SERIES PREVIEW: (7) Tri-City Americans vs. (2) Victoria Royals

Could fans see another WHL team crowned league champions for the first time in 2025?

The Tri-City Americans and Victoria Royals would sure love to see that happen.

These Western Conference teams started the season against each other, and for one team, their season will end against the other.

Victoria and Tri-City swapped 5-4 overtime victories on the opening weekend in high-scoring tilts that heavily featured impact players on both sides.

The Royals are coming into the postseason on a high after clinching the B.C. Division for the second time in franchise history and finishing fourth in goals scored.

Top 2025 NHL Draft-eligible centreman Cole Reschny, who was tagged at 11th overall in TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button’s March draft rankings, embraced a growing role by setting a new career high in goals (26) while leading the team in points (92) and growing his two-way game.

Veteran Teydon Trembecky was one of the breakout stories of the year after potting 46 goals to finish third in the league goals race, while Royals General Manager Jake Heisinger bolstered the team’s attack by adding snipers Brandon Lisowsky (40G-34A) and Kenta Isogai (32G-46A) at the 2025 WHL Trade Deadline.

Captain Justin Kipkie (Utah Hockey Club) and Nate Misskey (San Jose Sharks) have done an admirable job anchoring the blueline, while star rookie Keaton Verhoeff has set a new franchise record for single-season goals by a defenceman (21).

The 6-foot-4, 212-pound 16-year-old is one of five defencemen to break 20 goals this season and tied for fifth in goals among all rookies.

In net, 2025 NHL Draft-eligible Jayden Kraus shined in his first season as Victoria’s starter, going 25-8-4-5 and picking up his first WHL shutout and one WHL Goaltender of the Week win.

The seventh-seed Tri-City Americans are making their return to the postseason after a one-year absence, thanks to consistent scoring and a burgeoning young core.

Tri-City put the league on notice after a tremendous 12-game win streak that stretched from October 12, 2024, to November 11, 2024, and featured four overtime victories and more than a half-dozen comeback efforts.

Colorado Avalanche prospect Max Curran’s consistent season saw him take the team scoring lead (22G-52A) while never going more than three games without a point.

Tri-City’s group of five 20-goal scorers is rounded out by Captain Jake Sloan, veteran Brandon Whynott and standout rookies Gavin Garland and Savin Virk, who both won WHL Rookie of the Month awards in 2024-25.

Projected 2025 NHL first-round draft pick Jackson Smith has hit a new level on the blueline to sit fourth on the Americans in scoring with 54 points (11G-43A), highlighted by four game-winning goals.

General Manager Bob Tory swung big by bringing in towering right-shot defenceman Charlie Elick, who parlayed another strong season into a three-year, entry-level contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets this week.

Game 1 is set for Friday, March 28 at Save-On-Foods Memorial Arena when the Royals battle for their first home playoff win since 2019.

Every match of the 2025 WHL Playoffs presented by Nutrien will be streamed for free on Victory+.

 

2024-25 REGULAR SEASON SERIES

Victoria leads 3-0-1-0
September 20, 2024- Tri-City 4, Victoria 5 (OT)
September 21, 2024- Tri-City 5, Victoria 4 (OT)
January 11, 2025- Victoria 6, Tri-City 2
February 7, 2025- Victoria 9, Tri-City 1

GAME BREAKERS

Tri-City: He’s doing pretty great, Curran-tly. Max Curran has improved his game across the board since being drafted by the Colorado Avalanche in the fifth round of the 2024 NHL Draft in Las Vegas. The cerebral playmaker paced his team in assists and points while hitting 100 career games played and 100 points (27G-79A). He netted a shorthanded goal against the Royals in their penultimate meeting of the regular season.

Victoria: Do your best, forget the Resch-t. Injuries to Royals veterans opened the door for Reschny to climb the lineup as a 16-year-old in 2023-24, and he helped the Royals qualify for the postseason as a result. One season later, he’s grown his game exponentially as a two-way centreman with a nose for the net in key moments. The projected top 2025 NHL draft prospect has two goals and four assists in four games against Tri-City, including an assist on Keaton Verhoeff’s overtime winner in the season-opening match.

GOALTENDING

Tri-City: Lukas Matecha is a busy man. The second-busiest in the WHL, actually, with exactly 1,500 saves in 49 games. The Czech netminder posted 26 wins in his sophomore WHL season (the fifth most in the league) and put up eight games with 40 or more saves, including a 54-save performance in a 6-5 overtime win against the regular season champion Everett Silvertips on November 3, 2024. He’s 1-1-1-0 against Victoria this season with a 4.55 goals-against average and an .882 save percentage.

Victoria: Jayden Kraus has stepped into the starter’s net with a ton of confidence and the numbers to back it up. The 18-year-old ranks ninth among all netminders in goals-against average (2.86) and eighth in save percentage (.908) while recording his first shutout. He sports a 2-0-1-0 record against the Ams in 2024-24 with a 3.57 goals-against average and .906 save percentage. Kraus is ranked 11th among all North American netminders by NHL Central Scouting in the agency’s midterm rankings ahead of the 2025 NHL Draft,

X FACTOR

Tri-City: Jackson Smith has preached resilience in a rollercoaster season that has seen Tri-City come through in many difficult situations. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound blueliner is a fixture on the Ams’ special teams and has a nose with big moments with four game-winning goals. Smith closed out the regular season by being named Tempo WHL Player of the Week with five goals and three assists in his last five games. He has four assists against the Royals, including helpers on the game-tying goal and overtime winner against Victoria on opening weekend. The big-moment player looks to deliver in front of fans and scouts as he suits up for his third-ever WHL Playoff game on March 28.

Victoria: Utah Hockey Club prospect Justin Kipkie has watched the Royals go from the B.C. basement to the division throne- and Victoria’s Captain is eager to write a new chapter in the team’s history as they return to the postseason for a second straight year. The 6-foot-3, 208-pound defender averaged just under a point per game in 2024-25 (12G-50A) and enters the playoffs with eight assists in his last five games. Kipkie missed the first two games against Tri-City while he was still up with the NHL club but was named second star of the night in the final regular season meeting between the clubs with a goal and two assists in a dominant 9-1 win.

2025 WHL PLAYOFFS SERIES SCHEDULE

Game	Visitor		Home	Day	Date	Time
1	Tri-City	@	Victoria	Friday	March 28	7:05 p.m. PST
2	Tri-City	@	Victoria	Saturday	March 29	6:05 p.m. PST
3	Victoria	@	Tri-City	Tuesday	April 1	7:00 p.m. PST
4	Victoria	@	Tri-City	Wednesday	April 2	7:00 p.m. PST
5*	Victoria	@	Tri-City	Friday	April 4	7:00 p.m. PST
6*	Tri-City	@	Victoria	Sunday	April 6	3:05 p.m. PST
7*	Tri-City	@	Victoria	Monday	April 7	7:05 p.m. PST

*- If necessary