Tigers sixth WHL title win had emotions like no other

Meneghin named MVP playing to honour his late father

The hand of fate made the Medicine Hat Tigers sixth WHL title win feel unlike the five other league championships that came before.

On Friday night, the Tigers downed the Spokane Chiefs 4-2 in Game 5 of the WHL Championship Series played before 7,607 spectators at the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena. The victory allowed the Tigers to claim the best-of-seven set 4-1 and raise the Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL champions.

The WHL title win was a first for the Tigers since 2007 and sixth league championship win in team history. The six league title wins by the Tigers also equaled the Kamloops Blazers for the most in the history of the circuit.

It also seemed fitting Tigers star 20-year-old netminder Harrison Meneghin had another stellar outing in Friday’s series clinching win making 34 saves on the night. Meneghin was playing through an emotionally-filled post-season.

When the Tigers closed their regular season schedule back on March 23 with a 5-2 victory over the Hitmen in Calgary, Meneghin found out about the passing of his father, Derek. Derek’s passing came in an unexpected fashion.

During the post-season, it was obvious Meneghin was playing for his father, and the rest of the Tigers were playing for him. In the WHL Playoffs, Meneghin would appear in 16 games for the Tigers posting a 14-1 record, a 2.35 goals against average, a .906 save percentage and three shutouts. He claimed honours as MVP of the WHL Playoffs.

After Meneghin accepted the trophy as the MVP of the WHL Playoffs from Richard Doerksen, who is the WHL’s vice-president of hockey, the puck stopper was mobbed by his teammates.

Next on the agenda came the presentation of the Ed Chynoweth Cup. Tigers captain Oasiz Wiesblatt posed for the initial photos holding on to the WHL championship trophy with league commissioner Dan Near.

Wiesblatt proceeded to call Meneghin over to step in to be the one to take the Ed Chynoweth Cup from Near. Meneghin came in and posed for photos and proceeded to take the championship trophy from Near and raise it over his head. The goalie was then swamped by his teammates and the celebration began in earnest.

Meneghin then took the first victory lap with the trophy. It felt like it was a moment that was meant to be. The whole on ice celebration for the Tigers was a moment that everyone with the team who was soaking in the festivities wished could have lasted forever.

At the start of Game 5, Meneghin and Chiefs star netminder Dawson Cowan took centre stage in the opening frame making a number of big saves to ensure the stanza remained scoreless. The Tigers held a 14-8 edge in shots on goal after 20 minutes.

The Tigers also hit the ice with superstar left-winger Gavin McKenna, star centre Cayden Lindstrom and 16-year-old breakout centre Gordon-Carroll Shaeffer back in the lineup after all three missed Game 4 with undisclosed injuries. McKenna was out for Game 3 as well.

The Chiefs came out with a big push in the second holding a 17-9 edge in shots on goal for the frame. The Tigers would get in the only goal in the period.

With 7:18 remaining in the second, Tigers veteran right-winger Ethan Neutens won an offensive zone faceoff back to Finnish rookie import defenceman Niilopekka Muhonen. Muhonen fired an off-speed wrist shot from the left point home to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead. The tally was Muhonen’s first goal of the post-season.

At the 5:01 mark of the third, McKenna wired home a power-play goal from just inside the top of the left faceoff circle to push the Tigers lead out to 2-0.

Harrison Meneghin on Friday night. (Photo by Larry Brunt/Spokane Chiefs)

Just 44 seconds later, Tigers 19-year-old right-winger Hunter St. Martin netted what would be a controversial goal to Chiefs supporters that put the visitors up 3-0. Tigers overage left-winger Mathew Ward drove to the Spokane net and was shoved from behind by Chiefs overage defenceman Brayden Crampton.

Ward slid into Cowan, who made a kick save on Ward’s initial shot. As Ward went into Cowan, the Spokane net came off its pegs. St. Martin swooped in, picked up the rebound and put it into an empty cage.

