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":930,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":6,"filter":"raw","term_order":"36"}],"class_list":["post-51504","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-veeti-vaisanen","category-844","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/60\/2026\/05\/13134756\/Signed-Website-Vaisanen.jpg",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51504","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/599"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51504"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51504\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51505"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51504"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51504"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51504"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":51488,"date":"2026-05-08T14:00:50","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T20:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/?p=51488"},"modified":"2026-05-08T11:56:19","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T17:56:19","slug":"2026-whl-prospects-draft-recap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/article\/2026-whl-prospects-draft-recap","title":{"rendered":"2026 WHL Prospects Draft Recap"},"content":{"rendered":"

Medicine Hat, AB –\u00a0<\/strong>The Tigers started off the 2026 WHL Draft by bringing back a familiar name in the Tigers family in Max Osgood<\/strong>, the son of Tigers Alumnus and three-time Stanley Cup Champion Chris Osgood<\/strong>, with the 21st pick in the first round. Osgood is a smart, agile forward with quickness and slippery skill. He\u2019s hard on pucks, possesses strong vision, and reads the ice well. A detail-oriented player who competes at both ends of the rink.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Max Osgood \u2013 C<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Birthdate:<\/td>\nMar 24, 2011<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Hometown:<\/td>\nPlymouth, MI<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Height:<\/td>\n5′ 9″<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Weight:<\/td>\n142 lbs<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Shoots<\/td>\nLeft<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Tigers kicked off day two of the 2026 WHL Draft by selecting defenceman Nash Springer<\/strong> from the Dallas Stars Elite 14U with the 44th pick of the draft. Springer is an engaged, dynamic defenseman who excels in all three zones. He shows strong puck confidence, fires a heavy shot from the blueline with a quick release, and jumps into seams effectively. A physical player who defends hard, separates opponents with big hits, and uses his skating to shake checks.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Nash Springer \u2013 RD<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Birthdate:<\/td>\nAug 14, 2011<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Hometown:<\/td>\nMcKinney, TX<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Height:<\/td>\n5′ 11″<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Weight:<\/td>\n159 lbs<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Shoots<\/td>\nRight<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Once again adding to their blueline, the Tigers drafted Shane Regehr<\/strong>, son of former NHLer Robyn Regehr, from the Calgary U15 AAA Northstars with the 55th pick of the draft. Regehr is a strong defensive minded defenseman with excellent stick work and gap control. He consistently blocks shots, wins battles along the boards, and plays a physical game that lays out opponents. He showed significant improvement throughout the year and brings reliable, competitive 2-way play to the backend.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Shane Regehr \u2013 RD<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Birthdate:<\/td>\nJul 28, 2011<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Hometown:<\/td>\nCalgary, AB<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Height:<\/td>\n6′ 1″<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Weight:<\/td>\n149 lbs<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Shoots<\/td>\nRight<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

While the Tigers did not have a fourth-round draft pick, they had two third-round picks, and with their second they looked to deepen their talent down the middle with Luke Bodtker<\/strong> at the 57th overall selection. Bodtker is an intelligent two-way center who supports the puck well in all three zones. He creates plays off the rush and in the OZ with strong passing and skating ability, consistently making those around him better.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Luke Bodtker \u2013 C<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Birthdate:<\/td>\nMar 5, 2011<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Hometown:<\/td>\nCalgary, AB<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Height:<\/td>\n5′ 9.5″<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Weight:<\/td>\n132 lbs<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Shoots<\/td>\nLeft<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

With the 108th overall pick acquired early Thursday morning via trade with the Seattle Thunderbirds, the Tigers selected Nixon McLean<\/strong> from the Rink H.A. Kelowna U15 Prep team. Nixon is the son of Brett McLean, the all-time leading scorer for the Kelowna Rockets and Assistant Coach of the Vancouver Canucks. McLean skilled playmaking forward with strong hockey IQ. He dictates the pace through his puck skill and heads-up plays, showing excellent poise and confidence with the puck. He navigates traffic well and consistently finds teammates with creative passes, making him an offensive threat<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Nixon McLean \u2013 C<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Birthdate:<\/td>\nOct 11, 2011<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Hometown:<\/td>\nKelowna, BC<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Height:<\/td>\n5′ 8″<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Weight:<\/td>\n141 lbs<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Shoots<\/td>\nLeft<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Just five picks later at 113th the Tigers went back to the blueline, selecting Tyler Thomas<\/strong> from the AEHL Champion U15AAA Lethbridge Golden Hawks. Thomas is a puck-moving defenseman with excellent vision, poise, and high hockey IQ. He draws attention before making crisp plays, walks the blueline effectively to open lanes, and serves as a strong distributor who consistently finds teammates.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tyler Thomas \u2013 RD<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Birthdate:<\/td>\nMay 14, 2011<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Hometown:<\/td>\nLethbridge, AB<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Height:<\/td>\n5′ 8.5″<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Weight:<\/td>\n130 lbs<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Shoots<\/td>\nRight<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In the sixth round with the 136th overall pick the Tigers added left winger Ryder Lefaivre<\/strong> from the Calgary International H.A. U15 Prep team, who he won the U15CSSHL Championship with this season. Lefaivre is an explosive, high-speed winger who plays a competitive two-way game. He forechecks hard, finishes checks, and drives to the net with physicality. His skating and work ethic create extended zone time for his line while contributing at both ends of the rink.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ryder Lefaivre \u2013 LW<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Birthdate:<\/td>\nFeb 19, 2011<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Hometown:<\/td>\nCochrane, AB<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Height:<\/td>\n6′ 0.5″<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Weight:<\/td>\n170 lbs<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Shoots<\/td>\nLeft<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In the seventh round with the 159th overall pick the Tigers selected Div. II U15 CSSHL Champion Kelson Hawreluik<\/strong> from the OHA Edmonton U15 Prep team. Hawreluik is a solid two-way forward with a strong frame and good skating ability. He possesses strong skill and a dangerous shot, snapping the puck quickly from prime scoring areas. He protects the puck well in the offensive zone, shows good poise around the net, and moves the puck with purpose and pace.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Kelson Hawreluik \u2013 C<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Birthdate:<\/td>\nFeb 16, 2011<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Hometown:<\/td>\nYorkton, SK<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Height:<\/td>\n5′ 9.25″<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Weight:<\/td>\n159 lbs<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Shoots<\/td>\nRight<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Tigers added a pair of defencemen in the last round of their 2026 WHL Draft. The first was 6-foot-2, 160-pound defenceman Max Maas<\/strong> from the Rosemount Irish AA 14U team. Maas is a long, heavy defenseman who skates smoothly with good foot agility and high-level transition ability. He defends effectively with a strong stick, plays with great detail, and is physical in the corners and net front. Plays a mature game, and is hard-to-play-against defender who holds his ice well.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Max Maas \u2013 RD<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Birthdate:<\/td>\nJan 5, 2011<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Hometown:<\/td>\nRosemount, MN<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Height:<\/td>\n6′ 2″<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Weight:<\/td>\n160 lbs<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Shoots<\/td>\nRight<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

