10 WHL Things: Round 2, Volume XXXVI

By: Glen Erickson

We’re well into the second round of the Western Hockey League playoffs and things have gotten a little spicy in a few locales. A few teams are not quite done with each other yet and the recurring theme in a lengthy series is that ticket sales are good for business. Strap yourselves in for at least a pair of Game 7’s this week. The race to 16 playoff wins continues!

1 – Tigers / Raiders – Well, that didn’t take long. Did it? The Medicine Hat Tigers swept the Prince Albert Raiders and have advanced to the eastern conference final. It’s been a while for the Tigers franchise, its last appearance this deep into the WHL playoffs coming back in 2014. That season, the Tigers lost in five games to the eventual league and Memorial Cup champions, the division-rival Edmonton Oil Kings. Medicine Hat outscored the Raiders 20-9 overall and 9-1 in the two games played at Prince Albert. The Tigers have made quick work of a couple very good, 20-year-old goaltenders during the post-season in Reid Dyck and Max Hildebrand. And, they’ve managed to acquit themselves quite well in road games at the two smallest venues in the WHL. The Innovation Plex in Swift Current and the Art Hauser Centre in Prince Albert have long been viewed as pretty tough places to play. Medicine Hat has outshot its opponent in all nine of its post-season games to date. This team has a formidable top-nine forward group, so good that many junior hockey supporters forget how efficient its fourth line has been and how efficient this team defends. While Gavin McKenna continues to provide other-worldly performances, there is no shortage of depth and skill throughout the lineup. The only bad deal for the Tigers in the series against Prince Albert is the lack of game five revenue for the Medicine Hat ownership group. Three home games in a series is great for business! The Tigers have likely earned at least a week off, so that should sufficiently heal any bumps and bruises. The eastern conference final will eventually be an all-Central Division affair, but I just don’t see Calgary or Lethbridge toppling Medicine Hat. Stay tuned!

2 – Hurricanes / Hitmen – Home ice has suddenly become “a thing” in this series after the teams split the first four games with the road team winning each contest. After an overtime loss in Calgary in Game 5, the Hurricanes rode a dominant second period to win Game 6 and knot the series at three wins apiece. The ‘Canes broke a scoreless tie with four goals in the final 12 minutes of the second stanza, then coasted to the 5-1 victory that has the series headed back to the Stampede City for Game 7 on Wednesday. Each of Calgary’s victories has been of the hard-fought variety – all one-goal games. Lethbridge, which has leaned on goaltender Jackson Unger, has managed a pair of lopsided wins. Unger has played every minute of the ‘Canes 11 playoff games. But one number I don’t like in this series is “3,214”. That’s the average attendance at the Saddledome in Calgary for the three Hitmen home games in the series. My goodness! These were Thursday, Saturday and Friday night games, so any excuse that mid-week dates were an issue is just poppycock. I get the Hitmen see some bloated attendance figures due to special event nights during the regular season, but they’re down more than 1,300 per game in this series compared to its regular season average of 4,577. Game seven provides the fanbase with a redemption opportunity on Wednesday, as the Saddledome is busy with a Wranglers game Sunday, then the Nelly with Ja Rule concert Tuesday. Hey, business is business, and the gansta community will probably occupy more seats at the Saddledome this week than the hockey community. Just sayin’.

3 – Silvertips / Winterhawks – After dropping the first two games in overtime, the Portland Winterhawks won three straight and had the Everett Silvertips on the ropes. But the regular season champs scored early and often in Game 6 at Veterans Memorial Coliseum and hammered the Winterhawks, 8-4. The Silvertips chased Portland netminder Ondrej Stebetak early in the second period; the first time he’s vacated the crease in 13 playoff games. Game 7 is slated for Tuesday in Everett and one can expect the Angels of the Wind Arena to be absolutely bonkers! The Winterhawks will play its second game seven of the post-season, having dispatched the Prince George Cougars in enemy territory in the first round. An interesting side note regarding ‘Hawks captain, Kyle Chyzowski popped up in a piece I discovered, published in October by a former colleague from my DubNetwork days, Josh Critzer. It seems the WHL has had a “Chyzowski” skating in the league since the 2012-2013 campaign. (More details below in RANDOMS.) That run will end this spring when Kyle graduates from major junior hockey. Whether or not that occurs Tuesday night in Everett remains to be seen.