The officials went to a video review and ruled the tally was a good goal. Officials have the discretion to allow a play to continue if a net pops off its pegs and an attacking offensive team has a scoring chance. The officials in that instance are allowed to judge if the puck from a shot would go into the net, if it was still on its pegs.

The Chiefs would proceed to battle back after going down by three goals. Just 49 seconds after St. Martin’s tally, Chiefs superstar right-winger Andrew Cristall drove home a mid range shot from the front of the Tigers net for a power-play marker to trim Medicine Hat’s edge to 3-1.

With 10:47 remaining in the third, Chiefs rookie import right-winger Assanali Sarkenov potted a goal from the front of the Medicine Hat to further cut the Tigers lead to 3-2. Sarkenov converted a nice pass from linemate Sam Oremba, who was positioned by the left side of the Medicine Hat net.

The Chiefs weren’t able to find the equalizer from that point.

With 74 seconds remaining in the third, Tigers offensive-defenceman Bryce Pickford fired a puck from his own zone into an empty Spokane net to seal the 4-2 victory for the visitors. The tally was Pickford’s 13^th of the post-season.

The empty-net marker extended Pickford’s streak of scoring goals in eight straight games, which is the longest consecutive string of games with a goal by a defenceman in the WHL Playoffs since 1996. Pickford has 10 goals over his last eight outings.

Pickford also equaled the WHL record for most goals by a defenceman in a single WHL Playoffs with his 13^th tally. Darren Veitch of the Regina Pats scored 13 goals playing on the blue line in the Pats run to winning the WHL title in 1980.

During the 18 games the Tigers played in winning the WHL title, Pickford recorded 24 points off 13 goals and 11 assists to go with a plus-23 rating in the plus-minus department.

Jonas Woo picked up a pair of assists playing on the back end for the Tigers, while St. Martin had an assist to go with his goal.

Cowan turned away 32-of-35 shots to take the setback in net for the Chiefs.

Before entering the WHL Playoffs, the Tigers placed second overall in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 47-17-3-1 mark. The Chiefs were fourth overall in the regular season with a 45-20-1-2 record.

As for the final CHL Top 10 Rankings that were released back on March 25, the Tigers were ranked third, and the Chiefs were rated sixth.

Over their last 52 games combined in the regular season and post-season, the Tigers have collected 44 wins.

The Tigers, who went 16-2 in the WHL Playoffs, now advance to play in the CHL championship tournament – the Memorial Cup. The Memorial Cup runs May 22 to June 1 in Rimouski, Quebec.

Medicine Hat opens play at the Memorial Cup on May 23 taking on the host Rimouski Oceanic. The Memorial Cup tournament also includes the OHL champion London Knights, the Oceanic and Moncton Wildcats from the QMJHL. The Oceanic and Wildcats are currently going at it in the best-of-seven QMJHL Championship Series that is being led by the Wildcats 3-1.

Still, Friday night was a special one for the Tigers as Meneghin continues to write an incredible story. The Tigers are ensuring the 2024-25 campaign is one of the most memorable in the team’s storied history.

If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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Chiefs cruise past Tigers 6-2 in Game 2 of WHL final

Championship series evens up at 1-1 heading to Spokane

The Chiefs enjoy a third period goal by Berkley Catton, centre.

MEDICINE HAT, Alta. – The Medicine Hat Tigers early jump on the scoreboard didn’t pay the same dividends this time around.

The Spokane Chiefs responded with a nasty counter punch.

Just 55 seconds into Game 2 of the WHL Championship Series at Co-op Place on Sunday night, Tigers star center Cayden Lindstrom scored to give his squad a 1-0 lead. Lindstrom’s goal was his first since returning from a long term back injury in Game 1 of the series.

In Game 1 on Friday, Lindstrom’s linemate Andrew Basha scored 54 seconds into that contest returning from a long term lower body injury as the Tigers skated to a 4-1 victory. A similar story didn’t play out on Sunday night.

Berkly Catton had two goals and an assist for the Chiefs.

Starting at the 6:50 mark of the opening frame, the Chiefs scored four goals in a span of four minutes and 46 seconds to surge ahead 4-1. They cruised to a 6-2 victory from that point to the disappointment of most of the 6,238 spectators in attendance outside of a contingent of Chiefs supporters.