With their final selection of the 2026 WHL Draft, the Tigers kept it in the family by drafting Landon Ruck<\/strong>, the younger brother of Tigers forwards Liam<\/strong> and Markus Ruck<\/strong>, from the Okanagan Hockey Academy U15 Prep team. Ruck is a smart, heads-up puck moving defenseman with solid passes and good deception. He supports the puck and his partner well, makes strong reads, and isn\u2019t afraid to jump into the rush with calculated risks to create offense.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Landon Ruck \u2013 LD<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Birthdate:<\/td>\nJul 29, 2011<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Hometown:<\/td>\nOsoyoos, BC<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Height:<\/td>\n5′ 7.5″<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Weight:<\/td>\n142 lbs<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Shoots<\/td>\nLeft<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tigers\u2019 2026 Prospect Draft Overview:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
RD<\/strong><\/td>\nPick<\/strong><\/td>\nName<\/strong><\/td>\nHometown<\/strong><\/td>\nPosition<\/strong><\/td>\n2025-26 Team<\/strong><\/td>\nHt<\/strong><\/td>\nWt (lbs)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1<\/td>\n21<\/td>\nMax Osgood<\/td>\nPlymouth, MI<\/td>\nC<\/td>\n\n
\n
\n
Detroit Little Caesars 14U<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
5\u20199\u2033<\/td>\n142<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2<\/td>\n44<\/td>\nNash Springer<\/td>\nMcKinney, TX<\/td>\nRD<\/td>\nDallas Stars Elite 14U<\/td>\n5′ 11″<\/td>\n159<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3<\/td>\n55<\/td>\nShane Regehr<\/td>\nCalgary, AB<\/td>\nRD<\/td>\nCalgary CNHA U15 AAA Northstars<\/td>\n6′ 1″<\/td>\n149<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3<\/td>\n57<\/td>\nLuke Bodtker<\/td>\nCalgary, AB<\/td>\nC<\/td>\nEdge School U15 Prep<\/td>\n5′ 9.5″<\/td>\n132<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
5<\/td>\n108<\/td>\nNixon McLean<\/td>\nKelowna, BC<\/td>\nC<\/td>\nRink H.A. Kelowna U15 Prep<\/td>\n5′ 8″<\/td>\n141<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
5<\/td>\n113<\/td>\nTyler Thomas<\/td>\nLethbridge, AB<\/td>\nRD<\/td>\nLethbridge Golden hawks U15 AAA<\/td>\n5′ 8.5″<\/td>\n130<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6<\/td>\n136<\/td>\nRyder Lefaivre<\/td>\nCochrane, AB<\/td>\nLW<\/td>\nCalgary International H.A. U15 Prep<\/td>\n6′ 0.5″<\/td>\n170<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
7<\/td>\n159<\/td>\nKelson Hawreluik<\/td>\nYorkton, SK<\/td>\nC<\/td>\nOHA Edmonton U15 Prep<\/td>\n5′ 9.25″<\/td>\n159<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
8<\/td>\n164<\/td>\nMax Maas<\/td>\nRosemount, MN<\/td>\nRD<\/td>\nRosemount Irish AA 14U<\/td>\n6′ 2″<\/td>\n160<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
8<\/td>\n171<\/td>\nLandon Ruck<\/td>\nOsoyoos, BC<\/td>\nLD<\/td>\nOkanagan Hockey Academy U15 Prep<\/td>\n5′ 7.5″<\/td>\n142<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Geographical Breakdown:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Alberta (4)<\/strong><\/td>\nShane Regehr, Luke Bodtker, Tyler Thomas, Ryder Lefaivre<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
U.S.A. (3)<\/strong><\/td>\nMax Osgood, Nash Springer, Max Maas<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
British Columbia (2)<\/strong><\/td>\nNixon McLean, Landon Ruck<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Saskatchewan (1)<\/strong><\/td>\nKelson Hawreluik<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Medicine Hat Tigers would like to congratulate all the players & their families drafted today and look forward to watching them develop and see where their game takes them next.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Medicine Hat, AB –\u00a0The Tigers started off the 2026 WHL Draft by bringing back a familiar name in the Tigers family in Max Osgood, the son of Tigers Alumnus and three-time Stanley Cup Champion Chris Osgood, with the 21st pick in the first round. Osgood is a smart, agile forward with quickness and slippery skill.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":599,"featured_media":51500,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[844],"tags":[{"term_id":956,"name":"Max Osgood","slug":"max-osgood","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":956,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1"},{"term_id":957,"name":"Nash Springer","slug":"nash-springer","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":957,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2"},{"term_id":958,"name":"Shane Regehr","slug":"shane-regehr","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":958,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw","term_order":"3"},{"term_id":959,"name":"Luke Bodtker","slug":"luke-bodtker","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":959,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw","term_order":"4"},{"term_id":960,"name":"Nixon McLean","slug":"nixon-mclean","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":960,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw","term_order":"5"},{"term_id":961,"name":"Tyler Thomas","slug":"tyler-thomas","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":961,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw","term_order":"6"},{"term_id":962,"name":"Ryder Lefaivre","slug":"ryder-lefaivre","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":962,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw","term_order":"7"},{"term_id":963,"name":"Kelson Hawreluik","slug":"kelson-hawreluik","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":963,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw","term_order":"8"},{"term_id":964,"name":"Landon Ruck","slug":"landon-ruck","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":964,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw","term_order":"9"},{"term_id":965,"name":"Max Maas","slug":"max-maas","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":965,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw","term_order":"10"}],"class_list":["post-51488","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-max-osgood","tag-nash-springer","tag-shane-regehr","tag-luke-bodtker","tag-nixon-mclean","tag-tyler-thomas","tag-ryder-lefaivre","tag-kelson-hawreluik","tag-landon-ruck","tag-max-maas","category-844","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/60\/2026\/05\/08095131\/2026-WHL-DRAFT-RECAP-WEBSITE.jpg",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51488","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/599"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51488"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51488\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51500"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51488"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51488"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51488"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":51479,"date":"2026-05-08T11:00:27","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T17:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/?p=51479"},"modified":"2026-05-08T09:46:01","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T15:46:01","slug":"tigers-sign-burmis-to-whl-scholarship-development-agreement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/article\/tigers-sign-burmis-to-whl-scholarship-development-agreement","title":{"rendered":"Tigers Sign Burmis To WHL Scholarship & Development Agreement"},"content":{"rendered":"

