Tigers And Broncos Set For Intense WHL Playoff Clash

Batten down the hatches. The Central Division champion Medicine Hat Tigers are riding the wave of the league’s top attack into Round One of the 2025 WHL Playoffs presented by Nutrien. Superstar forward Gavin McKenna followed up his WHL Rookie of the Year campaign from 2023-24 by bagging 41 goals and 88 assists for 129 points to finish second in the WHL scoring race. The projected top pick for the 2026 NHL Draft has only been held off the scoresheet three times in 2024-25 and closed out the year with a historic 40-game point streak that saw him rack up 100 points (32G-68A). McKenna’s 40-game run set a modern WHL record and is the second-longest by any CHL player in the 21st century, second only to Alexander Radulov’s 50-game streak with the QMJHL’s Quebec Remparts in 2005-06. But he’s still looking for postseason success in the Western League.

McKenna headlines a wildly talented Tigers roster that features six 20-goal scorers and two hundred-plus point players. Captain Oasiz Wieblatt surpassed the century mark for the first time while sitting second in penalty minutes among all WHLers, while Florida Panthers prospect Hunter St. Martin was second on the Tabbies in goals with 39. 2024 Calgary Flames selection Ryder Ritchie improved his previous point totals across the board despite a season truncated by injury, and Bryce Pickford was one of only five WHL defencemen to net 20 goals. General Manager and Head Coach Willie Desjardin made big moves on the back end with the acquisition of Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Harrison Meneghin and Nashville Predators selection Tanner Molendyk. Meneghin, a two-time WHL All-Star, was named WHL Goaltender of the Month for January after going undefeated through the month with a 1.55 goals-against average, a .930 save percentage and a shutout. The impressive stretch saw the 20-year-old beat the Calgary Hitmen twice before going 5-0-0-1 on a formidable U.S. Division road trip. Molendyk, a smooth-skating veteran who was one of the final cuts from Nashville’s camp in fall of 2024, put up 47 points (9G-38A) and three game-winning goals in 2024-25. The impressive campaign culminated in a decisive 5-2 win against Calgary on the final night of the regular season to lock in Medicine Hat’s 10th division title and first seed in the Eastern Conference.

Only five teams didn’t have a losing record against Medicine Hat in the 2024-25 regular season. Swift Current happens to be one of them, with the showdown split with two wins apiece. The new-look Broncos have more than held their own after several high-profile veterans graduated to the pro ranks this season. Sniper Luke Mistelbacher quickly emerged as one of the best stories of the year with a monster 42-goal campaign that saw him finish fourth in the league goals race. Captain Clarke Caswell has also stepped up his game since being drafted by the Seattle Kraken in 2024 with 84 points (22G-62A), while featuring heavily on the powerplay and penalty kill. General Manager Chad Leslie hit paydirt with the addition of veteran centreman Carlin Dezainde in October. DeZainde has flown past the 30-goal mark, which includes six game-winners and a hat trick against the Saskatoon Blades. Six-foot-five blueliner Peyton Kettles, who is ranked 26th among all North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting in the agency’s midterm player rankings, has intimidated opponents and thwarted many of their attempts on net with an impressive NHL Draft season.

Game 1 is set for Friday, March 28 at Co-Op Place in Medicine Hat before moving to Saskatchewan for Game 3 at Swift Current’s InnovationPlex on Tuesday, April 1. All games in the 2025 WHL Playoffs presented by Nutrien will be streamed for free on Victory+.

