Tigers and Pats prepare for battle in first round of 2026 WHL Playoffs

The Medicine Hat Tigers will begin defense of their 2025 WHL Championship by battling the Regina Pats in the first round of the 2026 WHL Playoffs.

It has been nearly 20 years since the Tigers and Pats tangoed in the WHL Playoffs. The two teams last met in post-season action during the second round of the 2007 WHL Playoffs. The Tigers swept the Pats en route to winning the WHL Championship.

Medicine Hat, who finished second in the WHL’s Eastern Conference, swept the regular season series in 2025-26, going 4-0-0-0 with one win coming in overtime back on November 14, 2025. Over the course of the four games, the Tigers outscored the Pats by a margin of 26-7. Most recently, Medicine Hat skated to a 6-0 triumph on home ice March 10.

The Tigers offense has been fearsome this season, thanks to the twin power of WHL leading scorer Markus Ruck (21G-87A–108 points) and brother Liam Ruck (45G-59A–104 points). The 18-year-old pair from Osoyoos, B.C., are eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft, with NHL Central Scouting ranking Liam 26th and Markus 31st among North American skaters.

Finishing seventh in the WHL’s Eastern Conference, the Pats have been pushed along by 21-year-old right winger Caden Brown, who enjoyed a career campaign with 61 points (28G-33A) in 64 games to lead Regina in scoring. The veteran forward, a former first-round pick of the Prince George Cougars, has seen action in 289 WHL regular season games, registering 171 points (80G-91A) along the way.

The Tigers cruised through the 2025 WHL Playoffs, winning series by counts of 4-1, 4-0, 4-0, and 4-1 to claim the Ed Chynoweth Cup.

As for the Pats, they return to the WHL post-season following a two-season absence. In 2023, the Connor Bedard-led squad from Regina thrilled fans with one of the most entertaining series of the playoffs, pushing the Saskatoon Blades to the brink before ultimately falling in Game 7 of a first-round barnburner.

The Tigers wrapped up the 2025-26 WHL Regular Season by scratching out an 8-3 win over the Red Deer Rebels on Saturday night, to finish 50-10-5-3.

As for the Pats, their campaign came to a close Saturday in Brandon, where they fell 4-2 to the Wheat Kings, finishing 25-34-7-2 on the season.

The best-of-seven first-round series between the Tigers and Pats gets underway Friday, March 27 (7 p.m. MT) at Co-op Place in Medicine Hat. The two teams will head to the Queen City for Game 3  on Tuesday, March 31 (7 p.m. ST).

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