Saturday, March 7, 2015

TONIGHT'S GAME DELAYED

ATTENTION FANS!!!
Tonight's game vs. Kootenay is delayed by 1 hour due to mechanical difficulties with the Ice's bus.
NEW START TIME IS APPROXIMATELY 8:30PM.

VIA Medicine Hat Tigers Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/whltigers?fref=nf

Thursday, March 5, 2015

Tyler Lewington Inks NHL Contract

The Washington Capitals have signed defenseman Tyler Lewington to a three-year, entry-level contract beginning the 2015-16 season, senior vice president and general manager Brian MacLellan announced today.

http://www.whl.ca/article/tigers-lewington-signs-entry-level-deal-with-capitals

With the Tigers
Tyler Lewington was a "late bloomer" as an undrafted free agent that the Tigers listed and invited to camp as a 17 yr old where he only appeared in 44 games during his first season.

Lewington benefited from having a "late birthday".   NHL prospects born from September 15th to December 31st, their first year of NHL draft eligibility falls into their "18 yr old season".  Everyone else has their draft year in their 17 yr old season.

In his 18 yr old season he made a big jump only missing 3 games and put up 26 points, a +14 rating as well as 131 PM's.

NHL Scouting 
Lewington was the 66th overall ranked North American skater in 2013 by NHL Central Scouting,

In the NHL Combine he blew away all other prospects destroying the competition and finishing first in the Bench Press, Push-ups, push strength, and pull-strength categories


NHL Draft


The Washington Capitals Came calling and with their 7th round pick they selected Lewington going #204 overall in the 2013 draft.


This Season
Lewington had an amazing camp with the capitals prior to the season starting. He was noted as being very physical and a standout among their blue-line prospects.

Washington was noted as making a "bona fida" offer over last summer to retain his rights. Washington had strong depth on the back-end and their was no room for him in their system this season. Whether it was a mutual decision or good advice from his agent Lewinton did not sign on their "bona fida" offer and went back to the Tigers for his overage season.

He has been one of the Tigers most consistent defenceman this season proving a solid physical 2 way game.

Congratulations Tyler Lewington on signing an NHL Contract!


Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Back In Black, Tigers Blank Rebels 4-0

Looks like the Tigers found their form tonight blanking the Rebels 4-0.

The Rebels had Key Forward Conner Bleackley out with an injury, while the Tigers had Vannelli, and Stanton out with injuries. Looks like Stanton may be out for a week or so, I hear Vannelli has near the same time frame.

Rebels Early Penalty Troubles
The Rebels got into penalty troubles early in the first period and the Tigers jumped out on the board first with an early power-play goal.

Trevor Cox found himself in the slot a little off-balance but managed to get solid wood on a puck that beat February's Goalie of the Month Rylan Toth over the shoulder. 1-0 Tigers


Physical Play Ramps up
The game was getting pretty chippy in the first period and it continued into the second period. I thought this jump-started the Tigers to get back on their game. Multiple scrums and shots after the whistle.

Matt Bradley would get credited for the Tigers second goal, and I'm not quite sure how it bounced in, I didn't get a good look at the play. 2-0 Tigers

Minutes Later Trevor Cox would turn on the afterburners leaving rebel defenceman in his wake going in on a breakaway. He was hauled down, and awarded a penalty shot.
On the penalty shot he made a nice deke and slid a puck past Toth's pad's as he was going the other direction.  3-0 Tigers

Third Period
I thought their period was by far their best period prior to the Rebel goalie being pulled. The key to their offense is breaking out with speed, and everybody was in solid position making quick passes to get out of their own zone.  This enabled them to come out 3 strong, with defensive support instead of 1 or 2 strong,

The rebels pulled their goalie early and the Tigers spent a good minute in the rebel zone before Chad Labelle would eventually make a couple nice moves to get into some open space and fired the puck into the net. 4-0 Tigers

Thoughts
They are back on a winning streak, we can all exhale.  Langhamer played a phenomenal game in net picking up his first shutout of the season. He like the rest of the team got stronger as the game went on. I thought towards the second half of the game, their ability to do what they do best, breakout with a ton of speed to create chances was back in full force.

