NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Tigers forward Logan Barlage lets it all out with celebrating his first period goal in the Tigers 7-3 loss to the Edmonton Oil Kings on Mar. 9
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
Logan Barlage loved being a Medicine Hat Tiger, even if it was only for a short time.
“I feel like being here has been a huge part of my career and I think it’s going to leave a mark on me for the rest of my life,” Barlage said. “This small amount of time here, I love being a Tiger and it’s something I’m gonna take pride in for the rest of my life.”
The 20-year-old was acquired by the Tigers at the Jan.17 trade deadline from the Lethbridge Hurricanes, where he played five seasons for the Tabbies biggest rival. Before that, Barlage played 42 games for the Swift Current Broncos who drafted him fourth overall in 2016.
The Humboldt product finished his WHL career with 292 games played, the highest amount of any active player. He had 64 goals and 170 points in his career with the Broncos, Hurricanes and Tigers.
Coming into his career with those high expectations, Barlage said the WHL wasn’t what he anticipated as a young player but said he learned a lot about himself.
“There’s been a lot of a lot of downs and a lot of ups and I think the stuff I’ve had to battle through in the last couple years, with the COVID season and everything like that, just hurting a lot of players, not just me,” Barlage said. “Just going through all of that is a lot of adversity for me but I’m glad I went through it and hopefully throughout my career, I can look back on it and say I had to go through this to get to where I am.”
Barlage said he’s developed his game more in his short time in the Hat than he did in the rest of his career and describes the Tigers organization as a place where prospects should be excited to be.
“It’s just so easy to be here, I think the coaches just help you as much as they can, give you the right advice and don’t push you the wrong way but always are trying to push you to get better,” Barlage said. “I think the teammates here are great guys, it’s a great city to play in, a great rink and great facilities. There is not enough I could say that would justify how awesome this place is and I would say to anyone to come here.”
Barlage says he wants to continue his hockey career and will take this off-season to spend some time with his brother, dad and girlfriend while he figures out what’s next. He said he’s forever thankful to his family for supporting him through the ups and downs of his career and said he wouldn’t have made it this far if it wasn’t for them. He also thanks his billets from throughout his career, especially in Lethbridge.
“For them being able to take me as a kid and I kind of grew up there and saw their family grow up, is pretty special to me.”
Barlage said he hopes he’s remembered among his teammates as someone who made a connection with every guy on the team and was a hard worker who set an example for younger players. He’s going to miss being around the rink but will miss the bus rides the most.
“I looked forward every time when we went on those long trips to be able to stay in rooms with guys and the bond on the bus and that kind of stuff that I love so much, and I just love being at the rink every day,” Barlage said.
When asked what a 14-year-old Logan Barlage would think about his WHL career, he said he’d be proud of his longevity.
“I think he’d be proud of himself being able to play that many games and not miss many games at all, just battling his way and going through a lot of different adversities,” Barlage said. “I think I’d tell myself just keep going, keep working as hard as you can because you’ve dedicated your whole life to this game and you just want to keep it going forever.”
