NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Tigers forward Tomas Mrsic stretches out before the Tigers 5-1 win over the Brandon Wheat Kings on Oct. 22 at Co-op Place.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
Medicine Hat Tigers forward Tomas Mrsic gets to live out two dreams next week: he will play for Team Canada and he gets to do it in his hometown.
On Oct. 18 the 16-year-old Langley. B.C. product was officially named to Team Canada’s U17 team representing Team Canada Red at the upcoming U17 Championships. He received the call Oct. 11 when the Tigers were in Everett before their game against the Silvertips. He says it’s a dream come true.
“It’s an honour, I was very excited that whole week knowing I was making the U17 team,” said Mrsic.
He says his first call was to his parents to let them know and also thank them for all they’ve done for his throughout his hockey career, and he’s looking forward to playing in front of friends and family again.
“It’s going to be pretty cool having all them there for my first Canada experience,” Mrsic said. “It’s just a confidence booster and makes it more exciting when your family’s there.”
He says he is looking forward to playing alongside some of the WHL’s top 16-year-olds who are also on Team Canada Red.
“There’s a couple of guys there, like (Tij) Iginla and (Berkly) Catton, obviously they’re pretty quick, pretty skilled,” Mrsic said. “It could be pretty cool to play with those guys, some top-end players.”
Mrsic will depart for the U17’s on Oct. 31 before returning to Medicine Hat on Nov. 13, missing six Tigers games while donning the red and white, something he’s looked forward to.
“Just watching the World Juniors every year, that’s just super exciting, and wanting to play there one day. This is just a step in that direction,” Mrsic said. “Just knowing that you can get there one day and it’s just all hard work.”
Tigers head coach Willie Desjardins says it is a big opportunity for Mrsic.
“Whenever you get a chance to do stuff with your country, it’s always big,” Desjardins said. “It’s something that you’re always looking forward to and guys looking forward to the U17s, and it’s kind of a little bit of a measuring stick. So for him it’s a big event.”
Mrsic took part in Team Canada’s development camp over the summer alongside Tigers rookies Cayden Lindstrom and Ethan McCallum. In 10 games this season with the Tigers, Mrsic has a goal and three points. He says a lot fo his success has come from being comfortable and confident.
“I’m just getting used to the heaviness in the league and the contact while making more plays,” Mrsic said.
He says the older Tigers are a great group and have made the WHL experience even better.
“All of the older guys are really nice, I hang out with them quite a bit,” Mrsic said. “Just play video games with them. It’s just very nice to have old guys like that playing with you when you’re a junior.”
He says 20-year-old Brendan Lee is quite good at video games, especially the NHL video game. When Mrsic is playing he says he chooses the Toronto Maple Leafs because he likes playing as their star forward Auston Matthews.
He wasn’t shy to say that 19-year-old Rhett Parsons isn’t up to snuff with his video games skills.
“Parsons is terrible at Fortnite when we play, but he thinks he’s the best,” Mrsic joked.
