[{"id":36300,"date":"2026-04-02T13:14:54","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T17:14:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/?p=36300"},"modified":"2026-04-02T13:14:54","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T17:14:54","slug":"whl-announces-finalists-for-jim-piggott-memorial-trophy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/article\/whl-announces-finalists-for-jim-piggott-memorial-trophy","title":{"rendered":"WHL announces finalists for Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Calgary, Alta. \u2013<\/strong> The Western Hockey League announced today the 2025-26 finalists for the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy, presented annually to the WHL\u2019s Rookie of the Year.<\/p>\n

Jim Piggott was the sole owner of the Saskatoon Blades and an original founding member of the WHL. Piggott served as Chairman of the Board, and along with Del Wilson, was one of the driving forces to bring the three Major Junior Leagues in Canada together under one roof.<\/p>\n

Finalists for WHL Awards are voted upon by WHL General Managers.<\/p>\n

Winners of 2026 WHL Awards will be announced from Tuesday, April 21, through Wednesday, May 6.<\/p>\n

Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy<\/u><\/strong> \u2013 Eastern Conference Finalists<\/p>\n

Kale Dach, Calgary Hitmen (Fort Saskatchewan, Alta.)
\nBen MacBeath, Calgary Hitmen (Calgary, Alta.)
\nBrock Cripps, Prince Albert Raiders (Victoria, B.C.)<\/p>\n

Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy<\/u><\/strong> \u2013 Western Conference Finalists<\/p>\n

JP Hurlbert, Kamloops Blazers (Allen, Texas)
\nMatias Vanhanen, Everett Silvertips (Nokia, Finland)
\nJacob Kvasnicka, Penticton Vees (Burnsville, Minn.)<\/p>\n

Kale Dach, Calgary Hitmen<\/strong><\/p>\n

The 19-year-old product of Fort Saskatchewan, Sask., recorded 75 points (34G-41A) in 63 games, finishing second in Hitmen scoring and fourth among all WHL rookies. Selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the seventh round (201st overall) of the 2025 NHL Draft, the 5-foot-10, 165-pound Dach recorded six multi-goal performances, including one hat trick during the regular season. Among WHL rookies, he finished third in goals (34) and sixth in assists (41). He led all WHL rookies with 32 power-play points. Dach\u2019s eight game-winning goals were tops among all WHL rookies. Dach was originally selected by the Hitmen in the fifth round (95th overall) of the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft.<\/p>\n

Ben MacBeath, Calgary Hitmen<\/strong><\/p>\n

The 17-year-old product of Calgary, Alta., tallied 51 points (7G-44A) in 67 games, finishing fifth in scoring on the Hitmen and second among all WHL rookie defencemen. Eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft, the 6-foot-2, 181-pound MacBeath is ranked 20th among North American skaters in NHL Central Scouting\u2019s midterm rankings. The first-year WHL blueliner represented Team East at the 2026 WHL Prospects Game presented by Showpass. MacBeath was originally selected by the Kelowna Rockets in the seventh round (136th overall) of the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft.<\/p>\n

Brock Cripps, Prince Albert Raiders<\/strong><\/p>\n

The 16-year-old product of Victoria, B.C., registered 37 points (6G-31A) in 62 games, finishing third in scoring among Raiders defencemen and third among all Raiders rookies. The 5-foot-10, 160-pound right-shot rearguard enjoyed a career performance Tuesday, January 20, when he tallied four assists in a 12-2 triumph over his hometown Victoria Royals. From December 3-19, Cripps put together a career best point string of nine games, collecting 10 points (1G-9A) along the way. Originally selected by the Raiders in the first round (second overall) of the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft, Cripps made his WHL debut in 2024-25, skating in four games.<\/p>\n

JP Hurlbert, Kamloops Blazers<\/strong><\/p>\n

The 17-year-old product of Allen, Texas, posted 97 points (42G-55A) in 68 games, finishing fourth in WHL scoring and first among all WHL rookies. The 6-foot, 182-pound right winger\u2019s 42 goals were tied for fourth in the WHL and first among all WHL rookies. Eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft, Hurlbert is ranked 10th among North American skaters in NHL Central Scouting\u2019s midterm rankings. The first-year WHL forward represented Team CHL at the 2025 CHL USA Prospects Challenge, as well as Team West at the 2026 WHL Prospects Game presented by Showpass. Hurlbert was originally selected by the Blazers in the first round (20th overall) of the 2023 WHL U.S. Priority Draft.<\/p>\n

Matias Vanhanen, Everett Silvertips<\/strong><\/p>\n

The 18-year-old product of Nokia, Finland, notched 87 points (21G-66A) in 62 games to lead the Silvertips in scoring as a rookie. His 66 helpers were second best among all WHL players. Eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft, the 5-foot-10, 175-pound left winger is ranked 76th among North American skaters in NHL Central Scouting\u2019s midterm rankings. Vanhanen represented Team West at the 2026 WHL Prospects Game presented by Showpass. He was originally selected by the Silvertips in the first round (31st overall) of the 2025 CHL Import Draft.<\/p>\n

Jacob Kvasnicka, Penticton Vees<\/strong><\/p>\n

The 18-year-old product of Burnsville, Minn., finished the campaign with 85 points (35G-50A) to lead the Vees in scoring. The 5-foot-11, 170-pound right winger logged 25 multi-point outings, including a career high four points on two occasions (October 4; January 10). Kvasnicka finished tied atop the WHL charts with four shorthanded goals. Selected by the New York Islanders in the seventh round (202nd overall) of the 2025 NHL Draft, Kvasnicka was acquired by the Vees this summer. He was originally selected by the Winnipeg ICE in the second round (34th overall) of the 2022 WHL U.S. Priority Draft.<\/p>\n