Next Up: Tomorrow Night in Moose Jaw.

Saturday, February 14, 2015

Tigers Slump Continues

One of the common themes during this slump is giving up the first goal of the game real early, and it continued this weekend.

PG worked up  a 3-0 lead just 7 minutes into the game. Tonight's game against Calgary the Hitmen took advantage of their powerplay and scored in the first 6 minutes.

Positive Road Ahead
All negativity aside tonight was the first game in a long time where I saw a very good effort through most of the game. They were taking care of their own end, and their forwards were supporting taking away the trailers entering the zone late. Langahmer made some big-time stops.

I saw a lot of good things with players without the puck getting into position for a good pass. Looking at the stats I didn't realize how much of an impact missing Steven Owre had in the lineup. I thought he played a very good game.

Tonight I also liked how the Tigers were finishing more of their checks, although that is usually not their game and probably more of a result of frustration.

I liked how the coaches kept Bradley up on the 2nd line, and put Butcher on the 3rd line. Bradley has been flying the last couple weeks.    

They miss Becker and Vanelli a ton back on the point. Coaches said pre-game that Becker might be good to go as soon as next weekend.

Next up: Monday afternoon in Swift Current a 2 oclock game. I'm hearing that the Tigers will have a good fan contingent following them up for the long weekend.

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Tigers Defeat Giants 8-4

Tonight's game was pretty close through most of the it, but the Tigers managed to pull away in the third period. It was good to see them avenge their loss from a couple weeks ago in vancouver which Rogers Sportsnet had broadcast the game.

Thoughts

Trevor Cox
I liked Trevor Cox's game. I thought his one on one approach offensively looked real dangerous.

Dryden Hunt
I thought Hunt struggled through 2 periods. He seemed like he was having a tough time keeping his speed up, and the puck wasn't following him. All off a sudden in the third period he came within inches of a hat-trick. He sure has a good hard shot. Give him the puck and let him rip it.

Markus Eisenschmid
2 Powerplay goals. A couple quick shots from the high-slot.

Ty Stanton
A little rusty in his first game back. Looked a bit uncoordinated at times. Looked a bit shaken up on hard hits.

David Quenneville
First career whl fight.   5'8 179 lbs took on Alec Baer 5 '10 175 lb. Quenneville laid out a lickin on Baer, Was surprising to see that side of the game from Quenneville.

Nick Schneider
A bit of a surprise start. Langhamer had a nagging injury and wasn't ready to go quite yet. I thought he was just ok. Probably would have liked to have played a little better.

Overall
It felt like the Tigers finally got their groove back tonight. They were in a bit of a fade the last few games. Vancouver came out really hard in the first couple periods. The Tigers depth shown through and as the Giants started wearing down, the Tigers managed to step it up and put the game out of reach.

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

3 Tigers Named in NHL Mid-Term Rankings

North American Skaters


144
BRADLEY, MATTHEW
MEDICINE HAT
C
5' 11.25"
18
160
HUNT, DRYDEN
REGINA
C/LW
6' 0.0"
199


Goaltenders
8
SCHNEIDER, NICK
MEDICINE HAT
R
6' 1.75"
16


In the November Rankings both prospects were listed as "C" prospects. Schneider is the highest ranking whl goalie.  (I believe only 6  CHL goalies were taken in the last draft)

Interestingly enough Dryden Hunt was 144th overall last year. He wasn't selected in the draft but did get called for camp with carolina.

I thought Ty Schultz might have had a chance at this list, but I felt his play wasn't as strong as it was during the first handful of games when the players were still sorting themselves out. Hopefully he comes out with a strong 2nd half and garners consideration.

Former Tiger Connor Hobbs is listed in the 100 spot.

