Medicine Hat, AB – Medicine Hat Tigers announced this afternoon the acquisition of 20-year-old goaltender Cam Lanigan from the Portland Winterhawks. The Tigers will send Portland a seventh round pick in the 2013 WHL Bantam Draft.
The native of Calgary, AB is off to a terrific start in his fifth WHL season, posting a 1.00 goals against average in his first three games including one shutout. He also sports a very impressive .960 save percentage and leads all WHL goaltenders in both categories.
Lanigan helped the Kamloops Blazers take the Portland Winterhawks to a seven-game series in last year's Western Conference final.
“We are pleased with the overall effort of our team and are especially excited about the development of our younger players. At this time, we believe it is necessary to bring in a veteran goaltender. We look forward to Cam joining our organization,” said Tigers’ general manager/head coach Shaun Clouston.
The move gives the Tigers four overage players with Lanigan joining Elgin Pearce, Derek Ryckman and Alex Theriau, who is currently on the injured reserved list.
“We will continue to evaluate our overage situation as we move forward,” stated Clouston
http://www.tigershockey.com/article/tigers-deal-for-veteran-cam-lanigan
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Just when you think the over-ager situation is solved..... I think a 7th round pick is pretty cheap as the Tigers were probably the only team on the market looking for overage goaltender. (Lethbridge gave up a 2nd and 3rd for their overage goalie for reference)
I think with the goaltenders that Dawson MacAuley might be the odd man out ,although the Tigers have some room to be flexible and see what exactly Lanigan Brings to the table.
When Alex Theriau comes back it will give the Tigers two weeks (Edit Originally had one, that was incorect) to make their decision on who to keep. With the impact that Pearce has made in the lineup, and knowing what Theriau brings to the table I find it difficult to see either one of those 2 players leaving.
The scouting report on Lanigan says that he shows a lot of athleticism, and has the ability to make a key save but sometimes his mental focus isn't their. He played great for Kamloops down the stretch run last year, and some portland fans are wishing they had kept him.
27 comments:
Kudos, like the move. Did not cost us much with the 7th round pick. We will give up a 20 year old but I do not think that is a huge problem. This kid should give us a chance to win. Something had to be done and I love that Clouston responds to the problems so quickly! I have loved the idea of this young team from the beginning and it has been clear we can not do it with who we have between the pipes. I like that he has made an effort to get us back on track!
Go Tigers Go!
Gotta think Theriau is odd an out with how good Pierce and Ryckman have played, what a slap in the face of your goalies though especially Dawson the day after that game. Some of those goals last night were not his fault at all and some were just as bad but he is developing and that happens from time to time, interesting they would make a move for a goalie like that when it looked to be like we were going to make a run next year
This is a business. Dawson should not be shocked. He had 7 goals against last night and has won 1 game. If he did not know that he was not doing his job then it is probably even more evidence that we needed this trade. He is accountable, like the rest of the team, for what happens.
Hoping that this move makes a difference but Lanigans stats are not very good over his career, although he played very well for Kamloops in last years playoffs when their starter went down and got off to a great start in Portland this year. Hopefully he can bring some stability to the team and with his 4 yrs in the league help out Langhammer or McCauley for the rest of the season. I Agree with Tiger Turf thinking Langhammer will be kept. I think he is more athletic than Mccauley is and in time will be a decent goalie. Just my opinion.
Agree with anonymous about Theriau. I think that Ryckman and Pearce (especially) have earned their spots, and now with Lanigan added, what is Theriau going to do? I doubt they'd trade Pearce considering how well he's doing. Ryckman not sticking around sort of concerns me, but I think he's proved enough that he should keep his spot. It all depends on when Theriau returns and how well he does. Last season while watching him I have to admit I wasn't impressed, but he was playing with an injury, and of course that's going to have affected how he played. Guess we just continue to wait and see.
Regarding how last nights game went, I seriously think that something needs to be done to the first line. I understand that Hunter is frustrated and not contributing in the way he'd like, and he's the captain. It's been like this since the start of the season. Maybe move Koules to the second line and Valk or Cox (someone very fast) should move up and play with Shinkaruk. The Tigers should try out a few different 1st line combinations because if something doesn't change it's just going to get worse.
As far as Lanigan goes, his record is not fantastic (based on previous seasons, not this season so far), but I guess it's more of a matter of seeing how he plays with the rest of the team. A change in scenery can turn a bad player into a good, possibly great one if they take the opportunity and gel with the team. I'm not so confident in his abilities at the moment, and not sure if he will be a positive motivation for the team, but I'm not counting him out until he gets his opportunity to show us what he can do. Still, I'm surprised at the Tigers having made a trade for this guy. Maybe Lanigan will help keep pucks out of the net and give confidence to the team. MacAuley or Langhamer, whomever stays, still has a lot of work to do, but they both are just young kids. Start developing a young kid now and maybe we'll have another guy like Bunz in a couple years.
However despite all the negative I think that some of the new guys are really standing out. Doty is improving constantly, Becker is one of the best defensemen out there, and Butcher and Labelle are doing pretty well too. Pearce is also seeming to be pretty dependable as a 20-year-old, and that's the way it should be!
Hopefully with a few tweaks things will get better and the team will have the win column outnumbering the loss column!
With how well Ryckman has been playing? You sure you have been watching the games? Holleee buddy!
Go back and watch some highlights of the Tigers games. Tell me why a 20 year old 5 year vet is making no effort to help this team.
