2022 WHL Playoffs Preview: (8) Prince Albert Raiders vs. (1) Winnipeg ICE
With the 2022 WHL Playoffs set to begin Thursday, April 21, WHL.ca takes a look in at each of the eight head-to-head matchups across the league. In our fifth of eight opening round 2022 WHL Playoffs previews, we examine the Prince Albert Raiders and the Winnipeg ICE.
One franchise is making its return to the WHL Playoffs for the first time in seven years, the other is the most recent WHL Club to capture the Ed Chynoweth Cup.
The Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy-winning Winnipeg ICE face the Prince Albert Raiders in a best-of-seven series set to begin Friday night in Manitoba, a night that will mark the first WHL post-season game played at home by a Winnipeg-based team since 1983.
The ICE were the class of the Eastern Conference during the Regular Season, finishing the campaign with a 53-10-3-2 record.
The Raiders clinched their berth in the post-season party on the final weekend of the Regular Season, completing their 68-game schedule with a 28-35-4-1 record, good for fourth place in the Eastern Conference.
Interestingly, the ICE and Prince Albert Raiders have been Eastern Conference rivals for the majority of the past 25 years, but 2022 marks the first-ever WHL Playoffs series between the two sides.
Winnipeg’s offence is scary good: the ICE led the WHL with 317 goals for and a +165 goal differential. NHL Draft prospect Matthew Savoie’s 90 points paced the ICE attack, while Philadelphia draftee Connor McClennon led the way for Winnipeg with 43 goals.
The Raiders, meanwhile, were led offensively during the Regular Season by captain Reece Vitelli, who finished the campaign with 51 points (25G-26A). Forward Evan Herman’s 28 tallies were tops for Prince Albert in 2021-22.
Both sides also employ blue-chip defencemen. Carson Lambos of Winnipeg and Nolan Allan of Prince Albert were both selected in the first round of the 2021 NHL Draft (by Minnesota and Chicago, respectively). Lambos chipped in with 47 points (10G-37A) from 51 games for the ICE, while Allan finished second among Raiders blueliners in scoring with 41 points (7G-34A).
Winnipeg won five of the eight meetings in the 2021-22 season series, with three of the eight matchups needing overtime to be settled. McClennon led all scorers in the season series with 12 points, while Allan and fellow rearguard Landon Kosior paced the Raiders with six points in the season set.
As mentioned earlier, Prince Albert is the most recent Club to win the Ed Chynoweth Cup, doing so in 2019 in a seven-game thriller versus the Vancouver Giants. The Raiders enter the post-season seeking a third WHL title.
The ICE are in the WHL Playoffs for the first time since 2015, a year in which they were bested in the first round by the Calgary Hitmen in seven games. The Club has three WHL Championships to its name, most recently in 2011.
Game Breakers
Winnipeg ICE: It’s hard to pick just one player from Winnipeg’s list of talented forwards, but in this instance, Matthew Savoie stands out. The product of St. Albert, Alta. is ranked #3 among North American Skaters in the most recent NHL Central Scouting rankings, he led all rookies with 90 points during the Regular Season and had 11 points in seven outings versus Prince Albert in 2021-22.
Prince Albert Raiders: The Ottawa Senators selected Carson Latimer in the fourth round of the 2021 NHL Draft, and a few short months later the Surrey, B.C. product landed in Prince Albert as part of a blockbuster trade with the Edmonton Oil Kings. Since joining the Raiders, Latimer put up 32 points (12G-20A) in 44 games while playing in all situations.
Carson Latimer gets the @PARaidersHockey on the board with a slick 3-way passing play.🔥 pic.twitter.com/bk8DszLsz4
— The WHL (@TheWHL) February 27, 2022
Goaltending
Winnipeg ICE: The ICE boast an NHL prospect between the pipes in Anaheim Ducks draftee Gage Alexander, but running mate Daniel Hauser has written an exceptional story this season. The product of Chestermere, Alta. led the WHL with eight shutouts, finishing tied for the League lead with 34 wins, and earlier this season set a Canadian Hockey League record by reaching 22 career appearances before suffering a regulation loss.
Prince Albert Raiders: Tikhon Chaika has seen the bulk of the action in the Raiders crease since arriving in Prince Albert from overseas. The 18-year-old went 3-2-1-0 versus Winnipeg during the Regular Season with a .902 save percentage. The product of Minsk, Belarus also earned a trio of WHL Goaltender of the Week nods over the past month and a half.
X-Factors
Winnipeg ICE: Asserting his place in the Class of 2005, forward Zachary Benson has been better than advertised for the ICE this season, tallying 25 goals and 63 points over his first full Regular Season. The product of Chilliwack, B.C. finished seventh in scoring on a deep Winnipeg roster, tucking home six power-play goals and four game-winners over the course of the campaign.
Quick draw.
A term that applies to both the faceoff and Zach Benson's shot.@WHLWpgICE pic.twitter.com/yDO3WCSxVY
— The WHL (@TheWHL) March 12, 2022
Prince Albert Raiders: Landon Kosior has cemented himself as one of the top power-play quarterbacks in the WHL. The Prince Albert defenceman finished tied for the League lead among blueliners with nine PPG. He led the Raiders blueline with 18 goals and 45 points, with nine of those tallies coming since February 1.
Series Schedule
Game | Visitor | Home | Date | Time | |
1 | Prince Albert | @ | Winnipeg | Friday, April 22 | 6:00 |
2 | Prince Albert | @ | Winnipeg | Saturday, April 23 | 6:00 |
3 | Winnipeg | @ | Prince Albert | Tuesday, April 26 | 7:00 |
4 | Winnipeg | @ | Prince Albert | Wednesday, April 27 | 7:00 |
5 * | Prince Albert | @ | Winnipeg | Friday, April 29 | 6:00 |
6 * | Winnipeg | @ | Prince Albert | Sunday, May 1 | 6:00 |
7 * | Prince Albert | @ | Winnipeg | Tuesday, May 3 | 6:00 |
Season Series
Prince Albert (2) at Winnipeg (5) – March 27, 2022
Prince Albert (2) at Winnipeg (6) – March 26, 2022
Winnipeg (3) at Prince Albert (2), OT – March 22, 2022
Winnipeg (2) at Prince Albert (3), OT – March 5, 2022
Winnipeg (5) at Prince Albert (2) – January 21, 2022
Winnipeg (1) at Prince Albert (4) – December 14, 2021
Prince Albert (4) at Winnipeg (3), OT – November 28, 2021
Prince Albert (0) at Winnipeg (8) – October 9, 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.