Central Division clash featuring Tigers and Hitmen set for second round of 2026 WHL Playoffs presented by Nutrien

The Medicine Hat Tigers and Calgary Hitmen will meet in the second round of the 2026 WHL Playoffs presented by Nutrien.

The second-round series featuring two Central Division contenders was confirmed Monday night after the Saskatoon Blades upset the Edmonton Oil Kings in overtime of Game 7 of the final remaining first-round series.

Co-op Place in Medicine Hat will host Games 1 and 2 on Friday, April 10, and Saturday, April 11, respectively. The Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary will welcome the two Clubs for Games 3 and 4 on Monday, April 13, and Wednesday, April 15, respectively.

The Tigers advanced to the second round of the 2026 WHL Playoffs after defeating the Regina Pats in five games, while the Hitmen swept the Brandon Wheat Kings in four games to punch their ticket.

Medicine Hat took home the regular season series between the two Clubs, going 7-1-0-0, including three overtime / shootout victories. The two teams last met for a home-and-home series on February 27 and 28, which saw the Tigers emerge with 3-2 and 8-3 triumphs.

2026 NHL Draft-eligible forward Markus Ruck, who led the WHL in scoring, finished atop Medicine Hat’s scoring chart for the season series with Calgary, racking up 14 points (3G-11A) in eight games.

The Hitmen received valuable output from veteran forward Julien Maze, who registered six points (3G-3A) in five games.

Between the pipes, Carter Casey went 6-0-0-0 with a 2.17 goals-against average and .923 save percentage for the Tigers.

On the other side, reining WHL Goaltender of the Week Eric Tu went 1-3-2-0 in six appearances for the Hitmen.

The 2015 WHL Playoffs represent the last time these two teams met during post-season play. A second-round series featured the Hitmen defeating the Tigers in five games, before falling to the Brandon Wheat Kings in the WHL’s Eastern Conference Championship.

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