SERIES PREVIEW: (7) Regina Pats vs. (2) Medicine Hat Tigers

No team has repeated as WHL Champions since the dynastic Kamloops Blazers went back-to-back in 1994 and 1995.

But the Medicine Hat Tigers would sure like to join them.

After picking up the club’s sixth Ed Chynoweth Cup win and a trip to the Memorial Cup Final, the Tigers clawed out a, somehow, even stronger regular season than the 2024-25 edition of the team.

Medicine Hat rolls into the postseason as the WHL’s top scoring team with 348 goals in 68 contests, with a 38-goal dropoff to the second-place team- the East Division champion Prince Albert Raiders.

Eight Tigers have surpassed 20 goals, headlined by Bob Clarke Trophy winner Markus Ruck, who led the league with a 108-point (21G-87A) campaign.

His twin brother, Liam, was just behind with 45 goals and 104 points.

The duo has garnered considerable attention with their stock climbing ahead of the 2026 NHL Draft, but there’s star power to be found up and down the Cats’ lineup.

Captain and two-time WHL Champion Bryce Pickford, a 2025 third-round pick of the Montreal Canadiens, has shattered the franchise record for goals by a defenceman with 45, while D-partner Jonas Woo has set a new mark for points by a blueliner with 86 (29G-57A).

After starting his season with the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers, Flames prospect Andrew Basha has been sensational in his final major junior season, logging 50 points (18G-32A) in 32 appearances.

Tigers General Manager and Head Coach Willie Desjardins bolstered his team’s depth by adding veteran Luke Cozens at the 2026 WHL Trade Deadline.

Regina will be in tough against a ferocious Tabbies squad, but will look to make the most of the opportunity in their first postseason appearance since 2023.

The Pats will lean on veterans like Keets Fawcett, who notched a team-best 30 goals, alternate captain Caden Brown, who put up 61 points (28G-33A) and 2026 NHL Draft-eligible Zachary Lansard, who has taken off with 15 points (7G-8A) in his last 17 games.

On the blueline, Captain Ephram McNutt and Reese Hamilton will try to hold Medicine Hat at bay, with McNutt coming off a career-best 53-point run (13G-40A) and Hamilton not far behind with 43 points (7G-36A).

Upcoming stars Maddox Schultz and Liam Pue dished plenty of highlight-reel plays in 34 regular-season appearances with the Pats under the Western Canadian Development Model, but will be busy battling with the Regina Pat Canadians in the SMAAAHL Championship this weekend.

Game 1 is slated for 7:00 p.m. MT on Friday, March 27, at Co-op Place.

The playoff winds will blow the series east to the Brandt Centre for Game 3 on Tuesday, March 31 at 7:00 p.m. ST.

 

2025-26 Regular Season Series: Medicine Hat leads 4-0-0-0

September 20, 2025- Regina 2, Medicine Hat 5
November 14, 2025- Medicine Hat 4, Regina 3 (OT)
March 3, 2026- Medicine Hat 11, Regina 2
March 10, 2026- Regina 0, Medicine Hat 6

GAME BREAKERS

Regina: Keets Fawcett scored more goals this season than in his last two combined. The 20-year-old from Grimshaw, Alta. drove the bus offensively for the Pats and even led the squad with four game-winning strikes. While he’s only got one assist against the Tigers this season, Pats bench boss Brad Herauf sees shades of NHL and WHL alum Brandon Hagel’s speed and grit in Fawcett’s game.

Medicine Hat: What’s better than one hundred-point scorer? We’ll give you one guess. Markus and Liam Ruck finished first and second in points across the entire CHL in 2025-26, but they do have more to prove in the postseason. Medicine Hat’s 2025 title run in their rookie season saw Markus sit for four games and Liam getting the bulk of his minutes on the powerplay. Now, they have a chance to deliver with more eyes than ever on them. Liam led all skaters in the regular season series with 12 points (7G-5A) in four games, including a hat trick on March 3, and Markus slid into second with nine assists.

GOALTENDING

Regina: Regina acquired Marek Schlenker from the Penticton Vees back on September 17th. Since then, he’s played the fourth-most games of any WHL netminder (48) while setting a new career high in wins (18) and earning his first WHL shutout- a 22-save effort against Swift Current. The Okotoks, Alta. product is 0-1-1-0 against Medicine Hat with a 4.74 GAA and an .888 save percentage, but also brings important playoff experience after making it as far as the 2025 WHL Western Conference Championship as a backup with Portland.

Medicine Hat: Jordan Switzer learned from one of the best after backing up Tampa Bay Lightning prospect and 2025 WHL Playoffs MVP Harrison Meneghin in 2024-25. Now, he’s got his first 30-win season under his belt. Switzer is 2-0-0-0 against Regina with a 2.48 GAA and a .896 save percentage against the Pats, but Draft-eligible backup Carter Casey has also been sensational in the regular season series with a 2-0-0-0 record, a 1.00 GAA, a .957 save percentage and a shutout.

X FACTOR

Regina: This one is for the captains. Ephram McNutt has piloted the Pats through a strong second half to secure a playoff berth, highlighted by a 9-4-2-0 run through February and March to clinch the seventh seed in the East. The 20-year-old is 14th among all WHL defencemen in points and is second on the Pats in powerplay points with 20. McNutt returns to the postseason for the first time since 2024, when he battled to the Western Conference Championship with the Prince George Cougars.

Medicine Hat: What hasn’t been said about Bryce Pickford’s season? The 19-year-old defender tied for second in goals among all WHL skaters with 45 (and likely would have hit 50 had he not missed nearly a month with injury), while clocking in at 14th in points (83). Pickford is also tied for the league lead in game-winning goals with a whopping 11 deciding tallies. The 2025 Montreal third-round pick inked his three-year, entry-level deal with the NHL club in December and is chasing a third WHL Championship after hoisting the Ed Chynoweth Cup with Seattle in 2023 and Medicine Hat in 2025. And a gentle reminder- Pickford’s breakout year truly started in the 2025 WHL Playoffs, where he scored 10 goals in eight consecutive games, including two game-winners against Spokane in the league final.

2026 WHL PLAYOFFS SERIES SCHEDULE

Game	Visitor		Home	Day	Date	Time
1	Regina	@	Medicine Hat	Friday	March 27	7pm MT
2	Regina	@	Medicine Hat	Saturday	March 28	7pm MT
3	Medicine Hat	@	Regina	Tuesday	March 31	7pm ST
4	Medicine Hat	@	Regina	Wednesday	April 1	7pm ST
5*	Regina	@	Medicine Hat	Saturday	April 4	7pm MT
6*	Medicine Hat	@	Regina	Sunday	April 5	6pm ST
7*	Regina	@	Medicine Hat	Tuesday	April 7	7pm MT

* = if necessary