NEWS FILE PHOTO
Medicine Hat Tigers forward Misha Volotovskii celebrates scoring in the first period of a 5-0 win at Co-op Place on Oct. 11 over the Portland Winterhawks.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com
The Medicine Hat Tigers addressed their surplus of overage players with a trade ahead of the WHL’s trade deadline.
The Tigers traded 20-year-old forward Misha Volotovskii to the Vancouver Giants for a pair of draft picks ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline.
They received a 2026 third-round pick and a 2029 fifth-round pick from the Giants in the deal.
Volotovskii was acquired by the Tigers at the 2025 WHL trade deadline, joining the orange and black alongside defenceman Tanner Molendyk from the Saskatoon Blades. In 36 games this season with the Tigers the Calgary product has 11 goals and 25 points. In 29 regular season games last year after being acquired he had four goals and 12 points. Volotovskii had three goals and six points in 17 games in last year’s playoffs, adding an assist in four Memorial Cup games.
In five seasons in the WHL with the Blades and Tigers, he has 34 goals and 72 points in 260 games. He’s suited up in 43 playoff games, accumulating four goals and 11 points.
Head coach Willie Desjardins says it was a difficult trade to complete, having to get down to three over agers.
“There’s so many things that went into it, how can we replace the player, it wasn’t the return at all,” Desjardins said. “Usually you’re always looking at the return but it had nothing to do with that. It was just trying to find the right move and the right fit.
“Misha was outstanding for us. He won us a championship. his line was our best line in our first game against the London Knights at the Memorial cup. He did a lot of good things for us.”
The trade puts the Tigers under the overage cap of three players, with forwards Andrew Basha, Ethan Neutens and defenceman Josh Van Mulligen on the roster.
See Friday’s News for more on the trade and the Tigers’ deadline work.
