Silvertips secure franchise first Ed Chynoweth Cup with Game 5 victory in 2026 WHL Championship Series

FLORIDA PANTHERS PROSPECT BUSCH RECORDS HAT TRICK TO BOOST SILVERTIPS

Prince Albert, Sask. – For the first time in franchise history, the Everett Silvertips have ascended to the top of the Western Hockey League mountain.

The Silvertips secured the Ed Chynoweth Cup for the first time in history, defeating the Prince Albert Raiders by a 7-2 score in Game 5 of the 2026 WHL Championship Series presented by Nutrien.

GAME SUMMARY
PLAYOFF STATISTICS

Florida Panthers prospect Shea Busch put forward his biggest performance of the season, recording a hat trick in the win, while linemate Zackary Shantz tallied three helpers Friday night.

“It’s unreal, it doesn’t feel real,” said Silvertips star Landon DuPont after the game. “Last season, we fell short and that was a terrible feeling. We came back this year and I’m so proud of these guys – coaching staff, trainers, players – just so proud of everyone in this group. So determined and so hardworking – to see it pay off, it’s amazing.

“This is a first-class organization – the way they treat all the players, all the people. It’s truly so unreal I went to a team like this and I couldn’t be more thankful.”

Seattle Kraken prospect Julius Miettinen was named 2026 WHL Playoffs MVP after recording 27 points (14G-13A) in 18 games. The 6-foot-3, 207-pound product scored in each of the first four games of the series and logged nine points (4G-5A) over five WHL Championship contests.

“I could have never even dreamed of this,” Miettinen said postgame after being awarded the WHL Playoff MVP. “We were so tight as a group. There isn’t a single guy who can’t play on this team. Amazing guys.”

For the fifth consecutive game, it was the Silvertips opening the scoring. The 6-foot-3, 214-pound Busch tapped home a puck on a two-on-one opportunity only 68 seconds into the affair, giving Everett a quick 1-0 advantage. The goal was Busch’s fifth of the WHL Playoffs and second of the WHL Championship Series.

The Silvertips doubled their lead with 4:03 to go in the first period, as defenceman Mattias Uyeda sent a long wrist shot to the top corner for his second goal of the playoffs. After 20 minutes of play, the Silvertips owned a 2-0 lead on the scoreboard, thanks in part to a sizeable 14-5 margin on the shot clock.

The Raiders weren’t without some fight. Veteran forward Brayden Dube tallied his seventh goal of the playoffs 3:38 into the second period, injecting some life back into the over-capacity crowd of 3,299 at the Art Hauser Centre.

Prince Albert continued to build momentum through the second period. With 10:04 on the clock, 2026 NHL Draft-eligible forward Jonah Sivertson drove the net for a great opportunity, only to by stymied by Silvertips netminder Anders Miller, who made arguably his best save of the night.

Shortly after Miller’s showstopper, the Silvertips took control.

2026 NHL Draft-eligible defenceman Brek Liske tallied what went on to be the game-winning and championship-clinching goal on a great individual effort that eluded Raiders goaltender Michal Orsulak with 5:09 to go in the second period. Before the middle period came to a close, Busch found the back of the net for a second time in the contest, converting on a power play with 44 seconds remaining.

Busch, who hails from North Vancouver, B.C., maintained the hot hand to start the third period, recording his third goal of the game 6:17 in. A mere 50 seconds later, 20-year-old Nolan Chastko piled on, giving the visitors a commanding 6-1 lead.

The heart and soul of the Raiders – captain Justice Christensen – refused to give in. Midway through the third period, the Red Deer product used a power-play opportunity to score his fourth goal of the WHL Championship to give his team a breath of life.

But DuPont, the 16-year-old phenom, quickly snuffed it out, notching his fifth goal of the postseason to restore Everett’s five-goal advantage.

At the end of the outing, Everett had outshot Prince Albert by a 36-24 margin. The Silvertips were 2-for-5 on the power play, while the Raiders went 1-for-5 with the man advantage.

In net, Miller made 22 saves to secure his 16th win of the 2026 WHL Playoffs.

Silvertips alternate captain Jesse Heslop enjoyed a multipoint night (2A), as did Liske (1G-1A).

WHL Commissioner Dan Near presented the Ed Chynoweth Cup to Silvertips captain Tarin Smith. A prospect of the Anaheim Ducks, Smith was unable to compete in the 2026 WHL Championship after he was knocked out of action with an injury following four games of the 2026 WHL Playoffs.

Having won their first WHL Championship since first joining the WHL in 2003-04, the Silvertips now advance to the 2026 Memorial Cup presented by Kubota, scheduled for Friday, May 22, to Sunday, May 31, in Kelowna, B.C.

The WHL Champion Silvertips begin their Memorial Cup quest Saturday, May 23, against the champions of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. The QMJHL champion is still to be determined with the Chicoutimi Sagueneens leading the Moncton Wildcats 3-2 in the best-of-seven battle for the Gilles Courteau Trophy.

About the Western Hockey League

Regarded as the world’s finest development league for junior hockey players, the Western Hockey League (WHL) head office is based in Calgary, Alberta. The WHL consists of 23 member Clubs with 17 located in Western Canada and six in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. A member of the Canadian Hockey League, the WHL has been a leading supplier of talent for the National Hockey League for over 50 years. The WHL is also the leading provider of hockey scholarships with over 375 graduates each year receiving WHL Scholarships to pursue a post-secondary education of their choice. Each season, WHL players also form the nucleus of Canada’s National Junior Hockey Team.