Game played on 11/09/2024.
General Game Notes: Neutral Zone was in attendance for the WHL matchup between the Medicine Hat Tigers and the Moose Jaw Warriors. Medicine Hat was the dominant team in this game, winning the game 8-4, outshooting the Warriors 43 to 24, and were led by their top line and star player Gavin McKenna. Although, Moose Jaw took advantage of the Tigers soft play when it came up and were able to storm down the ice for four goals, despite not having many chances.
Oasiz Wiesblatt (C, L, 5’8″, 183, Medicine Hat Tigers, 04/08/2004)
Grade: A-
Com
ments: Wiesblatt is a quick playmaker on the top line for the Tigers who plays bigger than his height shows. He is shifty in the offensive zone, cutting on his edges to open ice, giving himself some extra space where he was able to make passes through bodies and tight lanes. He flies onto loose pucks in the offensive zone with a great first step. Off the half wall, he burst into the middle of the ice and was able to get a dangerous shot off. He continued to show off his quick release shot when he skated his way from the outside into the slot, picked his spot, and ripped a shot passed the goalie for his first of two goals in the game. His second came similarly. He picked up a blocked shot, one stick handle, and released another quick shot into the net. He showed off his physical ability in the corners as well when he finished a hard check on the defenseman making a breakout pass. Wiesblatt also picked up two assists in this game to give himself a four-point night. One of these assists came from an unselfish play when he received a pass that he could have shot, but instead made a one-touch pass across the net for his teammate to finish in the open side.
Mathew Ward (C, L, 5’9″, 172, Medicine Hat Tigers, 01/24/2004)
Grade: B
Comments: Ward made quick plays in the offensive zone to create chances for his team. After receiving a pass on the half wall, he took one stick handle to gather the puck and then made a tape-to-tape pass to his teammate in the slot for a one-timer chance. He showed off a quick-release wrist shot when skating in from the outside and ripped his shot off the crossbar, beating the goalie clean from the dot on his off-side. Ward picked up a nice assist after keeping the puck in at the point. He made a quick give-and-go play with his linemate to find space on the wall and then found another one of his teammates skating to the net with a great pass that they slid in past the goalie.
Hunter St.Martin (C, L, 6’1″, 175, Medicine Hat Tigers, 06/13/2005)
Grade: B+
Comments: St. Martin is a fast skater who knows how to finish around the net. He scored a hat-trick this game, getting a goal on the powerplay, 5 on 5, and on the penalty kill. He enters the offensive zone with speed, challenging defensemen by skating right at them before making a quick cross over to either side that he believes he can get past them. He battles hard in front of the net and isn’t afraid to get a dirty goal despite his skill with the puck. On the penalty kill, he is quick to get out to his man and challenges aggressively, not allowing them much time to make a play. His short-handed goal was a display of hustle and determination. He picked up a loose puck in the neutral zone and quickly curled towards the offensive end, skating hard down the wing before cutting to the net and sniping a shot over the goalie’s shoulder from the goal line, picking his corner with precision. His third goal of the night came from a one-timer in the slot where he made no mistake with a powerful shot that the goalie had no chance to react to.
Jonas Woo (D, R, 5’9″, 150, Medicine Hat Tigers, 11/19/2006)
Grade: B
Comments: Woo had a strong game and made smart plays throughout the game. He showed his quickness when he picked up a loose puck in the corner. He made his way up the boards and then instantly cut back towards the net to gain space between himself and the checker where he then made a short pass across the slot to an open man. In the corners and along the wall, he is strong on his skates and is ready to receive contact. He positions himself to be able to give the hit back and stand checkers up as they run into him. Woo had a fantastic shot that hit the crossbar this game. After receiving a pass on his strong side, in one motion, he received and shot the puck off the middle of his blade, not giving the goalie any chance to react.
Niilopekka Muhonen (D, L, 6’4″, 194, Medicine Hat Tigers, 02/28/2006)
Grade: B-
Comments: Muhonen really pushes the pace for his team and is a key part of their transition game. He is a force in his own corners, pushing opposing players off the puck and moving it around the boards or to the half wall for his wingers to start the breakout. When he has more time, he takes a quick look and fires a pass all the way up the ice to spring a rush chance. An impressive part of his game is how quickly he makes decisions. Whether collecting the puck off a dump-in or looking to make a pass up ice, it always seems like he knows where he’s going with the puck immediately and doesn’t give the opposing team any time to adjust.
Bryce Pickford (D, R, 6’0″, 170, Medicine Hat Tigers, 04/02/2006)
Grade: B+
Comments: Pickford plays an offensive defenseman role but doesn’t over-extend himself either. He has solid gap control, keeping puck carriers close, and uses his stick effectively to knock the puck loose or to angle them to the outside. Against speedy skaters, he didn’t get caught flat-footed or puck-watching and did a good job of only providing the outside as an option without getting beat around. He moves the puck effectively, finding his teammates up the ice both along the boards and for longer stretch passes. He also has the capabilities to start a rush from his own end to create odd-man chances. Pickford scored a goal this game by playing aggressively in the offensive zone and jumping on a big rebound. He immediately moved towards the net and ripped a hard wrist shot from just inside the top of the circle.