“I think it was the response we wanted,” said Chiefs head coach Brad Lauer. “Obviously, we didn’t want to give up that first goal that quick, but I thought our kids it didn’t faze them.

“I thought we stuck with it and found a way. We had a really good first period. We were able to score four, so it was a good response.

“It was a good start, which is what we wanted.”

Cayden Lindstrom scored 55 seconds into Sunday’s game.

With the win, the Chiefs even the best-of-seven series 1-1. The series now shifts to Spokane. Game 3 is set for Tuesday at 7 p.m. local start time at the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena.

The Tigers jumped ahead 1-0 just 55 seconds into the opening frame when Lindstrom received a backdoor pass at the right side of the Spokane net from linemate Hunter St. Martin to pop home the first goal of the game. 

Ultimately, scoring the opening goal of the contest proved to be bittersweet for Lindstrom due to the final result of the contest.

“Scoring goals is fun and all, but I think winning is better,” said Lindstrom. “You can score as many goals as you want, but if you don’t win the game, it is not the best.”

Rasmus Ekstrom (#13) scored the Chiefs second goal on Sunday.

At the 6:50 mark of the first, Chiefs star left-winger Shea Van Olm brought the puck into the Medicine Hat zone and dropped the pass to linemate Berkly Catton at the right point. Catton drove to the front of the Medicine Hat goal, deked around a Tigers defenceman and tucked home the equalizer between the legs of Tigers 20-year-old star netminder Harrison Meneghin to even the score at 1-1.

The Chiefs surge continued with goals coming off the sticks of Rasmus Ekstrom, Owen Martin and Van Olm to give the visitors their 4-1 advantage.

“I thought Spokane played really well,” said legendary Tigers head coach and general manager Desjardins. “I thought they were quicker than us in the first period.

Owen Martin (#21) celebrates scoring the Chiefs third goal.

“They were just a little bit hungrier. I don’t think there is much more than that. They just played a really good game, and they outplayed us tonight.

“They deserved the game.”

Lauer said his squad had productive video sessions and meetings following the Game 1 loss, which helped lead to a different result in Game 2.

“With these guys here, it doesn’t take a lot,” said Lauer. “We didn’t have to show them too, too much.

“It was just some conversations that we had, and then we backed it up with a little bit of video. This time of year, a lot of these guys know (what to do). After the game when we lost, we kind of asked them some questions about what we need to be better at.

Shea Van Olm had the Chiefs fourth goal on Sunday.

“They had all the right answers. They kind of knew what we needed to focus on. We don’t try to overload them, but right now, they are good students after this game.”

It appeared the Tigers were going to get some traction in the second period. At the 5:55 mark of the frame, offensive-defenceman Bryce Pickford drove home a mid-range shot from the front of the Spokane net working on a four-versus-three power play to cut the Chiefs advantage to 4-2.

With 55.7 seconds remaining in the second, St. Martin drove down the right wing and fired a shot off the left post of the Spokane net that one of the referees at first pointed to the net and called a goal. The play went to a video review that correctly determined the puck did not go in the Spokane net, which meant the Chiefs would continue to hold a 4-2 lead.

Bryce Pickford scored the Tigers second goal on Sunday.

“I thought we played pretty good in the second,” said Desjardins. “We had a chance and Hunter (St. Martin) hit the goalpost, and that would have put it 4-3.

“Maybe that would have made it different, but in the end, they deserved it.”

Still trailing 4-2 in the third, Tigers star defenceman Tanner Molendyk would ring a shot off the post. Following that scoring chance by Medicine Hat, the Chiefs would put the game away.

At the 12:07 mark of the third, Martin put a backhand pass from the right side of the Tigers net across the face of the goal to 16-year-old rookie right-winger Mathis Preston at the left side of the net. Preston knocked home the backdoor tap to give the visitors a 5-2 advantage.

Ryder Ritchie (#21) battles Andrew Cristall (#82).

