NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Tigers forward Kadon McCann scored three goals and had an assist in the Tigers' 7-4 preseason win Tuesday at Lethbridge over the Hurricanes. McCann makes a pass during a scrimmage at Tigers' training camp on Aug. 29.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
A young Medicine Hat Tigers lineup was shown the ropes in the preseason opener.
Forward Kadon McCann, in his third full season with the Tigers and fourth preseason, tallied a hat trick and an assist to lead the way in a 7-4 exhibition win Tuesday at Lethbridge over the Hurricanes.
McCann was the lone full-time returning player in the lineup for the Tigers on Tuesday, and the Cochrane product credited his line mates, Dayton Reschny and Luke Ruptash for the success.
“I played with two great players and I didn’t really ever play with Reschny or Ruptash before and they’re great players, the whole group was really good yesterday,” McCann said. “(Koray) Bozkaya had an unbelievable game as well. So it’s just really exciting to see, not only the group we have right now, but the guys coming up through the system, too.”
Reschny had a goal and an assist, Ruptash had a goal and two assists in the win, Bozkaya had four helpers on the blue line. Ben Deacon (2207-born) and Griffin Storey (2009-born) also scored for the Tigers.
“It’s great to see all the young guys, Kadon McCann did a great job being a leader and was one of the only vets who played,” associate coach Joe Frazer said. “He did a really good job leading the young guys and showing them how we want to do things. All the guys worked hard, it’s good to see we played with some pace and it’s great to get them some experience in a tough building.”
McCann is the second longest tenured skater on the Tigers, sitting only behind overage defencman Josh Van Mulligen. The Tigers’ offseason turnover – the graduation of Oasiz Wiesblatt and Mat Ward, Andrew Basha and Hunter St. Martin slated to play pro hockey and NCAA commitments from Gavin McKenna, Cayden Lindstrom and Ryder Ritchie – has left an opportunity for the 18-year-old who says he wants to be relied upon this season.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s preseason, I want to play hockey and that’s what I told the coaches yesterday, that I want to play,” McCann said. “It doesn’t matter what’s on the line, I want to be the player that they can lean on this year. With some big guys going somewhere else, I’ll be the guy they can lean on.
“It’s just something that I’ve always wanted to be. I want to be a leader, I want to be someone that guys can ask questions to and be there for support.”
He’s coming off a sophomore season with 11 goals and 18 pants in 64 games, seeing his ironman streak dating back to minor hockey snapped last season. Throughout that streak, McCann had played alongside McKenna for the last four seasons, two with the Tigers, one with the South Alberta Hockey Academy and a handful of games with RHA Kelowna before they were drafted into the WHL. He knew Ritchie there and skates with the former Tiger in the offseason.
He says there’s no ill will held toward the players who left for the NCAA, he’s only focused on helping lead the Tigers from here.
“There’s some key guys that left and not only in the dressing room, but also on the ice, they had a big impact for this organization, in this community,” McCann said. “But now it’s time for other guys to step up and I’m ready for that. I’ve played with Gavin my whole life, so having him to lean on back then and now I can kind of take what I learned from him and pass it onto the younger guys coming up.
“I want to be someone that people can lean on and hopefully have a big year.”
McCann is one of six Tigers who will attend NHL rookie camps in the coming weeks, getting an invite to the Calgary Flames camp alongside net minder Jordan Switzer. Going undrafted and then getting the camp invite, McCann says there’s extra motivation to use.
“It’s something that I can kind of look back on, like this is pretty cool I got passed on this year and hopefully making it back this year because there’s lots of guys like (Bryce) Pickford for an example, he got passed on his first year and then drafted, that’s what I want to do,” McCann said. “I want to be the guy who surprises people. My whole life I’ve proved people wrong and that’s what I want to do at Flames’ camp.”
Besides Switzer and McCann, defenceman Jonas Woo will attend Carolina Hurricanes rookie camp, Pickford will head to Montreal’s camp and the Tigers’ Finnish defencemen, Veeti Vaisanen and Niilopekka Muhonen will attend Utah’s and Dallas’ camps respectively.
