Medicine Hat Tigers captain Oasiz Wiesblatt gets ready to hoist the Ed Chynoweth Cup on May 16 in Spokane, Wash., after leading his team to a franchise sixth WHL Championship. Wiesblatt has no choice now but to move on in his hockey career, which will pick up next year in Milwaukee, but he says a big piece of his heart will remain in the Hat, and promises to make numerous returns as the years go by.--NEWS FILE PHOTO JAMES TUBB
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
Oasiz Wiesblatt promises he won’t be leaving Medicine Hat for good, he’ll always return to the place he calls home.
“I have a lot of homes, but this one’s really special and I’ll be coming back lots throughout the years, supporting the Tigers,” Wiesblatt said. “For me, I wouldn’t be able to leave the fans who’ve really cared and showed just how passionate they are.”
The graduating Medicine Hat Tigers captain leaves a lasting impact on the orange and black and his No. 7, captaining the Tigers to their sixth WHL championship in his fifth and final year in the league, a title on the way out before joining the Milwaukee Admirals for the first of a three-year, AHL deal.
There’s a lot to be excited about when it comes to playing pro hockey, especially for Wiesblatt who will likely join his brother Ozzy, who also plays for the Admirals, and Tigers defenceman Tanner Molendyk, who is expected to make the jump to pro hockey next season. He still has a hard time believing it’s been five years in the orange and black but he says he wouldn’t trade it for anywhere else.
“It’s felt like every year I’ve gotten better, Medicine Hat just feels like home to me,” Wiesblatt said. “You always think when you’re younger you’ll be leaving 18 but you don’t realize how quickly that kind of comes by and you never know what kind of opportunities come.
“But it’s been a crazy journey that’s flown by where I still feel young. I’m still shorter than a lot of the guys and they’re outgrowing me, but for me to be 20 here, lead guys and help them out through the last two years, that’s something really special to me.”
The now 21-year-old Calgary product propelled himself up the career charts with the Tigers, sitting ninth in assists (187), 13th in points (288) and 14th in games played (284). He played another 24 games in the playoffs, a majority coming in the Tigers’ championship run this season, with 16 goals and 34 points in the postseason. He had five assists in four Memorial Cup games as the Tigers fell to the OHL champion London Knights in the finals of the 105th tournament.
But it was an impact off the ice that he will forever remember. Wiesblatt’s mom Kim was able to fly from Ontario to Medicine Hat for the playoffs, getting to see not only her son play en route to the championship but also see the impact he has made while away from home.
“It didn’t disappoint her, she was pretty flabbergasted by how many Wiesblatt jerseys and how many people kind of came up to her and said, ‘We love your son so much, he can’t leave,'” Wiesblatt said. “For my mom to see that, I’ve always wanted to leave my mark here and I feel like I’ve done that. And for her to enjoy that and see those Wiesblatt jerseys, it warms my heart.”
Wiesblatt was the last full-time player left from the Tigers’ 11-win season in 2021-22, helping bring the franchise from the bottom of the CHL to the playoffs the next two seasons and, eventually, to the championship peak. He’s learned a lot of lessons in the WHL, growing on and off the ice and into a leader entrusted as the 41st captain in franchise history. His advice for the next player looking to fill his size-10 slides (Wiesblatt is not a fan of close toed shoes), be yourself.
“You gotta be short, chubby and have the will to win,” Wiesblatt joked. “You have to enjoy it, have fun with your teammates.”
As he looks toward the future and starting his pro hockey career, the captain says his younger self would be proud of the person and player he has grown up to become, even if he could’ve never imaged the route it would take.
“When you’re younger, you think things are going to be easy, you always think about the NHL dream and that you’re just going to get there,” Wiesblatt said. “There’s stepping stones to that, you have to grow as a person and as a player. He’d be really happy with how I left the mark with the fans, put my jersey in a better place.
“From 11 wins to a championship is not too bad, it was really exciting. Obviously, we wanted that Memorial Cup. There’s a lot of great teams but it’s a 1-1 series with London, that’s the tough part.
“In the end, he’d be really happy with how things ended and the mark we left on people.”