About the Western Hockey League<\/strong><\/p>\n

Regarded as the world\u2019s finest development league for junior hockey players, the Western Hockey League (WHL) head office is based in Calgary, Alberta. The WHL consists of 23 member Clubs with 17 located in Western Canada and six in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. A member of the Canadian Hockey League, the WHL has been a leading supplier of talent for the National Hockey League for over 50 years. The WHL is also the leading provider of hockey scholarships with over 375 graduates each year receiving WHL Scholarships to pursue a post-secondary education of their choice. Each season, WHL players also form the nucleus of Canada\u2019s National Junior Hockey Team.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Calgary, Alta. \u2013 The Western Hockey League announced today the 2025-26 finalists for the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy, presented annually to the WHL\u2019s Rookie of the Year. Jim Piggott was the sole owner of the Saskatoon Blades and an original founding member of the WHL. Piggott served as Chairman of the Board, and along with…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":359,"featured_media":36301,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[440],"tags":false,"class_list":["post-36300","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","category-440","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/04\/02102325\/260402_Jim-Piggott-Memorial-Trophy-Nominees-1920.png",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36300","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/359"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36300"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36300\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36301"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36300"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36300"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36300"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":36294,"date":"2026-04-02T02:06:59","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T06:06:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/?p=36294"},"modified":"2026-04-02T03:27:35","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T07:27:35","slug":"blazers-fall-6-2-in-game-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/video\/blazers-fall-6-2-in-game-4","title":{"rendered":"BLAZERS FALL 6-2 IN GAME 4"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Kamloops Blazers hosted the Kelowna Rockets Wednesday night in a pivotal Game 4 matchup, looking to shift momentum back in the series.<\/p>\n

Kamloops once again turned to Logan Edmonstone in goal, while Kelowna countered with Harrison Boettiger.<\/p>\n

The Blazers came out with a jump and were rewarded early, as JP Hurlbert fed Tommy Lafreniere a one-timer to beat Boettiger to make it 1-0 just over 2:00 into the frame. Kamloops kept the pressure on throughout the period, generating quality chances from Jordan Keller and Jacob Dumansky, but Boettiger held firm to keep the deficit at one. Kelowna responded late in the frame when Vojtech Cihar capitalized on a rebound, tying the game at 1-1.<\/p>\n

Kelowna grabbed control in the middle frame, striking early on the power play as Hayden Paupanekis capitalized with the man advantage, giving Kelowna a 2-1 lead. The Blazers applied pressure and Tommy Lafreniere nearly tied the game but Boettiger came up with the stop. Kelowna extended their lead later in the period, as Dawson Gerwing buried a net-front opportunity to make it 3-1.<\/p>\n

pushed early in the third period, looking for a quick goal to get back into the game, but Boettiger continued his strong performance between the pipes. The Rockets added another goal just four minutes into the frame when Tomas Poletin beat Edmonstone to make it 4-1, Cihar would make it 5-1 just two minutes later.<\/p>\n

Kamloops showed some pushback midway through the period, as Lafreniere found the back of the net to cut the deficit to 5\u20132. But that\u2019s as close as the Blazers would get before Carson Wetsch added another for Kelowna to seal a 6\u20132 victory.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Kamloops Blazers hosted the Kelowna Rockets Wednesday night in a pivotal Game 4 matchup, looking to shift momentum back in the series. Kamloops once again turned to Logan Edmonstone in goal, while Kelowna countered with Harrison Boettiger. The Blazers came out with a jump and were rewarded early, as JP Hurlbert fed Tommy Lafreniere…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":359,"featured_media":36296,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[441],"tags":false,"class_list":["post-36294","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-video","category-441","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/04\/02015122\/Vit-Zahejsky-face-off-April-01-2026-Brian-Johnson-scaled.jpg",2560,1829,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":{"video_id":"2549972","partner_id":"31019","player_id":"47907","width":"16","height":"9","360p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31019\/sd\/2549972.mp4","240p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31019\/ld\/2549972.mp4","480p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31019\/hsd\/2549972.mp4","1080p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31019\/fhd\/2549972.mp4","hls":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31019\/streaming\/2549972\/2549972.m3u8","webp":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31019\/webp\/2549972.webp"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36294","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/359"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36294"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36294\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36296"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36294"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36294"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36294"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":36287,"date":"2026-04-01T12:51:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T16:51:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/?p=36287"},"modified":"2026-04-01T14:57:04","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T18:57:04","slug":"blazers-host-game-4-agaisnt-rockets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/article\/blazers-host-game-4-agaisnt-rockets","title":{"rendered":"BLAZERS HOST GAME 4 AGAINST ROCKETS"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Kamloops Blazers are home for Game 4 tonight against the Kelowna Rockets at 7:00pm at the Sandman Centre.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

TICKETS<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

GAME PREVIEW<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Kamloops Blazers are home for Game 4 tonight against the Kelowna Rockets at 7:00pm at the Sandman Centre.   TICKETS   GAME PREVIEW  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":359,"featured_media":36290,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[440],"tags":false,"class_list":["post-36287","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","category-440","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/04\/01124932\/KamKelApril1.jpg",2048,2048,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36287","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/359"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36287"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36287\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36290"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36287"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36287"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36287"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":36292,"date":"2026-04-01T11:32:44","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T15:32:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/?p=36292"},"modified":"2026-04-01T19:33:22","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T23:33:22","slug":"whl-names-first-all-star-teams-for-2025-26","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/article\/whl-names-first-all-star-teams-for-2025-26","title":{"rendered":"WHL names First All-Star Teams for 2025-26"},"content":{"rendered":"

Calgary, Alta. \u2013<\/strong> The Western Hockey League announced today the First All-Star Teams for the 2025-26 WHL season.<\/p>\n

WHL Conference All-Star Teams are voted upon by WHL General Managers.<\/p>\n

WHL Eastern Conference First All-Star Team<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Goaltender \u2013 Michal Orsulak, Prince Albert Raiders
\nDefence \u2013 Bryce Pickford, Medicine Hat Tigers
\nDefence \u2013 Daxon Rudolph, Prince Albert Raiders
\nForward \u2013 Liam Ruck, Medicine Hat Tigers
\nForward \u2013 Markus Ruck, Medicine Hat Tigers
\nForward \u2013 Luke Mistelbacher, Brandon Wheat Kings<\/p>\n

WHL Western Conference First All-Star Team<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Goaltender \u2013 Joshua Ravensbergen, Prince George Cougars
\nDefence \u2013 Landon DuPont, Everett Silvertips
\nDefence \u2013 Carson Carels, Prince George Cougars
\nForward \u2013 Tij Iginla, Kelowna Rockets
\nForward \u2013 JP Hurlbert, Kamloops Blazers
\nForward \u2013 Cameron Schmidt, Seattle Thunderbirds<\/p>\n

WHL Eastern Conference First All-Star Team Biographies<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Goaltender \u2013 Michal Orsulak, Prince Albert Raiders<\/strong><\/p>\n

