10 WHL Playoff Things From Glen Erickson, Volume XXXIII
Kind of a recurring theme in round two. No surprises. Well, almost none. The top four teams in the overall Western Hockey League regular season standings have advanced to the conference finals. Here we go…
1 – Raiders / Blades – No surprise here. The Prince Albert Raiders had too much and simply dominated the Saskatoon Blades. The Raiders outscored the Blades 18-4 in the series. Through nine playoff games, goaltender Michal Orsulak has faced an average of 19 shots per game. Kudos to the Raiders faithful, who traveled well. In fact, they typically do with plenty of good seats always available at SaskTel Centre. It’s a pretty easy 90-minute drive. We’ll see how many choose to trek from northern Saskatchewan to southeastern Alberta, a healthy six-and-a-half hour run. Hey, it’s that time of year they bring along their golf clubs, too!
2 – Tigers / Hitmen – No surprise here. Medicine Hat simply owned the Calgary Hitmen this past season. During the regular season, the Tigers collected 14 of it 108 points from Calgary with a 7-1 record. Add the four straight wins in the post-season and that combined 11-1 standard tells the tale. Some might suggest the eastern conference semi-final was closer that the scoreboard might show. But if the Hitmen were motivated to plant the seed of doubt, medicine hat was having none of it.
3 – Silvertips / Rockets – No surprise here, other than a 15-minute stint in Game 4 when the Rockets overcame a 3-0 deficit at Prospera Place and earned a 4-3 win in overtime. If there was any doubt the Everett Silvertips might relax at all after its 117-point regular season, its display through two rounds confirms there is no shortage of intensity. Kelowna put up the best fight it could muster but were no match for the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy winners. The Silvertips never trailed in the series during regulation time. Everett took care of both Penticton and Prince George this season, winning three of four against each, but the Vees did hand Everett is worst home ice loss of the campaign. It was a 7-0 drubbing back in late October.
4 – Vees / Cougars – Okay, at least a couple of surprises. Who’d have thought the Penticton Vees would win four straight…after dropping the first two games at the South Okanagan Events centre? Who’d have figured the Prince George Cougars wouldn’t win at least one of its three games at the CN Centre? With its 4-2 series win, the expansion Vees advance the to the Western Conference final. Can you name the last expansion to do this? Correct, the 2003-2004 Everett Silvertips. The Vees get started against the Silvertips in Everett this weekend. (Honourable mention to the Cougars fanbase. In six games, 33,165 fans passed through the turnstiles – an average of 5,528 per contest.)
5 – EAST: Prince Albert / Medicine Hat – This is the one I think almost everybody east of the British Columbia border has been waiting for. The Raiders (110 points) and Medicine Hat (108) were the class of the Eastern Conference. The teams split their four regular season games, each winning once at home and on the road. I think it’s a pick ‘em among two teams where the dislike is maybe not prevalent, but it’s there. If both teams commit to rolling four limes, I like the Raiders depth. But it won’t play out that way. I give the nod to the Tigers behind the bench and the Raiders between the pipes. Which team’s best players will be their best players?
6 – WEST: Everett / Penticton – The top two teams in the Western Conference will battle to make the next step toward a Memorial Cup berth. The Silvertips (117 points) took three of four from the Vees (98) during the regular season, including the final contest March 14, 4-3 in overtime at the Angel of the Winds Arena. The other three were not close, and one game stands out. Back in late October, the Vees drilled the ‘Tips, 7-0 in Everett. The teams actually scored 15 times each in the season series. The conference final is wrought with expansion team storylines. An upset would land Penticton in the WHL Championship Series. The last expansion team to do so? Everett. No expansion team has ever on the WHL title.
7 – An Unwanted Rest – The Kelowna Rockets will take some time off now, its next game scheduled for Friday, May 22. That’s opening night at the 2026 Memorial Cup in Kelowna. While a few fanbases across the league will enjoy the opportunity to bash the Rockets for its early playoff ouster, they best do a little homework first. Well, that’s unlikely, isn’t it? The evidence clearly suggests an early playoffs exit is not an entirely infrequent occurrence. A WHL team has played host to the Memorial Cup tournament eight times this millennium. Among those host teams, the 2001 and 2018 Regina Pats, along with the 2013 Saskatoon Blades, were eliminated in the first round of the WHL playoffs. Host teams Kamloops (2023), Red Deer (2016), Brandon (2010) and Kelowna (2004) were eliminated in the conference final. The only host team to play in the WHL Championship Series was the Vancouver Giants in 2007, where it lost in seven games to the Medicine Hat Tigers. Both teams advanced to the Memorial Cup. The Rockets elimination last week ensures the 2026 WHL Championship Series will be eminently meaningful for the combatants, as only one team will advance to Memorial Cup festivities. The WHL champion will face the Rockets on Wednesday, May 27 in Kelowna, the final game of the round-robin. That will be a one-game showdown and at that point, the result may not have any impact on the tournament standings. And I have to wonder if the Rockets might have the good fortune to see forward Ty Halaburda and defenceman Peyton Kettles in the lineup? Stay tuned.
