Tigers gear up for pre-season action
The Medicine Hat Tigers have been on the ice for a week getting ready for the 2022-23 season, and this weekend brings their first test against another team.
The Tigers head down Highway 3 to Lethbridge tonight before hosting the Hurricanes on Saturday for their first two preseason contests. Both games will mark the first contests for the five Tigers’ 2022 WHL draft picks still on the preseason roster.
First overall pick Gavin McKenna said he is looking forward to his first game action, especially if it can come against the Tigers biggest rival.
“Oh it’s going to be awesome, it’ll be my first game against a WHL team so there’s a bit of nerves there, but I’m excited,” McKenna said. “It will be a fun game, there’ll be lots of high pace, body contact probably, but I am looking forward to playing Lethbridge.”
McKenna lit up with a smile when talking about seeing his name on the back of a Tigers jersey for the first time.
“It’s going to be the start of good things to come,” McKenna said. “I’m looking forward to it and my parents are going to be excited, too.”
The Tigers’ 16th overall pick Hayden Harsanyi, 23rd overall pick Kadon McCann, 45th overall pick Matthew Paranych and 111th overall pick Jordan Switzer are the other remaining 2022 draft selections on the roster.
Paranych said he is excited for the opportunity but also a little nervous.
“It’s going to be great, the boys are excited and it’s going to be awesome,” Paranych said.
The defence prospect said the entire group of returning Tigers has made his first training camp and the days afterwards easier.
“All the guys are really welcoming, I couldn’t even single one out, every guy on the team is super nice and they’re all great guys,” Paranych said.
Head coach and general manager Willie Desjardins said it’s hard to draw conclusions from their first week on the ice until he sees other teams, but he has seen some positives.
“You can think you’re doing pretty good but you have to see other teams and the level will certainly increase once you hit games,” Desjardins said. “I thought our speed is better, I think we’re back to playing the way we can. But we know we have lots of things we have to work on, there’s going to be some really tough teams out there. So we’re going to have to be at our best every night.”
Desjardins said the message to their 2022 draftees who are getting their first taste of WHL action is to just stick to the game that got them here.
“The message is, you’ve worked so hard to give yourself a chance at a career, don’t lose it now. You got here because of who you are, keep playing the way you play,” Desjardins said. “But on the other side, compete and play for your team. They’re a good group, like they’re a really good group. I don’t have any words on those things. That’s just who they are and that’s how it’ll play.”
When it comes to evaluating players during preseason games, he’ll watch the play from the bench and also monitor the attitude his players have. Which is something he says they need to build a strong foundation off of.
“We want to have the right culture, we want to get the right things established,” Desjardins said. “We might have a little bit more of that right now, we’re still looking for our leadership group, we have to find the right guys out there. Because it’s big if we build the right culture, then it’ll carry us for years.”
The Tigers road action Friday in Lethbridge gets underway at 7 p.m. before they return to Co-op Place for a rematch with the Hurricanes on Saturday night at the same time.