Medicine Hat Cubs captain Kyle Woolridge leans into a shot in the first period of a 3-0 win Sept. 28 at the Kinplex over the Airdrie Thunder. Woolridge is one of six Cubs named to the HJHL's South division all-star team.--NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
The Medicine Hat Cubs will be well represented at the HJHL’s first all-star game since 2018.
Five Cubs’ skaters and goaltender Marlo DeRosa have been named to the South Division roster for the Dec. 6 all-star game hosted in Strathmore. The South Division will be led by Medicine Hat head coach Trent Derzaph and assistant coach Johnny Stehr.
The Cubs hold the highest winning percentage in the HJHL’s South division, earning them the five skaters spots filled by forwards Kyle Woolridge, Nolan Sutherland, Mason Osinski and defensemen Blake Girard and Austin Derzpah.
Derzaph says the Cubs organization is deserving of the recognition and he says more of their players could have easily been selected for the mid-season game.
“It could have went a lot of different ways, we’ve got some extreme talent on our group, however what was chosen for forwards and on the back end are definitely amongst the top in talent, and on our group, all around every single one of them deserves it,” Derzaph said. “They step up game after game and in the big moments, making the right plays and killing penalties the right way and on the power play doing the right thing.
“With DeRosa there, it’s a goal that he had to make this game and I felt, as coaching staff, we’ve put him in the best position we possibly could to get there.”
The goaltenders for the all-star game were selected by the league based upon their stats. DeRosa leads the league in shutouts with three while also running a 6-2 record with a .912 save percentage and a 2.13 goals against average.
Woolridge leads the Cubs in scoring with 14 goals and 31 points in 19 games, putting him fourth in league scoring. Sutherland is right behind him in team scoring with 14 goals and 22 points in 17 games. Osinski is third in team scoring with 10 goals and 19 points in 19 games.
On the blue line, Austin Derzaph leads the Cubs defence scoring with four goals and 12 points in 19 games. He sits eighth among HJHL defencemen in scoring. Girard, in his first HJHL season, has three goals and 11 points in 13 games.
“All the guys are great players, the two guys on the back end are very mobile players, they know how to control the game, and then you go right up to the front end and those guys are just top notch players for us,” Derzaph said. “There’s other guys within our organization that definitely could have been going as well.”
The Red Deer Vipers, who the Cubs beat 7-4 on Sunday, lead the North division with five players and one goaltender selected.
Derzaph is looking forward to sharing the all-star game bench with Stehr and he is happy to see the return of the game and the recognition it brings to the league’s best.
“It’s good for the guys to represent their team and to represent the South division, we know there’s going to be that rivalry, the South versus the North, and I believe I’ve got a group that will come together and do anything for their teammates, no matter what team they’re from, to win that game,” Derzaph said. “I’m looking forward to it. I think it’s been a long time coming.”