Medicine Hat, AB –\u00a0<\/strong>The Medicine Hat Tigers are proud to announce the signing of 2010-born defenceman Jake Burmis<\/strong> (Rogers, MN, USA) to a WHL Scholarship & Development Agreement.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Jake is a smooth-skating, puck-moving offensive defenseman. He plays with excellent poise and vision, consistently creating scoring chances all over the ice through his passing and skating ability. We\u2019re extremely excited about his addition to the group and see him as a key piece on our backend moving forward.” said Assistant General Manager Bobby Fox.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The 5-foot-10 defenceman played for Rogers High of the USHS-MN last season, netting four goals and 23 assists for a total of 27 points in 27 games.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Tigers are excited to welcome Jake to the organization and look forward to his continued development as part of Medicine Hat’s growing core of young talent.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Medicine Hat, AB –\u00a0The Medicine Hat Tigers are proud to announce the signing of 2010-born defenceman Jake Burmis (Rogers, MN, USA) to a WHL Scholarship & Development Agreement.   “Jake is a smooth-skating, puck-moving offensive defenseman. He plays with excellent poise and vision, consistently creating scoring chances all over the ice through his passing and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":599,"featured_media":51480,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[844],"tags":[{"term_id":941,"name":"Jake Burmis","slug":"jake-burmis","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":941,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":2,"filter":"raw","term_order":"24"}],"class_list":["post-51479","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-jake-burmis","category-844","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/60\/2026\/05\/06152006\/Signed-Website-BURMIS.jpg",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51479","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/599"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51479"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51479\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51480"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51479"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51479"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51479"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":51484,"date":"2026-05-07T09:31:23","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T15:31:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/?p=51484"},"modified":"2026-05-07T09:31:23","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T15:31:23","slug":"tigers-acquire-holberton-from-seattle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/article\/tigers-acquire-holberton-from-seattle","title":{"rendered":"Tigers Acquire Holberton From Seattle"},"content":{"rendered":"

Medicine Hat, AB –\u00a0<\/strong>The Medicine Hat Tigers have acquired 2007-born Brayden Holberton<\/strong> and a fifth-round pick (108th overall) in the 2026 WHL Draft in exchange for forward prospect Luke Puchner<\/strong> (2008), a seventh-round pick (142nd overall) in the 2026 WHL Draft and a conditional third-round pick in 2029.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Holberton, the 6-foot-4 forward, has spent three seasons in the WHL, all with the Seattle Thunderbirds. Originally drafted by Seattle in the 10th round (214th overall) of the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft, the Sparwood, BC native has posted eight goals and 15 assists for 23 points and 295 penalty minutes across 174 career games.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Puchner spent his 2025-26 season with the Shattuck St. Mary’s U18 Prep team in the USHS-Prep league. The 5-foot-10 forward is committed to the University of Minnesota-Duluth.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Medicine Hat, AB –\u00a0The Medicine Hat Tigers have acquired 2007-born Brayden Holberton and a fifth-round pick (108th overall) in the 2026 WHL Draft in exchange for forward prospect Luke Puchner (2008), a seventh-round pick (142nd overall) in the 2026 WHL Draft and a conditional third-round pick in 2029.   Holberton, the 6-foot-4 forward, has spent…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":599,"featured_media":51485,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[844],"tags":[{"term_id":955,"name":"Brayden Holberton","slug":"brayden-holberton","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":955,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw","term_order":"11"}],"class_list":["post-51484","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-brayden-holberton","category-844","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/60\/2026\/05\/07092020\/Trade-Alert-Website-HOLBERTON.jpg",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51484","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/599"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51484"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51484\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51485"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51484"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51484"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51484"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":51486,"date":"2026-05-06T19:00:34","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T01:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/?p=51486"},"modified":"2026-05-07T11:04:52","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T17:04:52","slug":"tigers-captain-pickford-awarded-four-broncos-memorial-trophy-as-whl-player-of-the-year-for-2025-26","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/video\/tigers-captain-pickford-awarded-four-broncos-memorial-trophy-as-whl-player-of-the-year-for-2025-26","title":{"rendered":"Tigers Captain Pickford Awarded Four Broncos Memorial Trophy As WHL Player Of The Year For 2025-26"},"content":{"rendered":"

