After a week that saw the Calgary Hitmen pick up four of a possible six points, the Eastern Conference wild card front runners will be faced with their sixth three-games-in-three-night weekend of the season.
This weekend will include contests against the Prince Albert Raiders, Red Deer Rebels and lastly, the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
On Friday, the Raiders will make their second trip to the Saddledome for the third of four meetings between the two teams. Both matches thus far have been tight affairs with Calgary outscoring Prince Albert 8-7.
Both Wiesblatt brothers have been terrific in each of their respective clubs’ victories, scoring twice apiece. Meanwhile, Wiesblatt and Aliaksei Protas have both quietly maintained top-20 point totals. The Raiders have not lost in regulation in 11 games, while also entering the week on a three-game win streak. Calgary’s biggest challenge against Prince Albert could be scoring on a Raiders penalty kill which has managed to kill off 85 percent of its penalties while the Hitmen scored on just 1-of-10 man advantages on home ice this past week.
The Red Deer Rebels will then host the Hitmen on Saturday for the fourth contest between the two in just 15 days. The last three games between the two clubs have seen overwhelming dominance from the Calgary side. The Hitmen have managed to outscore the Rebels 15-4 while outshooting Red Deer by 26 in that stint.
Finally, the Hitmen will return to the Saddledome on Sunday to battle the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
The Hurricanes currently sit eight points ahead of Calgary although the Hitmen have a game in hand. The Hurricanes have returned to full force with Dylan Cozens and Calen Addison back in the lineup. The two stars were healthy scratches in the last meeting between the two teams due to recently returning from the World Junior Championships. Cozens has torn it up as of late with eight goals and seven assists since his return, while Calen Addison has 11 points in his last five.
Following this week, the Hitmen will host the Regina Pats before embarking on a five-game B.C Division trip.
The Hitlist:
- With an assist against Red Deer on Saturday, Riley Stotts reached the 100 assist milestone. The Toronto Maple Leafs prospect now has 169 career points (69 goals) in 231 career WHL games.
- With an assist in this past Saturday’s game against the Winnipeg Ice, Josh Prokop set a new career high in 19 fewer games than his rookie season (2018/19). Prokop now has 12 goals and 18 helpers for 30 points. His point total is good for sixth in Hitmen scoring.