The 18-year-old product of Tremosna, Czechia, enjoyed an outstanding rookie campaign in the WHL, going 28-4-3-1 with a 2.22 goals-against average, .907 save percentage, and four shutouts. Eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft, the 6-foot-4, 220-pound puckstopper is ranked second among North American goaltenders in NHL Central Scouting\u2019s midterm rankings. Among qualified WHL goaltenders, Orsulak ranked first in goals-against average, tied for second in shutouts, fifth in save percentage, and fifth in wins. In February, Orsulak represented Team East at the 2026 WHL Prospects Game presented by Showpass. The first-year WHL goaltender was selected by the Raiders in the first round (46th overall) of the 2025 CHL Import Draft.<\/p>\n

Defence \u2013 Bryce Pickford, Medicine Hat Tigers<\/strong><\/p>\n

The 19-year-old product of Chauvin, Alta., had a breakout campaign, registering 45 goals, 83 points, and a plus-55 rating in 55 games as captain of the Tigers. The 6-foot-1, 186-pound right-shot blueliner\u2019s 45 goals were tied for second in the WHL, while his 83 points finished second among all WHL defencemen. With 11 game-winning goals, the smooth-skating defender finished tied for first in among all WHL skaters. \u00a0Pickford\u2019s 45 goals set a Medicine Hat Tigers franchise record for goals by a defenceman, surpassing the previous mark of 32 set by Kris Russell in 2006-07. A two-time WHL Champion (Seattle \u2013 2023; Medicine Hat \u2013 2025), Pickford was selected by the Montreal Canadiens in the third round (81st overall) of the 2025 NHL Draft. Originally selected by the Seattle Thunderbirds in the second round (38th overall) of the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft, Pickford has played 224 career WHL regular season games, tallying 165 points (73G-92A). He is a veteran of 45 career WHL Playoff games, having scored 28 points (16G-12A).<\/p>\n

Defence \u2013 Daxon Rudolph, Prince Albert Raiders<\/strong><\/p>\n

The 18-year-old product of Lacombe, Alta., posted incredible numbers in his NHL Draft season, including 28 goals and 78 points, along with a plus-32 rating for the East Division champion Raiders. Rudolph\u2019s 28 goals and 78 points both finished third among all WHL defencemen. The 6-foot-2, 202-pound right-shot blueliner tied a Raiders franchise record for goals by a defenceman, matching the mark established by Josh Morrissey in 2013-14. Eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft, Rudolph is ranked sixth among North American skaters in NHL Central Scouting\u2019s midterm rankings. In November, Rudolph was selected to represent Team CHL at the CHL USA Prospects Challenge. He followed that up in February by captaining Team East at the 2026 WHL Prospects Game presented by Showpass. Originally selected first overall by the Raiders in the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft, Rudolph has played 132 career WHL regular season games, tallying 119 points (35G-84A).<\/p>\n

Forward \u2013 Liam Ruck, Medicine Hat Tigers <\/strong><\/p>\n

The 18-year-old product of Osoyoos, B.C., finished second in WHL scoring with 104 points (45G-59A) in 68 games. The 6-foot, 175-pound right winger\u2019s 45 goals were tied for second in the WHL, while his 59 assists ranked fifth across the League. Ruck\u2019s 16 power-play goals were tied for third best in the WHL, and his 10 game-winning goals were also tied for third in the League. Eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft, Ruck is ranked 26th among North American skaters in NHL Central Scouting\u2019s midterm rankings. In November, he was selected to represent Team CHL at the CHL USA Prospects Challenge. He followed that in February by being named to Team East for the 2026 WHL Prospects Game presented by Showpass. Originally selected by the Tigers in the first round (ninth overall) of the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft, Ruck has skated in 132 career WHL regular season games, recording 147 points (71G-76A). A member of the Tigers 2025 WHL Championship, he has played 21 career WHL Playoff games, tallying 12 points (6G-6A).<\/p>\n

Forward \u2013 Markus Ruck, Medicine Hat Tigers<\/strong><\/p>\n

The 18-year-old product of Osoyoos, B.C., and twin brother of Liam, finished first in WHL scoring with 108 points (21G-87A) in 68 games. The 6-foot, 167-pound centre\u2019s 87 assists were tops in the WHL this season, leading the next best skater by 21. Ruck\u2019s 38 power-play assists were best in the WHL. Eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft, Ruck is ranked 31st among North American skaters in NHL Central Scouting\u2019s midterm rankings. In February, he was selected to represent Team East for the 2026 WHL Prospects Game presented by Showpass. Originally selected by the Tigers in the first round (21st overall) of the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft, Ruck has played in 132 career WHL regular season games, tallying 137 points (29G-108A). A member of the Tigers 2025 WHL Championship, he has played 16 career WHL Playoff games, registering seven points (2G-5A).<\/p>\n

WHL Western Conference First All-Star Team Biographies<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Goaltender \u2013 Joshua Ravensbergen, Prince George Cougars<\/strong><\/p>\n

The 19-year-old product of North Vancouver, B.C., posted his third straight season with 25 or more wins, going 32-13-0-0 with a 2.51 goals-against average, .919 save percentage, and four shutouts. Among qualified WHL netminders, the 6-foot-6, 195-pound puckstopper ranked first in wins, first in save percentage, tied for second in shutouts, and fourth in goals-against average. Selected by the San Jose Sharks in the first round (30th overall) of the 2025 NHL Draft, Ravensbergen has played 135 career WHL regular season games, going 91-30-4-2 with a 2.68 GAA, .909 SV%, and 10 shutouts. He was undrafted into the WHL. In 22 career WHL Playoff games, Ravensbergen is 14-7 with a 2.55 GAA, .918 SV%, and three shutouts.<\/p>\n

Defence \u2013 Landon DuPont, Everett Silvertips<\/strong><\/p>\n

The 16-year-old product of Calgary, Alta., registered career highs in all major offensive categories, including 18 goals, 55 assists, 73 points, and a plus-59 rating in 63 games this season. DuPont\u2019s 73 points were tied for fourth among all WHL rearguards, while his 55 assists were tied for second. The 5-foot-11, 183-pound right-shot blueliner took home the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy as WHL Rookie of the Year in 2024-25 having entered the WHL at 15 years old after being granted Exceptional Player Status by Hockey Canada. DuPont tallied 28 power-play assists in 2025-26, good enough for second in the entire WHL. Eligible for the 2027 NHL Draft, DuPont has played 127 career WHL regular season games, collecting 133 points (35G-98A) and a plus-90 rating. He was selected by the Silvertips with the first overall pick in the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft.<\/p>\n