Calgary, Alta. \u2013<\/strong> The Western Hockey League announced today Medicine Hat Tigers captain and Montreal Canadiens prospect Bryce Pickford<\/strong> has been awarded the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy as WHL Player of the Year for 2025-26.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

WHL Player of the Year Finalists<\/strong><\/p>\n

JP Hurlbert, Kamloops Blazers
\nTij Iginla, Kelowna Rockets
\nBryce Pickford, Medicine Hat Tigers<\/strong>
\nLiam Ruck, Medicine Hat Tigers<\/strong>
\nMarkus Ruck, Medicine Hat Tigers<\/strong>
\nCameron Schmidt, Seattle Thunderbirds<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This marks the second consecutive season in which the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy has been presented to a member of the Medicine Hat Tigers. Forward Gavin McKenna was recognized as WHL Player of the Year for the 2024-25 season.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The 20-year-old Pickford, who hails from Chauvin, Alta., is the fifth player in Tigers history to be named WHL Player of the Year, following McKenna, Kris Russell (2006-07), Sonny Mignacca (1993-94) and Steve Tsujiura (1980-81).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Pickford is also the fifth player in WHL history to take home the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy as WHL Player of the Year and Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy as WHL Defenceman of the Year in the same season. Previous WHL Defencemen of the Year to be named WHL Player of the Year in the same season include Russell (2006-07), Dan Hamhuis of the Prince George Cougars (2001-02), Manny Viveiros of the Prince Albert Raiders (1985-86), and Barry Beck of the New Westminster Bruins (1976-77).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This is the sixth time in WHL history in which a team has seen back-to-back winners of the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Flin Flon Bombers \u2013 1968-69 (Bobby Clarke) and 1969-70 (Reggie Leach)<\/li>\n
  • Calgary Centennials \u2013 1970-71 (Ed Dyck) and 1971-72 (John Davidson)<\/li>\n
  • Calgary Wranglers \u2013 1981-82 (Mike Vernon) and 1982-83 (Mike Vernon)<\/li>\n
  • Kamloops Blazers \u2013 1985-86 (Rob Brown) and 1986-87 (Rob Brown)<\/li>\n
  • Calgary Hitmen \u2013 2007-08 (Karl Alzner) and 2008-09 (Brett Sonne)<\/li>\n
  • Medicine Hat Tigers \u2013 2024-25 (Gavin McKenna) and 2025-26 (Bryce Pickford)<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

     <\/p>\n

    The 6-foot-1, 186-pound Pickford finished the 2025-26 WHL season with 83 points (45G-38A) and a plus-55 rating in 55 games. His 45 goals are the most scored by a WHL defenceman in a single season since Greg Hawgood registered 48 during the 1987-88 campaign. Pickford\u2019s 45 goals were also tied for second best among all WHL skaters in 2025-26. His 83 points finished second among all WHL defencemen, trailing only teammate Jonas Woo\u2019s 86 points (29G-57A). The veteran blueliner registered 19 power-play goals to lead the WHL, while his 11 game-winning goals finished tied atop the League charts.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Pickford\u2019s performance helped the Tigers claim a second consecutive Central Division crown. He was named to the WHL Eastern Conference First All-Star Team.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Over the course of the season, Pickford collected three hat tricks, including December 6 versus Wenatchee, January 9 versus Seattle, and March 4 at Brandon. He logged one five-point outing (3G-2A) and two four-point performances.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    From November 28, 2025, through January 10, 2026, Pickford strung together a 15-game point-scoring streak, securing 36 points (20G-16A) along the way. The run was the sixth best in the WHL this season.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Pickford enjoyed two separate eight-game goal-scoring streaks during the campaign. From December 3, 2025, through December 28, 2025, he tallied 14 goals. He followed that up with another eight-game goal-scoring run from February 21, 2026, to March 7, 2026, in which he registered 10 goals. His eight-game streaks finished second best in the WHL this season, trailing teammate Liam Ruck\u2019s nine-game goal-scoring string.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    On December 24, 2025, Pickford was rewarded when he signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Montreal Canadiens. At the time, he was leading the WHL with 25 goals in 31 games. The Canadiens selected Pickford in the third round (81st overall) of the 2025 NHL Draft.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    A two-time WHL Champion, Pickford helped the Seattle Thunderbirds win the Ed Chynoweth Cup in 2023, before then playing a key factor in the Tigers\u2019 run to the WHL title in 2025.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Originally selected by the Thunderbirds in the second round (38th overall) of the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft, Pickford has dressed in 224 WHL regular season games, tallying 165 points (73G-92A). In 58 WHL Playoff games, he has added another 39 points (21G-18A).<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    The most prestigious individual award of the Western Hockey League is named the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy in memory of the four members of the Swift Current Broncos who died in a tragic accident December 30, 1986.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    The four players \u2013 Trent Kresse, Scott Kruger, Chris Mantyka, and Brent Ruff \u2013 all died when the Swift Current bus crashed while en route to a game in Regina.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    \u201cIn order that we never forget this incident, we have named this trophy in memory of these four young men,\u201d stated the late Ed Chynoweth, who served as WHL Commissioner from 1973-79 and 1980-95.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    \u201cLike hundreds of other players before them, and hundreds that will follow, WHL players spend countless hours riding the bus in pursuing their hockey aspirations. By naming the Most Valuable Player Trophy in honour of these four players, hopefully we will never forget the sacrifice given by these young men.\u201d<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Until 1993-94, the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy was presented to the Most Valuable Player in the WHL. Since 1994-95, it has been awarded to the WHL Player of the Year.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    The WHL Player of the Year Award is voted upon by WHL General Managers and members of the media.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Winners of the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy (since 2010)<\/strong><\/p>\n

