McKenna looks for first goal as Medicine Hat battles Brandon on TSN+
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The CHL on TSN kicks off its 2024-25 coverage on Friday as Gavin McKenna and the Medicine Hat Tigers go up against Roger McQueen and the Brandon Wheat Kings.
Watch Medicine Hat take on Brandon LIVE at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT with a subscription to TSN+.
Medicine Hat comes into this season off a 2023-24 campaign that saw them finish fourth in the Western Hockey League’s Eastern Conference with a 37-23-8 record. They would go on to lose to the Red Deer Rebels in five games in the first round of the WHL playoffs.
They were led by super rookie McKenna who led the team with 34 goals and 97 points in 61 games as a 16-year-old.
The Tigers have started show this season, but are coming off a 3-0 victory over the Rebels on Wednesday for their second win of the campaign. Calgary Flames prospect Andrew Basha had the game winner while forward Markus Ruck and defenceman Matt Paranych scored insurance goals for the Tigers.
Harrison Meneghin picked up the shutout, making all 24 saves in his second game as a Tiger. The Tampa Bay Lightning prospect was acquired from the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Oct. 5 in exchange for 19-year-old forward Shane Smith.
Meneghin went 27-20-5 last season in Lethbridge with a .919 save percentage and 2.59 goals-against average and was named a Central Division first-team all-star. This season the 6-foot-4 netminder is 1-2-0 with a .913 save percentage and 2.40 GAA in three appearances.
After McKenna spent the summer as a dominating force for Canada by registering six goals and nine points in five games to take home a Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, the 6-foot winger has yet to find the back of the net this season.
However, McKenna leads the Tigers in scoring with eight assists in six games, followed closely by defenceman Bryce Pickford with two goals and six points.
The Wheat Kings come into this season after finishing 33-28-7, which was good for sixth place in the Eastern Conference. They went on to fall to the eventual WHL champion Moose Jaw Warriors in first-round sweep.
Brandon is led by 2025 NHL top prospect Roger McQueen, who is tied with Vancouver Giants forward Cameron Schmidt with eight goals in the league’s goal scoring race. The 6-foot-5 centre is coming off a season that saw him score 21 goals and 51 points in 53 games. TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button placed McQueen as No. 5 on his September list while TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie listed him as No. 6 in his preseason rankings.
The Wheat Kings are tied at the top of the East Division with the Saskatoon Blades with a 4-2-1 record. They are coming off a 4-1 loss to the Everett Silvertips on Tuesday that saw forward Ben Binder Nord score the lone goal for Brandon.
Philadelphia Flyers prospect Carson Bjarnason took the loss after making 40 of 43 saves. The 6-foot-3 netminder went 24-17-5 last season with a .907 save percentage and 3.01 GAA, which was good enough to be named an East Division second-team all-star.
This season, Bjarnason has gone 1-2-0 with a 2.71 GAA and .930 in three appearances.
The CHL on TSN returns on Sunday when the Sherbrooke Phoenix take on the Halifax Mooseheads in a QMJHL battle, which can be seen LIVE at 2 p.m. ET/ 11 a.m. PT with a subscription to TSN+.