NEWS FILE PHOTO
Medicine Hat Tigers defenceman Dylan MacPherson passes the puck out of his own end during a Western Hockey League game against the Brandon Wheat Kings at the Canalta Centre on Saturday, March 9, 2019.
rmccracken@medicinehatnews.com@MHNMcCracken
Dylan MacPherson has never been one to measure his game in terms of point production.
The 20-year-old Medicine Hat Tigers defenceman and Redcliff product signed an amateur tryout contract with the American Hockey League’s Springfield Thunderbirds after closing out his WHL career earlier this month. MacPherson went on to net his first career point with an assist in his second game, though his new teammates were more excited about the feat than he was.
“Two of us got our first point on that goal, so they were excited for both of us,” said MacPherson. “I’m not a guy that looks at points. I think I had 10 this last season (in Medicine Hat). I don’t really care about them that much, but it was nice to get the first one out of the way so to speak, so moving forward there’s not as much pressure.”
MacPherson picked up the marker early in the second period of Springfield’s season finale against the Providence Bruins April 14. After picking up a pass from Liam Pecararo, MacPherson ripped a point shot off the stick of fellow Tigers alumnus Dryden Hunt and into the back of the net for a 3-1 lead. Springfield went on to win the game 6-1.
MacPherson made his AHL debut two nights earlier in a 7-2 victory over the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. The game kicked off on a highly physical note, keeping MacPherson on the bench for the better part of the opening frame before he finally got the chance to touch ice as a professional hockey player, but the shutdown blue-liner says he didn’t mind the wait.
“There were a lot of penalty troubles in the beginning of that game so I don’t think I got my first shift until close to the 14-minute mark, but it was a lot better that way,” he said. “The nerves had calmed down and I just got to go out there and relax. We already had a two-goal lead, so it wasn’t as nerve-racking going out there as it would be in a 0-0 game.”
The Thunderbirds, and their NHL affiliate Florida Panthers, took an interest in MacPherson last season by inviting him to take part in Florida’s development and training camps, then giving him a subsequent offer to take part in Springfield’s main camp last fall. While he was ultimately sent back to the Tigers for his overage season, the Thunderbirds came knocking again immediately after MacPherson was eliminated from the post-season.
“It just shows that if you stick with it for a whole season and they’re interested in you, they’re not just going to pick you up and then kind of forget about you,” he said. “They keep their eye on you for the whole season. It’s good to see.”
MacPherson will return to the Thunderbirds for development camp in late June.
“I’ll have a big summer, go there and just play like I can and really try to push for a job,” said MacPherson. “I can’t thank the Tigers organization enough for giving me the opportunity. I’m very grateful for them. If I wouldn’t have played here, I don’t think I would have got this opportunity to go up and play in the AHL.”
