SERIES PREVIEW: Kelowna Rockets vs. Everett Silvertips
On paper, it wouldn’t be crazy to see this series as a potential Memorial Cup matchup.
The regular-season champion Everett Silvertips are coming off the winningest season in franchise history, while the Kelowna Rockets have caught fire as they prepare to host the 2026 Memorial Cup.
Both teams are coming off statement first-round sweeps.
Everett found some playoff absolution by downing the rival Portland Winterhawks, who had eliminated the Silvertips for the last three years.
Kelowna flexed just how far their group has come by taking out their longtime foes, the Kamloops Blazers.
The Silvertips are tied for most playoff goals in 2026 with 25, though no skater has more than four (a credit belonging to Seattle Kraken prospect Julius Miettinen).
A staggering 14 Everett skaters have lit the lamp, including draft-eligible Matias Vanhanen, the WHL’s first exceptional-status defenceman, Landon DuPont, and Florida Panthers prospect Shea Busch, who scored in his return to the lineup after being sidelined since October with an injury.
Eight Silvertips have recorded multi-goal outings.
It’s a sharp contrast to the Rockets, who are the fourth-highest scoring team with 21 tallies, 11 of which have come from superstars Tij Iginla, a Utah Mammoth prospect, and Los Angeles Kings pick Vojtech Cihar.
Cihar, who was named MVP at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship, is second in goals across the league with six in four games, while alternate captain Iginla is a hair behind with five.
The duo is tied for second-most points with 10 each.
On the back end, Everett has allowed a league-low five goals while Kelowna has the second-fewest with eight.
Beyond standout netminders Anders Miller and Harrison Boettiger, both teams boast defensive corps that would be the envy of any major junior team.
DuPont and Anaheim Ducks prospect Tarin Smith, along with draft-eligible Brek Liske and Philadelphia Flyers prospect Luke Vlooswyk, helped make Everett the stingiest team in the West in the regular season.
Kelowna loaded up with active WHL games-played leader Mazden Leslie, who was a finalist for Defenceman of the Year in 2025, Vancouver Canucks prospect Parker Alcos, and 2026 WHL Trade Deadline pickup Keith McInnis.
Everett swept the regular-season series between these teams with four wins, though two were decided by a single goal, and only one meeting came after the 2026 WHL Trade Deadline.
On the awards front, Iginla and DuPont have both been named to the 2025-26 WHL Western Conference First All-Star Team, while Smith, Miettinen and Bear all earned berths on the Second All-Star squad.
Vanhanen is in the running for the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy for WHL Rookie of the Year and the Brad Hornung Memorial Trophy for Most Sportsmanlike Player.
Silvertips goaltender Raiden LeGall and Rockets forward Shane Smith are finalists for the Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Trophy for Humanitarian of the Year.
On the staff side, Silvertips bench boss Steve Hamilton has gotten the nod as a finalist for the Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy for Coach of the Year, and General Managers Mike Fraser (Everett) and Bruce Hamilton (Kelowna) are finalists for the Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy for Executive of the Year.
This marks the fourth time these teams have met in the postseason and the first time since 2010, when Kelowna edged Everett 2-1 in Game 7 of a first-round series.
All three previous playoff meetings have required at least six games, including a seven-game showdown in the 2004 Western Conference Championship that saw Everett move on to the league final in its inaugural season.
Angel of the Winds Arena will host Game 1 on Friday, April 10, at 7:05 p.m. PST, before the series shifts to the Okanagan and Prospera Place for Game 3 on Tuesday, April 14, at 7:05 p.m. PST.
