Injury doesn’t change the fact Shaw is new Tigers captain
By Ryan McCracken on September 16, 2017.
rmccracken@medicinehatnews.com @MHNMcCracken If not for a torn ACL, Medicine Hat Tigers Mason Shaw would have been sporting a C on his jersey for next Friday’s season opener. The 18-year-old Wainwright product suffered the knee injury in a Traverse City Prospects Tournament game with the Minnesota Wild last weekend — putting him on the injured reserve for roughly six months. While it forces head coach and general manager Shaun Clouston to rethink his options for the time being, he says the injury does nothing to change the fact Shaw is the captain of the Medicine Hat Tigers. “He still is. He’s a Tiger and he’s our guy,” said Clouston. “What we usually do when our captain is not available is hand those responsibilities over to somebody else. We’ll have somebody wearing the C on opening night and we’ll spend a little bit of time making sure it’s the right guy. When Mason gets back, he’ll wear the C.” The 97th overall selection in the 2017 NHL entry draft is set to go under the knife on Sept. 25 in Minnesota after injuring his right knee on an awkward hit during his second game with the Wild. While the timetable for his return largely depends on surgery, Shaw says he plans on doing everything it takes to make a return to the ice this season. For now, that means getting his injured knee ready for the operation. “I have to do some things like getting the swelling down and strengthening the muscles around the knee,” said Shaw. “They’re damaged right now so it’s just trying to control them and get it ready before I go in.” Shaw put up 27 goals and 67 assists in 71 games last season to earn himself a place on the Wild radar and a spot with Team Canada at the IIHF World Junior Summer Showcase — though the injury will prevent him from competing at the World Junior Championship. “It’s definitely very upsetting,” said Shaw, adding he still plans on having a presence with the team in Medicine Hat while he recovers. “Things haven’t really been written in stone yet, but I’ll get the surgery down here in Minnesota and do some rehab here for a couple weeks following then I think after that I’ll figure out a plan, but I’m definitely going to spend a lot of time in the Hat being around the guys.” While he won’t get the chance to sport a C on his chest until around March, Shaw becomes the first non-overage player to captain the Tigers since Hunter Shinkaruk. The Tigers close out their pre-season schedule Saturday in Red Deer against the Rebels at 7 p.m. The puck drops on the regular season Friday, with the Tigers and Hurricanes facing off in Lethbridge before both teams make the trip to Medicine Hat for next Saturday’s home opener. 11
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