NEWS FILE PHOTO
Medicine Hat Tigers forward Tomas Mrsic celebrates after scoring a goal in the Tigers' 7-4 win March 1 at Co-op Place over the Edmonton Oil Kings.
The Medicine Hat Tigers and Prince Albert Raiders swapped a pair of 2006-born forwards Monday morning.
The Tigers acquired Minnesota Wild prospect Ryder Ritchie, sending St. Louis Blues prospect Tomas Mrsic to the Raiders. The deal also includes a 2025 third round pick and a conditional 2028 third round pick going to Prince Albert.
Ritchie, a 45th overall pick by Minnesota in June’s NHL Entry Draft, has 39 goals and 99 points in 106 games across two seasons with Prince Albert. He was limited to 47 games last season due to injury.
The 18-year-old Kelowna product had 19 goals and 44 points in the 2023-24 season, adding three goals and seven points in five playoff games.
Ritchie was selected 14th overall by the Raiders in the 2021 WHL Draft and won the league’s rookie of the year title in 2022-23.
Going the other way, the Raiders acquire Mrsic, the eighth overall pick in the 2021 WHL draft. In 131 games with the Tigers, the 18-year-old Surrey product had 33 goals and 86 points.
He suited up in 63 games last season, notching a career high 23 goals and 62 points. Mrsic had an assist in five playoff games.
His offensive outbreak in the regular season rose Mrsic to being selected in the fourth round by the Blues, 113th overall.
The acquisition of Ritchie is the sixth trade the Tigers have made since May 5, the first day of the WHL draft, when they added 20-year-old forward Mat Ward from the Swift Current Broncos and 18-year-old defencemen Jonas Woo and Bryce Pickford from the Wenatchee Wild and Seattle Thunderbirds respectively. They also traded captain Tyler MacKenzie to the Everett Silvertips.
See Tuesday’s News for more on the Tigers’ trade Monday.
