NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Cubs captain Levi Schlosser fires a puck on net in the Cubs 5-2 loss to the Okotoks Bisons on Dec. 12.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
“Rebuilt and ready for playoffs.”
That is the slogan the Medicine Hat Cubs are brandishing as they gear up for a playoff run. When the calendar flipped over into the new year, the Cubs updated their website and social media platforms with a new design and graphics to show off their team success and draw attention to the organization.
Cubs general manager and head coach Randy Wong says the “little bit of a rebrand” comes from the new core of the team and promoting the success they have had so far this season.
“We’ve got 16 new bodies that we’ve brought in this year and so far so good, we’re getting some wins, we’re getting some exciting hockey, we’re scoring lots of goals and I think we’re generating some interest,” Wong said.
“We felt that because of such a new nucleus, we felt it fitting that we can say we’ve rebuilt our team quickly and we also have some playoff hockey in the forecast. It’s great that we have a young, exciting team and the best part is that team comes back together as a group next year as well.”
With 10 games left in their season, including seven home games, the Cubs record sits at 18-6-2, good enough for second in their division.
With that success in the unofficial first half of the season, the Cubs added to their lineup that Wong has said is a very tight group. Medicine Hat product Garet Harty was signed by the Cubs to further deepen their lineup and bring his 6-foot-3 size to the playoff-bound lineup.
Wong says Harty previously played with some of the Cubs on the SEAC Tigers and will have an easier time fitting in, and gives them security if injuries occur down the stretch.
“He fits in with our group, he adds to our depth, we move a few players around and we just got deeper up front,” Wong said. “I think that’s the exciting part, if we go down a body or two we just juggle the pieces around and we don’t feel like we lose any depth on our scoring.”
As the Cubs continue to bolster their lineup and gear up for the playoffs, Wong says they hope they can fill the Kinplex with as many people as possible as they look to make a long playoff run. Under Medicine Hat’s restriction exemption program, 499 fans can be in attendance for Cubs games at the Kinplex and the concessions will remain open.
He says he hopes this will bring more people into the games as they won’t have to worry about where they can get a pre-game coffee with the concessions open.
The Cubs have been in the spotlight recently as a TikTok video of forward Hunter Hankel in a fight during the Cubs 21-0 routing of the Kainai Junior Braves on Nov. 21 went viral. Wong says they will take any exposure they can get and hope it leads to more fans in the stands.
“I think any exposure you can get, regardless of what it is, if it’s a goal, a picture of a full arena, a fight – the fact that six million people have viewed in on a fight by one of our players is pretty surreal,” Wong said. “Lots of talk about Medicine Hat Cubs and the City of Medicine Hat and the Kinplex and everything to do with the Heritage League, those are all good things that we hope transition into a bigger fanbase.”
When asked if he would perform any TikTok dances to bring more attention to the Cubs, Wong says he would save that for playoff time.
“That might be a playoff type of material, we have to get to that point,” Wong joked. “Hopefully the players will draw enough attention to get more people in.”
As they head down the stretch, Wong says they’ve had discussions within the team about staying safe and smart regarding COVID-19. He said the message has been to play each of their last 10 games the exact same and also make good decisions off the ice.
“We are no different that we don’t know what the other teams are going through but certainly what we can do is control how we behave on and off ice making sure we do look after ourselves and making are we are not in large groups a lot of the time,” he said.
This weekend the Cubs will be the only junior hockey in action as the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers had two games postponed due to other teams being placed on COVID pauses.
The Cubs take on the Kainai Junior Braves Friday night at 6:45 p.m. and host the Strathmore Wheatland Kings Saturday night for an 8:15 start.