Preston finished the night recording one goal, one assist and a plus-two rating in the plus-minus department. He said he enjoyed playing the first two games of the WHL final in Medicine Hat.

“It is a great environment,” said Preston. “They are sold out every night, and it is super fun to play with all these fans.

“Being the away team, it gives you energy too, not just the home team. It is lots of fun, and I think our team feeds off it.”

With 4:42 remaining in the third, Catton scored on a breakaway for his second tally of the night which rounded out the 6-2 final in favour of the Chiefs. To go with his two goals, Catton also posted one assist and a plus-two rating.

Mathis Preston accounted for the Chiefs fifth goal on Sunday.

“He (Catton) was there,” said Lauer. “Obviously, he understood the importance of this game and him being our captain.

“The way he played, and the way he came out and skated with the puck he wanted to make sure that we weren’t going to lose this game. You could see it by his effort tonight.”

Meneghin turned away 19 shots to take the setback in net for the Tigers, who lost for the first time at home in the post-season on Sunday and saw their 11 overall game winning streak come to an end. Dawson Cowan stopped 19 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Chiefs.

Tigers superstar left-winger Gavin McKenna was held without a point. That brought an end to his streak of recording points in 54 straight games played between the regular season and post-season. During the 54 games of that streak that dated back to November 6, 2024, McKenna recorded 137 points coming off 40 goals and 97 assists.

A group of young fans keeps cheering hard for the Tigers in the third.

The Tigers finished second overall in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 47-17-3-1 mark. The Chiefs were fourth overall in the regular season with a 45-20-1-2 record.

As for the final CHL Top 10 Rankings that were released back on March 25, the Tigers were ranked third, and the Chiefs were rated sixth.

Looking ahead to Game 3 in Spokane, St. Martin said his Tigers have to play with a little more jump.

Gavin McKenna (#72) was held without a point on Sunday.

“I think they just outplayed us,” said St. Martin. “It was simple.

“They won more battles than us. They got more bounces. I think now we take and reflect what we can.

“We have to rebound. It is a quick turnaround here on the bus, and we have to get to it on Tuesday.”

Chiefs star right-winger Andrew Cristall, who collected a pair of assists on Sunday, said his squad heads into Game 3 with a renewed belief in themselves.

“All four lines played an unreal game,” said Cristall, who has a signed NHL entry-level contract with the Washington Capitals. “We obviously wanted to have a little more of a bounce back game.

The Chiefs celebrate their victory on Sunday.

“I thought five-on-five we played pretty well. It gives us a lot of confidence, especially heading back home and hopefully it keeps going.”

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Tigers, Chiefs accomplish a lot making WHL final

League championship series starts Friday in Medicine Hat

Oasiz Wiesblatt, left, and Gavin McKenna enjoy a Tigers goal.

MEDICINE HAT, Alta. - The Medicine Hat Tigers and Spokane Chiefs have had memorable seasons.

Of course, they would both love to make the 2024-25 campaign more memorable by winning the Ed Chynoweth Cup to become WHL Champions.

The two sides will go at it in the best-of-seven WHL Championship Series starting Friday at 7 p.m. at Co-op Place in Medicine Hat. The Tigers finished second overall in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 47-17-3-1 mark. The Chiefs were fourth overall in the regular season with a 45-20-1-2 record.

As for the final CHL Top 10 Rankings that were released back on March 25, the Tigers were ranked third, and the Chiefs were rated sixth.

With all that noted, it is a major accomplishment for both to make the WHL final. It is hard to win in the WHL let alone win it all. That goes for two legacy franchises like the Tigers and Chiefs.

Since first hitting the ice back in 1970, the Tigers have won five WHL titles and claimed the Memorial Cup twice in 1987 and 1988 to become CHL champions. Medicine Hat’s last WHL championship came back in 2007 when the circuit’s championship trophy was still called the President’s Cup.

After last winning the WHL title in 2007, the Tigers continued to pile up wins and accomplishments. They advanced as far as the WHL Eastern Conference Championship Series in 2011 and 2014. A berth in the league final eluded the Tabbies until this year.

