Tigers entering process focused on future success

By JAMES TUBB on December 30, 2021.

jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb

The Medicine Hat Tigers are building for the future.

They have a young roster with all but six players 18 years old or under, and are into the unofficial second half of the season with a record of 5-19-3-1.

Less than 48 hours after the WHL’s holiday roster freeze was loosened, the Tigers moved four players out and brought in two skaters, Brendan Lee and Pasha Bocharov from Saskatoon, and four future draft picks.

The move that signalled change was sending first-line centre Lukas Svejkovsky to the Seattle Thunderbirds on Monday.

The other three players moved, Cayden Glover, Carlin Dezainde and Ryan Nolan were a part of a three-way deal with the Saskatoon Blades and Prince George Cougars.

Head coach and general manager Willie Desjardins said those three asked for more playing time and were moved to teams that could offer that.

“They were healthy scratched at times and whenever you are healthy scratched guys aren’t happy. They worked hard for it and they want an opportunity to play,” Desjardins said. “We only have so many spots for guys so we were in a spot where we couldn’t give them the opportunity they wanted, so they had to look elsewhere.”

Like all teams, Medicine Hat still wants to win down the stretch but is starting to look to the future to build toward winning a championship. The place the Tigers are in now is one familiar to Desjardins.

“Our two goals, we want to win a championship and we will keep building towards that. At the time we have a lot of young talent that’s going to develop,” Desjardins said. “I remember first coming in it was a similar team where we had lots of young guys and we developed them and had a good run for a number of years. It’s real similar right now to where it was when I first got here.”

The Tigers drafted Tomas Mrsic eighth overall in the 2021 prospects draft, and with their current record project to have top-10 pick in the 2022 draft this spring.

When asked if the Tigers would start valuing hard work over wins, Desjardins quickly said he likes winning and it’s always been a factor for him but recognized there’s a process they have to go through.

“The goals always stay the same, you always want to find ways to win games,” Desjardins said. “We’re young so we have to make sure that we develop, that’s a key for us. There’s the part where you understand you have to work through some things to get better, we understand that. But we want to find a way to make sure we can win and look for a championship down the road here. That’s what we’re building for.”

Desjardins also said if Cole Sillinger did not make the NHL and returned to Medicine Hat, they would be in a different spot.

“If Cole Sillinger’s back, it’s a different team. Like we’re in a different point, we’re not doing any of this stuff, we’re winning hockey games,” Desjardins said. “But once he didn’t come back it changed our look and now we have to make sure we build to find a team that’s going to win for us years down the road. While we’re here, this group has to find ways to win games as well.”

The Tigers have been mixing prospects into their roster all season. Forward Andrew Basha has had extended time in the lineup, Josh Van Mulligan was called up for Tuesday’s loss and Cru Hanas, who Medicine Hat signed out of Texas in November, made his WHL debut in the Tigers 3-1 loss to the Calgary Hitmen.

Desjardins said opening up spots for younger players to play and show what they can do was another reason they made the moves they did.

But with a majority of a younger roster and an open over-age spot after trading Svejkovsky, Desjardins said the Tigers brought in WHL veteran Carter Chorney to help those younger players with an experience presence.

“It’s hard to play with a whole group of young guys, that just makes it hard,” Desjardins said. “You need some older presence just to give them a chance. I think we have been competitive in every game, it’s not like we’re getting blown out. But, we want to find a way to win games too and sometimes to do that you need older players.”

With the WHL trade deadline not until Jan. 17, the Tigers and Desjardins have time to make more moves to improve the future core. Desjardins said they will do what they always do and look at what they can do to help the team now and for the future.

“If we find something out there that’s going to help our group. We’re looking at two things, we’re looking at now and we’re looking at the future,” Desjardins said. “One of the moves was certainly a future move but saying that we got Chorney in, and we got some picks that we are able to use to help us now. So we always look at both and what can help us in both cases and then we just wait it out.”

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