Berge providing steady veteran presence for Hurricanes

By Lethbridge Herald on January 22, 2026.

Nathan Reiter

Lethbridge Herald

While the Lethbridge Hurricanes are one of the youngest teams in the WHL this season, they have received important veteran leadership from 19-year-old forward Owen Berge

Lethbridge acquired Berge from the Moose Jaw Warriors back on Oct. 27 in exchange for an eighth round pick in the 2028 WHL Prospects Draft. In 30 games as a Hurricane, Berge has posted nine goals and 12 assists.

Berge was a member of the 2024 Moose Jaw Warriors who won the Ed Chynoweth Cup by defeating the Portland Winterhawks in four straight games. Moose Jaw defeated Saskatoon in the Eastern Conference final in a series in which six of the seven games needed overtime, the only series in WHL history to achieve that feat. 

Berge, a product of Edmonton, says he welcomed the trade to Lethbridge.

“It was exciting. It’s always exciting coming back closer to home and in the home province where I can see my family a little more. I got some family down here in Lethbridge so it’s been nice to see them and everything. It’s been nice to get a fresh start and it was something I was looking for.”

With the Hurricanes dressing 13 rookies on some nights, Lethbridge was in desperate need of a veteran for the younger players to look to. Hurricane head coach Matt Anholt says Berge has been a welcome addition for the Hurricanes in that regard. 

“I think just the maturity, he was a part of a really good team in Moose Jaw when he started in the league and then he was a part of a little bit of a rebuild before he came here. He’s seen the trials and tribulations of the league. We lack maturity at times in our group. He’s one of the ones we’re really excited about and that’s why we gave him a letter. He just plays a 200 foot game, wins face offs for us on his right side. He plays both power play and penalty kill first unit. He’s been a do it all guy for us since we’ve acquired him. I think his letter speaks volumes of what he can do in the room, but also just what he can showcase on the ice and how to play correctly.”

Following the trade of Luke Cozens to Medicine Hat at the trade deadline, the Hurricane coaching staff named four players as alternate captains for the remainder of the season. Berge, along with Hudson Kibblewhite, Kayden Longley and Carsen Adair were all given letters.

Anholt says all four players do the little things correctly. 

“For the most part, it’s trying to put some ownership on guys trying to turn the corner here to maybe kickstart the rebuild in a way. Those four guys that we gave letters to really care a lot, but they also are competitive and they show up every day, they do the right things on and off the ice, they say the right things in the room, they say the right things in practice. They lead by example because they lead their own way and they lead their own way by leading themselves. All those four guys are very deserving and I think they’ll all have big second halves because of it.”

For the majority of his time in Lethbridge, Berge has been skating on a line alongside Kayden Longley who was acquired from Kelowna as part of the Shane Smith trade in November.

It’s not the first time the two have shared a line as they were teammates with the Northern Alberta Xtreme U18 program during the 2022-23 campaign.

“Me and Longley have always had some good chemistry.” Berge said. “We played together going back three years, so we’ve known each other pretty good and what each other likes to do on the ice. Laf has been a good addition with our line. He makes good plays, he’s got skill with them, so I think we’ve been able to gel pretty good and produce good for our team.”

The Hurricanes currently sit in 10th place in the Eastern Conference standings with a 12-32-0-1 record through their first 45 games of the season. While the Hurricanes are hoping for a late season playoff push this season, there are definitely some eyes on the future in Lethbridge.

Berge says he likes to help his younger teammates when they ask.

“I try to share my knowledge as much as possible, especially with the younger guys. You want to walk them into the league and give them some pointers when you can. Little things every now and then like face offs, maybe some things on the wall, some wall work stuff. For the most part, I kind of let them figure it out on their own and just be an open guy where they can come and talk to me if they ever need to.”

The Hurricanes are back in action on Friday night when they welcome the Regina Pats to the VisitLethbridge.com Arena. Puck drops at 7 p.m.