Case in point, just to help you out. Logan Nelson one on one vs Ryckman in OT.
Doty has been playing better for sure. Be nice to see him plant a few guys early in the game on a regular basis. That will settle all the ankle biters down. And open the ice for our forwards. Our defense are big enough and don't need to be babysat, but our forwards do.
Doty has a real opportunity to make a name for himself in the pro's if he does this often. He doesn't have to beat the tar out of anyone every night. But he could lower the boom on a couple of checks every night.That would create a lot of open ice for this team. Then we can listen to all the armchair GM's brag about how good our top line is doing again.
I wish Hunter did not seem so stressed. He is just snakebitten. I think he is trying but just seems rattled. Hope he can get back on the horse and play like his usual self!
Maybe it's time they put Shinkaruk on a checking line. Now before everyone jumps on my suitcase, Hockey Canada seemed to know where he belonged ! Just saying.
By his own admission, he had a different role with them. Maybe, that's his calling !!
Well, the Tigers are not Team Canada. A long way from it. So I think that before you put him on the 4th line you need to rationally assess the team he IS on. And on this team, no, he is not a checker. Your comment seems silly to compare Team Canada with the Tigers!!! Lol! He could use some time with a kid like Boston to maybe get him going. But lets not make silly rash calls like Hunter is a checker because on the most talented team in the world they put him on the checking line!! lol - shake you head! If the Tigers turn out to be the next team Canada, sure, we will go with your plan. Not holding my breath tho!
Different topic, the teams for the under 16 challenge cup were announced and between Alberta and BC the Tigers have 6 prospects on the rosters. Good news for the future.
you are telling me we are going to get rid of a steady defensive dman that stands up for his team mates (Ryckman) for a player that may or may not get back to 100%, may have injury problems throughout the year and played horrible last year (Theriau) that may be a worse decision then trading away Kessy for nothing
Remember Lanigan played for Kamloops when they were really bad so that would inflate his stats. I like this move as poor goaltending was dragging the rest of the team down and was demoralizing for the younger players who were trying so hard. I'm excited to see if this makes a difference, and it could take some pressure off of the first line as well.
Come on now. He scored 49 goals last year and you are going to suggest he is a grinder. Hunter was one of the youngest on Team Canada and one of the few not drafted, so bascially a year behind most of the team. So of course he was on a lower line!!! Plus, the MH Tigers are not comparable to team Canada. Not sure how you can even justify that statement. TSN just updated their rankings and he is #11 with this horrible start. Maybe you should email TSN your proposal, I am sure they would enjoy the chuckle!
That was a pretty good bone I threw out there. Figured I would get a few nibbles from that 4th fourth checker bait. Just yanking your chain fellas. Got it admit, I didn't have to wait long to set the hook.
It's all good fellas. Things should be looking up from here. Lanigan is a good catch, and I agree with CatFan: Loops were terrible the year he played for them.
Hey Anon 8:44 You ever try walking down the road with a bad hip,or better yet tried to push off on a bad hip? Stop and starts I'm pretty sure it would have been brutal on the kid to play on a bad hip for a year and a half. He missed two games all of last year.
Take care fellas, time for some shutsy.zzzzzz
I like them move. I also like that he plays a more traditional style so I don't have to watch the flopping fish all game. I think this is a big opportunity for him and he will want to prove himself. He played well for Portland and I hope he brings that with him. I also think having a steady tender will help calm the rest of the team down. You can see guys like Valk and Hunter gripping their sticks trying to get a goal. Relief on the backend is huge!
If Hunter gets draft in the Top 15 i will be shocked compared to MacKinnon hes not even in the same league let alone should be mentioned under the same breath, fact is Etem and Bunz made this team look incredibly good, there is a reason Etem is the number 1 prospect in Anaheim and why the Ducks loved him so much. Bunz was crazy steady and after having Nasty Keetly and Bunz come through here (all amazing goalies that had great potential to play NHL) this city has been spoiled in the net
Well, I know the team employs a sports psychologist, if they know this is a problem now, maybe some time with the psychologist can help him focus. I like that he is athletic and has the goalie "goods", hopefully the team can support him on focus. Mind you, if they continue to give up 42 shots a night, he might not have time to get unfocused!
Clouston is a baller. Like the move. He could see the writing was on the wall. I think the goaltenders were trying hard, but a lot of pressure to put on them. They can only be as good as they can be. New guy, off to a good start, has come confidence, let's get this Tiger train going again!!!! Go tigers go!
Wonder when he will arrive? Hope he will be ready for the game on the 20th. Wonder if we are just waiting to place Dawson somewhere - I would assume he is the one to get cut. Too bad. I think the TIgers were counting on him, if I recall right he was a 1st or 2nd round pick, we were probably intending on him taking over for Bunz. Size is awesome but I think he relys on it too much. Good luck to him, I understand he is a good guy with good character!
Looking at the whl weekly report it says Theriau will be out for 3 weeks as of last monday. So that likely means the Tigers have a month to make their overager decision.
Macauley is gone.
As per league rules, The Tigers have 2 weeks after Theriau returns to decide who they will Release, or trade to meet the mandatory 20 year old ruling.
Correct I edited my post.
Dawson is just not ready to play at this level, only reason is of his size that he was up with the tigers this long. Finally the coaching staff has seen that !
scott mckay is no longer on twitter
Inside Scoop: Scoots is a great kid. Good luck at Mount Royal. Thanks for the memories here as a Tiger.
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