The 2010-11 Tigers battled a whole host of injuries finishing fifth overall in the WHL with a 46-18-4-4 mark and still looked poised to go all the way. They were swept in the Eastern Conference final by the Kootenay Ice who went on to win the last WHL title in the team’s history in Cranbrook, B.C.

In 2016-17, the Tigers finished second overall in the WHL with a 51-20-1 mark and looked like they would have a storybook season. That campaign came to a heartbreaking end when the Tigers dropped a 5-4 overtime decision to their traditional rivals the Lethbridge Hurricanes in Game 7 of an Eastern Conference semifinal series. Hurricanes captain Tyler Wong netted the winner for Lethbridge at Co-op Place, which was then known as the Canalta Centre.

The Chiefs began play in 1985 when the Kelowna Wings franchise was relocated to Spokane. Spokane won the WHL title in 1991 and 2008 and marched to capture the Memorial Cup as CHL champions in both those campaigns.

Since winning both the WHL title for the now minted Ed Chynoweth Cup and Memorial Cup in 2008, the Chiefs weren’t able to make it back to the WHL final until this year. They returned to the Western Conference final in 2011 and 2019.

In 2010-11, the Chiefs were fourth overall in the WHL with a 48-18-4-2 mark and fell to the Portland Winterhawks in the Western Conference Championship Series in six games. Spokane fell in the 2019 Western Conference final in five games to the Vancouver Giants.

Both the Tigers and Chiefs in the current day are loaded with talented rosters.

Some of the big names dressing for the Tigers include and are not limited to Gavin McKenna, captain Oasiz Wiesblatt, Ryder Ritchie, Hunter St. Martin, Tanner Molendyk, Bryce Pickford and netminder Harrison Meneghin. 

Fans in “The Gas City” have some extra home that star forwards Andrew Basha and Cayden Lindstrom could return from long term injuries.

Basha last played in the Tigers 4-0 home ice victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes on December 28, 2024 and has been out with a lower body injury since that time. Lindstrom has been battling a back injury since December 16, 2023 and last suited up on April 5, 2024, when the Tigers fell 5-2 at home to be eliminated from the WHL Playoffs in Game 5 of a first round series against the Red Deer Rebels. Both have been practicing regularly this week with the Tigers.

McKenna has had the most memorable campaign. The superstar left-winger finished second in scoring during the WHL regular season recording 129 points off 41 goals and 88 assists to go with a plus-60 rating in the plus-minus department in 56 contests. On Wednesday, McKenna was named the winner of the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy as the WHL’s Player of the Year.

He currently has points in his last 53 straight games played between the regular season and post-season. During the 53 games of the streak, McKenna has recorded 135 points coming off 40 goals and 95 assists.

The Chiefs roster is loaded with big names that include and are not limited to Andrew Cristall, captain Berkly Catton, Shea Van Olm, Brayden Crampton, Rasmus Ekstrom, Chase Harrington and Dawson Cowan.

Tanner Molendyk has been stellar on the Tigers back end.

Cristall came to the Chiefs in a blockbuster trade with the Kelowna Rockets on January 8. In 57 regular season contests played between the Rockets and Chiefs, Cristall, who turned 20-years-old on February 4, topped the WHL in scoring to claim the Bob Clarke Trophy with 132 points coming off 48 goals and 84 assists to go with a plus-59 rating in the plus-minus department.

Van Olm topped the WHL with 49 goals during the regular season.

Both teams have outstanding coaching staffs. The Tigers are led by their legendary head coach and general manager Willie Desjardins. The ultra-talented Brad Lauer leads the Chiefs bench staff as head coach. Chiefs general manager Matt Bardsley was named the winner of the Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy as the WHL’s executive of the year.

In the WHL Playoffs, the Tigers have posted a 12-1 record so far and swept the Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference final. The Chiefs have gone 12-3 so far and swept the Portland Winterhawks in the Western Conference final.

The statistical difference that jumps on the page comes in goals against in the post-season. The Tigers have given up 35 goals against in their 13 contests and have a 2.65 goals against average as a team. The Chiefs have given up 59 goals against in their 15 contests and have a 3.57 goals against average.

