Heger looking to prove himself with Hurricanes

By Lethbridge Herald on January 14, 2026.

Nathan Reiter

Lethbridge Herald

It’s not often that the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Medicine Hat Tigers link up for a trade, but that’s what happened ahead of the WHL trade deadline last week.

On Wednesday Jan. 8, the Hurricanes shipped 19-year-old forward Luke Cozens to the Tigers in exchange for 18-year-old defenceman Kyle Heger. The teams also swapped conditional fourth round picks in 2028 as part of the deal.

Heger made his Hurricane debut last Wednesday against the Seattle Thunderbirds at the VisitLethbridge.com Arena, not even 24 hours after he arrived in Lethbridge.

Heger says the entire experience of being traded from Medicine Hat was a whirlwind. 

“It was new for sure. I’ve never traded before, so it happened all really quick. I think I found out (around) four and then I got here at 10 at night and then played the next day. My first day at the rink was a game, so it was super quick. New coaches, new teammates, new everything so obviously it’s a lot. Every day gets better because (of) the adjustment, being around the guys and everything. I definitely started to feel more comfy but it was definitely a little crazy.”

Prior to the trade, Heger skated in 35 games for the Tigers registering five goals and 10 assists from the blue line. In three games as a Hurricane, Heger has recorded two assists both coming on the road over the weekend.

Hurricane assistant coach Ryan Aasman says Heger has plenty of tools to be an effective player at the WHL level for Lethbridge. 

“Kyle’s been a high-end guy since he was a little kid. He’s played at a lot of prestigious tournaments and been an NCAA commitment for a long time. You knew you were getting a D man that was super high IQ, has good feet, is a real good problem solver and a legit power play quarterback that makes flankers better and get some pucks with space. He’s been a very coachable kid and I think there’s a lot of leadership tendencies with him as well.”

With the Tigers returning five defencemen from the team that won an Ed Chynoweth Cup and made a run to the Memorial Cup final a year ago, there wasn’t as much ice time available for Heger in Medicine Hat. 

Heger says he has enjoyed the opportunity he has been given in Lethbridge so far. 

“(I’m) super thankful for the spot they’ve put me in so far. I think it’s a good opportunity to grow and really show my game. Medicine Hat is a great team, but they put me in a really good position here to really prove my game and put my best foot forward here.” 

Heger immediately jumped into power play duties for the Hurricanes, taking several shifts on the top unit . Lethbridge currently sits 19th in the WHL with a power play converting at a proficiency of 18.1 percent. 

The Hurricanes have utilized Nathan Maloney and Will Scott as defencemen on the man advantage as of recently. Aasman says Heger will provide another asset for Lethbridge with the extra skater. 

“It’s nice to have a little bit of a different look on the power play. Those guys did a good job and are still power play guys, whether they’re on the first unit or the second unit, but with Heger you can tell it’s just a natural ability to be deceptive at the top. He’s also a shooting threat and very smart in terms of manipulating the PK to put the puck to somebody that’s got some space and something to work with. We’ve been fortunate over the years to have Noah Chadwick that was built that way and ran our power play for two or three years that was really good.  (Caden) Price coming in last year can do the same stuff and Kyle has the abilities to do those things.”

At the start of the season, Heger was given a ‘B’ grade by NHL Central Scouting indicating a second or third round selection. In the mid-term rankings released on Monday, Heger was ranked 67th amongst North American skaters. Two other Hurricanes got named in the mid-term report with forward Gavin Lesiuk ranked at 177 and rearguard Nathan Maloney at 220. 

“I’m super thankful and grateful to have been on that spot.” Heger said. “At the same time, it’s temporary. It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. At the end of the day, you want to get your name called in June when the draft happens. Just whatever you got to do to put your best foot forward and get better every single day.”

Heger grew up in Eagan, Minnesota which is located in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area, smack dab in the middle of college hockey country. Heger has an NCAA commitment with the Western Michigan University Broncos. 

He was drafted into the WHL by Medicine Hat in the seventh round of the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft, 135th overall. He is in his first full season in the WHL after spending last year with Shattuck St. Mary’s U18 Prep team where he posted 13 goals and 70 assists in 88 total games. Heger dressed in one game last season for the Muskegon Lumberjacks in the United States Hockey League (USHL).

Heger says he likely wouldn’t be in the WHL today if not for the NCAA rule change.

“I always knew about the Western Hockey League. That wasn’t really on my eye, to be completely honest with you. I was definitely thinking about going to the USHL. It’s always been a dream to play college hockey and the western league is great. As soon as I heard about the rule change, it really opened my eyes. I really thought it’d be the best thing, most beneficial for me to really grow my game and take that stride.”

The Hurricanes are in action Wednesday when they host the Red Deer Rebels at the VisitLethbridge.com Arena. Puck drops at 7 p.m.