WHL Morning Skate: April 1

NEED TO KNOW

– Florida Panthers prospect Shea Busch scored in his first game since October to help Everett force Portland to the brink of elimination

– Utah Mammoth prospect Tij Iginla logged his first four-point playoff game to give Kelowna a 3-0 series lead over rival Kamloops

– Dallas Stars prospect Cameron Schmidt scored twice for Seattle, but the Penticton Vees are one win away from clinching their first WHL Playoffs series victory

– Calgary alternate captain Ethan Moore tallied his third consecutive game-winning goal

– Hitmen Captain Axel Hurtig earned a win and an NHL contract in the last 24 hours

– Five teams can punch their ticket to Round Two with wins on Wednesday night

TOP PERFORMER

All aboard the Tij train! The 2024 Utah Mammoth sixth-overall pick seized the WHL Playoff scoring lead with two goals and a pair of assists as the Rockets steamrolled the Blazers 7-4. The 19-year-old showed off his quick release by shooting around a Kamloops defender to open the scoring before striking again by deflecting a shot from Los Angeles Kings pick Vojtech Cihar. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound forward has five goals (including two game-winners) and four assists for nine points and a +7 rating in three games.

RESULTS

Everett 7, Portland 0

EVT leads 3-0

The Silvertips just about blew the windows out of the Glass Palace. Seven different Tips skaters hit the back of the net, including Seattle Kraken prospect Julius Miettinen, who opened the scoring midway through the first frame with his fourth goal of the postseason. Florida Panthers 2025 fourth-round selection Shea Busch made it 4-0 as he returned to the lineup for his first game since October 29, 2025, and 2025 WHL Rookie of the Year Landon DuPont potted his first goal of the playoffs as he stole the puck in the Hawks zone to rip a high wrister from the slot. Anchorage, Alaska’s Anders Miller stopped all 19 shots he faced for his first playoff shutout. The first-year Silvertip leads all WHL goaltenders in goals-against average (.67) and save percentage (.969) as the first round heats up.

THREE STARS

1- Nathan Brown, POR

2- Jesse Heslop, EVT

– 1G-1A

3- Alex Weiermair

– 5 shots

Prince Albert 4, Red Deer Rebels 2

PA leads 3-0

The Red Deer Rebels showed plenty of grit, but the Raiders’ attack was too much to overcome in Game 3. Kazakhstan product Alisher Sarkenov (NHL CSS: 175) batted home the opening strike, and after Patrick Sopiarz and Kalder Varga (NHL CSS: 164) put the home side on top, found the equalizer in a late first-period scramble. It took a second look, but alternate captain Aiden Oiring was awarded the game-winning goal after video review concluded that his sharp shot completely crossed the goal line while in the Red Deer netminder’s glove.

THREE STARS

1- Alisher Sarkenov, PA

– 2G

2- Nate Yellowaga, RD

– 2A

3- Jonah Sivertson, PA

– 1G

Penticton 4, Seattle 3

PEN leads 3-0

Dallas Stars prospect Cameron Schmidt scored twice- including a glorious breakaway tally- to put on a show at the ‘Sho, but timely goals from the Vees’ top guns saw the WHL’s newest squad eke out a third straight playoff win. New York Islanders prospect Jacob Kvasnicka converted off a scramble to put the game on even ground, and Kraken prospect Ryden Evers and defenceman Ethan Weber put the game out of reach for the T-Birds.

THREE STARS

1- Andrew Reyelts, PEN

– 29 saves, .906 save percentage

2- Cameron Schmidt, SEA

– 2G

3- Ryden Evers, PEN

– 1G-1A

Medicine Hat 8, Regina 2

MH leads 2-1

Think the reigning WHL Champions felt a bit stung after their Game 2 loss? Medicine Hat piled on the goals to take a 2-1 series lead against the upstart Pats, with Calgary Flames prospect Andrew Basha leading the way with his first two goals of the postseason. Captain and Montreal Canadiens prospect Bryce Pickford’s second of the playoffs stood as the game-winner as the Tabbies peppered the Pats with 39 shots. The silver lining for Regina? Top 2025 WHL Draft picks Maddox Schultz and Liam Pue both found the scoresheet in their WHL Playoff debuts. Schultz registered an assist on Ruslan Karimov’s second-period powerplay goal, and Pue walked off the wall to wire a wrister past Jordan Switzer for his first postseason marker.

THREE STARS

1- Andrew Basha, MH

– 2G

2- Jordan Switzer, MH

– 25 saves, .926 save percentage

3- Bryce Pickford, MH

– 1G-1A

Edmonton 3, Saskatoon 4

SAS leads 2-1

Call them the find-a-way Blades! Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Miroslav Holinka made it a 3-1 game in the second period in Saskatoon, but the Blades scored three unanswered goals to escape with a critical Game 3 win. Captain Tyler Parr levelled things up by shovelling home a Jack Kachkowski rebound. Defenceman Tristen Doyle got the crowd on its feet with a late powerplay strike from the point for his first career playoff goal. Edmonton Oilers prospect David Lewandowski potted a goal and an assist, while Calgary Flames pick Hunter Laing added a pair of helpers to give the Blades the edge.

THREE STARS

1- Tristen Doyle, SAS

– 1G

2- Miroslav Holinka, EDM

– 1G

3- Rowan Calvert, SAS

– 1G-1A

Kelowna 7, Kamloops 4

KEL leads 3-0

Boy, Utah Mammoth first-rounder Tij Iginla and Los Angeles Kings prospect Vojtech Cihar have formed a formidable line. The Rockets alternate captain and 2026 World Juniors MVP took turns teeing each other up as the Rockets torched the Blazers in Game 3. Kelowna never trailed after Iginla, Nate Corbet and Dawson Gerwing lit the lamp in the first period. Kamloops captain Ryan Michael and Jacob Dumansky scored three and a half minutes apart in the final frame to inch closer, but the Blazers will need some magic in Game 4 to send the series back to Kelowna.

THREE STARS

1- Tij Iginla, KEL

– 2G-2A

2- Vojtech Cihar, KEL

– 1G-3A

3- Jacob Dumansky

– 1G

Calgary 3, Brandon 1

CGY leads 3-0

Out in Virden, it was another photo finish for the Hitmen and Wheat Kings. Andrei Molgachev (NHL CSS: 199) buried his second of the series off the rush to get the visitors on the board late in the first. In the second, Eric Tu denied Luke Mistelbacher on a breakaway to send the Hitmen flying down the ice, where alternate captain Ethan Moore squeaked a shot five-hole for what would become his third consecutive game-winning goal. Mistelbacher would have his revenge by scoring less than a minute later, but the Wheat Kings were unable to muster further offense.

THREE STARS

1- Filip Ruzicka, BDN

– 48 saves, .960 save percentage

2- Eric Tu, CGY

– 35 saves, .972 save percentage

3- Ethan Moore, CGY

– 1G

ON TAP