SERIES PREVIEW: Portland (4) vs. Everett (1)
Coming off of their second Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy win as regular season champions, the Everett Silvertips have a chance to exorcise some playoff demons as they face the Portland Winterhawks in Round Two of the 2025 WHL Playoffs presented by Nutrien.
The Winterhawks have knocked the Silvertips out of the postseason for two straight years and made it to the finals in 2024.
Everett will try to advance to the third round for the first time since reaching the big dance back in 2018.
Both teams are coming off some of the most intense, closely matched battles of the first round, with the Silvertips downing the upstart Thunderbirds in six games and Portland eking out a Game 7 thriller against Prince George in the most-streamed game of the playoffs- so far.
Winterhawks Captain Kyle Chyzowski’s career year has seen the unstoppable forward pick up a nomination for WHL Player of the Year after his first 100-point season. His 14 playoff points (4G-10A) are among the best on the team, trailing only Seattle Kraken prospect Tyson Jugnauth’s league-leading 16 points (2G-14A).
Eleven different Portland skaters have found the back of the net in Round One- a key part of why Portland is currently the league’s highest-scoring postseason team (29).
Everett has similarly spread out its scoring, with Nashville Predators pick Austin Roest leading the squad with nine points (4G-5A).
The Silvertips have been among the stingier teams in playoffs, much like in the regular season, and have seen their defensive corps make a big impact at both ends of the ice. Look no further than Anaheim Ducks prospect Tarin Smith’s eight points (1G-7A), co-captain Kaden Hammell’s (Seattle Kraken) one-goal, three-assist effort in Game 5, or co-captain Eric Jamieson’s (Calgary Flames) overtime winner in Game 2.
Both netminders have come out on top in marathon double overtime games, with Portland’s Ondrej Stebetak ranking among the busiest goalies and rookie Raiden LeGall coming off a 57-save shutout for the series win.
Everett dominated the regular season series with a 6-1-0-1 record but played the latter half of Round One without some key players and no update on their current status.
The series kicks off on Friday, April 11, with a 7:05 p.m. PST puck drop at Everett’s Angel of the Winds Arena.
Things head south to the glass palace with Game 3 going on Tuesday, April 15, at 7:00 p.m. PST.
All games will be streamed for free on Victory+.
STAT PACK
| Portland Winterhawks | Everett Silvertips | |
| Record | 36-28-3-1 (3rd U.S.) | 48-12-4-4 (1st U.S.) |
| Playoff Leaders | Tyson Jugnauth (2G-14, 16 PTS)
Kyle Chyzowski (4G-10A, 14 PTS) Alex Weiermair (6G-3A, 9 PTS) |
Austin Roest (4G-5A, 9 PTS)
Tarin Smith (1G-7A, 8 PTS) Shea Busch (5G-2A, 7 PTS) |
| Season Leaders | Kyle Chyzowski (41G-64A, 105 PTS)
Tyson Jugnauth (13G-76A, 89 PTS) Diego Buttazzoni (38G-39A, 77 PTS) |
Carter Bear (40G-42A, 82 PTS)
Tyler MacKenzie (33G-45A, 78 PTS) Dominik Rymon (30G-36A, 66 PTS) |
| Leading Goaltender (Playoffs) | Ondrej Stebetak (4-2-1-0, 3.64 GAA, .887 save percentage) | Raiden LeGall (3-1-0-0, 1.98 GAA, .945 save percentage, one shutout) |
| Power Play (Playoffs) | 29.6% (5th) | 32.1% (2nd) |
| Penalty Kill (Playoffs) | 82.4% (2nd) | 70% (5th) |
| First Round | Def. Prince George (4-3) | Def. Seattle (4-2) |
| Last WHL Championship | 2013 | – |
2023-24 REGULAR SEASON SERIES
Everett leads 6-1-0-1
September 28, 2024- Portland 2, Everett 8
October 19, 2024- Everett 3, Portland 0
October 27, 2024- Everett 4, Portland 2
December 11, 2024- Portland 4, Everett 3
December 31, 2024- Everett 7, Portland 3
February 21, 2025- Portland 1, Everett 4
March 9, 2025- Everett 2, Portland 3 (SO)
March 14, 2025- Portland 3, Everett 5
GAME BREAKERS
Portland: Apparently, Tyson Jugnauth wasn’t content to just lead all defencemen in scoring- the Seattle Kraken prospect has tied phenom Gavin McKenna of the Medicine Hat Tigers for the playoff scoring lead with 16 points (2G-14A) in Round One. The 20-year-old has already matched his point total from last year’s playoff run that saw him make it all the way to the Championship Series and he has three or more points in four postseason contests this year- including three assists in a Game 7 comeback win to dispatch the Cougars. Jugnauth was also one of the most consistent point-getters for the Hawks against Everett this year, with eight points (2G-6A) in eight meetings.
