2022 Eastern Conference Championship Preview: (2) Edmonton Oil Kings vs. (1) Winnipeg ICE
The 2022 Conference Championships begin Friday, May 20, and WHL.ca is previewing each third-round matchup. In our first preview, we examine the Eastern Conference Championship between the Winnipeg ICE and the Edmonton Oil Kings.
They’ve been the top two Clubs in the Eastern Conference all season long, and now, the Winnipeg ICE and Edmonton Oil Kings collide in the Conference Championship, set to begin Friday night in Winnipeg (7:00 p.m. CT, Wayne Fleming Arena).
The ICE and Oil Kings both reached the 50-goal mark during the Regular Season and through two rounds of the 2022 WHL Playoffs, neither Club has yet seen a Game 6.
Top-ranked Winnipeg arrives in the Eastern Conference Championship on the strength of five-game series victories versus the Prince Albert Raiders and Moose Jaw Warriors, while Edmonton is here thanks to back-to-back sweeps versus the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Red Deer Rebels.
Both teams boast high-flying offences. The ICE has averaged a League-best 5.30 goals per game through Rounds One and Two, with the Oil Kings in tow at 4.50 goals per game through their eight fixtures.
Rookie Zachary Benson leads Winnipeg in scoring to this point in the WHL Playoffs, scoring eight times in 10 games as part of his 18-point total. Fellow British Columbian Mikey Milne leads the Club in goals with nine.
Edmonton, meantime, has been paced by Arizona Coyotes prospect Dylan Guenther, who enters the Eastern Conference Championship riding an eight-game goal-scoring streak, and boasting a team-best 12 points (9G-3A) through the first two rounds of the 2022 WHL Playoffs.
Both sides attack as five-man units, combining for 59 points from the blue line thus far in the post-season. ICE defenceman Benjamin Zloty leads all Eastern Conference rearguards in playoff scoring with 11 points (all assists), while the Oil Kings pairing of Kaiden Guhle (Montreal Canadiens) and Luke Prokop (Nashville Predators) has combined for 17 points in Edmonton’s eight WHL Playoffs games.
Daniel Hauser has written quite the story this season in goal for Winnipeg, leading the League in Regular Season goals-against average, setting a Canadian Hockey League unbeaten string record along the way. The Chestermere, Alta. product goes toe-to-toe with fellow Albertan, and Detroit Red Wings prospect Sebastian Cossa, who has registered three shutouts over his eight playoff appearances in 2022.
The two sides met four times during the Regular Season, with the Oil Kings claiming victories on three occasions. This series marks the first post-season meeting between the two Clubs since the First Round of the 2013 WHL Playoffs, when Edmonton dispatched the then-Kootenay ICE in five games.
Game Breakers
Winnipeg ICE: The number-four ranked North American Skater in NHL Central Scouting’s Final Rankings for the 2022 NHL Draft, St. Albert, Alta.’s Savoie leads the ICE against his hometown Club having scored six times in eight WHL Playoffs appearances this year. Savoie possesses breakaway speed, creativity and slick stick skills; he led Winnipeg with three goals and four points versus Edmonton during the Regular Season.
Make that goals in three straight games for #NHLDraft prospect, Matthew Savoie! @WHLWpgICE | #WHLPlayoffs | #WPGvsMJ pic.twitter.com/7R4zhFYP16
— The WHL (@TheWHL) May 8, 2022
Edmonton Oil Kings: Savoie’s former CSSHL teammate Dylan Guenther has been beyond impressive for Edmonton through Rounds One and Two, seemingly scoring at will through eight games. The Coyotes first-rounder leads the Oil Kings with nine goals, four of which have come on the power-play, where he is the go-to shooter on Edmonton’s top unit.
Goaltending
Winnipeg ICE: Daniel Hauser has passed each WHL Playoffs challenge he’s faced so far this spring, and enters the Eastern Conference Championship with an 8-2 record, 1.81 GAA and .922 SV%. Winnipeg’s defensive play has also been a factor, with Hauser facing an average of 23 shots against per game through the first two rounds of the post-season.
🎥SAVE OF THE NIGHT🎥
Daniel Hauser owns the game board and the crease. @RealCdnSS | @WHLWpgICE | #WHLPlayoffs | #SaveoftheNight pic.twitter.com/vRBd3SMABa
— The WHL (@TheWHL) April 27, 2022
Edmonton Oil Kings: Sebastian Cossa has been rock-solid for Edmonton so far in the WHL Playoffs, posting an 8-0 record to go along with three shutouts. The WHL Goaltender of the Month for April has allowed only 12 goals through two rounds of the post-season.
After posting a 6-1-0-0 record. 1.56 GAA, .935 SV% and two shutouts in April, @DetroitRedWings prospect and @EdmOilKings netminder Sebastian Cossa has been named the WHL Goaltender of the Month!
📰 | https://t.co/EyZbyubfhP pic.twitter.com/2sBuFyblB9
— The WHL (@TheWHL) May 3, 2022
X-Factors
Winnipeg ICE: Stony Plain, Alta.’s Owen Pederson has enjoyed a terrific WHL Playoffs campaign, recording 14 points in 10 games after being limited to 50 appearances during the Regular Season. Pederson is a threat on the power-play: three of his five goals have come while the ICE were a man (or more) up, and he’s also cashed in with two game-winning tallies so far this spring.
The @WHLWpgICE extend their second period lead.
The reason? A redirect from the WHL's Player of the Week, Owen Pederson!#WHLPlayoffs | #WPGvsMJ pic.twitter.com/GTPBoCuq5n
— The WHL (@TheWHL) May 12, 2022
Edmonton Oil Kings: He’s tenacious on the forecheck, and is scoring at nearly a point-per-game pace (2G-5A in eight games) during the WHL Playoffs; it’s safe to say Jaxsen Wiebe was built for the post-season. The product of Moose Jaw, Sask. leads by example in the physicality department, and is willing to pay the price in order to open up offensive opportunities for his linemates.
Author E. B White's famous childrens book is globally known as 'Charlotte's Web.' Except during the #WHLPlayoffs in Edmonton.
During that time, the @EdmOilKings know it as Jaxsen's Wiebe. #EDMvsRD pic.twitter.com/Iqc8sfGXdo
— The WHL (@TheWHL) May 8, 2022
Series Schedule
| Game | Visitor | Home | Date | Time | |
| 1 | Edmonton | @ | Winnipeg | Friday, May 20 | 6:00 |
| 2 | Edmonton | @ | Winnipeg | Saturday, May 21 | 6:00 |
| 3 | Winnipeg | @ | Edmonton | Monday, May 23 | 7:00 |
| 4 | Winnipeg | @ | Edmonton | Wednesday, May 25 | 7:00 |
| 5 * | Winnipeg | @ | Edmonton | Friday, May 27 | 7:00 |
| 6 * | Edmonton | @ | Winnipeg | Sunday, May 29 | 4:00 |
| 7 * | Edmonton | @ | Winnipeg | Tuesday, May 31 | 6:00 |
* = if necessary
Season Series
Winnipeg (3) at Edmonton (6) – February 21, 2022
Edmonton (3) at Winnipeg (5) – December 11, 2021
Edmonton (2) at Winnipeg (2) – December 8, 2021
Winnipeg (1) at Edmonton (3) – October 29, 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.
