NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
The Medicine Hat Tigers rookie trio of Markus and Liam Ruck and Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll enter their first WHL playoffs hungry to help push the Tigers over the edge for a championship. The three are pictured during warmups ahead of a 10-1 win at Co-op Place on March 22 over the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
The youngest Medicine Hat Tigers are ready to make an impact as the postseason kicks off.
The Tigers’ youth line of Markus and Liam Ruck and centre Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll were all smiles talking about getting their first up close and personal look at the WHL playoffs as Medicine Hat faces the Swift Current Broncos in the first round.
“It’s been what we’ve been waiting for this entire time, it’s what has been getting talked about in the locker room, it’s exciting,” Gordon-Carroll said.
The Ruck twins were around the team during the 2024 playoffs, with Liam Ruck suiting up in Game 4 of the first-round loss to the Red Deer Rebels. The duo say being around the playoffs last year helped give them a preview of what to expect.
“The game and the atmosphere are both so different, the game is so much faster, so much more physical and the atmosphere, everyone’s louder,” Markus Ruck said. “It’s more intense, more exciting.
“A little bit nervous but last year helped a lot just watching how it’s done. Red Deer was a tough team last year, so to see what you have to expect, it’s a good kind of nervous.”
Liam drew into the lineup in 2024 after Cayden Lindstrom was scratched due to injury. He played a shift and soaked up the pace the rest of the way.
“Just seeing it was huge, seeing the pace, it’s a lot faster,” Liam said. “It’s do or die at that point and all the guys are playing harder because everything’s just paying it forward for the next game and next series.”
The trio found success throughout the regular season with a defence-first approach, focused on structure over scoring, all three tallying over 25 points. Liam finished first in rookie goal scoring with 25 tallies, finishing with 41 points (12th among rookies) in 61 games. Markus had eight goals and 29 points and Gordon-Carroll finished with six goals and 25 points.
Their defensive effort is one head coach Willie Desjardins says will allow them to have success in the postseason.
“They’re really good structurally and there’s been times when they haven’t gotten to play as much, they didn’t get to play as much in Calgary, but they can play, they need a chance,” Desjardins said. “They’re a good offensive line, they create lots. Sometimes I go with more experienced lines when it gets really tight. But playoffs are hard, you have to to save your energy and we want to play four lines so we’ll be playing them.”
They look at the matchup with Swift Current as a challenge, respecting the 2-2 split in the regular season but also having confidence they can win a playoff series for the first time since 2016-17.
“They beat us a couple times so they think they have a little bit of life, but we’re going to show them in that first game,” Markus said. “Hopefully it’s our series and we’re just going to come out ready.”
Both Games 1 and 2 at Co-op Place were projected sell-outs early in the week, much to the delight of the rookies who look to shine on the big stage.
“We check to see how full stadium is once we hear it’s sold out, boys get pumped, and just let the fans come in and support us,” Gordon-Carroll said.
