NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Tigers' defenceman Josh Van Mulligen looks for options with the puck during a scrimmage at the Tigers' training camp over the weekend.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
Two Medicine Hat Tigers are getting ready for another NHL experience.
Defenceman Josh Van Mulligen and forward Oasiz Wiesblatt have been invited to compete at NHL prospect tournaments next week, with Van Mulligen heading to Penticton for the Edmonton Oilers’ tournament and Wiesblatt off to Traverse City, Mich. for the Columbus Blue Jackets’ tournament.
It’s an experience both players are looking forward to.
“It’s something I’ve obviously dreamed of doing, going to camp and putting on a jersey, so it’s a super cool and humbling experience,” Wiesblatt said.
“It’s a big confidence booster for me, I’m just really grateful for that opportunity,” Van Mulligen said. “It’s going to be big for me and something I experience and bring back with me when I come back here.”
It won’t be the first time either has donned the NHL logos, as Van Mulligen attended the Oilers’ development camp earlier this summer as did Wiesblatt with the Blue Jackets’ camp. Getting another opportunity to showcase their skills at the NHL level is something Van Mulligen says he’s looking to take advantage of.
“It’s huge because that’s a level I want to get to,” the Medicine Hat product said. “Getting that experience, going up there and seeing the habits everyone has up there, that’s huge for me to just work on so I can get to that level one day.”
The Oilers’ tournament, called the ‘Young Stars Classic,’ runs from Sept. 15-18 and features prospects from the Calgary Flames, Edmonton, Winnipeg Jets and Vancouver Canucks. The Traverse City tournament has the Blue Jackets’ youngest talent facing off against prospects from the Dallas Stars, Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs from Sept. 13-17.
Both will miss the Tigers’ home-and-home preseason series against the Swift Current Broncos on Sept. 15 and 16 but will be back in the orange and black ahead of the season opener Sept. 22 at Calgary against the Hitmen. Van Mulligen says he can’t wait to get the 2023-24 season underway in Medicine Hat.
“I’m really excited for our group this year; we have a lot of returning players and a lot of young guys who are coming in the lineup who really improved this summer,” Van Mulligen said. “For a lot of guys, they had good summers, so it’s an exciting year for our group and just excited to get the season going.”
When he returns, Wiesblatt says he’s sure it will be with more confidence and fire inside himself ahead of his age-19 season.
“It’s going to teach me a lot in how I want to be and where I want to be, which is a pro,” he said. “It’s going to teach me how to get there and also give that knowledge to my teammates.
“Going there, it’s going to give me something different to come back here with and I’ll look at it quite a bit different. So, I’m excited just for the opportunity to be down there.”
While they will miss preseason games, head coach and general manager Willie Desjardins says the experience Van Mulligen and Wiesblatt will receive is a big step for them and for the Tigers.
“It’s really important for those guys to learn from it and bring back that experience to our guys that are here,” Desjardins said. “They’re both good young players and we’re excited to see how they do.”
