General Game Notes: On December 30th, Neutral Zone viewed the Lethbridge Hurricanes’ 4-2 road win over the Medicine Hat Tigers. The Tigers were without star forward Cayden Lindstrom, who is sidelined with an injury. Our scout focused on players eligible for the 2024 NHL Draft, as well as Gavin McKenna, who will be a top pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. Each player below has been given a grade based solely on their performance in this game.
| Tristen Doyle | Lethbridge Hurricanes | WHL | R | D | 5’9″ | 166 | Lethbridge Hurricanes | 2021 | Bonnyville, AB | 2006 | 2023-2024: C |
Game Grade: C
Comments: Tristen is a very small defender (listed at 5’9′ tall) who did an excellent job of getting into passing and shooting lanes defensively. He is a smooth skater who is excellent backward and is able to angle attackers into the wall. Despite his size, he was physical and was able to come away with his fair share of pucks. When in possession of the puck, Tristen was patient, and he generally made accurate passes. Tristen is unlikely to be drafted due to his size and lack of offense, but he is someone who will have a strong WHL career before making the transition to the USports.
| Miguel Marques | Lethbridge Hurricanes | WHL | R | RW | 5’11” | 170 | Lethbridge Hurricanes | 2021 | Prince George, BC | 2006 | 2023-2024: C |
Game Grade: B+
Comments: Miguel recorded a goal and an assist in this game and was the main offensive catalyst for the Hurricanes. On his goal, Wormald carried the puck across the blue line. As the defenders converged on him, Miguel found an open lane to the net and redirected the pass past the goaltender. This was a great example of Miguel’s ability to find open ice in high-danger areas. On another play, he showcased his quick release as a puck bounced to him near the left faceoff dot while Lethbridge was on the power play; he one-timed the puck and put it off the crossbar. Miguel is an above-average straight-line skater for this level of play, and due to this, he was able to get to loose pucks and force turnovers on unsuspecting defenders. On one play, he stole a puck down low and then made an excellent pass through traffic back to the line so that Lethbridge could establish their offense. He was also very good at reading the breakout and could pressure puck carriers into turnovers. Although not a strong defender, Miguel did show excellent hustle on one play. Medicine Hat was carrying the puck up ice in a 3-on-2 situation, and Miguel hustled back and tied up the trailer to turn it into a 3-on-3 rush that amounted to nothing. At the moment, there is a great deal of risk in Miguel’s game, as we do not believe that he can be an effective bottom-six player at the NHL level and would have to be strong enough offensively to crack the top-six. He must continue to refine his defensive game and must add size and strength in order to be effective in other ways rather than just scoring.
| Trae Wilke | Lethbridge Hurricanes | WHL | L | LW | 6’0″ | 181 | Lethbridge Hurricanes | 2021 | Saskatoon, SK | 2006 | 2023-2024: C |
Game Grade: C
Comments: Trae scored his 7th goal of the season in this game and now has 17 points in 34 games. On Trae’s goal, McCutcheon made an excellent two-line pass up the middle to Edward. Trae hopped into the rush, turning it into a 2-on-1, and was able to redirect the pass across into the net. Trae displayed good edgework in tight and made accurate passes to teammates. He must work on his positioning off puck in the offensive zone. On one play, he found open ice near the right faceoff dot, and rather than stopping and getting ready to shoot, he glided through the pocket of space and skated into coverage. If he can work on identifying open space, he will most certainly score more points. Defensively, he did a good job of falling back to his net as the off-side winger to cover the net.
| Nate Corbet | Medicine Hat Tigers | WHL | L | D | 6’2″ | 165 | Medicine Hat Tigers | 2021 | Calgary, AB | 2006 | 2023-2024: C |
Game Grade: C
Comments: Nate recorded his second point of the season in this contest. On this play, he was the first to a loose puck down behind the Lethbridge net. While under pressure, he threw the puck out to Basha, who moved it to Calhoon for the goal. Nate is an average straight-line skater for this level of play, and he battled hard in limited minutes. He was able to force turnovers with physical play and stick-checks. He is an average straight-line skater for this level of play and will hopefully earn more minutes this season and into next.
