The Prince Albert Raiders (19-13-3-0) are ready for the week ahead on the road.
The Raiders have three games on the schedule this week in Alberta against the Medicine Hat Tigers (22-15-2-0), Edmonton Oil Kings (20-14-1-2) and Red Deer Rebels (15-18-2-2).
Raider interim head coach Ryan McDonald says the road trip will provide a tough challenge for Prince Albert.
“We have three really great tests. Starting off with a team in Medicine Hat, they play a high-powered offensive game. For us, it’s making sure that we continue to be on the right side of checks, clog up the middle and make sure we make those hard plays.”
The Raiders begin the trip at Co-op Place in Medicine Hat on Wednesday night. It will be the first trip to the Gas City for Prince Albert this season. The Tigers captured the lone meeting between the two teams at the Art Hauser Centre 3-2 in overtime back on November 20.
Wednesday night will also mark the return of Tomas Mrsic to Medicine Hat. The 18-year-old St. Louis Blues prospect was drafted eighth overall by the Tigers in the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft and spent parts of three seasons in the Black and Orange.
Prince Albert acquired Mrsic in an August blockbuster trade that sent Minnesota Wild prospect Ryder Ritchie to Medicine Hat.
In his first season with the Raiders, Mrsic has registered 49 points (21G, 28A) through 32 games played.
“It will be emotional for sure.” Mrsic said about his upcoming return to Medicine Hat. “It’ll definitely be different being on the away side there, but it’ll be a cool experience playing in front of those fans for the first time and being back there ever since I’ve been traded.”
In his first game against his former club on November 20, Mrsic did not record a point and was -1 on the night.
Mrsic says it was a different experience playing against a lot of his former teammates.
“The first game I played against them was pretty weird. Obviously, I hadn’t played against them ever. It was a bit different playing against a bunch of my buddies. Going into Co-op Place, it should be a bit different. I just have to stick to my game and everything should be fine.”
Another factor this week around the Western Hockey League is the upcoming trade deadline which is on Thursday at 7 p.m. Saskatchewan time.
With plenty of teams making trades including Medicine Hat landing Tanner Molendyk from Saskatoon, McDonald says the Raiders will need to stay focused on what’s going on in their dressing room.
“You control what you can control and for us it’s that next game. The standings are extremely tight but we got to take care of business on our end. Our next game is in Medicine Hat and that’s what we’re focused on.“
At the time of publishing, the Raiders currently sit in seventh place in the WHL’s Eastern Conference with 41 points. Prince Albert sits only five points back of Medicine Hat and Saskatoon, who are tied for first in the conference at 46 points. The Raiders have four games in hand on the Tigers and two on the Blades.
Mrsic says the Raiders will have to be ready night in and night out the rest of the season.
“Every night is critical. I think the first place team has four more points then us and we got four games in hand on them. Taking every game well and just trying to get two points every night should contribute to getting up in those standings.”
Puck drop between the Raiders and Tigers is scheduled for 8 p.m. Saskatchewan time at Co-op Place on Wednesday night.
Raiders acquire Kovacevic from Moose Jaw for Macias, Moroz
The Prince Albert Raiders and Moose Jaw Warriors struck a deal on Tuesday morning.
The Raiders received 20-year-old forward Rilen Kovacevic from the Warriors in exchange for 20-year-old import forward Krzysztof Macias, 17-year-old forward Luke Moroz and a fourth round pick in the 2027 WHL Prospects Draft.
Kovacevic was Moose Jaw’s leading scorer at the time of the trade registering 21 goals and 19 assists for 40 points in 33 games this season. He tallied 15 points (4G, 11A) in 20 playoff games for the Warriors a year ago as they won the Ed Chynoweth Cup.
Macias spent parts of two seasons with the Raiders after being selected 15th overall in the 2023 CHL Import Draft. Macias registered 30 goals and 39 assists during his time in Hockeytown North. He had 22 points (8G, 14 A) in 22 games this season and had been out of the lineup with injury since December 18.
Luke Moroz was selected by the Raiders with the 15th overall selection in the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft. In 77 games, he registered seven goals and 19 assists.
sports@paherald.sk.ca