Edit: Initially missed Hobbs as he was on the list as a member of Regina. This is his 2nd go-round.

Saturday, January 10, 2015

Tigers Go 2-1 On Trade Deadline Weekend

Early in the week the Tigers made a blockbuster deal with Regina picking up Kyle Burroughs, and Dryden Hunt. The Two flew to Victoria to await the rest of the Tiger team.

55 Hour Bus Ride
Their were a couple avalanches on the road and the Tigers were stuck out in revelstoke. I guess they basically camped out in the Bus. Seeing as how the next morning arrived and they kept pushing the time back to when the road would be opened they found a hotel and stayed the night. The next morning they made their way to Victoria and met up with their new teammates.

Victoria
Pretty much played with a new lineup as this was Markus Eisenschmid's first game back from the world juniors. First games for Dryden Hunt, and Kyle Burroughs. Blake Penner was back from injury. That was almost a whole line.  I thought the Tigers controlled big parts of the game. The broadcaster mentioned that this looked like  Detroit Red Wings game where they controlled the majority of the puck possession. The Tigers won 3-2 but that score flattered Victoria.

Vancouver
I didn't get the chances to watch this game. The Tigers always have a good rivalry with Vancouver and always seem to loose against them at least once no matter what the skill Vancouver has. I was a bit surprised though that Vancouver came out with the 5-3 victory.

Kelowna
This could very well be a preview of the whl championship final if both teams have their way.
A hard fought game. It was the Tigers 3rd game in 3 nights, with a brutal bus-ride. The Key moment in the game was when the Tigers scored 2 shorthanded goals in the same penalty kill. Kelowna had taken the lead, and the Tigers bang-bang took it right back. The Tigers controlled the first period, it was a fairly even game throughout the rest, although I might give a small edge to kelowna in the second half. Kelowna will only get better as they gel with their new players. The Tigers won 5-3.

New Faces
Hunt has 4 points in 3 games.
Burroughs has 3 points in 3 games, and a +3 rating.


Just watching both these guys play, I can't believe the value the Tigers got without giving up a significant prospect(minus hobbs who was never going to play for the Tigers again)

Burroughs is so smart in his own end. He fought Tyrell Goulbourne of kelowna standing up for Tyler Lewington, after Lewy took a big hit.  Even though Goulbourne wasn't the guy that hit lewington, Goulbourne had been a thorn in the side, and I thought that was a key moment for the Tigers.

The Tigers still have Owre, and Stanton out with injuries, both key players to the lineup.

Next Up Regina Pats

Looking forward to the matchup against Regina on Wednesday. I'm sure it will be fairly emotional for Burroughs and Hunt. Wouldn't be surprised to see if either of them go into the wrong bench once.

 I agree with longtime fan who posted in the comments "I would hope that people don't boo Connor Hobbs when Regina plays here on Wednesday. As I've said previously he's a young man that I think he got some bad advice."




Monday, January 5, 2015

Tigers Make BlockBuster Deal with Regina

Well It's Official. Their have been some strong rumors about a deal involving Connor Hobbs last week.

reginapats.com/article/pats-and-tigers-complete-blockbuster

Regina Pats Head Coach and Senior VP of Hockey Operations John Paddock announced today the team has acquired defenceman Connor Hobbs (’97), a 2nd Round pick in 2016 and a 3rd Round pick in 2015 in exchange for defenceman Kyle Burroughs and forward Dryden Hunt.

http://www.tigershockey.com/article/tigers-acquire-hunt-burroughs-from-regina

“We are very excited about adding Dryden and Kyle to our roster,” stated GM and Head Coach Shaun Clouston. “We look forward to welcoming them to the Tige


My Thoughts
My Initial thoughts are: "I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS DEAL". Burroughs was Regina's Captain. Hunt was an assistant Captain and a  1st line player. Hunt is very strong on the puck and can muscle bigger opponents off the puck.   He is another point per game player to add to the mix. That gives the Tigers 6 PPG forwards in their lineup.