    2025-26: Bryce Pickford, Medicine Hat Tigers<\/strong>
    \n2024-25: Gavin McKenna, Medicine Hat Tigers*<\/strong>
    \n2023-24: Jagger Firkus, Moose Jaw Warriors
    \n2022-23: Connor Bedard, Regina Pats*
    \n2021-22: Logan Stankoven, Kamloops Blazers*
    \n2020-21: Peyton Krebs, Winnipeg ICE
    \n2019-20: Adam Beckman, Spokane Chiefs
    \n2018-19: Joachim Blichfeld, Portland Winterhawks
    \n2017-18: Carter Hart, Everett Silvertips
    \n2016-17: Sam Steel, Regina Pats
    \n2015-16: Dryden Hunt, Moose Jaw Warriors
    \n2014-15: Oliver Bjorkstrand, Portland Winterhawks
    \n2013-14: Sam Reinhart, Kootenay ICE
    \n2012-13: Adam Lowry, Swift Current Broncos
    \n2011-12: Brendan Shinnimin, Tri-City Americans*
    \n2010-11: Darcy Kuemper, Red Deer Rebels
    \n2009-10: Jordan Eberle, Regina Pats*<\/p>\n

    * = also selected as CHL Player of the Year<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    About the Western Hockey League<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Regarded as the world\u2019s finest development league for junior hockey players, the Western Hockey League (WHL) head office is based in Calgary, Alberta. The WHL consists of 23 member Clubs with 17 located in Western Canada and six in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. A member of the Canadian Hockey League, the WHL has been a leading supplier of talent for the National Hockey League for over 50 years. The WHL is also the leading provider of hockey scholarships with over 375 graduates each year receiving WHL Scholarships to pursue a post-secondary education of their choice. Each season, WHL players also form the nucleus of Canada\u2019s National Junior Hockey Team.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    The 20-year-old Pickford, who hails from Chauvin, Alta., is the fifth player in Tigers history to be named WHL Player of the Year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":599,"featured_media":51487,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[845],"tags":[{"term_id":898,"name":"Bryce Pickford","slug":"bryce-pickford","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":898,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":20,"filter":"raw","term_order":"66"}],"class_list":["post-51486","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-video","tag-bryce-pickford","category-845","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/06190602\/260424_POTY_Pickford-1920.png",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51486","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/599"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51486"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51486\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51487"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51486"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51486"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51486"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":51477,"date":"2026-05-06T11:19:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T17:19:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/?p=51477"},"modified":"2026-05-08T09:51:54","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T15:51:54","slug":"2026-whl-prospects-draft-preview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/article\/2026-whl-prospects-draft-preview","title":{"rendered":"2026 WHL Prospects Draft Preview"},"content":{"rendered":"

    Medicine Hat, AB –\u00a0<\/strong>The 2026 WHL Prospects Draft will begin with the first round on Wednesday, May 6th streaming for free on Victory+ at 6:00pm MT. The remainder of the draft will be completed Thursday, May 7th beginning at 10:00am MT.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    The Tigers will select 21st overall in the first round of the 2026 WHL Draft. The last time the Tigers picked 21st overall was the 2023 WHL Draft where they selected Markus Ruck<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Below is a breakdown of the 13 picks the Tigers have in the first 11 rounds of the 2026 WHL Draft:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • 1st round (21st overall)<\/li>\n
    • 2nd round (44th overall)<\/li>\n
    • 3rd round (55th overall) from Victoria<\/li>\n
    • 3rd round (57th overall) from Seattle<\/li>\n
    • 5th round (113th overall)<\/li>\n
    • 6th round (136th overall)<\/li>\n
    • 7th round (142nd overall) from Wenatchee<\/li>\n
    • 7th round (159th overall)<\/li>\n
    • 8th round (164th overall) from Vancouver<\/li>\n
    • 8th round (171st overall) from Portland<\/li>\n
    • 9th round (205th overall)<\/li>\n
    • 10th round (228th overall)<\/li>\n
    • 11th round (251st overall)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Players eligible for the 2026 WHL Prospects Draft are 2011-born players who reside in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories, Yukon, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Players not selected in the 2026 WHL Prospects Draft will remain eligible to be listed by WHL Clubs at any time thereafter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Medicine Hat, AB –\u00a0The 2026 WHL Prospects Draft will begin with the first round on Wednesday, May 6th streaming for free on Victory+ at 6:00pm MT. The remainder of the draft will be completed Thursday, May 7th beginning at 10:00am MT.   The Tigers will select 21st overall in the first round of the 2026…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":599,"featured_media":51501,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[844],"tags":false,"class_list":["post-51477","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","category-844","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/60\/2026\/05\/08095147\/2026-WHL-DRAFT-PREVIEW-WEBSITE.jpg",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51477","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/599"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51477"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51477\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51501"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51477"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51477"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51477"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":51474,"date":"2026-05-05T11:20:02","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T17:20:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/?p=51474"},"modified":"2026-05-05T12:49:07","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T18:49:07","slug":"tigers-captain-pickford-awarded-bill-hunter-memorial-trophy-as-whl-defenceman-of-the-year-for-2025-26","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/video\/tigers-captain-pickford-awarded-bill-hunter-memorial-trophy-as-whl-defenceman-of-the-year-for-2025-26","title":{"rendered":"Tigers Captain Pickford Awarded Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy As WHL Defenceman Of The Year For 2025-26"},"content":{"rendered":"