Defence \u2013 Carson Carels, Prince George Cougars<\/strong><\/p>\n

The 17-year-old product of Cypress River, Man., emerged as a dominant force in 2025-26, recording 73 points (20G-53A) in 58 games. Carels\u2019 73 points tied for fourth among WHL blueliners, while he was one of only six rearguards to reach the 20-goal plateau. Eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft, the 6-foot-1, 175-pound left-shot Carels is ranked third among North American skaters in NHL Central Scouting\u2019s midterm rankings. In November, he was selected to represent Team CHL in the CHL USA Prospects Challenge. Come February, Carels was named captain of Team West for the 2026 WHL Prospects Game presented by Showpass. Originally selected by the Cougars in the first round (16th overall) of the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft, Carels has played 125 career WHL regular season games, securing 111 points (26G-85A). In eight career WHL Playoff games, he has notched four points (1G-3A).<\/p>\n

Forward \u2013 Tij Iginla, Kelowna Rockets<\/strong><\/p>\n

The 19-year-old product of Lake Country, B.C., returned following an injury-shortened 2024-25 season to lead the WHL in points per game (1.88), registering 90 points (41G-49A) in 48 games with the Rockets. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound centre established new career highs in both assists and points, best his previous marks from 2023-24 when he tallied 37 assists and 84 points in 64 games. Iginla finished sixth in both goals and points among all WHL skaters. Selected by the Utah Mammoth in the first round (sixth overall) of the 2024 NHL Draft, Iginla has played 184 career WHL regular season games, posting 225 points (108G-117A). Prior to arriving in Kelowna, he was a member of Seattle\u2019s 2023 WHL Championship squad. Originally selected by the Thunderbirds in the first round (ninth overall) of the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft, Iginla has appeared in 16 career WHL Playoff games, scoring 21 points (12G-9A).<\/p>\n

Forward \u2013 JP Hurlbert, Kamloops Blazers<\/strong><\/p>\n

The 17-year-old product of Allen, Texas, exploded onto the WHL as a rookie, posting 97 points (42G-55A) in 68 games with the Blazers. Hurlbert\u2019s 97 points were fourth in the WHL, while his 42 goals were tied for fourth. He led all WHL rookies in scoring. The 6-foot, 182-pound right winger served as an alternate captain for the Blazers in his first WHL season. Eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft, Hurlbert is ranked 10th among North American skaters in NHL Central Scouting\u2019s midterm rankings. The first-year WHL forward was named to Team CHL for the CHL USA Prospects Challenge in November, before representing Team West in the 2026 WHL Prospects Game presented by Showpass. He was originally selected by the Blazers in the first round (20th overall) of the 2023 WHL U.S. Priority Draft.<\/p>\n

Forward \u2013 Cameron Schmidt, Seattle Thunderbirds<\/strong><\/p>\n

The 19-year-old product of Prince George, B.C., finished third in WHL scoring with 100 points. He was one of only three WHL players to reach the 100-point plateau and was the lone WHL player to register 50 goals in 2025-26. Having split the season between the Vancouver Giants and Thunderbirds, the 5-foot-8, 158-pound right winger finished tied for first in the WHL with 11 game-winning goals. Selected by the Dallas Stars in the third round (94th overall) of the 2025 NHL Draft, Schmidt has collected 237 points (123G-114A) in 195 career WHL regular season games. He has also dressed in 12 career WHL Playoff games, posting 12 points (6G-6A). Schmidt was originally selected by the Giants in the first round (seventh overall) of the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft.<\/p>\n

About the Western Hockey League<\/strong><\/p>\n

Regarded as the world\u2019s finest development league for junior hockey players, the Western Hockey League (WHL) head office is based in Calgary, Alberta. The WHL consists of 23 member Clubs with 17 located in Western Canada and six in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. A member of the Canadian Hockey League, the WHL has been a leading supplier of talent for the National Hockey League for over 50 years. The WHL is also the leading provider of hockey scholarships with over 375 graduates each year receiving WHL Scholarships to pursue a post-secondary education of their choice. Each season, WHL players also form the nucleus of Canada\u2019s National Junior Hockey Team.<\/p>\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Calgary, Alta. \u2013 The Western Hockey League announced today the First All-Star Teams for the 2025-26 WHL season. WHL Conference All-Star Teams are voted upon by WHL General Managers. WHL Eastern Conference First All-Star Team Goaltender \u2013 Michal Orsulak, Prince Albert Raiders Defence \u2013 Bryce Pickford, Medicine Hat Tigers Defence \u2013 Daxon Rudolph, Prince Albert…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":359,"featured_media":36293,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[440],"tags":false,"class_list":["post-36292","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","category-440","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/03\/31140111\/NEW_First-Team-All-Stars-1920.png",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36292","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/359"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36292"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36292\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36293"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36292"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36292"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":36280,"date":"2026-04-01T01:25:02","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T05:25:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/?p=36280"},"modified":"2026-04-01T03:26:54","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T07:26:54","slug":"blazers-fall-7-4-in-game-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/video\/blazers-fall-7-4-in-game-3","title":{"rendered":"BLAZERS FALL 7-4 IN GAME 3"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Colton Davies – Follow Colton on X<\/a><\/p>\n

The Kamloops Blazers hosted the Kelowna Rockets for Game 3 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday night, with Kelowna leading the series 2-0.<\/p>\n

The Blazers came out with urgency, generating early chances from V\u00edt Zahejsk\u00fd and Josh Evaschesen, but Boettiger stood tall and kept the game scoreless. Kelowna struck first, as Tij Iginla sniped a shot past Edmonstone to make it 1-0. The Rockets kept pressing, and Nate Corbet extended the lead when his shot trickled through Edmonstone and over the goal line. After review, the goal stood, making it 2\u20130. Kelowna would add to their lead when Shane Smith capitalized on a net front chance, making it 3-0 heading into the intermission.<\/p>\n

Kamloops made a goaltending change to start the second, with Ivans Kufterins coming in for Edmonstone. The Blazers came out flying to start the middle frame as Jordan Keller struck just 12 seconds in to make it a 3-1 game. The Rockets answered back a few minutes later, as Iginla picked up his second goal of the night to restore the three-goal cushion. Kamloops refused to back down. Isa Guram blasted a shot from the point past Boettiger to bring the Blazers back within two at 4\u20132.<\/p>\n