Burroughs is a top pairing Defenceman. A smart, mobile 2 way Defenseman. He will likely go pro next season.  Hunt is possibly likely to be back next season.

The Tigers get 2 very good quality 19's. From the Tigers standpoint this could be considered an exceptional deal as Hobbs isn't going to play as a Tiger again,  they didn't give up a 1st round pick, and they had an extra 2nd rounder from Regina in a previous deal, so it didn't dent the cupboards.

 I think their must have been some competition for Hobbs, as Hunt, Burroughs for Hobbs and a 2nd, 3rd seems like highway robbery.

With this deal the Tigers were already the oldest lineup in the WHL and they just added more experience. Regina and the Tigers have developed a pretty good trading relationship the past couple years.


Depth Charts

Defense
Lewington(20) Burroughs(19)
Vannelli(19) Becker(20)
Stanton(18) Schultz(17)
Quenneville(16)

Forwards
Sanford(19) Owre(18) Cox(19)
Eisenschmid(19) Hunt(19) Butcher(18)
Bradley(17) Ast(19) Penner(18)
Staples(19) Labelle(19) Mowbray(18)

Fischer(17), Rassall(17)

That is one heck of a defense. They have close to 5 1st line defenceman, and one of the best goaltenders in the league.


Next Season's 20's
Eisenschmid
Ast
Labelle
Sanford**
Cox**
Vannelli - Will Play Pro
Stanton**
Staples
Hunt**

As you can see Clouston will have a busy Summer with all these guys eligible to be back. Are they done?  Well If your going for it, it doesn't hurt to pad players, but  I don't forsee them making another move now.

Thursday, January 1, 2015

Rumours Are A Flying

Last Edit: Sunday 9:36 PM
Check comments for recent trade news...1 credible hockey writer tweeted that the Tigers made a trade.

Rewrote this post

Thursday night on Brandon's Radio broadcast it was mentioned that Connor Hobbs from the Tigers had been traded.  Guy Flaming from the pipeline show on his twitter account confirmed that Hobbs has been dealt, but no other specifics were mentioned. Nothing was announced from the Tiger Camp either.

Yesterday the whl fans were abuzz with rumors that Morgan Klimchuk was also up for grabs and wasn't going to be a Regina Pat much longer.....   It seemed plausible for a couple hours that Hobbs and Klimchuk would be swapped, until yahoo's Kelly Friesen tweeted that Klimchuk had not been dealt to the Tigers, but would not remain a Regina Pat for much longer.

Edit: Kelly has since tweeted that the Tigers have indeed made a deal with the Tigers.

So people were putting 2+2 together, but in the wrong order.

Klimchuk To Brandon
Friday Morning Klimchuk was dealt to the Brandon Wheat Kings for 17-year old left-winger Jesse Gabrielle.

What About Hobbs?
Well this is still speculation, but Guy Flaming from the pipeline show has tweeted that Hobbs has been traded but the deal can't be announced yet https://twitter.com/tps_guy


So let the speculation continue....The Tourney ends Monday Night.

Trevor Cox Named CHL Player of the Month
http://www.whl.ca/article/tigers-cox-whl-player-of-the-month

Trevor had quite the Impressive December. He was moved to quarterback the powerplay and that helped powered him into the WHL Scoring Lead. He put up 28 points in just 10 games, which is just shy of a 3 Point Per Game pace.

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Hurricanes Make Some Big Moves!

Yesterday the Canes fired their head Coach Drake Berehowsky. Today they fired their GM Brad Robson.

The Hurricanes Assistant General Manager Peter Anholt will take over as both the Coach and General Manager. Anholt has coaching experience for the Raiders, Red Deer Rebels, Kelowna Rockets and Seattle Thunderbirds. He was also serving as a scout for Seattle

The Hurricanes board of directors felt that with the Christmas break coming up and with their record it was a good time for a change.

http://canesbroadcaster.blogspot.ca/