STAT PACK
| Kelowna Rockets | Everett Silvertips | |
| Record | 38-21-6-3 (3rd B.C.) | 57-8-2-1 (1st U.S.) |
| Playoff Leaders | Vojtech Cihar (6G-4A, 10 pts)
Tij Iginla (5G-5A, 10 pts) Nate Corbet (1G-3A, 4 pts) |
Julius Miettinen (4G-2A, 6 pts)
Matias Vanhanen (3G-3A, 6 pts) Landon DuPont (2G-4A, 6 pts) |
| Season Leaders | Tij Iginla (41G-49A, 90 pts)
Carson Wetsch (22G-50A, 72 pts) Shane Smith (33G-35A, 68 pts) |
Matias Vanhanen (21G-66A, 87 pts)
Carter Bear (36G-41A, 77 pts) Julius Miettinen (35G-41A, 76 pts) |
| Leading Goaltender (Playoffs) | Harrison Boettiger (4-0-0), 2.00 GAA, .934 save percentage) | Anders Miller (4-0-0, 1.25 GAA, .949 save percentage, one shutout) |
| Power Play (Playoffs) | 25% (8th) | 29.4% (5th) |
| Penalty Kill (Playoffs) | 80% (7th) | 70% (13th) |
| First Round | Def. Kamloops (4-0) | Def. Portland (4-0) |
| Last WHL Championship | 2015 | – |
2025-26 REGULAR SEASON SERIES
Everett leads 4-0-0-0
October 18, 2025- Everett 3, Kelowna 2
November 16, 2025- Kelowna 2, Everett 3 (OT)
November 21, 2025- Everett 6, Kelowna 3
January 21, 2026- Kelowna 3, Everett 5
GAME BREAKERS
Kelowna: Vojtech Cihar has been unstoppable since making tracks for Kelowna after World Juniors. The 6-foot, 181-pound winger netted 31 points (12G-19A) in 31 regular-season games and has exploded for 10 points (6G-4A) in four postseason contests- including a one-goal, three-assist effort in Game 3 against the Blazers. However, the 19-year-old did not get a point in his lone game against the Silvertips on January 21, 2026. If recent history is any indicator, it could simply be a matter of when, not if, he scores his first goal against Everett.
Everett: Julius Miettinen has beefed up his resume as a formidable netfront presence to include a slew of end-to-end highlight-reel goals. The 6-foot-4, 207-pound centreman leads Everett with six points (4G-2A), including the game-winning goal in Game 3 against the Winterhawks. Miettinen only suited up for two games against Kelowna in the regular season (he missed one match with a day-to-day upper body injury and another with an illness), but picked up a goal and three assists in that short span.
GOALTENDING
Kelowna: Harrison Boettiger has brought a tremendous presence to the Rockets’ crease as he’s settled into the WHL life. The draft-eligible netminder is fourth among all goalies with a 2.00 goals-against average and .934 save percentage in four postseason contests. Whether it was by design or a matter of schedule, Boettiger hasn’t played the ‘Tips often in his rookie season. The 18-year-old is 0-1-0-0 against Everett with a 3.13 GAA and .929 save percentage, having made one start (a 5-3 loss that included an empty-netter) and one relief appearance that saw Boettiger stop 28 of 29 shots.
Everett: Anders Miller leads all WHL goaltenders in playoff GAA (1.25) and save percentage (.949), while adding a 19-save shutout in Round One. The Anchorage, Alaska product owns a sparkling 4-0-0-0 record against Kelowna in the regular season with a 2.50 GAA and .912 save percentage, including a 35-save effort in a 3-2 win on October 18. The 19-year-old may not face a ton of rubber thanks to Everett’s stingy defensive play, but he’s been more than up to the task when needed.
X-FACTOR
Kelowna: Rockets captain Carson Wetsch brings sandpaper and stealth to the ice on a nightly basis. The San Jose Sharks prospect has already logged two goals in the postseason and is looking for more. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound winger is coming off a career-best 72-point (22G-50A) season in the Okanagan, though he didn’t hit the scoresheet against Everett in four regular-season meetings. With 80 regular-season penalty minutes under his belt, Wetsch has shown he’s capable of getting opponents off their game while teeing up his own squad.
Everett: Casual reminder. Landon DuPont is among the WHL’s top defencemen at just 16 years old. After his CHL Rookie of the Year campaign in 2024-25, DuPont has popped off for 73 points (18G-55A) in 63 regular-season outings, tying for fourth among all WHL defenders in points. The 5-foot-11, 183-pound rearguard notched four points (2G-2A) in four games against Portland and had three points (2G-1A) against Kelowna in the regular season.
SERIES SCHEDULE
| Game | Visitor | Home | Day | Date | Time | |
| 1 | Kelowna | @ | Everett | Friday | April 10 | 7:05pm PT |
| 2 | Kelowna | @ | Everett | Saturday | April 11 | 6:05pm PT |
| 3 | Everett | @ | Kelowna | Tuesday | April 14 | 7:05pm PT |
| 4 | Everett | @ | Kelowna | Wednesday | April 15 | 7:05pm PT |
| 5* | Kelowna | @ | Everett | Friday | April 17 | 7:05pm PT |
| 6* | Everett | @ | Kelowna | Sunday | April 19 | 5:05pm PT |
| 7* | Kelowna | @ | Everett | Tuesday | April 21 | 7:05pm PT |
* = if necessary
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