The physicality ramped up when Blazers\u2019 Madden Tymchak finished a hard check on Rockets\u2019 Nate Corbet, sending the Sandman Centre into a frenzy. Kamloops nearly made it a one-goal game late in the period, when Tommy Lafreniere made a slick move around Mazden Leslie, but his shot sailed high, keeping the game at 4-2.<\/p>\n

Kelowna pulled away early in the third period, striking twice to take firm control of the game as Cihar and Ryan Oothoudt each found the back of the net, extending the lead to 6\u20132. The Blazers kept pressing, with chances coming from Owen Cooper and Zahejsky but Boettiger shut the door.<\/p>\n

With just under seven minutes remaining, Kamloops found a spark. Captain Ryan Michael wired a shot from the blue line to cut the lead to 6\u20133. The momentum carried forward as Jacob Dumansky followed up with his second of the playoffs to make it a two goal game. Kelowna sealed the win with an empty-net goal, securing a 7\u20134 victory.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Colton Davies – Follow Colton on X The Kamloops Blazers hosted the Kelowna Rockets for Game 3 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday night, with Kelowna leading the series 2-0. The Blazers came out with urgency, generating early chances from V\u00edt Zahejsk\u00fd and Josh Evaschesen, but Boettiger stood tall and kept the game…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":359,"featured_media":36283,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[441],"tags":false,"class_list":["post-36280","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-video","category-441","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/04\/01012411\/Jacob-Dumansky-March-31-2026-Brian-Johnson-2-scaled.jpg",2560,1829,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":{"video_id":"2549011","partner_id":"31019","player_id":"47907","width":"16","height":"9","360p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31019\/sd\/2549011.mp4","240p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31019\/ld\/2549011.mp4","480p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31019\/hsd\/2549011.mp4","1080p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31019\/fhd\/2549011.mp4","hls":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31019\/streaming\/2549011\/2549011.m3u8","webp":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31019\/webp\/2549011.webp"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36280","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/359"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36280"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36280\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36283"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36280"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36280"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36280"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":36274,"date":"2026-03-31T13:53:35","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T17:53:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/?p=36274"},"modified":"2026-03-31T13:53:35","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T17:53:35","slug":"blazers-host-rockets-for-game-3-tonight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/article\/blazers-host-rockets-for-game-3-tonight","title":{"rendered":"BLAZERS HOST ROCKETS FOR GAME 3 TONIGHT"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Kamloops Blazers host the Kelowna Rockets at 7:00pm at the Sandman Centre for Game 3 of their playoff series.<\/p>\n

TICKETS<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

GAME PREVIEW<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Kamloops Blazers host the Kelowna Rockets at 7:00pm at the Sandman Centre for Game 3 of their playoff series. TICKETS   GAME PREVIEW  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":359,"featured_media":36275,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[440],"tags":false,"class_list":["post-36274","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","category-440","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/03\/31135107\/KamvsKelMar31.jpg",2048,2048,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36274","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/359"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36274"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36274\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36275"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36274"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36274"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36274"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":36272,"date":"2026-03-29T12:41:01","date_gmt":"2026-03-29T16:41:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/?p=36272"},"modified":"2026-03-29T12:42:38","modified_gmt":"2026-03-29T16:42:38","slug":"kamloops-blazers-at-kelowna-rockets-game-2-2026-whl-playoff-highlights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/video\/kamloops-blazers-at-kelowna-rockets-game-2-2026-whl-playoff-highlights","title":{"rendered":"Kamloops Blazers at Kelowna Rockets – Game 2 | 2026 WHL Playoff Highlights"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Colton Davies – Follow Colton on X<\/a><\/p>\n

The Kamloops Blazers faced off against the Kelowna Rockets on Saturday night for Game 2 of their first-round WHL Playoff matchup.<\/p>\n

Kamloops turned to Logan Edmonstone between the pipes, while Kelowna went with Harrison Boettiger.<\/p>\n

The Blazers came out with energy in the first period, as JP Hurlbert nearly opened the scoring with a hard wrist shot before collecting his own rebound, only to be denied by Boettiger. Cooper Moore followed with a high-danger chance of his own, driving to the net and nearly slipping it past Boettiger, who sprawled to make the save.<\/p>\n

Kelowna struck firs late in the period, with Vojtech Cihar capitalizing on a turnover to make it 1-0. The Rockets added to their lead shortly after, as Tij Iginla rifled a shot past Edmonstone to extend the lead to 2-0 heading into the intermission.<\/p>\n

The Blazers came out in the second period searching for a spark, with Tommy Lafreniere and Vit Zahejsky each generating chances, but Boettiger stood firm. Kelowna would extend their lead to 3-0 when Jacob Henderson beat Edmonstone short side.<\/p>\n

Harrison Brunicke responded with a strong individual effort, weaving through traffic before getting a backhand shot on goal, but Boettiger came up with a big stop. The Blazers would finally break through, as Hurlbert beat Boettiger to make it 3-1.<\/p>\n

The Blazers looked to get on the board again early in the third, with quick chances from Zahejsky and Brunicke, but neither could solve Boettiger. Kelowna extended its lead as Carson Wetsch found the back of the net to make it 4-1.<\/p>\n

Kamloops continued to press, generating a strong rush chance from Josh Evaschesen, who came close to cutting the deficit but was denied by Boettiger. The Rockets would add one more late in the frame, with Iginla scoring his second of the game to seal a 5-1 final.<\/p>\n

