WHL Firsts: 11 WHL players secure first goal, victory for memorable occasions
The successes continued for 11 Western Hockey League players as they earned their first career WHL goal or first career WHL victory. Let’s take a look at who made this week’s WHL Firsts achievement list during last week’s games.
Wednesday, October 17
Wednesday’s contest between the Swift Current Broncos and Victoria Royals on Vancouver Island featured a pair of WHL firsts. Import winger Joona Kiviniemi had the first success as he scored 6:58 into the contest for his first career WHL goal. Kiviniemi’s entire week following was productive as well as he added the second and third goals of his WHL career during the team’s B.C. Division road trip.
Goaltender Brock Gould of the Royals would have the last laugh though, securing the 5-2 victory as the first of his WHL career, stopping 10 shots in the contest.
Some history in Victoria with Joona Kiviniemi scoring his 1st @TheWHL goal. Still 1-1 mid way through the 1st. pic.twitter.com/Ep8K3BxZxJ
— Swift Current Broncos (@SCBroncos) October 18, 2018
We defeated the defending WHL Champion Swift Current Broncos 5-2 as @hannoun19 recorded 4 pts, @goaliguy32 picked up his 1st WHL win & the team set a franchise record for fewest shots against in a game at 12!
Read: https://t.co/vEzkiUvKJ7 pic.twitter.com/OcMTHj172a
— Victoria Royals (@victoriaroyals) October 18, 2018
Friday, October 19
A pair of first career WHL goals featured in Friday’s action. The Moose Jaw Warriors celebrated the success of Alek Sukunda in Friday’s game against the Calgary Hitmen. The Burnaby, B.C. product scored Moose Jaw’s lone goal in a 5-1 victory for the Hitmen. Though they didn’t come out with the victory, the sixth-round selection from the 2016 WHL Bantam Draft was still left with a memorable moment.
That was Sukunda’s first WHL goal!
— Moose Jaw Warriors (@MJWARRIORS) October 20, 2018
Post-game interview with Alek Sukunda (@Aleksukunda55) – October 19, 2018 pic.twitter.com/yN3GXA5Jv8
— Moose Jaw Warriors (@MJWARRIORS) October 20, 2018
While a product of British Columbia scored his first goal in Saskatchewan, a Warman, Sask. product notched his first career WHL goal in British Columbia. Kamloops Blazers forward Josh Pillar tickled the twine for his first career WHL goal 16:48 into the third. The timing of his goal proved essential for the Blazers, who ended up winning the game 5-3, Pillar’s goal counting as the game-winner. A top pick from the 2017 WHL Bantam Draft, the goal was assisted on by the Blazers top selection from the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft in Logan Stankoven, who used the moment to collect his first career WHL point in the process.
PILLAR TIME! 🎯
If you’re going to score your 1st WHL goal… might as well be a game-winner 🤷🏻♂️
Congratulations @JoshPillar ! pic.twitter.com/OX3sWeSl0k
— Kamloops Blazers (@blazerhockey) October 23, 2018
Saturday, October 20
Saturday’s WHL action featured just eight games, but provided six first goal moments for WHL players, stretching across all three Prairie provinces and British Columbia.
A pair of first goals featured in the first visit of the season by the Calgary Hitmen to Westoba Place to take on the Brandon Wheat Kings. Having witness his brother score his first WHL goal days earlier, defenceman Luke Prokop struck with exactly one minute left in the first period. That gave the Edmonton, Alta. product his first goal after collecting three assists in 26 previous WHL regular season games.
LUKE PROKOP!!! 🚨🚨🚨 GRAB THE PUCK!!! FIRST CAREER WHL GOAL!!! #BDNvsCGY pic.twitter.com/yIQOkjW8i2
— Calgary Hitmen (@WHLHitmen) October 21, 2018
With the Hitmen up 3-2 later in the game, Rossburn, Man. product Chad Nychuk found the back of the net for his first career WHL goal, forcing the game into overtime. While it gave the Wheat Kings life, it only gave them an extra point in the standings after Calgary ended things quickly in the fourth period. Still the moment proved memorable for the 17-year-old playing in his eighth career WHL game at the time.
Congrats to Chad Nychuk from Rossburn, Manitoba on scoring his first career Western Hockey League goal tonight! @Nychuk39 pic.twitter.com/4vtyIhA7ED
— Brandon Wheat Kings (@bdnwheatkings) October 21, 2018
As part of their road trip through the East Division, the Spokane Chiefs took on the Prince Albert Raiders Saturday. While the game didn’t end in their favour, Erik Atchison notched his first career WHL goal 15:28 into the second period. Having now played in six career WHL regular season games, Atchison has two points (1G-1A).
🚨🚨
🥅 – Atchison (1st WHL Goal)
🍎 – King
🍏 – Reid15:28 | 2nd
5-2#GoChiefsGo pic.twitter.com/5jjnxiS7ht— Spokane Chiefs (@spokanechiefs) October 21, 2018
The first goal successes extended into southern Alberta as Lethbridge Hurricanes forward Nolan Jones. Coming in his 21st WHL regular season game, Jones scored late in the first period to give the Hurricanes a 2-0 lead in a game they’d eventually take by an 8-3 score.
Jones now has three points (1G-2A) in 10 games this season with the Hurricanes. Lethbridge Hurricanes photographer Eric Perreaux also captured the joyous moment for the Moose Jaw, Sask. product.
In British Columbia’s Lower Mainland, the Vancouver Giants had import forward Yannik Valenti strike for his first career WHL goal in a 2-1 overtime loss against the Portland Winterhawks at the Langley Events Centre. With Portland leading 1-0 in the second, Valenti scored, marking the last goal of regulation.
A huge congrats to Yannik Valenti who notched his first career @TheWHL goal for the Giants against Portland! Here’s to many more! pic.twitter.com/5fLlhBhsPj
— Vancouver Giants (@WHLGiants) October 21, 2018
Just a short ways away on Vancouver Island, the Kelowna Rockets were finishing off a weekend series sweep of the Victoria Royals and received some help from rookie Ethan Ernst. The Weyburn, Sask. product secured the victory by scoring Kelowna’s fifth goal into the empty-net, maybe not the most noteworthy of highlights, but still a momentous milestone for the young forward. Ernst now has four points (1G-3A) in 12 games with the Rockets this season.
— Kelowna Rockets (@Kelowna_Rockets) October 21, 2018
Tuesday, October 23
Tuesday’s lineup of games produced the first career win for Lethbridge Hurricanes goaltender Carl Teatchuk in his hometown. As the Hurricanes played host to the Wheat Kings, Tetachuk was sharp in his first career WHL start, stopping 34 of 35 shots. His lone blemish came during the first period when Wheat Kings captain Stelio Mattheos beat him. Brandon couldn’t muster anything as Tetachuk stopped all 24 shots in the final 40 minutes though.
In addition to being named the first star of the game, Tetachuk was named the WHL’s third star of the night for his milestone victory.
#WHLThreeStars ⭐⭐⭐
Tuesday, October 23, 2018 pic.twitter.com/NKF4clQbtE— The WHL (@TheWHL) October 24, 2018