The return of the Tigers

Medicine Hat poised to turn heads in WHL again

The Tigers have picked up some big wins this season.

Are Medicine Hat Tigers ready to mix it up with the WHL’s elite once again?

Last season, the Tigers found life tough in the first full campaign back after the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons were cut short and didn’t have any post-season play due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has gripped the world. In 2021-22, they thumped down to last place in the entire WHL with an 11-53-3-1 record.

For the storied Tigers, the 11 wins was the lowest total for a season since the birth of the modern version of the franchise in 1970-71. That win total was even surpassed during the severely shortened bubble season of 2020-21, when the Tigers posted a 14-8-0-1 record.

The thud the Tigers experienced in the 2021-22 campaign was totally unexpected by anyone who had been associated with or has followed the team. Way back in the 2002-03 season, the Tigers made the WHL Playoffs with a record of 29 wins, 34 losses, two ties and seven overtime losses to end drought of having missed the post-season for five straight years.

In the 2003 WHL Playoffs, the Tigers advanced to the second round where they fell to the Red Deer Rebels in a tough seven-game series. From that season, the Tigers shot out to a run where they were consistently one of the WHL’s top teams and were still in the playoffs often winning a round in reloading years.

WHL Championships came in 2004 and 2007 along with Eastern Conference final appearances in 2006, 2011 and 2014. You always had to be aware of the Tigers, who are a franchise that has was five WHL crowns and two Memorial Cup titles as CHL champions in its history.

The Tigers have sent countless players to the NHL ranks including Tom Lysiak, Lanny McDonald, Morris Lukowich, Pete Peeters, Kelly Hrudey, Murray Craven, Trevor Linden, Chris Osgood, Rob Niedermayer, Josh Green, Jason Chimera, Jay Bouwmeester, Joffrey Lupul, Clarke MacArthur, Cam Barker, Kris Russell, Darren Helm, Derek Dorsett, Tyler Ennis, Emerson Etem, Mads Sogaard and Cole Sillinger.

It did seem strange to see the Tigers bottom out in 2021-22 and finish in the basement of the WHL first time since posting a record of 15 wins, 53 losses and three draws in the 1998-99 campaign. It is not usual to see the Tigers go through total rebuilds that are experienced at one time by all major junior clubs often in a cyclical nature.

Andrew Basha had four goals for the Tigers on Saturday.

The best part for the Tigers is the fact they are owned by brothers Darrell and Brent Maser, and their family has been part of Tigers ownership dating back to the team’s first season. They’ve seen the waves come and go and aren’t going to panic.

You can expect they would be more than understandable about the unique circumstances the team let alone the world have faced since March of 2020. They follow what they’ve always done in having good hockey people run the team and allowing them to run the team.

The team’s legendary head coach and general manager Willie Desjardins is still there, and if you let Desjardins do his thing, you can see the Tigers rise to prominence once again. 

This season with a young roster, the Tigers are getting to a point where other WHL teams have to look over their shoulders and be aware what is happening in Medicine Hat. If opposing WHL clubs underestimate the Tigers, they do so at their own peril.

On Saturday, a Co-op Place record attendance of 6,405 spectators turned out to see the host Tigers face 17-year-old phenom centre Connor Bedard and the Regina Pats. The Tigers rolled to a 7-0 victory in a banner night.

Sophomore 17-year-old left-winger Andrew Basha scored four goals for the Tigers, which is career high for most goals in a game. Beckett Langkow, who is an 18-year-old netminder, made 17 saves for his first career WHL shutout.

Gavin McKenna, who is a 15-year-old associate player call up, scored his first career WHL goal and picked up an assist. The Tigers took McKenna with the first overall pick in the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft, and he has put up 37 goals and 38 assists in 26 games with the Southern Alberta Hockey Academy’s under-18 Prep team.

Oasiz Wiesblatt leads the Tigers in scoring with 57 points.

Since that academy team is located in the Medicine Hat area, McKenna has played in 12 games this season with the Tigers collecting one goal and nine assists to go with a plus-three rating in the plus-minus department.

Rhett Parsons and Tomas Mrsic hand singles for the Tigers. Bogdans Hodass had three assists for Medicine Hat, while Oasiz Wiesblatt and Brendan Lee each had a pair of assists. Wiesblatt leads the Tigers in scoring with 57 points coming off 24 goals and 33 assists.

Drew Sim went the distance in goal for the Pats making 33 saves in a tough night for his squad. Bedard was held to three shots on goal and posted a minus-two rating.

With the win, the Tigers improved to 27-26-8-1 to sit seventh in the WHL’s Eastern Conference and three points behind the sixth place 31-27-3-1 Pats. At the moment, Medicine Hat still isn’t a lock to make the WHL Playoffs.

The Swift Current Broncos (28-29-1-3), Calgary Hitmen (26-27-5-3) and Brandon Wheat Kings (26-28-8) all sit tied for eighth in the Eastern Conference and the conference’s final playoff berth just three standings points back of the Tigers.

The Tigers have wins over the Winnipeg Ice (51-9-1), Kamloops Blazers (44-11-4-2) and Red Deer Rebels (41-17-3-3) who sit first, third and fifth respectively in the WHL’s overall standings at the conclusion of play Saturday. Medicine Hat has absorbed some drubbings too, which is standard for young teams to experience.

If they hold on to their playoff position, you can bet the Tigers are one team the WHL’s top clubs do not want to see. It would be surprising for the Tigers to have a long post-season run in 2023, but they are capable of producing a first round upset.

Beckett Langkow made 17 saves for his first career WHL shutout.

We might already be witnessing “the return of the Tigers.”

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