4 – Chiefs / Royals – Just like their counterparts in the other two ongoing series, going at least six games is good for revenue…for both teams! Given the 2-3-2 format, Spokane will have home ice for Game 6, and if necessary, Game 7. Spokane won twice in Victoria, including a 5-4 win in Game 5 that saw the Chiefs come back from a 4-1 deficit with three third period tallies, then Andrew Cristall scored the game-winner with two seconds to play in the first overtime period. The Royals roster at the beginning of the post-season had 125 games combined playoff experience. Forward Brandon Lisowsky and defenceman Cosmo Wilson accounted for 68 of those games. So, this is a young group gaining valuable experience. Goaltenders Johnny Hicks and Jayden Kraus had exactly “zero” playoff games under their belts, but Hicks in particular played a huge role in helping the Royals bounce the Tri City Americans in the first round. The Chiefs weren’t too far ahead of the Royals in the playoff experience department, bringing a roster to the dance with 137 games played in the post season. A total of 79 of those came from Andrew Cristall (20), Shea Van Olm (27) and Sam Oremba (32). Spokane seemed to solve both Victoria goaltenders in game four on Vancouver Island, chasing Hicks with five first period goals, then adding four more against Kraus in a 9-6 victory to even the series. One wonders what the turnout will be at the Spokane Memorial Arena Tuesday for the upcoming eliminations game(s).

5 – Playoffs Experience – Either defencemen Sawyer Mynio of the Calgary Hitmen or Brayden Yager of the Lethbridge Hurricanes will meet Jonas Woo of the Medicine Hat Tigers in the eastern conference final. Entering the current post-season, the trio led all active players with 40 games each of playoff experience. Victoria Royals forward Brandon Lisowsky and Tigers rearguard Tanner Molendyk were next at 39 games. None of the five league leaders appeared in a playoff game prior to this season with their current team. Coincidentally, Lisowsky and Molendyk played all 39 of their previous playoff contests together as members of the Saskatoon Blades. Woo played all of his previous playoff hockey with the Winnipeg ICE/Wenatchee Wild franchise, while Mynio played his with the Seattle Thunderbirds. Mynio and Yager are the only players among the five to have their names engraved on the Ed Chynoweth Trophy. Mynyio, as a member of the league champion Thunderbirds during the spring of 2023, and Yager last season with the Moose Jaw Warriors. Defenceman Ryder Thompson and forward Kyle Chyzowski entered the playoffs with 38 games each of post-season experience, all with Portland and, along with Yager, currently lead the way among active players with a total of 51 playoff appearances…and counting.

6 – McKenna’s Magic Moments – Gavin McKenna just continues to wow junior hockey fans, as he continues to roll along on a 49-game point scoring streak. The 17-year-old phenom has gotten the attention of TSN and Sportsnet types along the way as he continues to provide highlight reel content during what is going to be a lengthy playoff run for the Tigers. Speculation has been rampant all season long that McKenna is destined for a U.S. college program since the NCAA Division One rules changed late in 2024. While I’m not convinced these programs are in a big rush to bring in 17- and 18-year-old players, one has to wonder how an addition like McKenna, with his talent, charisma, maturity and enormous upside can be completely ignored. Potentially lucrative NIL money can now be an important incentive for athletes, and a valuable recruitment tool for colleges. In addition to that income stream, the developmental benefit of associating with older and more advanced players cannot be overlooked. Opportunities vary for Canadian athletes earning NIL proceeds, based in part on F-1, P-1 or O-1 visa rules and regulations. There are aspects that relate to generating passive income as opposed to endorsement-type income. A couple of case studies associated with Canadian athletes come to mind…Camryn Rogers in track and field, along with Aaliyah Edwards in basketball. For those in southeastern Alberta who continue to piss and moan about Medicine Hat being passed over as the 2026 Memorial Cup tournament host city, as if that would have guaranteed McKenna would stay n the WHL, the reality is the Tigers will likely play in the tournament this spring anyway…in Rimouski, Quebec. So McKenna should have that box checked off in rather short order. It’s safe to assume that smarter people than me will carefully assess if there is real NCAA potential next season for McKenna who, like every other CHL player earning $85 to $125 per week, is just one accidental knee-on-knee collision away from a career path that could take an unfortunate detour.

7 – “It’s Ruthless” – If you want to dig even deeper, you can find a long-read piece in the Vancouver Province online from March 31 where respected, veteran sportswriter Steve Ewen goes into great depth with former NHLer, Byron Ritchie, about the business of hockey and McKenna’s future. Ritchie, who I’ve been told had some input into his son Ryder’s move from the Prince Albert Raiders to the Medicine Hat Tigers, has ties to player agents J.P. Barry and Pat Brisson. The elder Ritchie enjoyed a successful, lengthy, 18-year professional hockey career and according to Ewen, he is “the family adviser for Gavin McKenna”. And how about this tidbit from Ritchie; “You know the hockey business,” he told Ewen. “And, when it comes down to it, it’s ruthless. It’s next man up.” It’s interesting stuff, which would suggest a hard-nosed business approach from the McKenna camp isn’t necessarily out of the question. Or, with another season of WHL hockey in mind, let’s go full rabbit-hole here, okay? Note that Ryder Ritchie has not yet signed an entry level contract with the Minnesota Wild, so one would have to assume he is destined for another season in the WHL. While inking a deal could happen any day now – Ryder will celebrate his 19^th birthday on August 3 – Ritchie and McKenna are room mates with their billet family in Medicine Hat and the pair spends plenty of time together at the Ritchie’s home in Kelowna during the off-season. In fact, McKenna resided with the Ritchie’s during his minor hockey stint at Rink Academy in the Okanagan Valley for two seasons. Is Ryder Ritchie’s potential return to the Tigers next season enough of an enticement to keep McKenna motivated for another WHL campaign in the Gas City? So many considerations.

