McCann returns as Tigers continue to battle for conference/division lead

By JAMES TUBB on March 14, 2025.

jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb

The Medicine Hat Tigers’ fight for the Eastern conference lead continues into the penultimate weekend of the regular season.

The Tigers are at Lethbridge tonight taking on the Hurricanes before they host the Red Deer Rebels on Saturday, four much-needed points for the orange and black who enter the weekend tied in points with the Calgary Hitmen who still have a game in hand.

It’s put them in a playoff-like mindset for the last couple of weeks forward Kadon McCann says.

“Our playoffs started last weekend and we’ll move it into this weekend,” McCann said. “We have four big games here with Lethbridge, Red Deer and Calgary.”

McCann will suit up tonight, getting back into action for the first time since Feb. 23, where he suffered an upper-body injury in a 5-3 win over the Edmonton Oil Kings. Those four missed games are the first contests the 17-year-old has missed since he was at the novice level, playing for the Cochrane Rockies.

His injuries snapped a WHL iron man streak of 136 regular season and playoff games since opening night of the 2023-24 season.

“I’m super fortunate to be back, I haven’t missed that many games growing up but I’m happy to be back,” McCann said. “I’m super excited to help the group compete for the division.”

McCann has 10 goals and 17 points in 60 games, three points from his total in his rookie year last season.

He was the 101st ranked North American skater in the NHL Central Scouting’s mid-season rankings.

His return to the lineup starts a trend for the Tigers who will see defencemen Bryce Pickford and Jonas Woo return before the playoffs begin, giving them as close to a healthy lineup as they’ll get heading into the postseason.

“We’ve missed Canner a lot, he was playing great right before he got injured there,” associate coach Joe Frazer said. “Then to see how close Pickford and Woo are, it’s really exciting. Both guys are flying and it’s just making sure they are 100 per cent before we get them back.”

Tigers’ forward Gavin Mckenna remains on his CHL-leading point streak, entering play in Lethbridge. He’s one game away from tying Sidney Crosby’s 37-game streak from 2004-05. Another number to track, captain Oasiz Wiesblatt sits at 91 points, matching his career-high set last year.

Sitting just nine points from 100, the 20-year-old isn’t shy to admit he wants to reach the century mark.

“It’s obviously something I’ve been thinking about and it would be awesome to kind of get that milestone, it’s definitely something that I’ve been trying to get,” Wiesblatt said.

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