It should be noted that you can bet Lauer and his coaching staff have been working on team defence during their lengthy stretch of time off.

The Chiefs will have had seven off days leading up to the WHL final, while the Tigers will have had eight off days leading to that series. Both squads should be fresh for Game 1.

Again, both teams should be praised for getting this far and for being two of the six squads across the CHL who are still in action. A total of 60 teams took the ice across the CHL this season, which means 54 clubs have seen their 2024-25 campaigns come to an end.

The Tigers salute their faithful at Co-op Place.

What the Tigers and Chiefs have done to this point is special, and it can’t be taken away from either squad.

If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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Chiefs sweep Winterhawks, take WHL’s Western Conference title

The Spokane Chiefs offence proved to be too much for the Portland Winterhawks to handle.

That is saying something when you realize the Winterhawks can light up a scoreboard too.

On Thursday night playing before 4,558 spectators at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum, the visiting Chiefs outgunned the Winterhawks 6-4 in Game 4 of the WHL’s Western Conference Championship Series. With the win, the Chiefs sweep the best-of-seven set 4-0. The Chiefs outscored the Winterhawks 28-18 over the four games in the series.

Spokane advances to the WHL Championship Series for the first time since 2008. In 2008, the Chiefs captured the Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL champions and claimed the Memorial Cup as CHL champions. That Chiefs team included stars Drayson Bowman, Mitch Wahl, Chris Bruton, Jared Spurgeon and Dustin Tokarski.

The Chiefs will face the Medicine Hat Tigers in this year’s best-of-seven WHL Championship Series. The Tigers swept away the Lethbridge Hurricanes 4-0 in the Eastern Conference Championship Series. Medicine Hat concluded that set with a 5-3 victory over a host Lethbridge side on Wednesday.

In Thursday’s clash between the Chiefs and Winterhawks, star right-winger Andrew Cristall powered the Spokane side with two goals, one assist and a plus-two rating in the plus-minus department. Cristall leads the WHL Playoffs in goals (20) and points (37).

Chiefs star left-winger Shea Van Olm and star import centre Rasmus Ekstrom each had one goal and one assist. Coco Armstrong and Owen Martin each picked up singles for the Chiefs.

Breakout rookie 19-year-old right-winger Alex Weiermair powered the Winterhawks with two goals, one assist and a plus-one rating. Star defenceman Tyson Jugnauth had three assists, while captain Kyle Chyzowski had two helpers.

Star left-winger Josh Zakreski had one goal and one assist for Portland, while Ryan Miller picked up a single.

Dawson Cowan stopped 39 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Chiefs. Rookie 17-year-old import netminder Ondrej Stebetak turned away 39-of-44 shots to take the setback in net for the Winterhawks.

The Chiefs exited the first period holding a 2-1 lead. When the Chiefs and Winterhawks were locked in a 1-1 draw in the opening frame, Winterhawks star centre Diego Buttazzoni took a major penalty for cross-checking to the head and a game misconduct. The league will automatically review those infractions for a possible suspension to be applied if Buttazzoni returns for his 19-year-old season in the 2025-26 campaign.

The two sides proceeded to conclude the second period locked in a 3-3 tie.

Just 24 seconds into the third period, Zakreski scored his 11^th of the post-season to give the Winterhawks 4-3 lead.

The Chiefs responded scoring three straight goals in the final 5:47 of the third. Ekstrom netted the equalizer that forced a 4-4 tie with 5:47 remaining in the third.

Martin scored the game and series winner with 3:11 remaining in the third to put the Chiefs up 5-4. Van Olm rounded out the contest’s scoring with an empty-net goal with 93 seconds remaining in the third.

Spokane finished fourth overall in the WHL during the regular season with a 45-20-1-2 mark, while Portland was 12^th overall with a 36-28-3-1 record. The Winterhawks won two series that went seven games to make the Western Conference Championship Series.

