Rimouski, Que.- The book has closed on an unforgettable season for the Medicine Hat Tigers.
And while the WHL Champions fell just short in the Memorial Cup Final with a 4-1 loss to the OHL Champion London Knights, General Manager and Head Coach Willie Desjardins hopes his team can remember all the successes that led them to this stage.
“It stands out, the brotherhood,” Desjardins reflected. “Oasiz Wiesblatt, stands out about how much he cared about his teammates. It stands out when we won, how the guys went and cheered with the guys that weren’t playing. It stands out how excited the guys were for Harrison Meneghin to get a shut out in the first game against Swift Current, how they rallied behind him. Meneghin stands out for how hard he battled, for everything he’d been through to stay with our group and to play. We had a lot of challenges. But the boys were together, and they played for each other, and they’ve got to be proud of what they did.”
London Knights forward Easton Cowan was named the winner of the Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy as the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, while Tigers alternate captain Gavin McKenna and Nashville Predators prospect Tanner Molendyk were both named to the 2025 Memorial Cup All-Star team.
The well-rested Tigers, who last faced London on the second half of a back-to-back, came out of the gate firing everything on former Saskatoon Blades netminder Austin Elliott, though they were unable to solve the Strathmore, Alta. product.
Medicine Hat was up 10-4 in shots at the first TV timeout, including a fantastic Hunter St. Martin attempt on a rebound.
But the Knights dialed up the intensity after the break and hit paydirt as NHL Draft-eligible Henry Brzustewicz sprang Winnipeg Jets prospect Jacob Julien for a breakaway, where he pulled the puck to his backhand and poked it past the outstretched toe of Harrison Meneghin.
London carried the narrow lead into the second period and quickly capitalized again after Meneghin had his stick knocked away and Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Easton Cowan tapped the puck in.
Captain Denver Barkey made it 3-0 less than two minutes later after a Tigers turnover at the Knights’ blueline sprang Barkey for another breakaway.
The OHL Champions had another goal called back due to goaltender interference, but Barkey made it a moot point as he buried a powerplay tally to carry a 4-0 lead into the final frame.
WHL Player of the Year Gavin McKenna snapped Elliott’s shutout bid early in the final frame to give his team some life and he picked up the puck above the right faceoff dot, cut to the slot, and wired a shot high glove side to score the final goal of the 2025 Memorial Cup.
“(He) played a great game tonight,” Desjardins added. “Played both ways, worked hard. One thing he has is that he loves to win. He really, really does. I was proud of him tonight. He put a lot into that game, and it didn’t get negative; he stayed hard with his teammates, battled all the way, and that’s what you want from a guy that’s leading you.”
Meneghin made 20 of 24 saves in the loss, while Elliott posted 31 saves.
The match marks the final junior hockey game for graduating players Wiesblatt, Meneghin and forward Mathew Ward.
“Speaking for Ward, he made this team gel like nothing else,” Wiesblatt added. “He was the funny guy in the room, and he was just a guy who went to battle for the guys every night. Just so proud of him and he laid his heart on the line every time. Harry, I don’t know how he stays so strong. He’s also a glue guy in our room, and you know, you can kind of joke around, but you guys, you guys see how focused he can be and what an elite goalie he is. Those guys are just two incredible people.”
Meneghin is fresh off of signing a three-year, entry-level deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning, while Wiesblatt will join the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals and Ward is college-bound.
The Tigers still return to Alberta as WHL Champions and heroes of the community, with a special message for the fans.
“I’ve never seen it like this this year,” Wiesblatt said of the fan support. “It’s been so special, and they’ve just been the back beat. We saw them in the second period, when they put them on the Jumbotron, it definitely gave us some energy. Their support has been unbelievable, and they’re great people, and they just love hockey, and they’re just so passionate about their teams.
We’re gonna be back, and we’re gonna be cheering on the next Tigers.”
Now, several Tigers look ahead to the 2025 NHL Entry Draft.
Defenceman Bryce Pickford, who set a modern WHL record for goals in consecutive playoff games by a defenceman with 10 lamp-lighters in eight games, is ranked 100th among all North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting, while forward Kadon McCann is ranked 116th.
The draft will take place on June 27 and 28 in Los Angeles, California.
Who has been the Medicine Hat Tigers MVP of the 2025 Memorial Cup?
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Who has been the Medicine Hat Tigers MVP of the 2025 Memorial Cup?
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