SERIES PREVIEW: (7) Seattle Thunderbirds vs. (2) Penticton Vees
It’s the new kids on the block versus one of the WHL’s winningest franchises of the last decade.
The Penticton Vees are making their first trip to the WHL Playoffs after a record-breaking introduction to the league.
Penticton set a new mark for wins by a CHL expansion team in its inaugural season with 44, while capturing the B.C. Division title.
They’ll face the 2023 WHL Champion Seattle Thunderbirds, who heated up with a 7-1-1-1 record in the final month of the regular season to lock down the seventh seed in the Western Conference.
Penticton swept the regular-season series, but only edged Seattle in the shootout in their lone meeting after the 2026 WHL Trade Deadline.
The Vees are sixth among all WHL teams in goals for, thanks to six 20-plus goal scorers, third in goals against, and boast the WHL’s top penalty kill.
New York Islanders prospect Jacob Kvasnicka has been sensational with a 35-goal campaign, while Ryden Evers matched his goal mark and snagged a contract with the Seattle Kraken as an undrafted free agent.
General Manager and Fred Harbinson brought in Czech World Juniors silver medalist Samuel Drancak at the deadline, and made an important pickup in netminder Ethan McCallum in early December.
McCallum and Andrew Reyelts have combined for seven shutouts.
Seattle GM Bil La Forge revamped his roster while stocking the draft cupboards by trading away Captain and Vancouver Canucks prospect Braeden Cootes, but brought in impact players like 51-goal scorer and 2025 Dallas Stars third-rounder Cameron Schmidt, 6-foot-5 Philadelphia Flyers prospect Matthew Gard (Drancak’s former Red Deer teammate) and speedy forward Noah Kosick- who all hit the scoresheet in a 5-4 shootout loss to Penticton on February 1.
On defence, Buffalo Sabres first-rounder Radim Mrtka and Joe Gramer form a daunting first pairing.
WHL Playoff hockey hits the South Okanagan Events Centre on Friday, March 27, at 7:05 p.m. PT before the series shifts south to the accesso ShoWare Center for Game 3 on Tuesday, March 31, at 7:05 p.m. PT.
| (7) Seattle Thunderbirds | (2) Penticton Vees | |
| Record | 31-27-6-4 | 44-14-6-4 |
| Leading Scorers | Cameron Schmidt (51G-49A, 100 pts)
Coster Dunn (25G-30A, 55 pts) Noah Kosick (16G-38A, 54 pts) |
Jacob Kvasnicka (35G-50A, 85 pts)
Ryden Evers (35G-39A, 74 pts) Brady Birnie (22G-48A, 70 pts) |
| Leading Goaltender | Marek Sklenicka (20-12-5-1, 3.21 GAA, .902 save percentage, three shutouts) | Andrew Reyelts (29-6-6-2, 2.45 GAA, .906 save percentage, three shutouts) |
| Powerplay | 17% (20th) | 27.4% (6th) |
| Penalty Kill | 77.5% (12) | 81.8% (1st) |
| 2025 WHL Playoffs | Lost First Round (Everett) | – |
| Last WHL Championship | 2023 | – |
2025-26 Regular Season Series: Penticton leads 4-0-0-0
October 4, 2025- Seattle 4, Penticton 10
November 7, 2025- Seattle 2, Penticton 4
December 12, 2025- Penticton 5, Seattle 1
February 1, 2026- Penticton 5, Seattle 4 (SO)
GAME BREAKERS
Seattle: The WHL’s top goal scorer is ready for more. Cameron Schmidt’s 51-goal, 101-point year included a league-best 11 game-winning goals and a 27-game point streak. While three of his four appearances against the Vees came with the Vancouver Giants, the 5-foot-8, 158-pound winger has four goals and two assists over that stretch.
Penticton: Jacob Kvasnicka’s rookie season saw him finish 12th in points and 14th in goals among all WHLers. He made hay with a four-point (1G-3A) outing against Seattle in a 10-4 beatdown on October 4, and closed out the regular season series with two goals and three assists against the T-Birds. The Burnsville, Minn. product is also tied for the league lead in shorthanded goals with four as part of the league’s top PK.
GOALTENDING
Seattle: Litvinov, Czechia’s Marek Sklenicka has carried the lion’s share of work against the Vees in 2025-26. The 17-year-old is 0-1-0-1 in two starts and a relief appearance against the B.C. powerhouse with a 4.44 GAA and .872 save percentage. Sklenicka is ranked eighth among all North American netminders by NHL Central Scouting in the agency’s midterm rankings for the 2026 NHL Draft.
Penticton: Andrew Reyelts was named Mary Brown’s Chicken WHL Goaltender of the Month for September/October and never looked back. The 20-year-old finished fourth in the league in wins (29), with two coming against Seattle. Reyelts went 2-0-0-0 with a 1.51 GAA and .939 save percentage.
X FACTOR
Seattle: Flyers second-rounder and T-Birds ‘A’ Matthew Gard is a bit of an unknown quantity against the Vees. He logged an assist in his lone tilt against Penticton, which saw Seattle salvage a single point. The big man has nearly doubled his offensive production since heading to Washington State and could be primed for a breakout in his second trip to the postseason.
Penticton: Centreman Ryden Evers did a lot to earn his NHL ELC as a free agent- and some of his best outings came against Seattle. The 20-year-old alternate captain was named a star of the game in two of four contests, contributing seven points (3G-7A) over that stretch. Evers is also a menace at the faceoff dot with a league-high 937 wins for a blistering 59.6%.
2026 WHL PLAYOFFS SERIES SCHEDULE
| Game | Visitor | Home | Day | Date | Time | |
| 1 | Seattle | @ | Penticton | Friday | March 27 | 7:05 p.m PT |
| 2 | Seattle | @ | Penticton | Saturday | March 28 | 7:05 p.m. PT |
| 3 | Penticton | @ | Seattle | Tuesday | March 31 | 7:05 p.m. PT |
| 4 | Penticton | @ | Seattle | Wednesday | April 1 | 7:05 p.m. PT |
| 5* | Seattle | @ | Penticton | Friday | April 3 | 7:05 p.m. PT |
| 6* | Penticton | @ | Seattle | Sunday | April 5 | 5:05 p.m. PT |
| 7* | Seattle | @ | Penticton | Tuesday | April 7 | 7:05 p.m. PT |
* = if necessary
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