Yahoo Sports 2024-25 WHL Season Preview: Medicine Hat Tigers
Welcome to The Hockey News 2024-25 season preview series. From August 29 to September 20, THN's WHL duo will examine some of the biggest storylines facing each team this season. Today's edition is focused on the Medicine Hat Tigers, who will be looking to claim their first division title since 2017-18.
2023-24 Statistics:
Regular Season Record: 37-23-6-2, 82 Points (2nd Central Division)
Playoffs: Defeated by Red Deer Rebels 4-1
Key Departures: Tomas Mrsic (F), Bogdans Hodass (D), Dru Krebs (D)
Key Additions: Ryder Ritchie (F), Niilopekka Muhonen (D), Bryce Pickford (D)
It is no secret that Medicine Hat is the favourite coming out of the Eastern conference, and rightfully so. General Manager Willie Desjardins and his staff were hard at work over the summer, making plenty of moves in an attempt to capture a division title and solidify their bid to host the 2026 Memorial Cup.
Up front, while not losing anyone to aging out, a move was made with the Prince Albert Raiders to acquire Ryder Ritchie, a former teammate of young star Gavin McKenna. In addition, the Tigers went out and got Mathew Ward from the Swift Current Broncos as a veteran presence for the forward corps. Although Medicine Hat did lose Tomas Mrsic as a result of the Ritchie trade, they are still projected to be a deep team in lines one through four. Rounding out the group, the Tigers are also expected to get a full season out of Columbus Blue Jackets draft pick Cayden Lindstrom.
Because Medicine Hat did not have any overage forwards, the blue line received the biggest shake-up. Bogdans Hodass, Dru Krebs, and Rhett Parsons all graduated from the WHL this past season having played all of their games with the franchise, so much work needed to be done to fill the gaps.
Trade acquisitions Bryce Pickford from the Seattle Thunderbirds and Jonas Woo from the Wenatchee Wild rebuild the stock of veterans on the back end. As well, the 2024 CHL Import Draft became the Tigers' friend, as they selected two more defencemen: Veeti Väisänen and Niilopekka Muhonen from Finland. Both selections were signed at the end of August, rounding out the transaction report from the summer of 2024.
Despite a very busy offseason with a lot of movement, the Tigers are poised to make a run this season and have significant expectations to fulfill.
Make sure you bookmark THN's WHL site for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.
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