Up Next: The Blazers will host the Rockets for Game 3 on Tuesday, and Game 4 on Wednesday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Colton Davies – Follow Colton on X The Kamloops Blazers faced off against the Kelowna Rockets on Saturday night for Game 2 of their first-round WHL Playoff matchup. Kamloops turned to Logan Edmonstone between the pipes, while Kelowna went with Harrison Boettiger. The Blazers came out with energy in the first period, as JP…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":359,"featured_media":36273,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[441],"tags":false,"class_list":["post-36272","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-video","category-441","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/03\/28220838\/25-26_Highlights_KELvsKAM-3.png",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":{"video_id":"2546122","partner_id":"31014","player_id":"47907","width":"16","height":"9","360p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/sd\/2546122.mp4","240p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/ld\/2546122.mp4","480p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/hsd\/2546122.mp4","1080p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/fhd\/2546122.mp4","hls":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/streaming\/2546122\/2546122.m3u8","webp":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/webp\/2546122.webp"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36272","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/359"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36272"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36272\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36273"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36272"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36272"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36272"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":36270,"date":"2026-03-28T01:58:42","date_gmt":"2026-03-28T05:58:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/?p=36270"},"modified":"2026-03-28T01:59:20","modified_gmt":"2026-03-28T05:59:20","slug":"post-game-highlights-game-one-kel-vs-kam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/video\/post-game-highlights-game-one-kel-vs-kam","title":{"rendered":"Post Game Highlights: GAME ONE | KEL vs KAM"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Colton Davies – Follow Colton on X<\/a><\/p>\n

The Kamloops Blazers and Kelowna Rockets opened their first-round matchup of the 2026 WHL Playoffs on Friday night, with Game 1 at Prospera Place.
\nKamloops went with Logan Edmonstone between the pipes, while the Rockets turned to Harrison Boettiger.<\/p>\n

The opening 10 minutes was a feeling out process as each team created low-danger chances, putting up just two shots each. As the period progressed, the Blazers began to find some offensive rhythm. J.P. Hurlbert and Ty Coupland each came close to opening the scoring, but Boettiger stood tall, turning aside both chances with a pair of timely saves.<\/p>\n

The second period opened with energy from the Blazers who looked to capitalize first. Josh Evaschesen had a high-danger opportunity but was denied. At the other end, Edmonstone responded with a pair of key saves on chances from Tij Iginla and Ty Halaburda.<\/p>\n

Blazers defenceman Harrison Brunicke then joined the rush, activating from the blue line and driving the net, but couldn\u2019t beat Boettiger. Kelowna struck just after the 10:00 mark, with Vojtech Cihar rifling a power play goal past Edmonstone to open the scoring.<\/p>\n

Kamloops opened the third period in search of an equalizer, generating chances from Tommy Lafreniere and Nathan Behm, but couldn\u2019t beat Boettiger. At the other end, Iginla and Shane Smith found themselves with high-danger looks, but Edmonstone came up with the stops to keep it a one-goal game.<\/p>\n

The Rockets would double their lead with 10:18 to go when Iginla sniped it past Edmonstone to make it 2-0. Kamloops kept pushing with chances again coming from Brunicke and Hurlbert, but Boettiger remained steady. With just over 2:00 left, the Blazers pulled Edmonstone looking for the extra attacker and Cihar capitalized with his second goal of the night to make it 3-0. The Blazers would spoil the shutout with 4.5 seconds left on the clock as Jacob Dumansky found the back of the net, sealing a 3-1 final.<\/p>\n

Up next: The Blazers will face the Rockets in Game 2 on Saturday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Colton Davies – Follow Colton on X The Kamloops Blazers and Kelowna Rockets opened their first-round matchup of the 2026 WHL Playoffs on Friday night, with Game 1 at Prospera Place. Kamloops went with Logan Edmonstone between the pipes, while the Rockets turned to Harrison Boettiger. The opening 10 minutes was a feeling out…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":359,"featured_media":36271,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[441],"tags":false,"class_list":["post-36270","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-video","category-441","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/32\/2026\/03\/27223158\/Rapid-Replay-Mar-27.png",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":{"video_id":"2545612","partner_id":"31014","player_id":"47907","width":"16","height":"9","360p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/sd\/2545612.mp4","240p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/ld\/2545612.mp4","480p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/hsd\/2545612.mp4","1080p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/fhd\/2545612.mp4","hls":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/streaming\/2545612\/2545612.m3u8","webp":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/webp\/2545612.webp"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36270","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/359"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36270"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36270\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36271"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36270"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36270"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36270"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":36269,"date":"2026-03-26T15:02:25","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T19:02:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/?p=36269"},"modified":"2026-03-26T15:21:56","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T19:21:56","slug":"blazers-harrison-brunicke-emphasizes-composure-over-chaos-ahead-of-whl-playoffs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/article\/blazers-harrison-brunicke-emphasizes-composure-over-chaos-ahead-of-whl-playoffs","title":{"rendered":"Blazers\u2019 Harrison Brunicke Emphasizes Composure Over Chaos Ahead of WHL Playoffs"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Colton Davies – Follow Colton on X<\/a><\/p>\n

The stage is set as the Kamloops Blazers will open up the first round of the WHL Playoffs against the Kelowna Rockets on Friday.<\/p>\n

As the team prepares for the opening round, veteran defencemen Harrison Brunicke is drawing on his previous playoff experience in 2022-23 to lead a younger Blazers squad.<\/p>\n

Since returning from the Pittsburgh Penguins in January, Brunicke has provided a massive pro-calibre boost to the blueline. He tallied 24 points in 24 games. The Penguins’ 2024 second-round pick has been utilized in a crucial shutdown capacity, often logging more than 23 minutes per night. Now he and the rest of the locker room gear up for a playoff matchup against Kelowna.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe feel pretty good,\u201d said Brunicke. \u201cWe\u2019ve talked about kind of embracing that underdog role a little bit. They\u2019re a good team with some key players, but for us, it\u2019s just about being ready to go for Game 1.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Brunicke, this postseason carries a different weight than the one in 2023. He and Captain Ryan Michael have switched from young observers to veteran leaders.<\/p>\n

\u201cLast time, we were younger guys, so we didn\u2019t really get the full experience,\u201d Brunicke explained. \u201cThis year, it\u2019s different. We\u2019re kind of trusted more and looked upon in those situations.\u201d<\/p>\n

That added responsibility includes helping a younger Blazers core navigate the emotional swings that come with playoff hockey, something Brunicke believes can make or break a series early.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a lot more emotional and a lot more physical,\u201d he said. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to come in ready to play right away, but at the same time not overthink it and just play your game.\u201d<\/p>\n

That message becomes even more important against a Kelowna team known for its physical edge and ability to drag opponents into scrums after the whistle.
\n\u201cThey\u2019re aggressive, a little chippy, they\u2019ve got some grease in their game,\u201d Brunicke said. \u201cWe just have to be ready for that, but also be smart about it.\u201d
\nIn a rivalry matchup where emotions can quickly boil over, discipline could ultimately be the deciding factor.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re going to try and pull us into scrums and things like that to get us away from our game,\u201d he added. \u201cSo for us, it\u2019s about sticking to our structure and just coming ready to play.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a simple formula, but one that reflects a team intent on dictating its identity rather than reacting to the chaos of playoff hockey.<\/p>\n

