NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Tigers' forward Oasiz Wiesblatt battles for position in front of the Red Deer net in the first period of a 4-3 loss to the Rebels at Co-op Place on Sept. 28. Wiesblatt was named the 41st captain in franchise history on Wednesday.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
The Medicine Hat Tigers unveiled their captain Wednesday.
In a social media post the Tigers announced 20-year-old forward Oasiz Wiesblatt as the 41st captain in franchise history.
The announcement comes ahead of the Tigers hosting the Red Deer Rebels at Co-op Place.
The full showcase of the leadership group will come at a later date, according to head coach Willie Desjardins.
The captaincy choice was decided by a team vote as has been the standard since the 2021-22 season. Desjardins says there were a lot of reasons why Wiesblatt was the team choice.
“He’s a guy that’s been around for a long time with our program,” Desjardins said. “He brings lots of energy every day to the rink. He’s a guy who cares about his teammates, leads by example, he was a good choice for it.”
Wiesblatt, a product of Calgary, has appeared in six seasons for the Tigers, playing full time in five, suiting up in 222 regular season contests entering Wednesday’s game. He’s tallied 66 goals and 187 career WHL points, adding two goals and five points in nine playoff games.
He takes over the captaincy from former Tigers forward Tyler MacKenzie, after the Red Deer product was traded to the Everett Silvertips in the offseason. Wiesblatt served as an assistant captain last season in the leadership group, alongside graduated defencemen Dru Krebs and Rhett Parsons.
