Canes have good learning experience on tough East Division road trip

By Lethbridge Herald on December 15, 2025.

Photo by Jason Kerr/ Prince Albert Daily Herald Photo by Jason Kerr/ Prince Albert Daily Herald Lethbridge Hurricanes forward Kai Anderson (right) keeps an eye on Prince Albert Raiders forward Maddix McCagherty (left) at the Art Hauser Centre on Saturday, Dec. 13.

By Justin Seward

Lethbridge Herald

The Lethbridge Hurricanes are a coming off a difficult East Division road trip where they dropped all three games and was yet another learning opportunity of what they need to do to compete in the  WHL.

The Canes (10-22-0-1) opened the trip with a 7-3 defeat to Brandon Wheat Kings on Dec. 10, followed by an 8-3 loss to the Saskatoon Blades on Friday and finished with a 5-1 loss to the Prince Albert Raiders on Saturday.

“Good learning experience for our young group on how tough the league can be,” said Ryan Aasman, Canes assistant coach.

The road trip’s timing of being close to Christmas break played a factor.

“It tested our focus and will to compete definitely at times,” said Aasman.

The road swing saw players having to step up after the trade of captain Logan Wormald last week.

“It forced other guys, especially (with) how close it was to the Wormald trade, to … step up and get used to playing some minutes that they weren’t used to playing before.”

The Canes need to pay more attention to  defensive zone details after surrendering 20 goals on the trip.

“It’s keeping pucks to the outside and taking care of (the) front of the net,” said Aasman.

“That needs to be harder and it needs to get harder as we go. And it’s minimizing speed through the neutral zone with your neutral zone forecheck (and) making it hard for them to skate through you.”

“I think there’s some games where we just didn’t get the greatest bounces when it came to luck and then there’s other games where we just didn’t work hard enough in the ‘D’ (defensive) zone,” said forward Kai Anderson.

Defenceman Carsen Adair did not see a reason to panic after the team’s defensive play on the trip.

“We still gotta great core,” said Adair.

“We’re still young and we’re bound to make mistakes but I think that we need to turn it around in  the second half.”

Aasman said details are big, when asked about what the team can work on from the trip.

“Your competitive spirit has to be there all the time and it has to happen every shift,” said Aasman.

“Everybody wants opportunity and everybody wants to play more minutes. It’s how you take advantage of that opportunity when you have it with how you play.”

Adair did not think the team had a great compete level.

“There was a lot of times where we were turning pucks over in places that we shouldn’t,” said Adair.

“I think our special teams need to be better. But all-in-all I think that there needs to be a place  that we  start and this is it. So, it could only get better from here.”

The Canes play their last game before the Christmas break at home against the Edmonton Oil Kings tonight.

 “I think puck management’s a big one for us,” said Aasman.

“Our transitional play has to be connected and then we have to manage the puck through the neutral zone.”

Adair sees the team needing to harder effort against Edmonton.

“We need to compete better, I think we need to have a better start and be able to finish games,” said Adair.