The Chiefs took out the Vancouver Giants in five games in the first round and eliminated the Victoria Royals in six games in a Western Conference semifinal series. Spokane is currently riding a seven game winning streak.

Looking ahead to the WHL final, the Tigers topped the Eastern Conference and finished second overall in the WHL’s regular season with a 47-17-3-1 mark. In their last 47 games between the regular season and playoffs, the Tigers are an impressive 40-4-2-1. Medicine Hat has also won 10 straight games.

The Chiefs and Tigers met once in the regular season back on January 24 the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena. Medicine Hat claimed that encounter 3-2.

The Tigers will have home ice advantage for the WHL Championship Series. The schedule for that seven game set is still to be announced.

If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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Cristall, former Raiders captain Johnston part of final big WHL trade deadline moves

Eric Johnston in action for the Raiders last season.

Andrew Cristall departed the Kelowna Rockets as a rental, and former Prince Albert Raiders captain Eric Johnston was part of a three-team move.

Those were the two big deals that rounded out the transactions on Wednesday and Thursday leading to the WHL’s trade deadline, which passed at 7 p.m. Saskatchewan time Thursday. Outside of those two deals, most of the other trades from Wednesday and Thursday involved usually moving a player to get a fresh start in a new centre for a WHL Prospects Draft pick.

The Cristall deal was the big move that was made on Wednesday. The Rockets sent the star 19-year-old right-winger to the Spokane Chiefs in exchange for 17-year-old centre Hayden Paupanekis, first and third round selections in the 2025 Prospects Draft, second and sixth round picks in the 2026 Prospects Draft, and a first round selection in the 2027 Prospects Draft.

Entering play on Friday, Cristall sat fifth in the WHL scoring race with 60 points coming off 26 goals and 34 assists to go with a plus-22 rating in the plus-minus department. Entering play on Friday, Paupanekis appeared in all of the Chiefs 39 games recording 24 points coming off 11 goals and 13 assists.

Combined with the deal that saw the Rockets ship star 19-year-old defenceman Caden Price to the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Monday for six assets that included standout 17-year-old defenceman William Sharpe, the Rockets will have two strong 17-year-olds in Paupanekis and Sharpe who will be 18-years-old in 2025-26, when Kelowna hosts the CHL championship tournament – the Memorial Cup.

This column of mine appeared in the Prince Albert Daily Herald. To read the full article, feel free to click right here.

The WHL’s golden season of the 17-year-old

Circuit’s NHL Entry Draft prospects deep in high end talent

Connor Bedard leads the WHL in goals (44), assists (46) and points (90).

The mid to late 1980s era of the WHL is often romantically remembered as a golden era for ultra-passionate followers of the circuit.

That time was viewed as a moment in league history when you seemingly couldn’t miss a game, because every team had a star you had to see. In particular, the quartet of Theo Fleury, Trevor Linden, Mike Modano and Joe Sakic were worth the price of admission alone in any contest they were skating in.

Fleury was piling up points and agitating opponents with the Moose Jaw Warriors. Linden at a young age was a clutch power forward and team leader with the Medicine Hat Tigers.

Modano was making magic skating circles around everyone lighting up scoreboards for the Prince Albert Raiders. Sakic was proving he was “no ordinary Joe” filling nets for the Swift Current Broncos.

Of course, all of those players went on to spectacular careers in the NHL becoming overall legends in the game along the way.

With that noted, the current day of WHL might have the most high end depth alone in just one age group that hasn’t been seen since the 1980s. That group would be the 17-year-old players who were born in 2005. Some of those players have already turned 18-years-old due to having a birthday in January or today, February 1.

The unquestioned top player in the current group is Regina Pats captain Connor Bedard. He is a generational talented that is the consensus pick to go first overall in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft. 

Oliver Tulk in action for the Hitmen last season.

The upcoming NHL Entry Draft will be held June 28 to 29 at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.

Bedard leads the WHL in goals (44), assists (46) and points (90), while posting a plus-30 rating in the plus-minus department in 36 regular season games. 

