| Nate Corbet | Medicine Hat Tigers | WHL | L | D | 6’1″ | 171 | Medicine Hat Tigers | 2021 | Calgary, AB | 2006 | 2023-2024: C |
Corbet earned 8:16 in total ice time. He did not play special teams. He finished even 7 PIMs, 5 giveaways and for the season he is winning 52% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Corbet is a hard nosed left shot defender who plays a physical gritty game that is more than willing to mix it up and protect his teammates. At this point in his junior career the former 60th overall WHL is still developing and not playing more than bottom pairing even strength minutes. I don’t view him as a draft pick but with his size and willingness to mix it up he is a player who will provide leadership throughout his junior career.
| Ethan McCallum | Medicine Hat Tigers | WHL | L | G | 6’3″ | 188 | Medicine Hat Tigers | 2021 | Brandon, MB | 2006 | 2023-2024: C |
McCallum is a 6’3″, 188lbs left catching goalie. He did not play in this game.
McCallum was drafted 39th overall in 2021. He is in the middle of his rookie WHL season with a 0.898 svp% in 17 games. He certainly has the frame to garner NHL eyes but to this point he has not separated himself from his peers. He had good save percentage numbers while playing CSSHL for the Notre Dame Hounds so he may be a big younger goaltender who is still growing into himself and that’s why he is worth tracking over the next few WHL seasons.
| Jack Kachkowski | Medicine Hat Tigers | WHL | R | D | 5’11” | 175 | Medicine Hat Tigers | 2023 | St. Albert, AB | 2007 | Not yet rated |
Kachkowski is a right shot 2007 defender who did not pay in this game. For the season he is winning 57% of his 50/50 puck battles.
From past viewings Kachkowski is a strong skater who is still developing his developing his first touch and the offensive side to his game. He is former 89th overall selection by Medicine Hat in the 2022 WHL draft as well as being drafted 36th overall in the 2023 USHL draft by Sioux City. He started the 2023/24 season by playing 12 games for the Brooks Bandits in the AJHL where he had 1 goal and 2 assists in 14 games. I do feel that although he is undersized by NHL standards he is player worth tracking through his draft year.
| Matt Paranych | Medicine Hat Tigers | WHL | L | D | 5’8″ | 150 | Medicine Hat Tigers | 2022 | Edmonton, AB | 2007 | Not yet rated |
Paranych earned 9:57 in ice time (6th among D). He did not play special teams. He finished +2 with 2 shots, received 1 hit, had 1 shot blocked, 3 giveaways and for the season he is winning 52% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Paranych is an undersized 2007 left shot defender who by Neutral Zone’s tracking has grown an inch during the 23/24 season. There’s no debating that he is still on the small side but he has really smooth feet and edgework. I love how he works to set his gaps, the routes he takes on retrievals and the pro styled snap he has on his passes. I’m going to keep watching him because he’s winning over 50% of his 50/50s and maybe he can turn into a Jared Spurgeon style defender who followed a similar path to the NHL.
| Josh Van Mulligen | Medicine Hat Tigers | WHL | R | D | 6’2″ | 186 | Medicine Hat Tigers | 2020 | Medicine Hat, AB | 2005 | 2023-2024: C |
Van Mulligan earned 19:15 in ice time (3rd among D) including 2:32 on the PP (2nd among D) and 3:02 on the PK (3rd among D). He finished even with 0 shots, had 1 shot blocked, 2 giveaways, 9 takeaways (tied for team high) and for the season he is winning 60% of his 50/50 puck battles.
After going undrafted in 2023 the 6’2″ Van Mulligan is in his second year of eligibility. I can see why he wasn’t picked last year but this year he is making an argument to be a late pick as he has the frame to be an NHLer and I like his knee over toe skating posture but there are times while defending that his skating base gets too wide and that tends for him to lose some lateral mobility. He is athletic and shows some explosiveness so maybe this can be corrected through reinforcing good habits during the offseason.
| Andrew Basha | Medicine Hat Tigers | WHL | L | C | 5’11” | 174 | Medicine Hat Tigers | 2021 | Calgary, AB | 2005 | 2023-2024: B+ |
Basha earned 19:49 in ice time (3rd among fwds) including 8:02 on the PP (4th among fwds) and 2:32 on the PK (3rd among fwds). He finished +1 with 2 goals, 1 assist, 3 shots, 3 grade “A” opportunities, 2 PIMs, 2/2 on face-offs, 11 giveaways, 2 takeaways and for the season he is winning 44% of his 50/50 puck battles.
