Nineteen Western Hockey League alumni participating in 2025 Stanley Cup Final
Calgary, Alta.- A total of 19 Western Hockey League alumni (12 players, five coaches, two officials) will compete in the Stanley Cup Final, beginning on Wednesday, June 4 in Edmonton, Alta.
The 2025 NHL Playoffs will culminate in a heated rematch of last season’s Championship bout, which saw nine WHL alumni hoist the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers after a dramatic 2-1 win in Game 7.
Former WHL Champion Sam Reinhart, whose major junior accolades include being named WHL Rookie of the Year, Player of the Year, and Most Sportsmanlike Player, scored the Stanley Cup-winning goal.
Five alumni participating in this year’s final have previously lifted the Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL Champions.
In addition, former WHL officials Trent Knorr and Ryan Gibbons are slated to work their first Stanley Cup Final.
Florida looks to become the third team in the 21st century to win back-to-back Stanley Cups, following the Pittsburgh Penguins (2016, 2017) and the Tampa Bay Lightning (2020, 2021).
2024-25 Edmonton Oilers
F- Leon Draisaitl* (Prince Albert Raiders, Kelowna Rockets)
F- James Hamblin (Medicine Hat Tigers)
F- Evander Kane* (Vancouver Giants)
F- Ryan Nugent Hopkins (Red Deer Rebels)
F- Noah Philp (Kootenay ICE, Seattle Thunderbirds)
F- Derek Ryan (Spokane Chiefs)
F- Matthew Savoie (Winnipeg ICE, Wenatchee Wild, Moose Jaw Warriors)*
D- Brett Kulak (Vancouver Giants)
G- Calvin Pickard (Seattle Thunderbirds)
G- Stuart Skinner* (Lethbridge Hurricanes, Swift Current Broncos)
Oilers Head Coach Kris Knoblauch played more than 200 WHL games (with 433 penalty minutes) with the Red Deer Rebels, Edmonton/Kootenay ICE and Lethbridge Hurricanes as a gritty forward, and returned to make his mark on the next generation as a coach.
The Imperial, Sask. product spent seven seasons as an associate and Head Coach with the Prince Albert Raiders and Kootenay ICE, culminating in the ICE’s third Ed Chynoweth Cup in 2010-11.
Assistant coach Glen Gulutzan played parts of five seasons with the Moose Jaw Warriors, Brandon Wheat Kings and Saskatoon Blades.
Goaltending coach Dustin Schwartz backstopped the Medicine Hat Tigers and Red Deer Rebels over four seasons and went on to spend nearly a decade as a goaltending consultant for the Edmonton Oil Kings.
2024-25 Florida Panthers
F- Sam Reinhart* (Kootenay ICE)
D- Seth Jones* (Portland Winterhawks)
Florida Panthers assistant coach Jamie Kompon served as General Manager and Head Coach of the Portland Winterhawks from 2014-16, while goaltending coach Rob Tallas suited up for more than 100 games for the Seattle Thunderbirds before turning pro.
*Denotes WHL Champion