Soakin’ in the Tubb: Injury bug aside, Tigers flying high with second-half underway

By JAMES TUBB on January 4, 2025.

There’s really only one big question surrounding the Medicine Hat Tigers three games into the second-half – when will that damn injury bug buzz off.

The Tigers continue to deal with injuries, a theme that started in the first few weeks of the season and has not relented.

The rehabbing Cayden Lindstrom aside, the Tigers await news on Andrew Basha who left in the third period of a 4-0 win over the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Dec. 28. Carter Cunningham left after the first period of a 4-3 OT loss at Calgary against the Hitmen the next night.

As for players out week to week, Harrison Meneghin hasn’t practised with the team since they returned from the holidays and Shaeffer Gordon Carroll is still to return from Utah. Hayden Harsanyi is the closest to a return, which could come as soon as after this weekend’s series against the Swift Current Broncos.

The Tigers head into trade deadline week with the only question marks in the lineup painted red, for the medical ward. They have 14 full-time forwards and seven defencemen who can be trusted on a nightly basis. Goaltending was solidified with the acquisition of Meneghin and further cemented with the recent play of Jordan Switzer.

The 17-year-old has taken the torch and ran with it as the starter, working a 9-3-2 record since taking over, and has started five of the last six games, the lone night off saw the reacquired Zach Zahara between the pipes.

The WHL trade deadline is Thursday at 6 p.m., a change from the usual Jan. 10 deadline, with 11 games on the slate that night. The Tigers have made seven trades since opening night of the WHL season, another five in the offseason where they did most of the heavy lifting to build this roster.

The rest of the Central division has made it known they’re looking to be competitive, with Lethbridge accruing forward Brayden Yager and goaltender Jackson Unger, Calgary swinging deals for forward Tanner Howe, defenceman Kalem Parker and goaltender Daniel Hauser. Edmonton hasn’t made a big move yet, but hold onto the second-last Warriors’ and third-last Seattle Thunderbirds’ first-round picks in the upcoming WHL Draft. Talk about trade chips.

What will the Tigers do at the deadline?

If there’s a guess to be made, it’ll be the same move they’ve made at previous deadlines, standing pat. They’ve made a lot of moves this season – an uncharacteristic number of moves.

Health will provide top-six bodies back into the lineup, with Lindstrom being an orange and black ticket that could be quite the jackpot.

Willie Desjardins has built his team, they’ve shown an ability to win as a group. The key to the rest of the season won’t be a flashy pickup, but continuing that trend of team success.

Tub(b) Thoughts

â€¢ Eyes around the league will be on Kelowna this week, seeing how the Rockets approach the deadline. With the Rockets holding the 2026 Memorial Cup host rights, they have to build a roster worthy of hosting the tournament and should look to move 19-year-olds Andrew Cristall and Caden Price. Those two will bring big returns, with a focus on 18-year-olds and assets that could be moved to further build that 2026 lineup.

â€¢ How silly will teams get at this year’s deadline? That depends on how many teams think they have a shot a making their way to the finals. The Western conference is very top heavy with the Everett Silvertips (8-5-2-1) leading the way with 59 points, next closest team is the Prince George Cougars (21-9-3-2) with 47 points. The Spokane Chiefs (24-13) and Portland Winterhawks (21-13-2) round out the top four and have more points than everyone in the East except the Tigers (21-14-2) and Blades (20-11-2-2). There would be some shock around the league if Prince George isn’t heavily involved before Thursday evening’s deadline.

â€¢ While Brayden Yager gets a lot of the attention in the Hurricanes deal with the Warriors, Unger has dominated since finding himself in Alberta’s Windy City. Unger has won all seven games he’s started for Lethbridge, with a 1.57 goals against average and a .938 save percentage. He’s allowed three goals just twice with the Hurricanes, five other starts with one lone marker against.

â€¢ The Tigers are on milestone watch and it’s the franchise’s winningest coach in the spotlight. Head coach Willie Desjardins entered played Friday with 497 career wins behind the bench, he sits 12th all time in WHL coaching wins. He will become the 12th coach in league history to hit the 500-win plateau.

James Tubb is sports reporter with the Medicine Hat News. He can be reached at jtubb@medicinehatnews.com