There’s no doubt that Basha can fly and that he always wants the puck, actually he demands it from his teammates. After putting up 56 points last year he’s having a really nice offensive season by having 66 points in 44 games which puts him on pace for a 93 point season. He was originally a 5th round pick in the 2020 WHL draft so his point totals tells me that he’s driven to succeed and keeps improving, so my question is where does he fit in an NHL line-up and can he continue to score at higher levels? He has 111 shots on goal this year with a clean 60 of those coming from inside the house leading to 20 of his 22 goals (his other 2 goals came from outside the dot-lanes). This is where I start to wonder at 5’11”, 174lbs can he survive in the house in the NHL? Yes he will put on weight and add both strength and explosiveness but can he be a scorer in the NHL? This right here is why Neutral Zone has him rated as a “B+” 2024 draft prospect. I know he can buzz. I know he’s willing to go to the tough areas to score but will he have the frame to carry more weight to survive in the trenches of the NHL? He’s lost 10lbs so far this year so he’s going to have to be really committed to offseason training and nutrition to maintain the 190s that it will take for him to play in the NHL.
| Hayden Harsanyi | Medicine Hat Tigers | WHL | L | LW | 5’9″ | 160 | Medicine Hat Tigers | 2022 | Calgary, AB | 2007 | 2024-2025: C |
Harsanyi earned 14:39 in ice time (8th among fwds) including 2:38 on the PP (8th among fwds) and 0:44 on the PK (8th among fwds). He finished even with 1 shot, 1 grade “A” opportunity, 1/1 on face-offs, 3 giveaways, 3 takeaways and for the season he is winning 44% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Harsanyi is a high end 2007 who’s got 23 points so far in his rookie WHL season. At this point in his physical development he is still undersized but his game processing is quick and he is constantly around the puck. This off season will be an important one for him as he will need to gain weight while keeping his agility and explosiveness but his offensive instincts will keep organizations watching him.
| Cayden Lindstrom | Medicine Hat Tigers | WHL | L | C | 6’3″ | 210 | Medicine Hat Tigers | 2021 | Chetwynd, BC | 2006 | 2023-2024: A- |
Lindstrom has been out since December 16th with an upper body injury.
| Tomas Mrsic | Medicine Hat Tigers | WHL | L | C | 5’11” | 170 | Medicine Hat Tigers | 2021 | Surrey, BC | 2006 | 2023-2024: C+ |
Mrsic earned 19:10 in ice time (5th among fwds) including 8:13 on the PP (3rd among fwds) and 1:19 on the PK (5th among fwds). He finished -2 with 1 assist, 0 shots, 2 grade “A” opportunities, 0/1 on face-offs, 3 giveaways, 4 takeaways and for the season he is winning 44% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Mrsic is still physically light and can get bounced around but his offensive instincts and passing abilities are high end. He is the type of passer that puts the puck where you want it when you want it. He is still gaining the strength to have a full length stride but even still he is quick and very agile. His processing will get him drafted and his combination of off season training and genetics will decide if he is an NHLer.
| Vasyl Spilka | Medicine Hat Tigers | WHL | L | LW | 6’2″ | 174 | Medicine Hat Tigers | 2023 | Praha, CZE | 2006 | 2023-2024: C |
Spilka earned 7:40 in ice time (10th among fwds). He did not play special teams. He finished +1 with 1 shot, 7/11 on face-offs, 2 giveaways, 2 takeaways and for the season he is winning 50% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Spilka is a big bodied left shot forward who’s played International games with Team Czechia but is still finding his way to playing impactful hockey in the Western Hockey League. He’s got an NHL frame and he skates well but at this point his play without the puck is going to have to improve to be a pick. In my mind there are far too many times when he over pursues the puck carrier or his man which allows there to be open ice or passing lanes behind him. Again he is in his first year not playing in Czechia so there’s a serious learning curve so we will continue watching him because at 6’2″ he is a player to watch down the stretch.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images