NEWS FILE PHOTO
The Medicine Hat Tigers trio of Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll, Liam Ruck and Markus Ruck will be relied upon heavily in their second WHL season after a plethora of off-season departures from the defending WHL champion's forward core.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
From rookies to the top six, the Medicine Hat Tigers’ young line from last season have catapulted up the depth chart.
The forward trio of Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll and twins Markus and Liam Ruck were relied upon to produce at times en route to the franchise’s sixth Ed Chynoweth Cup. The Rucks played over 60 games, (Markus 62, Liam 61) and Gordon-Carroll played ‘just’ 55 due to a mid-season injury.
With the graduation of Oasiz Wiesblatt and Mat Ward, both Hunter St. Martin and Andrew Basha off to play pro hockey and all three of Gavin McKenna, Cayden Lindstrom and Ryder Ritchie committing to play college hockey, the three youngest Tigers last season find themselves in a spot to be relied upon more than ever before in the WHL.
But it’s a responsibility they welcome.
“It sucks losing some of those high-end guys but we can’t wait for the bigger role and a couple more minutes,” Markus said. “We’re pumped taking on a bit more pressure, but it’s why you play the game, for the big-pressure moments. So we can’t wait for the season, we have a good group still with a lot of our defencemen coming back.”
“It’s unreal that we’re going to have a bigger role this year and we’re really looking forward to it and can’t wait to see where it takes us,” Liam said.
Markus had eight goals and 29 points in his rookie season, adding a goal and four points in 14 playoff games. Liam led WHL rookies in goal scoring with 25, adding 16 assists for 41 points. He had six goals and 10 points in 18 playoff games.
The graduating players have done more than providing opportunities for the trio, as there were lessons passed on from the stars to the future of the franchise.
Gordon-Carroll says there was a lot to learn from Wiesblatt, picking up how the captain carried himself and treated the entire locker room the same. He says those lessons will help them step up into the new roles.
“I got to learn from all the great players that were on the team last year and they taught me so much,” Gordon-Carroll said. “I was able to learn and hopefully I’ll be able to use my knowledge that I got last year to this year. We have the same goal this year, that we did last year, to win a championship.”
Gordon-Carroll had six goals and 25 points in his rookie season, tallying two goals and five points in 17 playoff games.
All three had a warmup for the season, getting the competitive juices flowing at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Gordon-Carroll returning golden with the United States and the Rucks taking bronze with Canada. Playing for their countries and against some of the best in their age group puts them in a spot to hit the ground running when training camp opens up on Thursday.
“Being in game mode already in summer will help, don’t have to kind of work the rust off,” Liam said.
The Rucks will be playing for their draft stock as well, entering their NHL Draft season. Gordon-Carroll, a late-2008 birthday, isn’t draft eligible until 2027. They’ll also be joined by a contingent of seven signed U.S. players in Noah Davidson, Kyle Heger, Kade Stengrim, Gavin Kor, Jaxson Craig, Carter Casey and Luke Warrener.
While Gordon-Carroll is looking forward to helping lead the Tigers from the top of the lineup, he’s also keen to help acclimate his fellow Americans to Medicine Hat and help give them what they need to find success in the WHL, starting with some Chopped Leaf meals.
“I’m excited to have more American kids on my team, it’s awesome that they’ll represent the U.S. in the CHL,” Gordon-Carroll said. “Medicine Hat is a great city and I’ll make sure I show the boys all the spots to eat and shop and go. So I’m super pumped for it, and I’m excited to have some more U.S. boys up here with me.”