Gavin McKenna (LW, L, 5’11”, 163, Medicine Hat Tigers, 12/20/2007)
Grade: A
Comments: McKenna is a complete offensive player who was dominant all game. His vision is elite as he knows where all his teammates or on the ice at any time. In the offensive zone, he can make any pass and knows how what he needs to do to create an open lane. He does a great job of drawing defenders to him by weaving through the ice and then in a split second, he can cut back on his edges to the newly opened-up ice and will make a play to the net or slide the puck over to a teammate who has become open. His ability to go from a standstill to full speed is impressive. He fools defenders who think they can make a physical play on him and then McKenna bursts the opposite way they believe he’s going to go. A part of his game that was surprising to see as such a skilled forward was his strength and ability to win puck battles against bigger and stronger players. He isn’t afraid to get into the corners and fight for possession. His stick skills also help with this as he can pull the puck out, control it, and then find an open man to keep the pressure on. Against pressure, he is strong on his stick. He moves his feet constantly through contact and doesn’t allow stick checks to disrupt his stick handling. McKenna finished this game with 4 assists, mainly coming from his ability to get by multiple defenders, find his way to the slot area, and then without looking, slide the puck across the front of the net to a now wide open teammate for easy backdoor goals.
Connor Schmidt (D, R, 5’11”, 182, Moose Jaw Warriors, 03/20/2007)
Grade: B-
Comments: Schmidt has good offensive abilities from the backend but can improve on his play without the puck, specifically when recovering pucks on dump-ins. He will need to be more decisive when going back to get the puck so the forecheckers do not have the time to make a hit or intercept his passes through the middle. He helps his forwards by joining the rush or jumping to the slot from the point. On one rush, he entered the zone as the third man and just missed on a big rebound that came right to his stick. From the point, he has a hard wrist shot that he was able to get through traffic and onto the net, set up for tips in front. His offensive skill is noticed by his team as he plays on the powerplay, often at the top where he walks the line well and makes quick bumper passes to his forwards on the half wall.
Lynden Lakovic (LW, L, 6’4″, 192, Moose Jaw Warriors, 12/12/2006)
Grade: B+
Comments: Lakovic is a big body up front but also has the skill that you don’t often see with players of his stature. He has great hands in tight, stick handling his way between defenders and slipping by the first defenseman on the rush, keeping his feet moving and puck in front of him to wheel down the wing. With nice speed, he wasn’t afraid to skate through the middle of the ice. Entering the offensive zone, he made a great play to split the defenders, got in tight to the net, and found a teammate for a great one-timer chance. When set up in the offensive zone, he moves well around the ice, skating into open space with the puck on his stick and going after it in the corners. His determination to crash the net hard led to a goal where he found a rebound from the point that he jumped on and put into the back of the net. He scored a second goal this game with his speed. He flew across the ice and received a pass as he entered the offensive zone. Using the defenseman as a screen, he ripped a wrist shot passed the goalie.
Brayden Yager (C, R, 5’11”, 166, Moose Jaw Warriors, 01/03/2005)
Grade: B+
Comments: It is apparent why the Winnipeg Jets used a first-round pick on Yager in 2023. He has an extra level to his game that makes him a threat with the puck but also plays an impactful role without it. He has great speed down the wing, getting by defenders on the rush, and moves in for hard snap shots. In the offensive zone, he does a good job of finding open ice, using stop and starts to create separation, and then looks to either get the puck to the net or to a teammate in a dangerous scoring area. Yager is also strong on his skates. He can take bumps and continue moving forward and has no issue getting to the front of the net.
Riley Thorpe (LW, L, 5’10”, 160, Moose Jaw Warriors, 03/27/2008)
Grade: C+
Comments: Thorpe had a quieter game but one shift deserves to be mentioned. It looked like a switch went off for him as he was skating his hardest and flying around the ice. After making a steal in his own end, he rushed up the ice, carried the puck into the offensive zone, deked by the defenseman, and found his forward across the slot for a quick shot. After picking up the rebound, he skated around the net, got the puck out to his defenseman, and went straight to the front of the net for a screen. His ability to dominate a play will hopefully be a sign of things to come for Thorpe if he can play like this more consistently.
Rilen Kovacevic (RW, R, 5’11”, 180, Moose Jaw Warriors, 08/02/2004)
Grade: B+
Comments: Kovacevic showed incredible defensive awareness as a winger. He constantly read plays perfectly, jumping into the open space as pucks came across, and picking up numerous interceptions, steals, and tipped pucks throughout the game. Shortly after his team went up 1-0 in the first, he stole the puck off a man in his own zone and then showed off his speed, rushing alone 1 on 1. He burned around the defenseman and scored with a quick shot passed the goalie. His second goal of the game came from outskating the opponent to a loose puck. After he won the race just inside the offensive zone, he fanned on his first shot but made no mistake on his second, again putting it cleanly passed the goalie. On the penalty kill, his stick was active and he was a pest to play against, smothering the puck carrier which led to another steal and 2 on 1 chance while short-handed.
Max Finley (RW, R, 6’0″, 177, Moose Jaw Warriors, 01/05/2007)
Grade: B
Comments: Finley did a good job of gaining control of the offensive zone for his team and setting up the offense. He was able to skate the puck out of his own zone, cross over the line, and allow his teammates to join him where he would then get the puck down low or look to his point. He picks up speed as he moves through the neutral zone and has a fluid stride, crossing over to find an angle to attack the defenseman. On one of these entries, he got the puck into the corner and after taking a look, found his teammate in the high slot for a great scoring chance.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images