2022 Western Conference Championship Preview: (4) Seattle Thunderbirds vs. (2) Kamloops Blazers
The 2022 Conference Championships begin Friday, May 20, and WHL.ca is previewing each third-round matchup. In our second preview, we examine the Western Conference Championship between the Kamloops Blazers and the Seattle Thunderbirds.
The 2022 Western Conference Championship lands Friday night in Kamloops (7:00 p.m. PT, Sandman Centre), and both the host Blazers and Seattle Thunderbirds are eager to strut their stuff with a berth in the WHL Championship on the line.
Kamloops is here for the first time in nine years, while Seattle makes its third trip to the third round since the 2016 WHL Playoffs in a series that pits two long-time rivals against one another in the post-season for the first time since 2000.
The Blazers suffered only two defeats through the first two rounds of the post-season, sweeping aside the Spokane Chiefs in Round One before a six-game battle versus the Vancouver Giants in Round Two. The Thunderbirds took a slightly longer route, beating the Kelowna Rockets in a five-game first-round series before rallying from a 3-1 deficit to upend the Portland Winterhawks in a seven-game thriller in Round Two.
Kamloops is led by Dallas Stars prospect Logan Stankoven, who has followed up a 104-point Regular Season campaign by averaging north of two points per game in the playoffs, sitting second among WHL post-season scorers with 21 points.
Seattle’s 42-goal man, Jared Davidson, has a team-best 17 points (6G-11A) during the 2022 WHL Playoffs, while Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Lukas Svejkovsky has chipped in with seven goals in 12 games.
Both the Blazers and Thunderbirds can lock things down defensively, too. Both Clubs have surrendered, on average, fewer than 30 shots against per game so far in the post-season. Kamloops is surrendering 1.70 goals per game in the WHL Playoffs, with Seattle close behind at 2.10 through 12 outings.
The goaltending for both Clubs has been rock-solid. New York Rangers prospect Dylan Garand has three shutouts under his belt already this spring to go along with a scintillating .940 save percentage. Seattle’s Thomas Milic, who was added to NHL Central Scouting’s Final Rankings after being omitted in the Mid-Season edition, holds a .928 save percentage through 12 starts, winning three times on the road in Round Two to help the Thunderbirds get past the Winterhawks.
The two sides met three times during the Regular Season, with the road team winning on all three occasions. Kamloops held a slight 2-1 edge in the season series, though the two sides have not faced one another since December.
Game Breakers
Kamloops Blazers: Logan Stankoven is an obvious focal point among Blazers skaters, and along with WHL Trade Deadline acquisition Luke Toporowski forms a formidable one-two punch for Kamloops. The speedy forwards have combined for 17 goals through Rounds One and Two; three of Stankoven’s 10 tallies have been game-winners.
He led all WHL skaters with 26 points in 10 April regular season and #WHLPlayoffs games.@DallasStars prospect and @blazerhockey forward Logan Stankoven is the @CanadianJerky WHL Player of the Month!
📰 | https://t.co/8HpPrZAqEU pic.twitter.com/lQPhJaNoj3
— The WHL (@TheWHL) May 3, 2022
Seattle Thunderbirds: Lukas Svejkovsky’s wrist shot can change games in the blink of an eye. A member of the Vancouver Giants squad that reached the WHL Championship series three years ago, the Pittsburgh Penguins prospect is leaning on past playoff experience this spring in Seattle, scoring seven times through the first two rounds of the 2022 WHL Playoffs. The product of Point Roberts, Wash. has 27 points in 34 career post-season games in the WHL.
Goaltending
Kamloops Blazers: Rangers prospect Dylan Garand allowed only three goals in Round One versus Spokane, he followed that performance up with a shutout in the deciding Game 6 at Vancouver May 15. Garand is a steady, calming influence in the Blazers crease and while he hasn’t had to steal games during the 2022 WHL Playoffs, he can if needed.
🎥 SAVE OF THE NIGHT 🎥@NYRangers prospect Dylan Garand was rock solid on Sunday, including this first period stop to preserve a two-goal lead for @blazerhockey.@RealCdnSS | #WHLPlayoffs | #SaveoftheNight pic.twitter.com/bloGq64iKH
— The WHL (@TheWHL) May 16, 2022
Seattle Thunderbirds: Thomas Milic’s NHL Draft stock has risen over the second half of the WHL season, leading to his inclusion in the NHL Central Scouting Final Rankings ahead of the NHL Draft in July. For good reason, too. Milic has been spectacular in goal for Seattle, outplaying veteran Taylor Gauthier in the Thunderbirds’ seven-game win versus Portland. Hostile environments are tranquil ones for Milic. He has four road victories already in these playoffs.
📽️ SAVE OF THE NIGHT 📽
Found it. Grabbed it. Held it.@RealCdnSS | @SeattleTbirds | #WHLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/rvdmeiFPPi
— The WHL (@TheWHL) May 17, 2022
X-Factors
Kamloops Blazers: Among WHL players listed on the NHL Central Scouting Final Rankings, only four finished with more power-play goals than Fraser Minten (10) during the Regular Season. The Vancouver, B.C. product has proven to be more than a one-trick pony in these WHL Playoffs, though. Minten has scored twice while his Club has been short-handed, and sits tied with Stankoven with three game-winning goals through Rounds One and Two as part of his 11-point total.
Seattle Thunderbirds: 2022 NHL Draft prospect Reid Schaefer is getting hot at the right time. He scored in each of the final three games of Seattle’s come-from-behind win against Portland and enters the Western Conference Championship sitting tied for second in team scoring with 14 points. The product of Spruce Grove, Alta. plays with an edge too; he leads the Thunderbirds with 20 penalty minutes in these playoffs.
First goal of Game 6 goes to Reid Schaefer and the @SeattleTbirds!#WHLPlayoffs | #PORvsSEA | #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/g9pJpPtkI0
— The WHL (@TheWHL) May 17, 2022
Series Schedule
Game | Visitor | Home | Date | Time | |
1 | Seattle | @ | Kamloops | Friday, May 20 | 8:00 |
2 | Seattle | @ | Kamloops | Saturday, May 21 | 8:00 |
3 | Kamloops | @ | Seattle | Tuesday, May 24 | 8:05 |
4 | Kamloops | @ | Seattle | Wednesday, May 25 | 8:05 |
5 * | Seattle | @ | Kamloops | Friday, May 27 | 8:00 |
6 * | Kamloops | @ | Seattle | Sunday, May 29 | 6:00 |
7 * | Seattle | @ | Kamloops | Tuesday, May 31 | 8:00 |
* = if necessary
Season Series
Seattle (5) at Kamloops (1) – December 10, 2021
Kamloops (4) at Seattle (1) – November 24, 2021
Kamloops (5) at Seattle (1) – November 20, 2021
Through WHL Live on CHL TV, fans can enjoy every single scheduled game throughout the 2022 WHL Playoffs with the purchase of a WHL All-Access Pass at the low price of $59.99 plus applicable taxes and fees.
WHL Live – 2022 WHL Playoffs Packages
All-Access: $59.99
Round-by-Round: $19.99 per round
24-Hour Access: $8.99
* all prices in Canadian dollars
+ does not include applicable taxes and fees
WHL Live on CHL TV is available to fans anywhere in the world, providing high-quality streaming of WHL games on Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV platforms, via mobile with iOS and Android, and on web using Safari or Google Chrome web browsers. Visit WHLLive.com for complete details.