NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Tigers forward Oasiz Wiesblatt stretches out during warmups ahead of a 3-0 win at Co-op Place over the Red Deer Rebels on Oct. 9. The 20-year-old forward was named captain earlier in the day.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
Oasiz Wiesblatt has done a lot of growing up in a Medicine Hat Tigers jersey.
The 20-year-old Calgary product has appeared in six seasons, with the early years getting under the skin of a lot of opponents, some officials and even more opposing fans. It’s an impression that has lasted in his junior career, and one the new captain of the Tigers says he’s learned from.
In a social media post Wednesday, ahead of a 3-0 win over the Red Deer Rebels at Co-op place, the Tigers named Wiesblatt the 41st captain in franchise history after he was selected through a team vote.
“It’s really just an honour, there have been so many great captains before me and the last five years I’ve had some great leaders to learn from,” Wiesblatt said. “I’m really excited to lead these guys and truly make it my team. We have a lot of leaders in here, so I have a lot of help around me.”
Wiesblatt served as an assistant captain last season in the leadership group, alongside graduated defencemen Dru Krebs and Rhett Parsons.
The rest of the Tigers leadership for the 2024-25 season is to be announced at a later date. Until that is announced, at the top will be its longest tenured player.
After former captain Tyler Mackenzie was traded in the offseason and forward Brayden Boehm was moved on Oct. 5, Wiesblatt remains the lone player left on the Medicine Hat roster from the infamous 2021-22 11-win season.
He’s seen a lot, having played 223 games in the orange and black. He’s had to endure through a lot of lessons, from finding discipline on the ice to further pushing his drive to be great.
“I just take it day by day and just try and work,” Wiesblatt said. “Going through that losing year with 11 wins, that was pretty tough on me. I learned that as a team, you have to push. We have to work together and have trust and faith in one another.”
He’s played under five different captains, MacKenzie, Owen MacNeil, Daniel Baker, Ryan Chyzowski and James Hamblin. All have passed on some tidbit or left an impression on the 5-foot-9 forward that he looks to pass onto the next generation of Tigers.
“I learned a lot from Ryan Chyzowski and Cole Clayton,” Wiesblatt said. “Going down to Columbus and learning a lot from Cole, just leading by example, working hard and being a good teammate.
“I’ve learned quite a bit and been here for five years, so I’ve gone through some not so smart times, and learned from them. It’s just learning from your mistakes and getting better every day.”
Associate coach Joe Frazer has worked with Wiesblatt since he came in as a 12th overall pick in the 2019 WHL draft. He’s seen the progression and the work the now-captain has put in. He sees a contagious passion from Wiesblatt he hopes other plays inherit and Frazer says, he has seen a young man make adjustments on and off the ice to be a better player and person.
“When you watch him at 18, he was taking too many penalties, but he’s learned how to adjust to where he can still play gritty and play in the dirty areas but stay out of the penalty box,” Frazer said. “He’s really done a great job of tip toeing that line of playing with passion and hard and competing, but not taking penalties.
“You have to give him a ton of credit, because when you watch him, he takes a lot of beating in front of the net, a lot of stuff that goes uncalled, and he gets right back up. You have to give him a lot of credit for how he’s adapted.”
