McKenna, DuPont meet for the first time in Wednesday Night in the Dub as conference leaders clash

It’s Tigers vs. Tips.

The lone regular-season tilt between the Western Hockey League’s conference leaders has an extra spark with generational stars Gavin McKenna and Landon DuPont facing off against each other for the first time and the added potential of a WHL Championship Series preview.

“It’s good to see where you kind of square up against these teams going into playoffs,” Medicine Hat Tigers star Gavin McKenna said. “(It’s) potentially a final matchup, so you want to learn as much as you can while you’re down here and it builds confidence if you end up winning.”

For how small the hockey world is, the former WHL Prospects Draft first-overall picks have never crossed paths before.

“It’ll be cool, for sure,” DuPont said of facing the reigning WHL Rookie of the Year. “I’ve never played against him and just seeing what he’s done in this league, and obviously at World Juniors, it’s going to be pretty cool to to play against a player like that.”

McKenna has earned the projection of the top pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft honestly.

The 17-year-old has reclaimed the league scoring lead with 22 goals and 57 assists for 79 points in 39 games.

McKenna, who was picked first overall in the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft, has only been held off the scoresheet three times this season and is riding a league-best 23-game point streak.

On the flip side, 15-year-old DuPont is chasing history- again.

The WHL’s first exceptional-status defenceman leads the rookie scoring race and sits fourth among all blueliners with 11 goals and 35 assists in 46 games.

He’s on pace to become the first defender aged 16 or younger to surpass 50 points in their rookie season since Hockey Hall of Famer and Kamloops Blazers legend Scott Niedermayer potted 69 points in 1989-90.

DuPont, who isn’t eligible to be drafted until 2027, has adjusted so well, he was even tapped to play a recent game against Seattle at right wing instead of defence when a teammate missed the match with a minor injury.

While the first meeting between two of junior hockey’s brightest young stars is a major storyline to watch, there’s plenty of intrigue to be found elsewhere.

Medicine Hat is rolling into Angel of the Winds Arena on a 10-game win streak after defeating the Wenatchee Wild 5-2 on Tuesday Night.

The Tabbies boast three players who’ve passed the 20-goal threshold- McKenna, Captain Oasiz Wiesblatt and Florida Panthers prospect Hunter St. Martin– while 2024 Minnesota Wild pick Ryder Ritchie is knocking on the door with 18.

Ritchie has played fewer games than his teammates but has been on fire as of late with a team-leading eight goals in January.

On the flip side, top 2025 NHL Draft prospect Carter Bear has continued his meteoric rise with his first 30-goal season.

The projected first-rounder sits second in the WHL goals race and leads all skaters with a clutch nine game-winning goals.

The clubs also feature stacked blueliners filled with NHL-caliber talent, with Everett averaging the fewest goals against across the entire CHL.

Seattle Kraken prospect Kaden Hammell continues to lead all WHL skaters with a whopping +47 rating, while 2024 Anaheim Ducks selection Tarin Smith is right behind him at +37.

2025 NHL Draft-eligible Bryce Pickford has been a force for Medicine Hat, which sits seventh the WHL in goals-against, netting 19 goals and 23 assists for 42 points in 42 games.

Nashville Predators pick Tanner Molendyk has also settled in with his new team with a goal and six assists in nine games as a Tiger.

Between the pipes, Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Harrison Meneghin and Jesse Sanche have been piling up the wins for their respective clubs.

Meneghin, a 2024 WHL Goaltender of the Year nominee, is 5-0-0-0 in January and is coming off of back-to-back WHL Goaltender of the Week victories for the Tabbies while sitting second in goals-against average and shutouts.

At the other end of the ice, Sanche has thrived in his first campaign as Everett’s starter, winning WHL Goaltender of the Month for September/October while leading all qualified netminders in goals-against average and save percentage.

The all-star matchup is set for 7:05 p.m. PST.

All Wednesday Night in the Dub featured games will be free to stream on WHL Live and the WHL’s YouTube Channel.

