Tomas Mrsic during an inter-squad game at Raiders training camp on Saturday. (Mark Peterson/Prince Albert Raiders-Facebook)

By Nick Nielsen

New guy in town

Getting to know the Raiders: Tomas Mrsic

Aug 31, 2024 | 4:00 PM

The latest acquisition the Raiders made before the start of the 2024-25 season, 19-year-old forward Tomas Mrsic comes to the Raiders from the Medicine Hat Tigers.

Hailing from Surrey, B.C., Mrsic was brought to Prince Albert in another blockbuster trade that saw the Raiders also acquire third round draft picks in 2025 and 2028 in exchange for fellow 2006-born forward Ryder Ritchie.

Listed at 6’0” and 170lbs, Mrsic is known around the league for his overall versatility and his ability to play and contribute anywhere on the ice. His main weapons, however, are his speed and his shot, particularly how he is able to use his stick and his reach to bring his shot out from deceptive angles.

“I think I’m a high skilled, fast player. I like to play fast, I also play a 200 foot game, I think I have a really good shot and hockey IQ.”

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In his second year in the WHL, Mrsic’s offensive production nearly tripled from the year before. He went from a 9G-14A-23P in 58 games debut season to a nearly point per game pace in year two at 23G-39A-62P in 63 games.

“I think a lot of it was just confidence and learning more about my game. I also had a big summer before that. First half, I wasn’t the greatest, I kind of had a slow start but that second half I grew a lot and had a good second half of the season.”

During the summer, Mrsic was selected 113th overall in the fourth round of the NHL Entry Draft to the St. Louis Blues. Mrsic was at The Sphere in Las Vegas for the draft, and he said he was confident that he would be going even as the halfway point of day two came.

“The whole thing was a great experience and having it in Vegas was a blast. I hadn’t been to Vegas before, my whole family came, and then a couple days before the draft, I had a meeting with the Blues so I kind of had an idea that I would go to the Blues. Didn’t really know where in the draft. I was at the first day, that was cool. I got to see a couple of teammates from Medicine Hat get drafted there and then on the second day it was just waiting. I knew my name was going to get called, probably to the St. Louis Blues, and then it did and it was very exciting for me and my family.”

The lone connection Mrsic has with the Raiders squad is the also recently acquired Lukas Dragicevic. The two played together for just one year as part of the Delta Hockey Academy U15 Prep team.

So far, Mrsic has enjoyed his short time in Prince Albert and the atmosphere around the team.

“It’s been great so far, it’s been very welcoming, billets have been great, teammates have been great, so it’s been a great experience so far.”

The Raiders will finish inter-squad games at camp today before the annual Green vs White game on Monday at 11:00 am. The Raiders first preseason game is set for Wednesday, September 4 in Prince Albert against the Saskatoon Blades.

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nick.nielsen@pattisonmedia.com