Swift Current Broncos | Medicine Hat Tigers

| Record | 35-30-1-2 | 47-17-3-1 |

| Leading Scorers | Luke Mistelbacher (42G-51A, 93 PTS) Clarke Caswell (22G-62A, 84 PTS) Carlin Dezainde (34G-38A, 72 PTS) | Gavin McKenna (41G-88A, 129 PTS) Oasiz Wiesblatt (36G-67A, 103 PTS) Ryder Ritchie (29G-32A, 61 PTS) |

| Leading Goaltender | Reid Dyck (22-21-1-1, 3.56 GAA, .890 save percentage, two shutouts) | Harrison Meneghin (23-10-1-1, 2.58 GAA, .900 save percentage, three shutouts) |

| Powerplay | 23.3% (12th) | 27.9% (4th) |

| Penalty Kill | 74.9% (16) | 80% (4th) |

| 2024 WHL Playoffs | Lost Second Round (Moose Jaw) | Lost First Round (Red Deer) |

| Last WHL Championship | 2018 | 2007 |

2024-25 REGULAR SEASON SERIES

Regular Season Series: Series tied 2-2-0-0 December 4, 2024- Medicine Hat 4, Swift Current 3 January 3, 2025- Medicine Hat 1, Swift Current 4 January 4, 2025- Swift Current 2, Medicine Hat 5 February 7, 2025- Swift Current 5, Medicine Hat 3

GAME BREAKERS

Swift Current: Nobody scored more goals against the Tigers than Luke Mistelbacher in 2024-25. The 2025 NHL Draft-eligible winger (NHL CSS:72) had nine goals and two assists against Medicine Hat in four meetings. The 6-foot, 167-pound winger scored all four of Swift Current’s goals in a 4-1 win on January 3, 2025, and completed a natural hat trick in the third period for a 5-3 Broncos comeback win on February 7, 2025. The Tigers haven’t held Mistelbacher off the scoresheet yet this year.

Medicine Hat: Gavin McKenna actually didn’t see much of the Broncos this season. He missed two games against the squad from Speedy Creek while he was with Team Canada for the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship but did pick up two goals and two assists in the games he did appear in. But it’s tough to bet against the guy who recently became the third-fastest player in modern WHL history to reach 200 points. McKenna had two goals and four assists in the 2024 postseason and will look to step up big as the Tigers aim to advance to the second round for the first time since 2017.

GOALTENDING

Swift Current: Say it with us. This guy is Reid Dyck-ulous. The 21-year-old from Winkler, Man. is consistently one of the busiest netminders in the WHL and still posted his second-straight 20-win season. This is his final chance to battle for a WHL Championship and relishes the chance to play spoiler against the Tabbies. The 2024 WHL Second-Team All-Star is 1-2-0-0 against Medicine Hat this season with a 3.05 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage.

Medicine Hat: As the third-stingiest team in the WHL, the Tigers owe a lot to their goaltending. The team also enters the postseason with heavy hearts after the passing of starter Harrison Meneghin’s father, Derek, on the final night of the regular season. Understandably, the team hasn’t specified who will start Game 1, but the Tigers say they’re ready to rally for their friend and his family. Meneghin ranks third among all WHL goaltenders in goals-against average (2.58) and is tied for fourth in shutouts (3). He forms an impressive tandem with rookie Jordan Switzer, who is 23-6-2-0 in his first full WHL season with a 2.65 goals-against average, a .901 save percentage, and four shutouts.

X FACTOR

Swift Current: Clarke Caswell has played a massive role in Swift Current’s success against the Tigers this season. The 5-foot-11, 181-pound winger picked up a goal and seven assists in four games this season. Caswell also had nine points (2G-7A) in nine games in the 2024 postseason to help the Broncos sweep Lethbridge in Round One before falling to the eventual champion Moose Jaw Warriors in Round Two.

Medicine Hat: Few can tear up the ice quite like Tanner Molendyk. The defender enters the postseason on a four-game point streak that’s seen him pile up three goals and four assists. He hasn’t snagged any points against the Broncos in two meetings this season, but he also brings important playoff experience to the team after reaching Game 7 of the 2024 Eastern Conference Championship with the Saskatoon Blades.

2025 WHL PLAYOFFS SERIES SCHEDULE

- If necessary

Tigers And Broncos Set For Intense WHL Playoff Clash

Swift Current looks to upset top-seeded Medicine Hat in first round showdown