Everything you need to know about the 2025/26 Lethbridge Hurricanes – Lethbridge
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The Western Hockey League’s regular season begins Friday for the Lethbridge Hurricanes as they take on the Calgary Hitmen at home in Lethbridge.
Last season, the Hurricanes advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals in the WHL playoffs, falling in four games to Highway 3 rivals, the Medicine Hat Tigers, who would go on to defeat Spokane and win the league championship.
It was a strong playoff push that was aided by several trades for older players. For the 2025/26 edition of the Hurricanes, that means several players aged out or received calls up to the NHL or their affiliate teams.
This included captain Noah Chadwick, a Toronto Maple Leafs prospect who will not return to the VisitLethbridge.com Arena this season.
As a result, a new captain was needed. This was a quick decision, however, for the head coach.
“I told (Logan Wormald) back in May that he was going to be the captain,” said Matt Anholt, head coach of the Lethbridge Hurricanes. “It took a bit of time to announce it because we wanted to do it when we were all in town here, but he’s a Hurricane through and through. Five-year guy, he’s done it the right way.”
That’s another big change, too. Anholt was an assistant coach last season to Bill Peters, a former NHL bench boss with the Calgary Flames and Carolina Hurricanes.
Anholt, son of Lethbridge Hurricanes general manager Peter Anholt, was promoted in June when Peters made the move to Europe to coach the Augsburger Panther in the German Deutche Eishockey Liga.
Even with all the changes, Anholt says the team is eager to start the new campaign.
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“I think our mentality throughout training camp and preseason was just, get a little cleaner and get a little better each day. I think we did that. Our last game against Calgary in the preseason showed it. We had a really good week of work that led up to this weekend and we’re all really excited.”
He wasn’t the only coaching change, however. Torrin White and Matt Weninger joined the coaching staff, while Ryan Aasman was another returnee.
“I think there’s been lots of good little things with those guys, just new ideas. (White and Weninger) came from good programs over their time. It’s good for me and (Aasman) to learn how they do things as well. There’s been lots of cohesiveness in the coaching staff for sure,” said Anholt.
For Wormald, the new locker room leader, it’s been a good off-season with a strong vibe, but the work will really begin once they hit the ice in front of the fans.
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“Everyone is meshing really well, no problems at all yet. So, we’re excited to get in this first game and see how that goes.”
The Hurricanes topped the Calgary Hitmen 7-1 in their final pre-season game on Sept. 13, which Wormald says was needed for the team’s confidence.
“Definitely huge. Especially having all those younger guys come in and guys from those different leagues, to win that game and get some confidence out of that will, I feel like, definitely be a big help.”
Shane Smith, Matteo Fabrizi and Luke Cozens will join Wormald as part of the player leadership as the trio of alternate captains.
Wormald says Lethbridge has “the best fans in the league,” and their support is also crucial to the team, which isn’t a hyperbole.
The Hurricanes recorded $1.1 million in profit, well above their revenue expectations. In part, it was due to the average attendance climbing to nearly 3,800 fans per game.
For Kai Anderson, a forward on the opening day roster, hitting the ice in front of the fans will be an exciting moment.
“Been a long preseason and we’re ready to get things started. (There is) a lot of energy in the room and can’t wait to get things going with the big rivalry versus Calgary.”
Anderson played in just five regular-season games last season, so he’s likely stepping into a larger role this year. However, he says he hasn’t change his offseason routine too much.
“Same old, same old. Lots of training, lots of ice. Good preparation to get the strength in.”
He put up five points in just three games played during the preseason, already showing growth.
The Hurricanes entire 23-man roster is as follows;
Goaltenders:
#30 Koen Cleaver
#31 Leif Oaten
Defencemen:
#2 Carson Olsen
#3 Will Scott
#4 Carsen Adair
#5 Grady Pichette
#8 Nathan Maloney
#23 Matteo Fabrizi
#24 Tomas Malinek
Forwards:
#9 Kade Duell
#10 Shane Smith
#11 Luke Cozens
#12 Tyden Lafournaise
#13 Enzo DiDomenicantonio
#14 Jake Evans
#16 Easton Daneault
#17 Kai Anderson
#18 Logan Wormald
#20 Chase Petersen
#21 Mykolas Skadauskas
#22 Hudson Kibblewhite
#27 Gavin Lesiuk
#28 Lukas Lima
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