Medicine Hat Tigers forward Gavin McKenna celebrates his first of two goals in a 5-1 win at Co-op Place on Nov. 15, 2024 over the Victoria Royals.--NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
Each calendar year brings change; seasons change the landscape and welcome a new path to be traversed.
In the junior hockey world, no year in recent memory brought change like 2025.
The NCAA’s rule change regarding junior hockey players, altered in November 2024, saw the Div. I Council vote to lift a previous restriction that barred CHL players from playing college hockey due to its amateur status rules, thus allowing those playing major junior hockey to make the switch to U.S. college hockey as of Aug. 1.
The rule change brought rumours and questions: Who would make the jump, how many would and how would it impact the Canadian Hockey League? Answers soon came out in a loud way, but none louder than in Medicine Hat.
The Tigers saw forwards Cayden Lindstrom (Michigan State) and Ryder Ritchie (Boston University) leave for the NCAA before the biggest domino fell, phenom Gavin McKenna took his talents to Penn State University.
At the time, Tigers head coach Willie Desjardins described the losses as hard, but ones they’ve had to bounce back from.
“Any player we’ve lost, it’s hard to lose them, we honestly had built a team that I thought had a really good chance of winning the Cup this year,” Desjardins said. “Saying that we’re going to have to find a way to do it. We’re not going to be satisfied with being average, we’re going to have to find a way to be a good team again with our back end, I think we can do that.
“But with Gavin, you can never take a guy like that out of your lineup and have it not be a big loss. You can say whatever you want, it’s a huge loss.”
The NCAA rule change, the wave of CHL players heading to college and the influx of U.S. born players joining the CHL, has been chosen as the Medicine Hat News as the top sports story of 2025.
Reflecting five months later on their roster losses and the NCAA rule change, Desjardins says it was disappointing losing those players but he still wishes them the best in their careers. And he still believes the WHL is the top development league.
“The NCAA is a great league, it’s a really good league, but what we do at development with younger kids, 16-17, is huge,” Desjardins said. “Those are your most important development years and then time will tell where if guys should be leaving here at 17 18, even 19, if that’s the best thing for the development, time will tell on that.”
The Tigers’ trio were just some of the WHLers to leave. McKenna was joined by former Tri-City Americans defenceman Jackson Smith, and the Victoria Royals saw forward Cole Reschny and defenceman Keaton Verhoeff commit to the University of North Dakota. Former Tiger Tomas Mrsic, who went the other way in the trade for Ritchie, committed to Colorado College. Roger McQueen left the Brandon Wheat Kings for Providence College.
The CHL provided data in September, indicating of the 150 or so players committing to the NCAA this season, 87 per cent were either skipping their 20-year-old overage season or had already completed their eligibility. And 75 per cent of all players making college commitments this season and beyond fell into the same category.
Meantime, the CHL said nearly 250 players are joining their teams from the USHL and Junior A ranks. The WHL’s leading scorer, Kamloops Blazers’ forward JP Hurlbert, is one of the bigger names to make the jump from the U.S. to the CHL.
In Medicine Hat, the Tigers have also benefited from the rule changes, bringing in U.S.-born forwards Kade Stengrim, Noah Davidson, Gavin Kor, defenceman Kyle Heger and goaltender Carter Casey.
It’s added a new wrinkle to recruiting, convincing players to delay NCAA commitments or stay the course if they’re already here. When McKenna committed in July, Desjardins said they had other players who had opportunities to go to college who opted to stay in the CHL.
Despite the change, he says the job of coaches and general managers remains the same, develop players as best as possible for the NHL and pro hockey.
“If guys feel there’s better spots other places and they’re going to go, then that’s fair enough, we just have to prove – and it’s hard over time – we need to show that this is probably the best choice regardless of of your age,” Desjardins said. “But that’s up to us to show that.”
The WHL polled players last season to get their feedback about pressure points and also spoke to NHL clubs to see what they want from the league when it comes to nutrition, strength and conditioning and rest and recovery as they develop prospects and NHL Draft-eligible players.
WHL commissioner Dan Near, speaking with the News in September, said the answers they’ve received weren’t shocking, with differences between the WHL and NCAA coming down to facilities.
There is a lot still in the air of what will be the right path for players. Some of the CHLers who made the move have found early success, Martone has 11 goals and 20 points in 16 games with MSU. Former Calgary Hitmen Oliver Tulk has two goals and 13 points in 18 games with the University of Wisconsin, missing his overage season in the WHL.
Others have had limited production in their first year at the college level. Lindstrom, having played just 40 games from 2023-25, has just a goal and three points in 13 games with MSU. Mrsic has two goals and six points in 18 games with Colorado College.
Even McKenna, the prized college transfer, has come under question in his freshman season with the Nittany Lions. The reigning CHL and WHL player of the year has four goals and 18 points in 16 games with Penn State University.
The Tigers’ bench boss was asked about his former star while serving as head coach of Team CHL at the CHL-USA Prospect Challenge, a showcase McKenna was expected to headline. He continues to have confidence in McKenna’s abilities, pushing back on those who question his game.
“In the end he’s going to come out and be a very special player, regardless of what happens this year,” Desjardins said. “He just sees the ice too well, he has incredible vision. I don’t know what happens this year, but I know in the end, he’s going to be a very good player.”
As much as he defends McKenna, Desjardins stands tall on his belief of the path through the WHL/CHL to the pro level and, more emphatically, how much their organization and a city like Medicine Hat can help develop players and people for the future.
“Players left because they thought maybe they’d get more development in a different league, but it wasn’t a reflection of the organization and there’s not a lot you can do,” Desjardins said.
“I know we could have developed every guy that left, we could be good with that, too. So I understand why guys do what they do, but I think Medicine Hat is a great place to develop. It’s a great city to live, we have great fans, so I really appreciate our city.”
