Lethbridge Hurricanes reflect on 2024/25 season
Following a stellar, NHL-best regular season, the Winnipeg Jets are battling the St. Louis Blues in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and an unlikely reinforcement has been recalled to their roster.
Brayden Yager tallied 84 points in 54 regular season games for the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Moose Jaw Warriors this season in the Western Hockey League.
However, following the Hurricanes' season ending at the hands of the Medicine Hat Tigers, Yager was called up to his NHL squad.
It's a bright spot on a campaign filled with big trades, big wins and big losses.
The Hurricanes went all in this season, coming up short in the Eastern Conference Championship against their Highway 3 rivals.
'Extremely proud of every guy in that room for the effort we put in over the year. Very proud to be teammates with them,' said Logan McCutcheon, a fifth-year defenceman for the Hurricanes.
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He spent his entire WHL career in Lethbridge, crediting the team, city and fans with helping him grow as both a player and person.
'It's been an unbelievable five years and I can't thank everyone enough.'
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He was one the allotted players at age 20 on the roster, meaning his time in Lethbridge has come to an end.
'I'll look back at (Lethbridge) extremely positively. That's a lot thanks to the people, the management, staff, my teammates, everybody. I think that they've made my time here extremely special.'
McCutcheon's future will soon be made clear, with the team preparing an exciting announcement for next week.
However, he's not the only player who already laced up his skates for the final time in the league.
'I have countless memories. Lots of friendships made, lifelong friendships that I still text, still reach out from people that I played with in my first year. So, just all the friendships you make, all the memories you make along the way, I think it's huge,' said forward Brayden Edwards.
In 65 regular season games, Edwards put up 77 points this season, helping lead the team to their deepest playoff run since 2018.
He says he's proud of where the team finished, even if the ultimate goal to win the Memorial Cup wasn't achieved.
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'Obviously (Medicine Hat is) one of the top teams in the league, so defending their top line and their top guys is tough. We struggled a bit with that, but thought we put up a good fight, especially in the last two games.'
The team's head coach, Bill Peters, says it's tough to lose these players, but he's happy to have been able to work with them.
'Some guys are aging out, 20-year-olds are leaving, some 19-year-olds are turning pro and you have to continue to develop. It's not a linear process, it's one where you have to dig in, then you plateau a little bit, then you dig in again and you have to continue to get better and be open-minded. Our guys were really open to being coached and did a good job.'
One of the leaders of the Hurricanes this season was captain Noah Chadwick, a prospect in the Toronto Maple Leafs system. He says it was an honour to wear the 'C' on his chest this year.
'We definitely took a step in the right direction and I'm happy to have been a part in leading the team there.'
However, he says the fans who filled the visitlethbridge.com Arena deserve all the credit for an incredible season.
'Thank you to every fan and everyone in this city for making it special, not only for me, but for everyone.'
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