Everett: Austin Roest is cooking with diesel in his final trip to the WHL Playoffs. His nine points (4G-5A) lead the Silvertips and the hardy team will lean on his leadership, as well as the rest of the veteran contingent, as they look to fill the net against their U.S. Division rivals. Roest has only been held without a point once in the postseason. While the Nashville Predators prospect has become very familiar with the Winterhawks over the past few years, he’s only faced them once in 2024-25 and had two goals, including the deciding tally, in their final meeting on March 14. Roest is also looking for some revenge after being held out of last season’s playoff meeting between Everett and Portland with an injury. Can the dynamic centre help his team slay the proverbial dragon?
GOALTENDING
Portland: Ondrej Stebetak put his conditioning to the test with an exhausting- and entertaining- showdown against the Cougars in Round One. The Czech netminder, who is ranked sixth among all North American goalies by NHL Central Scouting in the agency’s midterm rankings, played a whopping 462 minutes (you can almost call it an eight-game series for him) and has the third-most saves of any goalie with 220. His shining moment came in a Game 4 double-overtime thriller with 49 saves for the win in the longest game in Winterhawks history. Stebetak has a 1-4-0-0 regular season record against Everett with a 4.69 goals-against average and a .893 save percentage, but the Hawks appear to have saved their best hockey of the year for the postseason.
Everett: First-year netminder Raiden LeGall proved he can battle with the best of them after a nail-biting series against Seattle. The 18-year-old made at least 31 saves in four appearances, going 3-1-0-0, but saved his best for the Game 6 finale. LeGall made an eye-watering 57 saves in a double-overtime shutout to eliminate the Thunderbirds. The Morden, Man. product ranks second among all WHL goaltenders in playoff save percentage and third in goals-against average. LeGall was 2-1-0-1 against Portland in 2024-25 with a 2.46 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage, continuing a strong tradition of elite goaltending in Everett.
X-FACTOR
Portland: The rookies are on the case! Alex Weiermair only needed 41 regular-season games to surpass the 20-goal mark, and his astonishing scoring pace hasn’t faltered in the postseason with the 19-year-old hammering six goals and three assists in seven games, including a hat trick against the Prince George Cougars in Game 3. The 6-foot-1, 202-pound winger is tied for third in postseason goals among all skaters and even has a shorthanded marker to his name. Weiermair had a pair of assists against Everett in five regular season meetings but looks to pick up the pace to help Portland return to the Western Conference Championship for a second straight year.
Everett: Troubling as recent injuries may be to the Silvertips, reigning WHL Rookie of the Week Shea Busch has stepped up admirably with a team-leading five goals in the postseason. After Everett battled back to tie their first-round series 2-2, Busch scored twice, including the game-winner, to seal a 7-4 win and give the Tips their first lead of the series. Busch suited up for five matches against the Winterhawks in the regular season and had one goal, though he’ll likely take on an even bigger role now.
SERIES SCHEDULE
| Game | Visitor | Home | Day | Date | Time | |
| 1 | Portland | @ | Everett | Friday | April 11 | 7:05 p.m. PST |
| 2 | Portland | @ | Everett | Saturday | April 12 | 6:05 p.m. PST |
| 3 | Everett | @ | Portland | Tuesday | April 15 | 7:00 p.m. PST |
| 4 | Everett | @ | Portland | Wednesday | April 16 | 7:00 p.m. PST |
| 5* | Portland | @ | Everett | Friday | April 18 | 7:05 p.m. PST |
| 6* | Everett | @ | Portland | Saturday | April 19 | 6:00 p.m. PST |
| 7* | Portland | @ | Everett | Tuesday | April 11 | 7:05 p.m. PST |
*- If necessary
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