2025 sports story of the year honourable mentions

By MEDICINE HAT NEWS on January 2, 2026.

sports@medicinehatnews.com@MedicineHatNews

The City of Medicine Hat had a sporting year that shined bright from Jan. 1 to the end of the calendar.

The Medicine Hat News selected the NCAA rule change allowing CHL players to play Div. I hockey and the exodus of players, including Tiger Gavin McKenna, as the top sports story of 2025. Here are some honourable mentions:

The Medicine Hat Ringette Association held four divisions of provincials in March, seeing two local teams capture provincial medals. The U14B Mustangs earned a bronze medal and the Open B Smash finished with a silver at the tournament featuring 36 teams and more than 600 players.

The Medicine Hat U13AA Hounds finished first in the Alberta Elite Hockey League with a 32-2 record. They swept all six games of the regional tournament held in Medicine Hat to capture the South division championship. They lost in the South Finals to the Red Deer Chiefs, finishing with an overall record of 36-4.

Medicine Hat product Elic Ayomanor became the first Hatter to be drafted into the NFL in April. The former Medicine Hat High Hawk and Stanford wide receiver was selected 136th overall by the Tennessee Titans in the 2025 NFL Draft. He became the second Hatter to play in the NFL, joining Daniel Federkeil. In his rookie season in the NFL, Ayomanor had 38 catches for 465 yards, totalling four touchdowns.

The Medicine Hat Tigers captured a sixth Ed Chynoweth Cup, tied for the most in WHL history, making it to the finals of the Memorial Cup in Rimouski, Que. The Tigers went 70-12-4-3 in the calendar year of 2025, seeing highlight-reel plays and a pile of wins en route to a championship that enthralled the city. Head coach Willie Desjardins became the 12th head coach to reach 500 wins. The Tigers run to the championship was chosen at the News’ story of the year, see A1 for the story.

Ryan Miller became the 17th Hatter to be drafted into the NHL in June, hearing his name called by the Pittsburgh Penguins on the 28th. The Portland Winterhawks forward was selected in the fifth round, 130th overall. The South Alberta Hockey Academy alum was named the 50th captain in Winterhawks history in October.

The U13 Medicine Hat Little League Mavs finished second at the Little League National Intermediate finals in July. The Mavs, representing Alberta, lost 8-2 to Team B.C. from Fraser Valley, B.C. It was the second year in a row a Medicine Hat Little League team lost in the finals, falling short of representing Canada at the international level.

Medicine Hat Baseball hosted the American Legion AA State Tournament at the end of July, featuring seven teams from the United States taking on the host Medicine Hat Moose Monarchs for the Alberta/Montana state championship tournament. The Monarchs entered the tournament as the No. 8 seed, losing their first two games for an early exit. The Missoula Mavericks beat the Billings Scarlets to capture the Montana/Alberta State championship.

The Medicine Hat College Rattlers and Desert Blume Golf Club hosted the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association golf championship in October with 69 athletes from Alberta, Ontario and Quebec facing off. Rattler Wyatt Bishop entered the final round of the four-day tournament four strokes back of leader Thomas Grenier of Champlain St. Lawrence. Bishop finished second, two strokes behind Grenier who captured the individual title.

Dillon Batsel was named the PGA of Canada’s male player of the year in 2025, winning the Mike Weir award. Batsel finished second at the PGA Championship of Canada and the PGA of Alberta Assistants’ Championship, third at the PGA of Alberta Zone Championship and eighth at the PGA Assistants’ Championship of Canada.

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