Wild Captain Friesen named Tempo WHL Player of the Week

Calgary, Alta. – Wenatchee Wild forward Evan Friesen has been named Tempo WHL Player of the Week for the week ending Sunday, January 5, 2025, the Western Hockey League announced Monday.

Friesen led all WHL skaters with six goals (including a hat trick) and four assists for 10 points and a +5 rating through four games.

The Wild Captain helped his team close out 2024 on a high note with a two-assist effort in a 6-1 takedown of the Kelowna Rockets on New Year’s Eve. This marked a five-game point streak that saw Friesen pile up three goals and eight assists.

His streak would be snapped as Wenatchee was shut out by WHL Goaltender of the Week Burke Hood and the Vancouver Giants, but Friesen roared back with two of his best games of the season.

Wenatchee rolled into hostile territory for a road match against the Portland Winterhawks on January 4.

With the Wild leading 1-0 at the midway mark of the first period, Friesen won a powerplay faceoff in the offensive zone back to Reid Andresen, who teed up Shaun Rios for his second goal of the game and a 2-0 lead. The powerful Winterhawks had clawed their way back to tie the match in the middle frame, but Friesen came in clutch to restore the lead. After the Captain was clipped on a breakaway, he was awarded a penalty shot and whipped the puck past the netminder with a lightning-quick shot and a 3-2 advantage. Wenatchee wouldn’t trail again, and Friesen capped off the night with an empty netter for a 6-3 win.

The 5-foot-11, 188-pound centreman followed it up with one of the biggest games of his career. With Wenatchee rolling into Kennewick, Wash. To face another strong U.S. Division squad in the Tri-City Americans, Friesen drew first blood with a powerplay marker through traffic just over two minutes into the game. The Wild extended their lead to 4-1 in the second period, where Friesen picked up his second tally of the night with a precision wrister on a partial break. Less than four minutes later, he put on a burst of speed coming down the wing to outpace an Americans defender and complete the natural hat trick with a wraparound goal. This marked the first hat trick of Friesen’s WHL career- but he wasn’t done there. The Winnipeg, Man. product scored his fourth by potting his own rebound after a deft redirection in front of the Tri-City net. Friesen picked up another assist in the third period as Wenatchee cruised to a 10-2 win, with the Captain snagging first star of the game. Friesen now has two five-point games in the last month, having previously added a goal and four helpers in a 9-1 win over Kelowna on December 14, 2024.

Haven't you heard? Three's a crowd. @WHLwild_ | #WHLHatTricks pic.twitter.com/RacR0hpjPf

— The WHL (@TheWHL) January 6, 2025

Friesen leads the Wild with 19 goals (including two game-winners and two shorthanded tallies) and 23 assists for 42 points in 35 games. He’s on pace for a career-best season and a second-straight 20-plus goal campaign.

Since being signed by the then-Winnipeg ICE as an undrafted free agent in 2020, Friesen has suited for 209 regular-season games with the club, netting 127 points (62 goals, 65 assists).

He has another 10 goals and five helpers in 37 postseason contests. Three of those goals came in the 2023 WHL Championship Series, where the ICE came up short against the eventual Champion Seattle Thunderbirds.

Wenatchee (15-18-3-1) is on a two-game winning streak to sit in the final playoff spot in the Western Conference just past the halfway point of the 2024-25 regular season.

The Wild kick off a three-game homestand on Friday, January 10 when they host the B.C. Division’s Victoria Royals at 7:00 p.m. PST.

2024-25 Tempo WHL Player of the Week
September 23, 2024: Roger McQueen, Brandon Wheat Kings
September 30, 2024: Nathan Behm, Kamloops Blazers
October 7, 2024: Shea Van Olm, Spokane Chiefs
October 15, 2024: Mazden Leslie, Vancouver Giants
October 21, 2024: Ben Kindel, Calgary Hitmen
October 28, 2024: Nathan Behm, Kamloops Blazers
November 4, 2024: Brady Birnie, Swift Current Broncos
November 11, 2024: Koehn Ziemmer, Prince George Cougars (Los Angeles Kings)
November 18, 2024: Tomas Mrsic, Prince Albert Raiders (St. Louis Blues)
November 25, 2024: Andrew Cristall, Kelowna Rockets (Washington Capitals)
December 2, 2024: Gavin McKenna, Medicine Hat Tigers
December 9, 2024: Tyson Jugnauth, Portland Winterhawks (Seattle Kraken)
December 16, 2024: Gracyn Sawchyn, Edmonton Oil Kings (Florida Panthers)
December 23, 2024: Rilen Kovacevic, Moose Jaw Warriors
December 30, 2024: Landon DuPont, Everett Silvertips

About the Western Hockey League

Regarded as the world’s finest development league for junior hockey players, the Western Hockey League (WHL) head office is based in Calgary, Alberta. The WHL offers a world-class player experience featuring three key cornerstones: hockey development, education, and a safe and positive environment for all participants. A diverse and inclusive organization, the WHL consists of 22 member Clubs with 16 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 close to 60 years. The WHL is also a 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’s National Junior Hockey Team.

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