8 – Guys I Like – The WHL graduated a host of overage players from the seven teams that did not qualify for post-season play. In a 23-team league, that’s 69 roster spots available for 20-year-olds. This season, it was a total of 70, given the expansion Penticton Vees were allowed four overage players. We’re a little more than a couple of weeks into the playoffs and along with those teams eliminated so far are even more overagers whose major junior hockey careers have come to and end. It’s a long list but always worthy of mention. Brandon: Luke Mistelbacher, Nicolas Johnson, Grayson Burzynski. Calgary: Harrison Lodewyk, Ethan Moore, Axel Hurtig. Edmonton: Miro Holinka, Carter Sotheran, Austin Zemlak. Kamloops: Jordan Keller, Rhett Ravndahl, Ryan Michael. Portland: Alex Weiermair, Niko Tsakumis. Prince George: Kooper Gyzowski, Dawson Seitz, Bauer Dumanski. Red Deer: Talon Brigley, Aleksey Chichkin, Tyson Yaremko. Regina: Caden Brown, Ephram McNutt. Saskatoon: Tyler Parr, Rowan Calvert, Seattle: Coster Dunn, Ashton Cumby, Joe Gramer. Spokane: Sam Oremba, Logan Wormald, Dominik Petr.
9 – 2026 NHL Draft – When the National Hockey League convenes in Buffalo at the end of June, the WHL can expect plenty of attention from professional hockey suitors. Near the top of the heap, NHL Central Scouting ranks Carson Carels (Prince George Cougars) and Daxon Rudolph (Prince Albert Raiders) among its top 10 skaters who played in the DUB during the 2025-2026 season. Among highly ranked goaltenders are four Czechia-born imports; Michal Orsulak (6’4; Prince Albert), Filip Ruzicka (6’7; Brandon Wheat Kings), Marek Skelnicka (6’4; Seattle Thunderbirds) and Tobias Tvrsnik (6’3; Wenatchee Wild). American-born Harrison Boettiger (6’2; Kelowna Rockets) has garnered plenty of attention as well. Among the nine goalies ranked by Central Scouting, Parker Snell (6’2; Edmonton Oil Kings) is the only Canadian-born prospect to make the list.
10 – The Twins – WHL scoring leaders Liam and Markus Ruck (Medicine Hat Tigers) will garner plenty of attention. Their presence makes the first round rather unique, as it will be interesting to see if an NHL team gets the deals done to be able to draft both players. The Rucks could certainly be selected by different teams. Also, if I understand some of the nuances in the collective bargaining agreement, and with the benefit of some past history, the twins could potentially choose not to sign NHL contracts, wait a couple of years, then sign anywhere they want to as free agents in a couple of years. Let me know if I’m out to lunch on this, please! The players would incur some risk of course, as any injury prior to signing an entry level contract could reduce value. It’s unlikely in my opinion, as I don’t see too many families being at all interested these days in leaving money on the table for too long. Regardless, my gut tells me the pair are destined for the NCAA next season. Even if this materializes, I don’t think any college will be able to keep them in the fold for four full years.
**Pats Coaching Search – Head coach Brad Herauf and assistant coach Ryan Smith will not be extended. Ken Schneider has retired. This would suggest General Manager Dale Derkatch will most certainly be putting his stamp on the franchise and its short-term future. It’s not entirely uncommon for a first year GM to sit tight in year one and observe the lay of the land. It was no secret the 2025-2026 edition of the Pats would not be an upper echelon WHL team. Moving forward, the organization should see an upward trajectory, given the influx of some young star power. While Derkatch certainly has some roster construction to navigate, the coaching hires will be very important. Alas, with the cynicism across the fanbase and local media top of mind, will the General Manager actually be making the decision?
***Memory Lane – The Raiders/Tigers match up brings back great memories. Back in the day, a couple buddies and I would drive from Saskatoon to Prince Albert when Medicine Hat would visit the Communiplex. Not quite the Rotary Dial era, but the notion guys like Shane Churla might trade with Ken Baumgartner or Dave Manson was worth the road trip. And just to poke the bear up there in Hockey Town, we’d often wear our Saskatoon Blades logo in some way shape or form. On one occasion, we were standing at ice level during the third period in an aisle way. A couple of Raiders fans were just giving it to us from the seats above. We weren’t blocking anybody’s view, but the dudes probably just didn’t like our Blades-wear. Regardless, while absorbing the incessant, vulgarity-infused, 1980’s chirp for awhile, one of the greaseballs yelled from up in the stands, “get outa the way…you’re blocking the fire exit!” I flipped him the bird and said, “if there’s a fire, I’ll be the first one out!” I’m not sure the logic is arguable, but yeh, that didn’t help keep the peace! Good times. I love that building. There’s no paradise without PA!
(Glen Erickson is a freelance hockey writer based in Medicine Hat, AB)
