NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Defenceman Jack Kachkowski signs his WHL deal with the Medicine Hat Tigers alongside general manager and head coach Willie Desjardins at Co-op Place on Thursday.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
Christmas came early for the Medicine Hat Tigers.
The Tigers put pen to paper with 16-year-old defenceman Jack Kachkowski on Thursday and he will make his WHL debut Saturday in Edmonton against the Oil Kings.
Kachkowski was selected 89th overall by the Tigers in the 2022 WHL draft and attended rookie camp that summer. He didn’t sign with the club, opting to follow education and committed to the NCAA and Nebraska-Omaha and the AJHL’s Brooks Bandits.
After 12 games in the AJHL this season, with a goal and three points, Kachkowski says he’s always wanted to play at the highest level and was ready to become a Tiger.
“I had a couple of good talks with Willie (Desjardins) and just thinking things through, and it came to my mind, at the end of the day, ‘What would be best for me,’ and I decided to be a Med Hat Tiger,” Kachkowski said,
Desjardins sat beside Kachkowski while he signed his WHL scholarship and development agreement, showing him all the spots to sign to make it official. He says Kachkowski’s signing is an exciting add for the group and has been long desired.
“We wanted to sign Jack out of camp, he’s a high-end young player for sure,” Desjardins said. “He’s got good skill, showed really good in our camp and we’re just excited to get him. We have a really good group of young players, we’re trying to build around that young group and Jack’s a perfect fit for it. We’re looking for a lot of good things ahead.”
Puck Preps Western Canada, an organization focused on western prospects, says Kachkowski would have been drafted in the first round of his WHL draft if not for his NCAA interest.
Kachkowski described himself on the ice as an offensive defenceman who is still reliable defensively and can move the puck, jump up in the rush and make things happen in the offensive zone. When asked his NHL comparison, he said Washington Capitals’ D-man John Carlson, which drew some laughs from Desjardins.
Carlson scored the overtime winner for the United Sates over Team Canada at the 2010 World Juniors where Desjardins was the head coach. After some joking around, Desjardins said he’d rather see Kachkowski score an overtime winning goal.
It won’t take long for the St. Albert product to get acclimated with his new team. He grew up playing alongside all of the Tigers 2007-born players, recently suiting up for Team Alberta at the 2023 Canada Winter Games with now teammates Kadon McCann, Hayden Harsanyi, Matt Paranych and Tigers prospect Jordan Switzer.
He’ll also get to make his WHL debut, wearing No. 24, in front of friends and family, an experience he is looking forward to.
“It’s going to be awesome, playing at home in front of the home crowd and knowing people there,” Kachkowski said.
His addition gives the Tigers eight defenceman on their roster, with three 20-year-olds Dru Krebs, Rhett Parsons and Bogdans Hodass, 18-year-olds Josh Van Mulligen and Reid Andresen, 17-year-old Nate Corbet and Paranych.
Desjardins says they couldn’t pass up adding a player like Kachkowski and will find a way to make things work moving forward.
“It’s always a challenge when you have that but whenever you can get a player who can help you now and in the future, you just make that move,” Desjardins said. “We just have to find ways to make everything work. We have a group that is committed to winning, we’ve talked to everybody in the group and they know that and everybody’s excited about it.
“The players are looking forward to it, players understand players and they know what Jack can bring in. They’re excited about him coming in.”
The Tigers host the Oil Kings tonight at Co-op Place before heading to the provincial capital on Saturday.
