2024 Road to Memorial Cup: WHL Round 2 preview
The second round of the WHL playoffs gets underway tonight with the top three seeds in each conference still alive.
Moose Jaw, Portland, Prince George and Swift Current all swept their way through Round 1 while Everett and Saskatoon needed an extra game to advance.
However, fifth seeds Red Deer and Kelowna caused ‘mild’ upsets as they eliminated Medicine Hat and Wenatchee respectively.
Eastern Conference
(1) Saskatoon vs. (5) Red Deer
The only 50-win team in the WHL, Saskatoon took out Prince Albert in five games to reach the second once again.
After a wobble in Game 1, Saskatoon rattled off four straight wins where they outscored the Raiders 18-6. Easton Armstrong, who had the overtime winner in Game 3 to complete his hat-trick, had five goals and eight points in the series while 16 different skaters tallied at least one point. In goal, Evan Gardner posted a 1.80 GAA alongside a .923 save percentage.
For their storied history, the Blades have yet to win a WHL championship but have finished as runners-up five times (1973, 1975, 1976, 1992, 1994).
Red Deer will hope to go one better in 2024 after second round defeats the previous two seasons.
The Rebels knocked out Medicine Hat in five games; Kalan Lind (NSH) had the double overtime winner in Game 1 as Red Deer erased a 4-0 deficit while in Game 3, Samuel Drancak was the OT hero in a 4-3 victory. And in Game 4 Lind had the game-winner with under two seconds left in regulation in what was a tightly-contested series despite its conclusion in five games.
Lind had a team high six points while Carson Latimer led the way with four goals. Rookie netminder Chase Wutzke recorded a .922 save percentage.
Red Deer have not lifted the Ed Chynoweth Cup since 2001.
Series schedule:
Game 1 — April 12 — RD @ SAS — 9pm ET / 6pm PT
Game 2 — April 14 — RD @ SAS — 7pm ET / 4pm PT
Game 3 — April 16 — SAS @ RD — 9pm ET / 6pm PT
Game 4 — April 17 — SAS @ RD — 9pm ET / 6pm PT
Game 5* — April 19 — RD @ SAS — 9pm ET / 6pm PT
Game 6* — April 21 — SAS @ RD — 4pm ET / 1pm PT
Game 7* — April 23 — RD @ SAS — 9pm ET / 6pm PT
*if necessary
(3) Moose Jaw vs. (2) Swift Current
The Warriors enter the second round with the goals flowing as they scored 24 times against Brandon in a first round sweep.
Matthew Savoie (BUF) led the way with five goals while eight other players all scored at least twice in the series that included Lynden Lakovic who had the overtime winner in Game 2.
Jackson Unger, who tied for the CHL lead with 35 wins in the regular season, tallied a .905 save percentage in the series.
This year marks a third straight season in which Moose Jaw has reached the second round although it’s been 12 years since they reached the Eastern Conference Finals. The club are still without a WHL title; they lost in the finals in 2006 to Vancouver.
Swift Current’s decision to go all-in at the WHL trade deadline and acquire Conor Geekie (ARI) continues to pay dividends after a first round sweep of Lethbridge.
In the Broncos’ first postseason appearance since 2018, they sealed a four-game sweep in style as Geekie had the double overtime winner in Game 4. Geekie and 2024 NHL Draft prospect Luke Mistelbacher scored four times each in the series while Clarke Caswell, who is also draft eligible, had a team high eight points.
Swift Current’s last postseason appearance saw them win a WHL title in 2018, a trend they will hope to continue in 2024.
Series schedule:
Game 1 — April 12 — MJ @ SC — 9pm ET / 6pm PT
Game 2 — April 13 — MJ @ SC — 9pm ET / 6pm PT
Game 3 — April 16 — SC @ MJ — 9pm ET / 6pm PT
Game 4 — April 17 — SC @ MJ — 9pm ET / 6pm PT
Game 5* — April 19 — MJ @ SC — 9pm ET / 6pm PT
Game 6* — April 21 — SC @ MJ — 9pm ET / 6pm PT
Game 7* — April 23 — MJ @ SC — 9pm ET / 6pm PT
*if necessary
Western Conference
(1) Prince George vs. (5) Kelowna
After the best regular season in franchise history – where they had 49 wins and 102 points – the Cougars quickly eliminated Spokane in four games.