On Wednesday night, Bedard and the Pats helped the Calgary Hitmen attract 17,223 spectators to their home rink in the Scotiabank Saddledome to mark the highest attendance for a WHL contest this season. The game was shown before a national television audience on TSN.

Bedard didn’t disappoint. The North Vancouver product had a goal and picked up an assist on gritty centre Braxton Whitehead’s second tally of the contest, which forced a 5-5 tie with 33.8 seconds remaining in the third period.

The contest went scoreless through a three-versus-three overtime period to a tiebreaking shootout. Bedard scored the only goal in the shootout on a sick deke to a forehand shot to give the Pats the win in the tiebreaking session and a 6-5 victory in the game.

On the other side, the Hitmen have a fun draft eligible centre to watch in Oliver Tulk, who turned 18-years-old on January 19. Tulk, who plays feisty standing at 5-foot-8 and weighing 172 pounds, had an assist in Wednesday’s setback. He sits second in Hitmen team scoring with 42 points coming off 19 goals and 23 assists in 47 regular season games.

While it is pretty much a certainty Bedard is skating through his final days as a major junior player before joining the NHL next season, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he was joined there by some others in the WHL’s current 17-year-old class.

Just a 45-minute drive west on the Trans-Canada Highway, the Pats archrivals in the Moose Jaw Warriors have Saskatoon area product Brayden Yager on their roster. 

Brayden Yager has 56 points this season for the Warriors.

Yager, who turned 18-years-old on January 3, has turned heads as skilled centre that can play both ways. In 49 games with the Warriors, Yager has 20 goals, 36 assists and a plus-six rating.

Before moving to the WHL ranks, Yager played a number of seasons together with another Saskatoon area product in centre Riley Heidt, who is staring in his 17-year-old season with the Prince George Cougars. 

Heidt sits 10^th in the WHL scoring race with 60 points coming off 19 goals and 41 assists in 44 regular season games with the Cougars.

Yager and Heidt applied to get exceptional player status to play in the WHL on a full-time basis as 15-year-olds along with Bedard going into the 2020-21 campaign. 

Bedard was the only one of the three granted exceptional player status, but all three skated as 15-year-olds in the WHL playing a shortened regular season in a bubble style format due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has gripped the world.

The Winnipeg Ice, who top the WHL’s overall standings with a 36-6-1 record, have a deep team that is paced by 17-year-old left-winger Zach Benson. Benson sits second in the WHL scoring race with 69 points coming off 27 goals and 42 assists, while posting a plus-43 rating in 42 games.

Out in Kelowna, 17-year-old left-winger Andrew Cristall has been piling up the points for the Rockets. In 36 regular season games, he has 62 points coming off 26 goals and 36 assists to go with a plus-14 rating. 

Zach Benson sits second in WHL scoring this season with 69 points.

Cristall has been out with a lower body injury since suiting up for the Rockets in a 5-1 setback to the Blazers in Kamloops on January 7, but his return status is listed as day-to-day.

On the back end, the Rockets have another good youngster that is a must-see player to watch in 17-year-old defenceman and Saskatoon product Caden Price. 

Price has five goals and 19 assists playing in 44 regular season games with the Rockets. He is rated 30^th among North American Skaters in the NHL Central Scouting Mid-Term Rankings.

Along with Price, the Saskatoon Blades have a good young rearguard to watch in 17-year-old Tanner Molendyk. Molendyk has six goals, 20 assists and a plus-26 rating appearing in 45 regular season games for the Blades.

He is rated 36^th among North American Skaters in the NHL Central Scouting Mid-Term Rankings. Molendyk is a sound shutdown defender, and he can wheel up ice and go coast to coast to lead an offensive rush.

The potential is there for any of these draft eligible prospects to end up in the NHL next season depending on which team drafts them and how much improvement they make by the time NHL training camps open. 

Time will tell if this group of young star has the impact in the NHL like Fleury, Linden, Modano and Sakic did.

Tanner Molendyk has 26 points for the Blades this season.

At the moment like in the mid to late 1980s, the WHL is enjoying another golden era where seemingly each team has a must see star.

If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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