| Vasyl Spilka | Medicine Hat Tigers | WHL | L | LW | 6’2″ | 174 | Medicine Hat Tigers | 2023 | Praha, CZE | 2006 | 2023-2024: C |
Comments: Vasyl is a power forward who was effective at controlling the puck down low, as he can shield it with his frame and hands. On one occasion, he displayed a nice touch as Medicine Hat was on the power play. The pass came from the blue line, and he was down at the bottom of the circle on the right side. He received the puck with his skate and kicked it up to his stick before one-touching it across to an open teammate in the slot for a chance on goal. Vasyl forechecked well and was able to position himself to disrupt breakout passes, and D-to-D passes. As it stands, Vasyl isn’t quite fast enough nor skilled enough to warrant a draft pick, but he is one to continue to monitor as he adjusts to the North American game. It is also worth noting that he is listed at 6’2′ and 174 pounds, so there is considerable room for him to fill out his frame.
| Andrew Basha | Medicine Hat Tigers | WHL | L | C | 5’11” | 184 | Medicine Hat Tigers | 2021 | Calgary, AB | 2005 | 2023-2024: B+ |
Comments: This was an excellent showing from Andrew, who was Medicine Hat’s main offensive driver with Lindstrom out of the lineup. Andrew assisted on both of the Tigers’ goals in this one. On his first assist, he received the puck under pressure at the left faceoff dot. He quickly created separation from the defender and surveyed the ice, looking for options. He cut down below the goal line with the puck, and his centering pass ricocheted past three Lethbridge defenders to MacKenzie in the slot, who made no mistake. On his second assist, Corbet fed the puck back to Andrew off the end wall. From the left faceoff dot, he fed a cross-seam pass to Calhoon in the slot, who scored. This was an impressive pass as Calhoon was swinging out to the side of the net from behind it, and Andrew timed the pass perfectly to find him all alone at the side of the net. Andrew is a quick player in terms of his skating, stick handling, and reads. He often poked pucks past defenders and then was off to the races up ice. He was also shifty in tight. On a few occasions, he had his butt to the wall and would dangle the defender before darting either up ice or to the middle. Andrew was also quick to identify pucks. On one occasion, he identified that the point shot missed the net and spun off his defender so that he could corral the puck off the end-board. Andrew was also able to draw defenders towards himself before passing around them to open teammates for chances. He took advantage of the fact that he was the defenders’ main charge and thus used this against them to find open teammates in odd-man situations. Overall, this was a strong showing from Andrew. As it stands, he projects as a player who could slot in as a middle-six forward at the NHL level. He has proven that he can drive a line himself at the WHL level and will be someone who can provide secondary scoring at the NHL level.
| Gavin McKenna | Medicine Hat Tigers | WHL | L | LW | 5’11” | 163 | Whitehorse, YT | 2007 |
Game Grade: A
Comments: The 2022 number-one overall pick in the WHL draft has been excellent so far this season, racking up an impressive 34 points in 29 games. This is all the more impressive considering that Gavin was born on December 20th of 2007 and is thus one of the, if not the youngest, full-time players in the league. Gavin is an above-average straight-line skater for this level and is able to accelerate very quickly with and without the puck. Due to this ability to accelerate, when he identified an opportunity up ice, it was difficult to catch him. Gavin does skate with a bit of an inward ankle bend, but this technical deficiency does not seem to impact his ability to generate speed at all. One of Gavin’s best abilities is his ability to force turnovers down low in the offensive zone. He was excellent at reading the breakout and would jump on opponents and poke the puck away. Gavin was also excellent at lifting opponents’ sticks from behind, as he would catch up to them and steal the puck. He consistently made elite passes to teammates from behind the net or in open ice. One such pass was a saucer pass over the stick of a defender to Wiesblatt in a 2-on-1 situation, which led to a chance on goal. Defensively is where Gavin must continue to improve. The ’07 forward is dead last on Medicine Hat in plus/minus by an impressive 10 points. Of players who have been with the Tiger all season, Gavin is the only player who is a minus, and he is an abysmal -11. That being said, Gavin has the skill set to defend, as evidenced by his ability to steal pucks and force turnovers; he must commit to playing a team first game defensively. On a few occasions, he was soft along the wall, and this effort will come with time and coaching. Overall, Gavin is an impressive player who will surely compete to be the first name called at the 2026 NHL Draft.
Scout: Nick Earle