It was like any other day for Tomas Mrsic.
The 18-year-old arrived at Co-op Place in Medicine Hat on Sunday morning just as he has done dozens of times in his WHL career.
He was then called into the office of Tigers head coach and general manager Willie Desjardins and was given the news: he had been traded to the Prince Albert Raiders.
Mrsic was dealt to the Raiders in exchange for Ryder Ritchie in a blockbuster deal that was announced on Monday morning. The Raiders also received a 2025 third round pick and a conditional third round selection in 2028. The conditions on the 2028 pick were not released.
“It was definitely a big shock to me.” Mrsic explained in an interview with the Daily Herald on Monday afternoon. “I drove in Saturday night, went to the rink Sunday morning and got told there. I think it was a bit of a shock, but then after realizing it, I think I got a better opportunity here and it should be pretty good.”
Mrsic was selected eighth overall by Medicine Hat in the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft. In 131 regular season games as a Tiger, Mrsic registered 33 goals and 53 assists while being neutral in terms of plus-minus.
It was a big improvement from his 16-year-old campaign where he recorded nine goals and 14 assists in 58 games.
Mrsic says he was feeling more confident and comfortable in the WHL which helped him break out in his 17-year-old season.
“I think most of it was just confidence, just building up every day. I also started shooting the puck more, which led to more success scoring. Just doing all the little details better and playing a more 200-foot game led to all that success for me.”
The breakout season helped Mrsic with his NHL draft stock as the St. Louis Blues selected the Surrey, BC product in the fourth round, 113th overall.
With the timing of the trade, Mrsic will get to spend the majority of training camp with the Raiders before he heads south of the border to experience his first NHL training camp with the Blues.
Mrsic says he was pleased with the timing of the trade to allow him to get acclimated to Hockeytown North.
“I think it was good when it happened now, just so I could be here before the start of the season, get the feet wet, the guys’ captain skates, stuff like that should be good. Get a couple pre -season games before I go to St. Louis and have fun there too. I had a long drive this (Monday) morning, about six hours, but ever since I got here, everyone’s been good to me, coaching staff, players, so I’m really excited to get started here.”
Mrsic was on the road to Prince Albert even before the trade was announced. After arriving at the Art Hauser Centre, he immediately got the chance to meet the coaching staff as well as his new teammates.
Mrsic says he is hoping to play a key role for a successful team in Prince Albert for years to come.
“I think we’ll be a pretty good team this year. I think it could be one of the top teams in the conference. We’ve got a lot of young, good players coming up here. I think I’ll try to help lead this team to a championship one day.”
The Raiders open pre-season play on Wednesday, Sept. 4 when they welcome the Saskatoon Blades to the Art Hauser Centre. The home opener for the 2024-25 WHL campaign is on Friday, Sept. 20 when the Regina Pats come to town. Puck drops at 7 p.m. on both nights.
sports@paherald.sk.ca
