(Courtesy: Medicine Hat Tigers)

By Jesse Gill, Eli J. Ridder

Medicine Hat Tigers draft forward with first round pick, make multiple trades

May 9, 2024 | 2:30 PM

The Medicine Hat Tigers had a busy day at the draft.

The Medicine Hat Tigers drafted St. Albert, Alta. forward Luke Ruptash on Thursday in the first round, 16th overall, during the Western Hockey League Prospects Draft.

FOLLOW: 2024 WHL Prospect Draft Tracker

Ruptash played with the St. Albert Raiders U-15 AAA team in the Alberta Elite Hockey League for the past two seasons.

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Ruptash put up 28 goals, 29 assists, and 57 points in 29 games in the 2023-24 regular season to go with 95 penalty minutes.

Bobby Fox, Tigers director of player personnel, gave a break down of Ruptash’s game.

“Ruptash is a prototypical power forward with game-breaking abilities,” Fox said.

“He is a relentless force on the ice, with a mix of skill, competitiveness, and physicality.”

Ruptash was a key contributor in the Raiders provincial championship win.

Willie Desjardins, Tigers head coach and general manager, said Ruptash is a good forward, with good speed, really good skill, plays with some grit, and a guy that’d be a really good Tiger.

“We just like his attitude and when the game gets tough he starts even playing better, so he’s the type of guy that we want to bring into our lineup,” Desjardins said.

In the first deal Tigers traded away 2005-born defenseman Reid Andresen and a third-round pick in the 2025 draft for 2006-born defenseman Jonas Woo of the Wenatchee Wild.

Woo had 34 points in 68 games with the Wild last season.

“Woo plays hard, works hard. Kind of a guy we want for sure,” said Desjardins.

“Reid Andresen, he was a high pick for us. Really smart defenseman. Moved the puck well. I just think we were trying to maybe look at getting a little bigger, but he did a great job with us,” Desjardins said.

“We just had to make some moves if we’re going to get maybe a little bigger and a little younger too,” he added.

“We wanted to get some defensemen, 18-year-olds, because they’re with us two years. Reid was 19, so he’d be a one-year guy. Could be a 20, but we wanted to get a couple 18-year-old guys.”

The next deal sent team captain and 2004 born forward Tyler MacKenzie to the Everett Silvertips for a 2024 third-round pick, 64th overall.

Desjardins had praise for the Tigers former captain MacKenzie calling him outstanding.

“He’d been with us through some tough times. He was one of the guys we could always count on. He was with us and did a great job leading the last two years with this group. Always cared about the team first,” Desjardins said.

“When you talk like that, some people say, well then why did you trade him? Because you know he’s such a character guy for us. Last year we had Owen McNeil and the same thing happened and then Owen didn’t get a spot and I just didn’t want that to happen to Tyler this year,” he added.

“I didn’t know exactly where he’d fit in, but it wasn’t worth taking a chance that he wasn’t going to get a spot in the league. Everett wanted him. It’s a first-class organization, you know a great place to play and I couldn’t tell him exactly what he was going to get.”

The youth coming into the lineup was another reason Desjardins said they made the move.

“I didn’t know how much ice time he would get and so it was a real tough choice, but I thought it was fair to him to do it now,” Desjardins said.

“It’s something we had to do to move him forward. I wasn’t sure where he’d fit in. That was a hard one.”

The Tigers then brought in 2006 born defenseman Bryce Pickford from the Seattle Thunderbirds for the 2024 third-round pick they had acquired, along with second, third and fifth round picks in 2025, as well as a conditional fifth-round pick in 2027.

Pickford was a member of the Thunderbirds during their 2023 WHL championship season and battling in out with Woo in the WHL finals when the Wenatchee Wild organization was still the Winnipeg Ice.

Head Coach Willie Desjardins speaks to CHAT News. (Eli J. Ridder/CHAT News)

Pickford had 17 points in 65 games with the Thunderbirds last season.

“Pickford’s got lots of character, good with the puck,” said Desjardins.

“Both those guys [Woo and Pickford] played with teams that they were on good runs with, so they have playoff experience for us, which is something we want.”

Pickford is also the older brother of Tigers prospect Reilly Pickford who the team acquired from the Thunderbirds last season in a deal where they traded out Cru Hanas.

The next deal was also a major one as they brought in Swift Current Broncos 2004 born forward Mathew Ward for a 2024 second-round pick, 2027 third-round pick and a 2028 fourth-round pick.

Ward had 55 points in only 43 games last season with the Broncos.

“Ward was a guy we got today.That wasn’t in the plans early. It kind of fell into place as the day went on, and I wasn’t expecting to add a 20 [year old], but he’s such a good player that we had no choice but to bring him in as well,” Desjardins said.

“He’s always been one of the leading scorers in the league, so that’s a big day for our program, those guys that we brought in.”

With the Tigers next pick in the draft in the fourth round, 83rd overall they selected North Vancouver, B.C. goaltender Cash Christie from St. George’s School U-15 Prep program in the Canadian Sports Schools Hockey League.

In the fifth round the Tigers had a pair of picks taking Sherwood Park, Alta. defenseman Zack Nieckar, 97th overall and Winnipeg, Man. forward Noah Alexander, 105th overall.

With their seventh round pick the Tigers went with a player who spent some time playing locally this past season.

Jude Martin, a six-foot-three inch, defenseman from Oyen, Alta. played the majority of the season in the Central Alberta Hockey League with Oyen, but also affiliated for eight games with the South East Athletic Club Tigers U-15 AA team putting up six points in eight games.

Martin is the younger brother of Prince Albert Raiders forward Grady Martin, an alumni of the SEAC Tigers program.

In the eight round, 149th overall defenseman Kayne Wright of Edmonton, Alta. was picked.

The ninth round had a pair of picks with Rocky Mountain House, Alta. forward Tayte Hoiland taken 181th overall and Valencia, Calif. defenceman Kingston King drafted with the 193rd pick.

With their 10th round pick, 215th overall the Tigers selected a player with a familiar last name, Devon Zahara out of Edmonton, Alta.

There is no known relation to Tigers goaltender Zach Zahara.

The Tigers passed on their next three picks in rounds 11, 12 and 13.

“Bobby’s staff has done an outstanding job,” Desjardins said.

“You know they’ve gone to tournaments all year and watched them, so we’re pretty happy with the selections.”

In the WHL U.S. Priority draft on Wednesday the Tigers made a pair of selections taking Centennial, Co. forward Owen Hayes 16th overall and Grand Forks, N.D. forward Nolan Marto 38th overall.