      Calgary, Alta. \u2013<\/strong> The Western Hockey League announced today Medicine Hat Tigers captain and Montreal Canadiens prospect Bryce Pickford has been awarded the Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy as WHL Defenceman of the Year for 2025-26.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      WHL Defenceman of the Year Finalists<\/strong><\/p>\n

      Carson Carels, Prince George Cougars
      \nLandon DuPont, Everett Silvertips
      \nBryce Pickford, Medicine Hat Tigers
      \nDaxon Rudolph, Prince Albert Raiders
      \nTarin Smith, Everett Silvertips
      \nJonas Woo, Medicine Hat Tigers<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      The 20-year-old Pickford, who hails from Chauvin, Alta., is the third player in Medicine Hat Tigers history to be named WHL Defenceman of the Year, following Kris Russell (2005-06, 2006-07) and Wayne McBean (1986-87).<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      The 6-foot-1, 186-pound Pickford finished the 2025-26 WHL season with 83 points (45G-38A) and a plus-55 rating in 55 games. His 45 goals are the most scored by a WHL defenceman in a single season since Greg Hawgood registered 48 during the 1987-88 campaign. Pickford\u2019s 45 goals were also tied for second best among all WHL skaters in 2025-26. His 83 points finished second among all WHL defencemen, trailing only teammate Jonas Woo\u2019s 86 points (29G-57A). The veteran blueliner registered 19 power-play goals to lead the WHL, while his 11 game-winning goals finished tied atop the League charts.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Pickford\u2019s performance helped the Tigers claim a second consecutive Central Division crown. He was named to the WHL Eastern Conference First All-Star Team and is also a finalist for the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy, presented annually to the WHL Player of the Year.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Over the course of the season, Pickford collected three hat tricks, including December 6 versus Wenatchee, January 9 versus Seattle, and March 4 at Brandon. He logged one five-point outing (3G-2A) and two four-point performances.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      From November 28, 2025, through January 10, 2026, Pickford strung together a 15-game point-scoring streak, securing 36 points (20G-16A) along the way. The run was the sixth best in the WHL this season.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Pickford enjoyed two separate eight-game goal-scoring streaks during the campaign. From December 3, 2025, through December 28, 2025, he tallied 14 goals. He followed that up with another eight-game goal-scoring run from February 21, 2026, to March 7, 2026, in which he registered 10 goals. His eight-game streaks finished second best in the WHL this season, trailing teammate Liam Ruck\u2019s nine-game goal-scoring string.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      On December 24, 2025, Pickford was rewarded when he signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Montreal Canadiens. At the time, he was leading the WHL with 25 goals in 31 games. The Canadiens had selected Pickford in the third round (81st overall) of the 2025 NHL Draft.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      A two-time WHL Champion, Pickford helped the Seattle Thunderbirds win the Ed Chynoweth Cup in 2023, before then playing a key factor in the Tigers\u2019 run to the WHL title in 2025.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Originally selected by the Thunderbirds in the second round (38th overall) of the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft, Pickford has dressed in 224 WHL regular season games, tallying 165 points (73G-92A). In 58 WHL Playoff games, he has added another 39 points (21G-18A).<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      The Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy recognizes a WHL defenceman who has demonstrated the best all-around ability at his position during the WHL Regular Season.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Born in Saskatoon, Sask., Hunter is honoured for his role in the establishment and sustained success of the WHL.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Dedicated to growing Major Junior hockey, Hunter served as the Owner, General Manager, and Coach of the Edmonton Oil Kings in addition to being a co-founder of the WHL.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Hunter was inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in 2001.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      The WHL Defenceman of the Year Award is voted upon by WHL General Managers and members of the media.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Winners of the Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy (since 2010)<\/strong><\/p>\n

      2025-26: Bryce Pickford, Medicine Hat Tigers
      \n2024-25: Tyson Jugnauth, Portland Winterhawks
      \n2023-24: Denton Mateychuk, Moose Jaw Warriors
      \n2022-23: Olen Zellweger, Kamloops Blazers*
      \n2021-22: Olen Zellweger, Everett Silvertips
      \n2020-21: Braden Schneider, Brandon Wheat Kings
      \n2019-20: Ty Smith, Spokane Chiefs
      \n2018-19: Ty Smith, Spokane Chiefs*
      \n2017-18: Kale Clague, Moose Jaw Warriors
      \n2016-17: Ethan Bear, Seattle Thunderbirds
      \n2015-16: Ivan Provorov, Brandon Wheat Kings*
      \n2014-15: Shea Theodore, Seattle Thunderbirds
      \n2013-14: Derrick Pouliot, Portland Winterhawks
      \n2012-13: Brenden Kichton, Spokane Chiefs
      \n2011-12: Alex Petrovic, Red Deer Rebels
      \n2010-11: Stefan Elliott, Saskatoon Blades
      \n2009-10: Tyson Barrie, Kelowna Rockets<\/p>\n

      * = also selected as CHL Defenceman of the Year<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      About the Western Hockey League<\/strong><\/p>\n