8 – Memory Lane – As mentioned earlier, the Everett Silvertips rolled in to Portland on the weekend for Game 6 and scored early and often. The key word here is “early”. A glance at the scoring summary confirmed Everett scored a goal in each period in the first minute of play and this had me howling about a promotion back in the day by the Saskatoon Blades. Assistant general manager Dennis Beyak and his cohorts came up with an idea they sold to the local Minute Muffler franchise. I remember the basics of it all, but perhaps not every nuance. The sales team had gone to great lengths to examine scoring stats and the team hadn’t enjoyed much success scoring goals in the first minute of play in any period…maybe half a dozen times per season over the previous couple of years. So, based on the information provided, the promotional advertising deal was agreed to and among other aspects, the local outfit committed to provide a free muffler replacement for a season ticket holder every time the Blades scored a goal in the first minute of a home game. As luck would have it, not halfway through the season, the Blades had scored about a dozen first minute goals. The sales team was taking some heat from its new advertising partner about what was becoming a costly promotion. How it was all resolved on the public relations side remains a secret, but an interesting lesson learned in how to structure a promotion, from an advertiser’s perspective.

9 – Prospect Rankings – I’ve always relied on Central Scouting’s rankings, be they pre-season or mid-season. They’ve just been at it for so many years and I’ve enjoyed a few conversations with Dan Marr the late E.J. McGuire over the years. But we do live in an era where a myriad of sources have been tossing around their thoughts, whether it’s the eager bloggers of the world or those who are published by well-known entities. National sports network types tend to get the bulk of attention when it comes to prospect rankings, but there are plenty of other resources as well. Most of these are pretty much watching video or trading thoughts with colleagues, rather than actually sitting in the rinks and eyeballing all the prospects. That’s just the way it is in these days where it’s no picnic for many who have to pay their own way on the travel and accommodation end of things. I met Corey Pronman of the Athletic during the 2019 U-17 World Hockey Challenge. He’s kind of a curious young guy, but I’ve paid some attention in recent years to his ranking of prospects. Pronman published some plausible first round outcomes for the upcoming 2025 NHL Draft in a piece on April 16. I agree with his take that this year’s draft class isn’t particularly awe-inspiring. He’s got Brandon Wheat Kings forward Roger McQueen and Tri City Americans defenceman Jackson Smith tabbed as his top two prospects from the WHL. If you’re looking for a western region take, keep an eye out for Kelowna’s Larry Fisher at Fishbowl Sports, who I understand may have something in the works, too.

10 – RANDOMS – What do Tigers general manager and head coach Willie Desjardins and Winterhawks co-owner and managing partner Kerry Preete have in common? Desjardins and Preete were teammates, members of the 1983 University of Saskatchewan Huskies. To this day, that group is the only Huskies men’s hockey team to ever win a Canadian university championship. I can’t make this up! In fact, Preete and Desjardins were roommates during their time the U of S, and Preete credits Desjardins for alerting him to the opportunity with Portland. Lethbridge Hurricanes general manager Peter Anholt also played for that Huskies team, along with Brent Hamilton, the younger brother of Kelowna Rockets president and general manager, Bruce Hamilton…The “Chyzowski” presence in the WHL started during the 2012-2013 season when Nick appeared in four games with the Kamloops Blazers. He played a total of 359 WHL games, all with the Blazers. His brother Ryan played 299 games with Medicine Hat. Kyle is their cousin and Tuesday in Everett, he’ll play in his 325^th WHL game, all as a member of the Portland Winterhawks. All three wore the “C” at some point during their major junior career…Since 2009, when the Windsor Spitfires defeated the Kelowna Rockets 4-1 in Rimouski, Quebec to win the Memorial Cup finale, the WHL has won the national championship tournament only once in 14 tries. The WHL champion has played in the tournament final game on five occasions over that span, losing four times.

(Glen Erickson is a freelance hockey writer based in Medicine Hat, AB)