WHL Morning Skate: April 15

NEED TO KNOW

– Vancouver Canucks prospect Bradeden Cootes scored twice against Saskatoon to give Prince Albert a daunting 3-0 series lead

– Fantastic Finns Julius Miettinen (SEA) and Matias Vanhanen combined for two goals and two assists to put Everett in the driver’s seat against Kelowna

– Louis Wehmann earned three assists to complete a comeback against Prince George and get the Vees on the board in Round Two

– Top 2026 NHL Draft prospect Michal Orsulak registered a second consecutive clean sheet against the Blades, bringing his shutout streak to 129:08

– Three teams can advance to the Conference Championships with wins on Wednesday

TOP PERFORMER

Vees alternate captain Brady Birnie was a critical part of Penticton’s road win at an electric CN Centre on Tuesday night. The WHL veteran was the lucky recipient of a Louis Wehmann feed on a two-on-one rush to give Penticton its first lead of the night, and bagged the game-winner by posting up outside the blue paint to redirect another Wehmann pass. Birnie, 20, has five goals and one assist for six points in eight playoff games. The 5-foot-7, 167-pound winger was picked up from the Swift Current Broncos in the 2025 WHL Expansion Draft and has brought a stellar presence and scoring touch to the Okanagan. Birnie enters the postseason as one of the WHL’s active games-played leaders with 334 regular-season matches under his belt (second only to Kelowna’s Mazden Leslie with 347) and leads the Vees with three goals in round two.

RESULTS

Everett 4, Kelowna 1

EVT leads 3-0

The Western Conference Championship is so close, the Everett Silvertips can practically taste it. The Rockets overwhelmed the regular-season champs with 16 shots to Everett’s four in the opening frame, but the Tips came out swinging with a three-goal second period to seal the win. Seattle Kraken prospect Julius Miettinen stole the puck behind the net to tee up a wide-open Matias Vanhanen (NHL CSS: 76) for a one-timer in the slot, and Brek Liske (NHL CSS: 34) doubled the lead minutes later with a deceptive wrister off the wall. Miettinen made it 3-0 as an Everett powerplay was expiring by shovelling the puck through in a scramble in front of the Kelowna net. New York Islanders prospect Tomas Poletin logged Kelowna’s lone goal of the game in the third period before Lukas Kaplan added more insurance with a late penalty shot.

THREE STARS

1- Anders Miller, EVT

– 36 saves, .973 save percentage

2- Tomas Poletin, KEL

– 1G

3- Julius Miettinen, EVT

– 1G-1A

Prince Albert 4, Saskatoon 0

PA leads 3-0

The Raiders lived up to their name with a 4-0 shutout in enemy territory on Tuesday night. Dallas Stars prospect Brandon Gorzynski was first out of the gate with a crisp redirection on a Brayden Dube shot before Vancouver Canucks prospect Braeden Cootes tacked on a pair of second-period tallies. Cootes, 19, barreled in on a partial breakaway to beat Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Evan Gardner blocker side and added his second of the night by dancing around his check and roofing another shot from below the right faceoff circle. Evan Smith picked up an empty-netter, while draft-eligible Michal Orsulak (NHL CSS: 2) earned a second consecutive shutout with a 23-save effort- his busiest game of the 2026 WHL Playoffs.

THREE STARS

1- Braeden Cootes, PA

– 2G

2- Michal Orsulak, PA

– 23 saves, shutout

3- Evan Gardner, SAS

– 37 saves, .925 save percentage

Penticton 5, Prince George 3

PG leads 2-1

The Penticton Vees came alive on the road to reignite their second-round hopes against the Cougars. But it took a big comeback effort with Aiden Foster and WHL Playoffs leading scorer Brock Souch putting Prince George up 2-0 after the opening period. Former Cougar Matteo Danis, who was acquired by Penticton in the 2025 WHL Expansion Draft, poked a loose puck into the net to kickstart the Vees’ drive. Seattle Kraken signee Ryden Evers stole the puck in the slot and whipped a shot under the arm of San Jose Sharks prospect Joshua Ravensbergen to level the game. Alternate Captain Brady Birnie scored his first of the night off a two-on-one, and while Dmitri Yakutsenak briefly tied things again, Birnie had the dagger with a clean shot at the back post. New Yorks Islanders prospect Jacob Kvasnicka clinched Penticton’s first win in Round Two with an empty-netter.

THREE STARS

1- Brady Birnie, PEN

– 2G

2- Louis Wehmann, PEN

– 3A

3- Aiden Foster, PG

– 1G-1A

ON TAP