NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Newly acquired Medicine Hat Tigers goaltender Harrison Meneghin stands in his crease during the starting lineup announcement ahead of Saturday's 6-3 loss at Co-op Place to the Moose Jaw Warriors. The 20-year-old net minder made 23 saves in his Tigers' debut.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
Harrison Meneghin woke up Saturday morning a Lethbridge Hurricane. A little over 12 hours later, he was between the pipes for the franchise’s top rival.
The 20-year-old net minder had a whirlwind start to his Medicine Hat Tigers’ tenure, being acquired by the orange and black in a one-for-one, game-day deal that sent 19-year-old forward Shane Smith to Lethbridge.
Meneghin was at the rink and says he found out about the trade around 8:30 a.m., giving him time to say goodbye to teammates and coaches before returning to his billets for a more emotional goodbye. Then, within four hours of the news, he was on the road in his Mazda heading for Medicine Hat with a start mere hours away.
“When I found out that I was traded, I was really excited, everyone knows that we’re a good team this year,” Meneghin said. “I’m just really excited to get things going, to get in the groove of things. The first three days I’ve been in Medicine Hat so far have been really good, it’s a great group of guys.”
He arrived in Medicine Hat around 3 p.m., dropping his gear off at the rink before heading to Mat Ward’s billet house for a quick plate of pasta with tomato sauce ahead of a 6-3 loss to the Moose Jaw Warriors.
Meneghin, a product of South Surrey, B.C., has known Ward since they were in high school, playing spring hockey with one another. Having someone like that in the organization made the first few hours a little easier for the goaltender.
“He’s been great so far,” Meneghin said. “He helped me introduce myself to the boys, he’s been by my side, showing me around.”
The Tampa Bay Lightning draft pick made 23 saves in his Tigers’ debut against Moose Jaw, showing an early calmness and confidence between the pipes that he often exhibited against Medicine Hat. He says it was a strange start, missing a pregame nap as well as balancing meeting all his new teammates while getting prepared for a start.
He’s used to playing in Co-op Place, usually being at the other end of the ice for a majority of the game. That was the strangest part of the contest for Meneghin, beyond the red and blue mask with the orange and black jersey.
“You’re so used to being on the home side just in the second period, it felt normal,” Meneghin said. “It’s not like it’s new a rink for me, I’ve been here often, so it feels like home already.”
Meneghin has played 11 career games against the Tigers, tallying a 6-2-1-1 record with one relief appearance. His stat line against Medicine Hat reflects his career numbers, running a .920 save percentage with a 2.76 goals against average. Against the rest of the WHL, not including his statistics against Medicine Hat, he’s played 81 games (40-32-6-1), tallying four shutouts with a .910 save percentage and a 2.74 GAA.
Those numbers are the reason Willie Desjardins made the move for the 2023-24 Central division’s top goaltender of the season.
“He’s going to give us a chance,” Desjardins said. “There’s some things we had to do, and we didn’t want to make this move this early, we wanted to see how our guys are going to do. But when a guy like that comes available, you have to take him, you can’t miss on that.
“He’s one of the best in the league. We know going into playoffs, you’re going to need experienced goaltending.”
Meneghin understands the role he’s being acquired for and the need he’s filling for Medicine Hat. Being a starting goaltender for a team that has both internal and external championship expectations is something he considers an honour.
“It’s a privilege to be here, especially with the team we have, it’s not something you can take for granted,” Meneghin said. “Every day you have to have that mindset, everyone’s here because we want to win a championship. You can’t take it with a grain of salt, you have to work at it every day, it’s not easy.”
While he’s ready and excited for his new role, and his new colours in Medicine Hat, Meneghin looks back fondly at his time with Lethbridge and is thankful for the Hurricanes signing him in 2021.
“They listed me, they gave me a chance, I’m really grateful for them,” Meneghin said. “All the coaches, especially all the players, billets, everyone that’s helped me through my career. They’ve made me the goalie I am today and I couldn’t be more grateful for them.”