The club scored 13 goals in the Game’s 1 and 2 on home ice before they closed things out on the road after 4-2 and 3-2 wins. Zac Funk (WSH) had a team high eight points while Ondrej Becher and Riley Heidt (MIN) each had one point less. Rookie sensation Joshua Ravensbergen won three starts while Ty Young (VAN) won Game 4.
The Cougars have yet to win the Ed Chynoweth Cup but have never found themselves in a position this strong in their 30-year history.
Kelowna are into the second round for the first time since 2017 after they eliminated Wenatchee in six games.
The Rockets dropped Game 1 8-6 but then rattled off three straight wins to take control of the series. An overtime loss in Game 5 forced the series to six games where the Rockets took care of business on home ice thanks to a 4-2 win.
Tig Iginla, who had a hat-trick in Game 1, had eight goals in the series to lead the CHL. The 2024 NHL Draft prospect’s 11 points were tied for the team high alongside Andrew Cristall (WSH) while they ranked tied second in the CHL for playoff scoring in Round 1.
Jari Kykkanen played a WHL high 356 minutes in the first round while his 175 saves ranked second as he played to a .911 save percentage.
In their 28-year history, the Rockets have already lifted the Ed Chynoweth Cup on four occasions (2003, 2005, 2009, 2015).
Series schedule:
Game 1 — April 12 — KEL @ PG — 10pm ET / 7pm PT
Game 2 — April 13 — KEL @ PG — 9pm ET / 6pm PT
Game 3 — April 16 — PG @ KEL — 10:05pm ET / 7:05pm PT
Game 4 — April 17 — PG @ KEL — 10:05pm ET / 7:05pm PT
Game 5* — April 19 — KEL @ PG — 10pm ET / 7pm PT
Game 6* — April 21 — PG @ KEL — 5:05pm ET / 2:05pm PT
Game 7* — April 23 — KEL @ PG — 10pm ET / 7pm PT
*if necessary
(2) Portland vs. (3) Everett
Portland took four games to move into Round 2 for the third straight season after they eliminated Victoria.
The Winterhawks scored 19 goals in the series but were played tight by the Royals as Game’s 1 and 3 were decided by one goal.
James Stefan (EDM), who had 50 goals and 101 points in the regular season, had five goals in the series while his eight points were a team high. D-man Luca Cagnoni (SJ) had seven points, tied for the second most among WHL blueliners.
A perennial contender, the Winterhawks haven’t lifted the Ed Chynoweth Cup since 2013 while they also hoisted the trophy in 1982 and 1998. On the other hand, no WHL club has suffered more heartbreak than the Winterhawks as their nine WHL Championship Series defeats are the most in league history.
The Silvertips needed five games to take out Vancouver as they advanced to the second round for the first time since 2019.
After the Giants took Game 1 6-4, Everett limited Vancouver to just three goals over the final four games as Tyler Palmer ended the series with a .937 save percentage, the best among qualified WHL goaltenders.
Parker Berge, Ben Hemmerling (VGK) and Austin Roest (NSH) each scored three times in the series while Roest’s seven points were a team high.
The Silvertips have yet to lift the Ed Chynoweth Cup but came close in 2004 and 2018 but fell to Medicine Hat and Swift Current respectively in the finals.
Series schedule:
Game 1 — April 12 — EVT @ POR — 10pm ET / 7pm PT
Game 2 — April 13 — EVT @ POR — 9pm ET / 6pm PT
Game 3 — April 15 — POR @ EVT — 10:05pm ET / 7:05pm PT
Game 4 — April 19 — POR @ EVT — 10:05pm ET / 7:05pm PT
Game 5* — April 20 — POR @ EVT — 9:05pm ET / 6:05pm PT
Game 6* — April 22 — EVT @ POR — 10pm ET / 7pm PT
Game 7* — April 23 — EVT @ POR — 10pm ET / 7pm PT
*if necessary
Watch live on CHL TV
Available to fans from coast to coast, CHL TV is accessible on the CHL mobile app, in addition to Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire, and online at watch.chl.ca. Each year, CHL TV offers access to more than 2,000 regular-season games covering the CHL’s three Member Leagues and 60 markets across Canada and the United States. Fans can download the free CHL app via the App Store and Google Play.