Chenier excited to face former team

By Lethbridge Herald on January 16, 2026.

Nathan Reiter

Lethbridge Herald

Oli Chenier won’t have to wait long to face his former team for the first time.

The Lethbridge Hurricanes acquired Chenier back on Jan. 5 ahead of the WHL trade deadline from the Prince Albert Raiders in exchange for a fourth round pick in the upcoming 2026 WHL Prospects Draft. 

Lethbridge (12-30-0-1) will host the Raiders (29-6-4-0) on Friday night at the VisitLethbridge.com Arena and it will be the first time that Chenier has faced his former club since the deal.

In an interview with the Herald, Chenier says he is looking forward to playing against a lot of his former teammates.

“I was playing with some of my best friends. It’s going to be a little different looking up in warmups and during the game and seeing those guys, but I’m really excited. Hopefully we can give them a good test. Obviously, they’re a pretty good squad right now and I’m really excited for it.”

In 34 games this season split between the Raiders and Hurricanes, Chenier has tallied three goals and 10 assists. As a 16-year-old with the Raiders during the 2023-24 season, Chenier recorded a career high 11 goals and 22 points.

Hurricane assistant coach Ryan Aasman says he thinks there’s potential for Chenier to reach that level again in Lethbridge.

“We saw a guy that as a 16-year-old really popped, played hard and has some skill. Last year didn’t go the way he wanted to, so a fresh look was needed and he’s a guy that’s getting more and more comfortable everyday. I think you can use him in multiple situations, he can be a power play guy and kill penalties. Seems like he’s got a good brain on him, but we just really like the way that he competes.”

Throughout the season, the Raiders have made several moves to bolster their forward core with the additions of Maddix McCagherty from Wenatchee, Brandon Gorzynski from Calgary and a blockbuster acquisition of Vancouver Canucks prospect Braeden Cootes from the Seattle Thunderbirds.

As a result of the increased depth, there was no opportunity for Chenier to play a major role in the Prince Albert lineup.

In an interview with Nick Nielsen of paNOW, Raider general manager Curtis Hunt says the move is an opportunity for Chenier to play a bigger role then he would have had in Prince Albert.

“With Oli, I think when it was laid out to him kind of the way it looked for us moving forward, he had chosen that it would be better for him to maybe look at a new opportunity. We were able to facilitate that quite quickly, and we certainly wish him the best as moves forward in his career as well.”

Chenier was originally a third round pick by the Raiders in 2022, taken with the 60th overall selection. During his two and a half seasons in Hockeytown North, the Winnipeg product quickly became a fan favorite for his fearless style of play.

Despite knowing that he could be on the move, Chenier says being traded for the first time in his WHL career was a tough pill to swallow. 

“I saw it coming, but at the same time it just didn’t really feel real at first. You spend two and a half years whether it’s from billet families and just growing bonds with the guys there. It’s pretty weird but these guys here have made it really easy for me to come in and they’ve taken me in like one of their own so I’m really grateful for the organization.”

In four games in a Hurricane sweater, Chenier has yet to be able to record a point for Lethbridge and has recorded a minus-four rating in that time. He says he wants to be a player that the Hurricanes can count on moving forward.

“The boys have been really welcoming so far, and we’ve got a good group of guys. They made it pretty easy on me. We got a really young team here, so I’m hoping to make an impact on those young guys. I want to be a difference maker. I want to be that guy that my coach can count on, and I want to be playing the big moments.”

Puck drop between the Hurricanes and Raiders is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday night at the VisitLethbridge.com Arena. 

ICINGS:

The Hurricanes also announced that former Stanley Cup champions Mike Commodore and Andre Roy will headline their 2026 Celebrity Dinner which takes place next month.

Commodore spent 11 seasons in the NHL with New Jersey, Calgary, Carolina, Ottawa and Columbus posting 106 points and 638 penalty minutes in 484 regular season games.

Roy appeared in 515 NHL games over 11 seasons with Boston, Ottawa, Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh and Calgary.