For Brunicke and the Blazers, that mindset could be the difference.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Colton Davies – Follow Colton on X The stage is set as the Kamloops Blazers will open up the first round of the WHL Playoffs against the Kelowna Rockets on Friday. As the team prepares for the opening round, veteran defencemen Harrison Brunicke is drawing on his previous playoff experience in 2022-23 to lead…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":359,"featured_media":36031,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[440],"tags":false,"class_list":["post-36269","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","category-440","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/01\/29012218\/Harrison-Brunicke-January-10-2026-Brian-Johnson-2-1-scaled.jpg",1707,2560,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36269","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/359"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36269"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36269\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36031"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36269"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36269"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36269"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":36266,"date":"2026-03-25T15:12:18","date_gmt":"2026-03-25T19:12:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/?p=36266"},"modified":"2026-03-25T15:12:18","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T19:12:18","slug":"series-preview-5-kamloops-blazers-vs-4-kelowna-rockets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/article\/series-preview-5-kamloops-blazers-vs-4-kelowna-rockets","title":{"rendered":"SERIES PREVIEW: (5) Kamloops Blazers vs. (4) Kelowna Rockets"},"content":{"rendered":"

What a way to return to the playoffs.<\/p>\n

The Kelowna Rockets and Kamloops Blazers are back in the battle for the Ed Chynoweth Cup- but to have a shot at the WHL’s top prize, the teams have to go through their bitterest rival.<\/p>\n

The 2026 Memorial Cup host Rockets return to the postseason after a one-season absence.<\/p>\n

While injuries and a new look roster have led to some up-and-down stretches, the Rockets have found their footing with a 21-8-3-2 record since January 1 to claim home ice in Round One.<\/p>\n

Kamloops is playing spring hockey for the first time since hosting the Memorial Cup back in 2023.<\/p>\n

The Western Conference 4 vs. 5 matchup features two of the league’s most dynamic forwards.<\/p>\n

Utah Mammoth 2024 sixth-overall pick Tij Iginla ripped it up for 90 points (41G-49A) in just 48 games to lead the Rockets in scoring and sit first among all WHL skaters in points-per-game with 1.88.<\/p>\n

He’s eager to hoist the Ed Chynoweth Cup for a second time after clinching the title with the Seattle Thunderbirds in 2023.<\/p>\n

On the flip side, Allen, Texas’s JP Hurlbert has piled up 97 points (42G-55A) in 68 games while competing at the 2025 CHL USA Prospects Challenge and 2026 WHL Prospects Game.<\/p>\n

NHL Central Scouting has ranked the 17-year-old 10th among all North American skaters in its midterm rankings for the 2026 NHL Draft.<\/p>\n

Kelowna has been busy building a formidable roster that includes Captain and San Jose Sharks prospect Carson Wetsch, New York Islanders pick Tomas Poletin, Humanitarian of the Year finalist Shane Smith, veteran Ty Halaburda and Nashville Predators prospect Hiroki Gojsic.<\/p>\n

The Rockets also made an ogopogo-sized splash by bringing in Los Angeles Kings pick and World Juniors MVP Vojtech Cihar.<\/p>\n

For all that buzz, the Blazers actually boast more goals as a team.<\/p>\n

Three of the WHL’s top goal-scorers play for Kamloops, with Hurlbert flanked by Edmonton Oilers prospect Tommy Lafreniere (38 goals) and Chicago Blackhawks pick Nathan Behm (38).<\/p>\n

Kamloops is one of three WHL teams to boast multiple 40-goal scorers.<\/p>\n

So will defence be the difference maker in Round One?<\/p>\n

See our X Factor section below for more on two potential difference makers in star Blazers blueliner Harrison Brunicke (who became the first South African skater to score in the NHL earlier this season) and 2025 Defenceman of the Year finalist Mazden Leslie.<\/p>\n

The bitter B.C. foes faced off for one of the most electric games in modern league history in the 2019 WHL Tiebreaker Game, which saw Kamloops steamroll Kelowna 5-1 to move on to the playoffs.<\/p>\n

Kelowna and Kamloops most recently clashed in the 2017 WHL Playoffs, where the Rockets moved on in six games to eventually advance to the Western Conference Championship.<\/p>\n

The best-of-seven smackdown gets going on Friday, March 27, at 7:05 p.m. PT at Prospera Place.<\/p>\n

The series will move north to Kamloops’ Sandman Centre for Game 3 on Tuesday, March 31.<\/p>\n

STAT PACK<\/strong><\/div>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n(5) Kamloops Blazers<\/strong><\/td>\n(4) Kelowna Rockets<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Record<\/strong><\/td>\n31-24-7-6<\/td>\n38-21-6-3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Leading Scorers<\/strong><\/td>\nJP Hurlbert (42G-55A, 97 pts)<\/p>\n

Nathan Behm (38G-48A, 86 pts)<\/p>\n

Tommy Lafreniere (41G-36A, 77 pts)<\/td>\n

Tij Iginla (41G-49A, 90 pts)<\/p>\n

Carson Wetsch (22G-50A, 72 pts)<\/p>\n

Shane Smith (33G-35A, 68 pts)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

Leading Goaltender<\/strong><\/td>\nLogan Edmonstone (22-16-4-4, 3.14 GAA, .902 save percentage, four shutouts)<\/td>\nHarrison Boettiger (25-10-4-1, 2.83 GAA, .911 save percentage)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Powerplay<\/strong><\/td>\n26.9% (7th)<\/td>\n\u00a023.1% (12th)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Penalty Kill<\/strong><\/td>\n75.1% (15th)<\/td>\n79.8% (6th)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2024 WHL Playoffs<\/strong><\/td>\nDid Not Qualify<\/td>\nDid Not Qualify<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Last WHL Championship<\/strong><\/td>\n1995<\/td>\n2014<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