      Regarded as the world\u2019s finest development league for junior hockey players, the Western Hockey League (WHL) head office is based in Calgary, Alberta. The WHL consists of 23 member Clubs with 17 located in Western Canada and six in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. A member of the Canadian Hockey League, the WHL has been a leading supplier of talent for the National Hockey League for over 50 years. The WHL is also the leading provider of hockey scholarships with over 375 graduates each year receiving WHL Scholarships to pursue a post-secondary education of their choice. Each season, WHL players also form the nucleus of Canada\u2019s National Junior Hockey Team.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      The 20-year-old Pickford, who hails from Chauvin, Alta., is the third player in Medicine Hat Tigers history to be named WHL Defenceman of the Year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":599,"featured_media":51475,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[845],"tags":[{"term_id":898,"name":"Bryce Pickford","slug":"bryce-pickford","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":898,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":20,"filter":"raw","term_order":"66"}],"class_list":["post-51474","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-video","tag-bryce-pickford","category-845","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/05\/05104819\/260424_DOTY_Pickford-1920.png",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51474","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/599"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51474"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51474\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51475"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51474"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51474"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51474"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":51472,"date":"2026-05-04T17:01:08","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T23:01:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/?p=51472"},"modified":"2026-05-04T17:01:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T23:01:08","slug":"2026-whl-graduates-medicine-hat-tigers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/article\/2026-whl-graduates-medicine-hat-tigers","title":{"rendered":"2026 WHL Graduates – Medicine Hat Tigers"},"content":{"rendered":"

      Medicine Hat, AB –\u00a0<\/strong>The Tigers would like to congratulate their 2026 graduating players, Andrew Basha<\/strong>, Josh Van Mulligen<\/strong>, and Ethan Neutens<\/strong> on their respective WHL careers. The Tigers would like to thank all three players for their contributions to the franchise and the city of Medicine Hat.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      All three players were part of the 2025 WHL Championship team and all played 100+ games with the Tigers.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Andrew Basha (F)
      \nHometown: Calgary, AB
      \nWHL Career Stats: 233 GP – 82 G – 152 A – 234 PTS – 132 PIM
      \n<\/strong>WHL Draft: MH (2020) Round: 5 (# 105)
      \nNHL Draft: CGY (2024) Round: 2 (# 41)<\/strong><\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Basha spent all five season of his WHL career in the orange and black, and even longer in Southern Alberta, splitting his first season with the Tigers and the SAHA U18 Prep team in the CSSHL. The Calgary, Alberta native experienced it all throughout his career from an 11 win season in 2012-22, to a WHL Championship in 2025. The 6-foot forward was drafted by his hometown team, the Calgary Flames, in the second round of the 2024 NHL Draft. The Flames signed Basha to a three-year entry-level contract on September 29, 2024. During his career high season in 2023-24, Basha recorded 30 goals and 55 assists for 85 points in 63 games. After re-joining the Tigers in January of the 2025-26 season, Basha finished his 20-year-old season with a 1.56 points per game average. He carried on his dominant play into the 2026 WHL Playoffs where he averaged 1.4 points per game. Basha is slated to join the report to the Flames’ AHL affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers for the 2026-27 season.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Josh Van Mulligen (D)
      \nHometown: Medicine Hat, AB
      \nWHL Career Stats: 250 GP – 14 G – 72 A – 86 PTS – 123 PIM
      \n<\/strong>WHL Draft: MH (2020) Round: 2 (# 39)<\/strong><\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      After a five-season WHL career that spanned exactly 250 games, all in the orange and black, Van Mulligen leaves behind a legacy that almost seemed to be destiny for him. Born and raised in Medicine Hat, Van Mulligen grew up as a season ticket holder for the Tigers, as well as helping out as a stick boy. Just like his fellow 2026 graduating teammate Basha, Van Mulligen was drafted in the 2020 WHL Prospects Draft and split his first season between SAHA and the Tigers.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      “When we all got drafted here that’s what we talked about… winning a championship” said Van Mulligen. “To be able to do that was really special.”<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      The hometown hero accomplished everything he set out to do and brought a WHL championship to his hometown team that he grew up watching. Having completed his WHL career, JVM is taking his talents to the NCAA’s Niagara University Purple Eagles for the 2026-27 season.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Ethan Neutens (F)
      \nHometown: Cochrane, AB
      \nWHL Career Stats: 235 GP – 27 G – 32 A – 59 PTS
      \n<\/strong>WHL Draft: KEL (2020) Round: 9 (# 180)<\/strong><\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      He may not have started as a Tiger, but Ethan Neutens will forever be remembered for his time in the orange and black. Acquired from the Kelowna Rockets via trade on November 14, 2024, Neutens embraced Tigers hockey from the start. A hard hitting, big hearted player that always left it all on the ice, Neutens was a workhorse for the Tabbies that always brought energy when the team needed it most, including his electric goal against the London Knights in the 2025 Memorial Cup Round Robin. After being dubbed by Medicine Hat Tigers play-by-play announcer Will Bryant as “Everybody’s Favourite Tiger” during the 2025-26 season, the nickname quickly stuck. The WHL Champion has committed to the NCAA’s University of Alaska-Anchorage for the 2026-27 season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Medicine Hat, AB –\u00a0The Tigers would like to congratulate their 2026 graduating players, Andrew Basha, Josh Van Mulligen, and Ethan Neutens on their respective WHL careers. The Tigers would like to thank all three players for their contributions to the franchise and the city of Medicine Hat.   All three players were part of the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":599,"featured_media":51473,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[844],"tags":[{"term_id":935,"name":"Ethan Neutens","slug":"ethan-neutens","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":935,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":2,"filter":"raw","term_order":"31"},{"term_id":752,"name":"Andrew Basha","slug":"andrew-basha","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":756,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":14,"filter":"raw","term_order":"169"},{"term_id":697,"name":"Josh Van Mulligen","slug":"josh-van-mulligen","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":701,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":7,"filter":"raw","term_order":"488"}],"class_list":["post-51472","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-ethan-neutens","tag-andrew-basha","tag-josh-van-mulligen","category-844","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/60\/2026\/05\/04170054\/Graduating-Players-Website-1920.jpg",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51472","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/599"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51472"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51472\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51473"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51472"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51472"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51472"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":51471,"date":"2026-05-03T22:07:03","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T04:07:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/?p=51471"},"modified":"2026-05-03T22:07:03","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T04:07:03","slug":"highlights-prince-albert-vs-medicine-hat-may-3-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/video\/highlights-prince-albert-vs-medicine-hat-may-3-2026","title":{"rendered":"Highlights: Prince Albert VS Medicine Hat – May 3, 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":599,"featured_media":51448,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[845],"tags":false,"class_list":["post-51471","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-video","category-845","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/60\/2026\/04\/28232644\/Highlights-Round-3-Playoffs-Web.jpg",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":{"video_id":"2580583","partner_id":"31014","player_id":"47910","width":"16","height":"9","360p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/sd\/2580583.mp4","240p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/ld\/2580583.mp4","480p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/hsd\/2580583.mp4","1080p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/fhd\/2580583.mp4","hls":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/streaming\/2580583\/2580583.m3u8","webp":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/webp\/2580583.webp"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51471","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/599"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51471"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51471\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51448"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51471"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51471"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51471"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":51466,"date":"2026-05-03T21:38:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T03:38:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/?p=51466"},"modified":"2026-05-03T21:38:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T03:38:12","slug":"tigers-title-defence-comes-to-an-end-after-7-6-loss-to-raiders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/article\/tigers-title-defence-comes-to-an-end-after-7-6-loss-to-raiders","title":{"rendered":"Tigers Title Defence Comes To An End After 7-6 Loss To Raiders"},"content":{"rendered":"

