NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Tigers defenceman Tyson Moss looks to make a pass with the puck from the corner in the Lethbridge end in the first period of an 8-4 win over the Hurricanes on Jan. 31 at Co-op Place.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
He’s not growing on rocks or up the side of trees, but Tyson Moss has worked himself into covering some of the WHL’s best.
The Medicine Hat Tigers defenceman has grown in his 14 months in the orange and black, from a mid-season depth signing to a fill-in on the main power play and a go-to on the blue line. He played in 23 games last season, recording three assists, a healthy scratch in the Tigers’ championship run.
It gave him a front-row seat to one of the top junior teams in Canada and set him up to step into a bigger role this season.
“It was great last year, learning from all those guys and just seeing what they do,” Moss said. “Last year was a good experience here and learning year and I’ve benefited a lot from that.”
Knowing the team systems coming into this year gave him the confidence to take a jump, scoring his first goal and tallying a hat trick, entering play Friday with eight goals and 22 points in 41 games.
The steps he’s taken hasn’t been a surprise to head coach Willie Desjardins, who describes the 18-year-old Port Moody, B.C. product as one of their hardest workers and the type of player he wants to see succeed.
“He’s really come a long way as a player, at the start I didn’t think he was strong enough, I didn’t think he was quick enough, I liked his vision and everything, but I didn’t think he was strong and quick enough, but he’s come a long ways,” Desjardins said. “He’s good on the power play, he sees the game well, he was a player of the year before in the BCEHL, so obviously he has talent and it’s just taken him a while to kind of find a spot with us.”
Moss was named the BCEHL’s player of the year in the same season his Vancouver NE Chiefs captured a U18 championship. He’s prided himself on his work; according to his teammates he’s often the one of the first in the building in the morning and the last to leave.
“He puts in so much work and it’s great to see him pay off a little bit,” Markus Ruck said. “Every day he’s working hard, so I think his confidence is building a lot. He looks calm out there with the puck, so it’s great to see him have success.”
It’s a work ethic that has also described the Tigers captain Bryce Pickford. Associate coach Joe Frazer says the Montreal Canadiens prospect took Moss under his wing and they’re seeing the results of that mentorship.
“They’re culture guys, those are the guys you want here, the first in and last to leave, always want to do video, staying late, to do extra workouts, shoot pucks, extra skills on the ice, those are guys who come in and grow your culture,” Frazer said.
When Moss scored his first WHL hat trick, a four-point effort in a Dec. 13, 2025 10-2 win over the Swift Current Broncos, Pickford was more excited than his younger teammate.
“Mossy’s hat trick, everybody was excited, I got emotional hugging him at the end of the game,” Pickford said. “Moments like that, celebrating all the little things will be good for us come playoff time.”
With the Tigers captain on the sideline, Moss has stepped into his spot on the top power play unit and slotted alongside his D-partner Jonas Woo. Moss’s strides, as well as the step Riley Steen has taken, also gave the Tigers the flexibility to deal from their blue line at the trade deadline, sending first-year defenceman Kyle Heger to the Lethbridge Hurricanes in a deal for forward Luke Cozens.
It’s a pair of nods from the coaches he’s appreciated.
“Huge credit to them for trusting in me to put me out there and giving me chances,” Moss said. “It’s nice to be a part of and I’m happy to get the shot.”
While he watched the playoffs from the stands last year, he’s in line to get his first on-ice look at the postseason this spring. Getting into a WHL playoff game has worked itself into his thoughts, but sticking to the process that put him in this position, he’s taking it a day and an opportunity at a time.
“Obviously it’s cool to think about, but I want to just take it one day at a time and just think about the now,” Moss said. “But I know when we get there, it will be awesome. I know the fans are going to be loud and this building is going to be a fun place to play.”