2025-26 Regular Season Series: Kelowna leads 4-1-0-1<\/strong><\/p>\n

January 2, 2026-\u00a0Kamloops 3<\/strong>, Kelowna 2 (SO)
\nJanuary 3, 2026- Kelowna 1,\u00a0Kamloops 4
\n<\/strong>February 20, 2026-\u00a0Kelowna 3<\/strong>, Kamloops 2 (OT)
\nFebruary 21, 2026- Kamloops 2,\u00a0Kelowna 4
\n<\/strong>March 13, 2026- Kamloops 1,\u00a0Kelowna 4<\/strong>
\nMarch 14, 2026- Kelowna 5<\/strong>, Kamloops 1<\/p>\n

GAME BREAKERS<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kamloops:\u00a0<\/b>It’s got to be Jeffrey Paul himself. The 6-foot, 182-pound forward essentially didn’t cede his place at the top of the WHL points race until March, but he went out of the season the way he came in- with a hat trick in his penultimate outing. Hurlbert was named WHL Player of the Month for September\/October and earned Rookie of the Month honours twice (January, November) and is ranked 10th among all North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting in its midterm rankings ahead of the 2026 NHL Draft. Hurlbert has terrorized nearly every team in the WHL in a splashy rookie season- but Kelowna isn’t one of them. The Rockets have held Hurlbert to three assists in six games, but talent like Hurlbert’s, it’s not a matter of if he’ll start scoring- it’s when.<\/p>\n

Kelowna:\u00a0<\/strong>Let the ‘Iggy Iggy Woo Woos’ rain down. After missing nearly a full season of hockey, you can bet the Rockets alternate captain is starving for a chance to play meaningful playoff hockey. Iginla was a force for the Rockets back in 2024, when he put up 15 points (9G-6A) in 11 games to reach the second round, and was one of Canada’s top scorers at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound winger has also been unstoppable versus the Blazers in 2025-26. Kelowna is undefeated against their bitter rivals with Iginla in the lineup (Kamloops’ two wins came while Iginla was at World Juniors) and Iginla leads all skaters in the regular season series with five goals and four assists for nine points.<\/p>\n

GOALTENDING<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kamloops:\u00a0<\/b>Logan Edmonstone has handled the heaviest minutes of his WHL career beautifully. The Saskatoon, Sask. product is fresh off his first 20-plus win season and bracing for his first trip to the postseason. Edmonstone is 2-3-0-0 in the regular season against the Rockets, but his stats are actually slightly better than his season average, with a 2.96 GAA and a .914 save percentage. The 5-foot-11, 172-pound netminder has faced the second-most shots of any goalie heading to the playoffs (1,396) and he can expect plenty more in round one.<\/p>\n

Kelowna:\u00a0<\/strong>This is the opportunity Harrison Boettiger dreamed of when he came north for his NHL Draft season. Despite a rocky start in the Okanagan (hello, emergency appendectomy), Boettiger has settled in with 25 wins through his rookie season. He’s represented the Dub at the 2025 CHL USA Prospects Challenge, suited up for Team West at the 2026 WHL Prospects Game, and he’s been playing his best hockey of the year in the home stretch. Since January 1, 2026, Boettiger is 15-5-0-3 with a 2.64 GAA and a .918 save percentage (Edmonstone is right with him with a 14-8-0-2-1 record, 2.55 GAA, .918 save percentage and two shutouts). The Wheat Ridge, Col. product is 3-1-0-0 against the Blazers while averaging less than two goals against through those matches.<\/p>\n

X FACTOR<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kamloops:\u00a0<\/b>Harrison Brunicke knows how to play high-stakes hockey. As a rookie, the South Africa-born, Alberta-raised defender broke into the league as the Blazers were preparing to host the 2023 Memorial Cup and ended up scoring a beauty against the OHL’s Peterborough Petes while earning consistent minutes throughout the tournament. Brunicke brings veteran experience and lessons learned from his short stint in the NHL and lines up alongside Blazers Captain Ryan Michael.<\/p>\n

Kelowna:\u00a0<\/strong>There’s no one more well-seasoned than Mazden Leslie. The 2025 WHL Defenceman of the Year finalist is the WHL’s active games played leader at a whopping 347 contests- and he’s got 258 career points (75G-183A) to go along with it. On a Kelowna squad that’s stacked with offensive talent, Leslie is still tied for third in points among all Rockets with 68. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound defender is tied with Tij Iginla for the most points of any player in the regular-season series between Kelowna and Kamloops with nine points (2G-7A) in six twirls.<\/p>\n

2026 WHL PLAYOFFS SERIES SCHEDULE<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Game<\/strong><\/td>\nVisitor<\/strong><\/td>\n\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\nHome<\/strong><\/td>\nDay<\/strong><\/td>\nDate<\/strong><\/td>\nTime<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1<\/td>\nKamloops<\/td>\n@<\/td>\nKelowna<\/td>\nFriday<\/td>\nMarch 27<\/td>\n7:05 p.m. PT<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2<\/td>\nKamloops<\/td>\n@<\/td>\nKelowna<\/td>\nSaturday<\/td>\nMarch 28<\/td>\n6:05 p.m. PT<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3<\/td>\nKelowna<\/td>\n@<\/td>\nKamloops<\/td>\nTuesday<\/td>\nMarch 31<\/td>\n7 p.m. PT<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
4<\/td>\nKelowna<\/td>\n@<\/td>\nKamloops<\/td>\nWednesday<\/td>\nApril\u00a01<\/td>\n7 p.m. PT<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
5*<\/td>\nKamloops<\/td>\n@<\/td>\nKelowna<\/td>\nFriday<\/td>\nApril 3<\/td>\n7:05 p.m. PT<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6*<\/td>\nKelowna<\/td>\n@<\/td>\nKamloops<\/td>\nSaturday<\/td>\nApril 4<\/td>\n6 p.m. PT<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
7*<\/td>\nKamloops<\/td>\n@<\/td>\nKelowna<\/td>\nTuesday<\/td>\nApril 7<\/td>\n7:05 p.m. PT<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

* = if necessary<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What a way to return to the playoffs. The Kelowna Rockets and Kamloops Blazers are back in the battle for the Ed Chynoweth Cup- but to have a shot at the WHL’s top prize, the teams have to go through their bitterest rival. The 2026 Memorial Cup host Rockets return to the postseason after a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":359,"featured_media":36267,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[440],"tags":false,"class_list":["post-36266","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","category-440","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/03\/24165141\/KELvsKAM_Series-Preview-1920.png",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36266","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/359"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36266"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36266\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36267"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36266"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36266"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-blazers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36266"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}]