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The highest-ranked junior hockey team in western Canada, the Medicine Hat Tigers, were hoping this season could build on last year’s success and bring them a national championship.
But the team faces a difficult road back to the Memorial Cup after losing several of its star players to the U.S. this summer.
“Unfortunately, it’ll become maybe be a bit of a retool year this next season, trying to engage who’s going to be the long-term players for them,” said Nathan Murdock, a junior hockey analyst and broadcaster.
“But I think in a lot of ways they’ve done a good job trying to rebuild as much as they could given the devastating circumstances they were dealt.”
A year ago, the Tigers had one of the strongest teams in its history, buoyed by Gavin McKenna, who was named the Canadian Hockey League’s (CHL) player of the year. The team also boasted a robust bid to host the Memorial Cup for the first time and a city full of support.
Then it all seemed to fall apart after an NCAA rule change allowed U.S. colleges and universities to offer lucrative contracts to Canada’s junior hockey players, who were previously ineligible because they were classified as professionals.
Several core players who helped the Tigers win their first Western Hockey League (WHL) championship since 2007 — and reach the Memorial Cup final — have now signed to U.S. schools, disappointing fans who were hoping for another run at the title.
“It was just a shock,” said Dale Engel, a Tigers superfan.
“I never thought that they would’ve left, and then when they did it was kind of disheartening.”
A seismic shift
Last summer, the stars seemed aligned for the Tigers. McKenna, a 17-year-old who’s projected by many to be drafted first overall in the NHL next summer, was ready to lead a team that could contend for a national championship alongside other strong players like Oasiz Wieblatt and Ryder Ritchie.
The 2024 Tigers squad was assembled with the aim of peaking in the 2025-26 season and going for junior hockey’s biggest prize.
“It was all about this two-year window to capitalize on Gavin McKenna’s last year in the WHL before he gets drafted first overall next June,” said James Tubb, a Medicine Hat-based sports reporter.
But in November, the world of junior hockey was flipped on its head when the NCAA Division I Council voted to change its eligibility rules to allow its collegiate teams to sign CHL players. The change officially came into effect on Aug. 1.
“When people describe it as a seismic shift, I think they’re doing it justice,” said Joel Henderson, the director of scouting for Puck Preps, a website that ranks and analyzes hockey prospects.
The NCAA rule change would prove to be devastating for the Tigers roster, as with many other teams across Canada.
Ritchie, who finished second on the team in points last season, announced he was committing to Boston University on July 6. Two days later, McKenna went on a live ESPN broadcast to reveal he was leaving Medicine Hat to play for Penn State University. Another key Tiger, Cayden Lindstrom, confirmed two weeks later that he was leaving for Michigan State. Two more players — forward Mathew Ward and goalie Carter Casey — followed suit and also left for NCAA schools.
Fans who had been buzzing about a Medicine Hat team on the rise were heartbroken.
“It was disappointing,” said Vern Jerome, a Tigers season ticket holder since 1991.
“You kind of feel a tad bit betrayed over the whole thing. You expected another great year.”
New opportunities
But some observers believe the Tigers could still find success this year thanks to the talent depth of its roster and an influx of U.S. players heading north into the Canadian league.
“They’re the team that probably has been victimized the most by this, because of [losing] players like McKenna and Lindstrom. There’s basically no chance when you’re in that contention window to actually replace those guys in any meaningful way,” said Murdock.
“But I think what they’ve been able to do, getting a lot of younger players…it could be a huge one for them.”
Noah Davidson, a 16-year-old forward from California, is an example of a player the Tigers previously wouldn’t have had access to that the team will now benefit from this season. He joins a team that’s still retaining several experienced players like Hunter St. Martin, a top-five scorer for the Tigers last season, and Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll, who played on Team USA with Davidson at the international under-18 Hlinka Gretzky Cup tournament.
“There is a lot of good players still on the Tigers and I still think they could make a run for a title this year,” said Tubb.
The Medicine Hat Tigers have one other element that analysts say should never be counted out — head coach Willie Desjardins.
During two separate tenures behind the Tigers bench since 2002, Desjardins has won over 500 games. He also has NHL experience, previously working as the Vancouver Canucks’ head coach.
Desjardins said despite the team’s off-season losses to the NCAA, he’s focused on finding a way to win.
“It’ll be a little bit like last year,” said Desjardins. “We didn’t know exactly what we had until after Christmas, and it’ll be a little bit the same this year. But I really am excited about our group.”
The new-look Tigers will take on the Regina Pats in their first game of the season on Sept. 20. The team will also hang its 2024-25 WHL championship banner that night.
