Bears’ new lines see all three NHL draft picks together

In hindsight, the Golden Bears hockey team’s 4-3 loss to the Grant MacEwan University Griffins on January 3, was just that — a one-time loss for a team struggling to re-connect.

Case-in-point, handing a weekend sweep to the University of Calgary Dinos — another middle of the pack team — just one week later, now paints the struggling Bears in a promising light.

So what’s changed?

The Bears’ 5-2 win on January 4 against the Griffins, propelled by new-and-improved offensive lines, was the final push by head coach Ian Herbers to “make [teams] chase us,” — and it worked.

“We did a good job of playing in their zone and didn’t give them the chance to wear us down,” Bears defensemen Marc Lajoie said.

Defensive lines stay the same, offensive lines see improvement

Aside from a slight deficit on the Bears’ second defensive line, there’s not much to say about the otherwise offensive group.

They man the line into giving up only 2.45 goals against per game. Added with Tyler Palmer’s top three 1.93 goals against average in Canada West, the Bears have defence locked down.

Instead, it was bad forward chemistry led by Brett Hyland, Sean Tschigerl and Captain Josh Prokop’s previously successful, but now out-of-order line, which partly resulted in the Bears’ first loss of 2025.

To combat the out of character performance, Herbers moved Prokop from the third to first line, and Connor McClennon from second to third with Hyland and Tschigerl. This indirectly put all three National Hockey League (NHL) draft picks together.

They’ve since combined for 28 points in a five game win-streak, adding to an already successful pairing.

But as far as chemistry goes, “[McClennon] fits great. He’s an amazing player so I think he could play with anyone,” according to Hyland. And he did.

Why didn’t we think of this before?

During that awkward phase where Hyland was injured but Tschigerl was still playing, the goal was to maintain the Hyland-Tschigerl-Prokop line for as long as possible. The left-wingers that subbed in, often on rotation, were good, but never consistent.

McClennon, with a hat trick on November 22, wasn’t quite strong enough on the forecheck to out-muscle guys in the corner. Why? That was Hyland’s job, and at 5’8, you really can’t blame the guy.

But hey, something clicked, and to go from right to left-wing and back again suggests that maybe McClennon adapted into a more important role than we initially gave him credit for.

He had an amazing final season in the Western Hockey League (WHL), totalling 92 points in 64 games. He then messed around in the pros for a little bit, ultimately deciding to join the Bears. As a sixth-round draft pick to the Philadelphia Flyers, it’s not a bad choice.

Hyland with the Washington Capitals and Tschigerl with the Anaheim Ducks, found themselves in similar positions, totalling 59 points in 66 games and 62 in 63, respectively. They still lead in points and goals per game, but it’s hard to say the lineup as a whole hasn’t improved.

The trickle down has benefited all lines

Instead of one offensively dominant line, the Bears’ recent sweep over the Dinos and Regina Cougars came from a strong four line effort against some pretty physical teams thanks to lines with these core components.

First, Prokop played with Eric Flurchuk, a strong pair from previous years and the Bears’ injury rotation — adding some chemistry to the Bears’ leading line.

Second, Justin Hall’s line will either keep up their dazzling performance, turning three goals and two assists into two shorthanded goals over two weeks. Or they’ll return to strong role player status, while never quite forgetting how to score.

Then there’s the classic NHL draft line that’s always willing to create scoring opportunities and permanently lives on the Canada West leading board.

And finally, the reliably consistent, most likely to change, fourth line manned by Ty Nash, and other rotational players. There’s not much to say about a group full of potential that’s now on the up, with plenty of games to practice.