By Zach Amin

Rookies stepping up with injuries on the rise

Feb 5, 2018 | 4:33 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – The Medicine Hat Tigers are relying on rookies to step up as injuries pile up.

With six key guys out of the line up, the Tigers will need rookies such as Henry Rybinski to step in and play some quality minutes. Rybinski was bumped to the top line during the road trip, the Vancouver native has one goal and eight assists in 47 games this season.

“He’s a great young player, he’s going to be huge for the Tiger’s team in the future,” says Medicine Hat Tigers captain Mark Rassell. “He’s really good in the offensive zone, a smart guy on the ice. I like playing with him on the left side.”

Florida Panthers draft pick Linus Nassen has missed a month with a broken arm. Redcliff-native Dylan MacPherson has seen more minutes and was matched up with David Quenneville on the top powerplay unit.

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“Being out there more is a big confidence boost,” says defenseman Dylan MacPherson. “With Nassen being out, I got some time on the top powerplay line, Being out there with (Quenneville) and just loading him up for the one timer, which was good. And then once he came back he took the top and then powerplay two got rolling.”

Local product MacPherson played with the SEAC Tigers Midget AAA team from 2014-2016 before making the jump to the WHL. He has 3 goals and 15 assists in 52 games this season with the Medicine Hat Tigers.

To make matters worse, starting goaltender Jordan Hollett didn’t travel back with the team, after leaving Saturday’s 5-4 loss in Vancouver with a lower body injury. 

“I don’t have a time table for him as of yet, I think we will find that out in the next couple days as he sees doctors,” said assistant coach Bobby Fox. “It looked liked Ronning might’ve got the tongue of his skate trapped with the top of the pad and it was just a little freak thing. Just the speed off the rush and you could tell right away in the video that he wasn’t himself.”

Bobby Fox says they are looking into calling in 15-year-old goaltender Garin Bjorklund, while Kaeden Lane has also been contacted in lue of Hollett’s injury. 

“We’re just sorting that out trying to work with their club teams and making sure they’re all coming up towards playoffs,” added Fox. “We want to make sure we are not hurting those teams in the process. We will probably have more of an update in a day.”

Bjorklund, selected by the Tigers 22nd overall in the 2017 Bantam Draft, has a 1.92 goals against average and a .913 save percentage in 15 games with the Calgary Buffaloes Midget AAA team of the Alberta Midget Hockey League.

16-year-old Kaeden Lane, signed by the Tigers during the 2017 pre-season, has a 1.44 goals against average and .946 save percentage in 16 games with the Burnaby Winter Club Midget-15 Prep club.

The Medicine Hat Tigers will look to end a four game slide against the Edmonton Oil Kings this Wednesday at the Canalta Centre (7:00 p.m). The Lethbridge Hurricanes are all of a sudden just three points back in the standings with two games in hand.