      Medicine Hat, AB –\u00a0<\/strong>The Tigers needed a win to stay alive in the Eastern Conference Finals as the Raiders came to Co-op Place with a 3-2 series lead on Sunday, May 3rd.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Right out of the gate the Tigers came ready to play. The first period was filled with fast-paced, hard-hitting Tigers hockey.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Jonas Woo<\/strong> capitalized on the Tigers’ offensive efforts with his eighth of the playoffs at 13:29. Woo collected the puck in the high slot and fired a perfectly placed wrist shot past Michal Orsulak to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      The Raiders tied the game shortly after with Riley Boychuk’s second of the playoffs at 15:43.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      A strong first period from the Tigers saw them outshoot their opponents 12-9 and the two beast of the east were tied after one.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      1:53 of a man advantage carried over into the second period for the Tigers and Noah Davidson<\/strong> capitalized to restore the Tiger lead. Davidson redirected a shot from Josh Van Mulligen<\/strong> to make it 2-1 Tigers at 1:15.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Prince Albert answered back quickly with back-to-back goals. The first came from Braeden Cootes on the power play at 3:47, and the second came from Daxon Rudolph off of a weird bounce at 5:39.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      With his first playoff goal in the orange and black, Luke Cozens<\/strong> tied the game 3-3 at 8:31. Cozens carried the puck down the right side of the zone and fired a shot through Orsulak’s five-hole all while muscling off a Raiders defender.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      The Raiders had a spring of good luck to cap off the middle frame as they scored three straight in the last half. The first came from Rudolph on the power play at 13:12. Followed by Brayden Dube at 17:59, and Jonah Sivertson at 19:27.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      As expected, the Tigers made a huge push in the third period to try and save their season. Kade Stengrim<\/strong> started the climb back early with his seventh goal of the playoffs at 2:20. Yaroslav Bryzgalov<\/strong> fed Stengrim with a seeing eye pass across the ice through a narrow lane to set him up on the power play.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      The suspense was turned up to 11 when Van Mulligen brought the Tigers within one with his third of the playoffs. Andrew Basha<\/strong> recorded his third assist of the night as he fed Van Mulligen for a one-timer at 6:59.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Boychuk scored his second of the night at 12:59 to extend the Raiders’ lead once again.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      A last second goal from Liam Ruck at 19:54 made for a final score of 7-6 as the Raiders held on for the 2026 Eastern Conference Championship.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Jordan Switzer<\/strong> and Carter Casey<\/strong> split the crease for Game 6 with Switzer stopping 10 of 13 and Casey stopping 14 of 18.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Special Teams:<\/p>\n

        \n
      • PP: 2\/4 \u2013 50.0%<\/li>\n
      • PK: 1\/3 \u2013 33.3%<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

         <\/p>\n

        Stringam Law Three Stars:<\/p>\n

          \n
        1. Josh Van Mulligen (1G, 1A) – Medicine Hat<\/li>\n
        2. Andrew Basha (4A) – Medicine Hat<\/li>\n
        3. Ethan Neutens – Medicine Hat<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

           <\/p>\n

          Supplement King Hardest Worker:<\/p>\n

            \n
          • Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

             <\/p>\n

            The Tigers would like to thank all of their fans for their unrivaled support until the very end!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            Medicine Hat, AB –\u00a0The Tigers needed a win to stay alive in the Eastern Conference Finals as the Raiders came to Co-op Place with a 3-2 series lead on Sunday, May 3rd.   Right out of the gate the Tigers came ready to play. The first period was filled with fast-paced, hard-hitting Tigers hockey.  …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":599,"featured_media":51470,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[844],"tags":false,"class_list":["post-51466","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","category-844","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/60\/2026\/05\/03213800\/RJF_2984-scaled.jpg",2560,1706,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51466","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/599"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51466"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51466\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51470"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51466"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51466"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-tigers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51466"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}]