STAT PACK

	Medicine Hat Tigers	Everett Silvertips
Record	31-15-2-0 (1st Central)	34-6-4-3 (1st U.S.)
Leading Scorers	Gavin McKenna (22G, 57A, 79PTS) Oasiz Wiesblatt (22G, 44A, 66PTS) Hunter St. Martin (29G, 14A, 43PTS)	Carter Bear (32G, 35A, 67PTS) Tyler MacKenzie (27G, 34A, 61PTS) Dominik Rymon (23G, 32A, 55PTS)
Leading Goaltender	Harrison Meneghin (12-8-0-0, 2.49 GAA, .901 save percentage, two shutouts)	Jesse Sanche (18-4-2-0, 2.17 GAA, .920 save percentage, one shutout)
Powerplay	27.6% (5th)	25.7% (7th)
Penalty Kill	78.5 (9th)	79.2% (7th)

 

NHL PROSPECTS

Medicine Hat Tigers

F- Andrew Basha (Calgary Flames)*

F-Cayden Lindstrom (Columbus Blue Jackets)*

F- Ryder Ritchie (Minnesota Wild)

F- Hunter St. Martin (Florida Panthers)

D- Veeti Vaisanen (Utah Hockey Club)

D- Tanner Molendyk (Nashville Predators)

D- Niilopekka Muhonen (Dallas Stars)

G- Harrison Meneghin (Tampa Bay)

Everett Silvertips

F- Austin Roest (Nashville Predators)*

F- Julius Miettinen (Seattle Kraken)*

D- Eric Jamieson (Calgary Flames)

D- Tarin Smith (Anaheim Ducks)

D- Kaden Hammell (Seattle Kraken)

*Unable to participate

Top 2025 NHL Draft Eligibles (per NHL Central Scouting’s Midterm Rankings of North American Skaters)

Medicine Hat Tigers

D- Bryce Pickford (73)

F- Kafon McCann (101)

D- Jonas Woo (147)

Everett Silvertips

F- Carter Bear (11)

F- Shea Busch (169)

F- Cole Temple (173)

Sound Off

Gavin McKenna

On his first U.S. Division Road Trip:

It feels like playoff hockey down here. Especially with the crowds, it’s pretty key for us to kind of get them out of it early. I think those crowds can help the home teams for sure. So we want to make sure that we’re having those perfect starts and we’re ready to go.

On Medicine Hat’s recent surge up the standings:

Our team has come together in the second half. With those big pickups on the trade deadline there it kind of just boosts our confidence. We have confidence that we’re going for it this year and we’re trying to win, so I think our team’s been doing it for each other. We’ve been really kind of sticking to the defensive side and we know if we’re playing good defense then the offense is going to come and that’s kind of just what’s been happening with me and my line.”

On how he’s adapting in his second WHL season:

In my second WHL season, I think guys have started to kind of key in on me. So for me, I kind of like to dish the puck. I’m lucky enough to play with two good players, Oasiz (Wiesblatt) and (Ryder) Ritchie, and I’ve played with (Hunter) St. Martin as well this year. So all really good players. I think when guys start to key on me, I can lean on those guys and give them a little more, and they’ve been doing a great job… I’ve kind of been used to it for a little while now. Like I said, it’s huge to have those linemates to kind of lean on and have trust in those guys. So it’s not too bad and, honestly, it’s pretty motivating. Going up against their top lines, you want to shut their line down and out-compete those guys.

On going up against Everett:

They’re a hard-working team. They’ve been at the top of the standings, like you said, for the whole year, so it’s pretty easy to get up for a game like this. Super highly talked about team. But I think if we shut them down and play the way we’ve been playing, then I think we can do it for sure.

On facing Landon DuPont for the first time:

It’s exciting anytime you get to play against a player like that. He’s super talented and gifted. We’ll have to try to shut him down, obviously, but I’m excited.

Landon DuPont

On his progress in his rookie WHL season:

I like setting goals for myself. But you know, the goals I set for myself aren’t really stats. They’re just making sure that I’m getting better each and every day and helping my team win whenever I can. I didn’t place any point stats, but obviously, I set other goals in my head.

On closing in on the 50-point milestone:

It’s in the back of my mind a bit. But like I said before, I just like to do whatever I can to help my team win each and every night. The end goal is for a championship and our team is well on our way to doing that.

On how his approach has changed halfway through his first WHL season:

You kind of know what to expect every night. Playing those teams, you kind of get a feel for the league and the physical contact and, obviously, the structure is a big thing. I feel like halfway into the season, you memorize your own structure which helps a lot. These are the dog days of the season and just finding ways to pull out wins is the best thing.

On the challenges the Medicine Hat Tigers present:

They have a lot of firepower. They have some pretty skilled forwards and some skilled defencemen. So I think just playing our game and being hard on their forwards and making their night tough… I think we’ve just got to play our game. We’ve got to play Everett hockey. We’ve got to be hard on our sticks and hard in the corner and just work as a full unit, and then we’ll get this win.

On facing Gavin McKenna for the first time:

What people see is his smarts with the puck and his plays with the puck, but I think just the way he plays without the puck, and the way he can read the ice is what breaks him apart from other players.