WHL Morning Skate: April 16, 2025

NEED TO KNOW

– Portland’s Ryan Miller scored the fastest goal to start a game in the 2025 WHL Playoffs presented by Nutrien when he struck just 15 seconds in on Tuesday

– Carson Wetsch completed an unusual hat trick to give Calgary its first win against Lethbridge in the 2025 postseason

– Medicine Hat will try to wrestle a 3-0 series lead as they visit Prince Albert’s Art Hauser Centre for Game 3

– Raiders alternate captain Aiden Oiring will put his league-best eight-game playoff point streak (6G-7A) on the line on Wednesday night

TOP PERFORMER- APRIL 15

Steb-attack! Portland’s prime puckstopper delivered again in another narrow decision. Stebetak has made 33 or more saves in four straight games and had a sizzling .971 save percentage to get the Winterhawks back in the win column on home ice. His shining moment came with a point-blank toe save on a wide-open Cole Temple to ensure Portland never trailed in the game. The Czech product stopped all three Silvertips powerplay attempts and held off a 15-shot barrage in the second period. Earlier in the day, NHL Central Scouting ranked Stebetak eighth among all North American goaltenders heading into the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. Stebetak is 5-2-3-0 in his first trip to the WHL postseason with a 3.33 goals-against average, a .904 save percentage and a league-high 338 saves.

RESULTS

Everett 1, Portland 3

Everett leads 2-1

Home-ice advantage, check. Heading back to the Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Ryan Miller wasted no time getting going when he buried a Kyle Chyzowski feed with a solid one-timer just 15 seconds into the first period. Miller’s strike is the fastest goal to start a game in the 2025 WHL Playoffs, breezing past Gracyn Sawchyn’s Game 1 series-opener against Prince Albert, which came on a shorthanded break 29 seconds into the match. Portland’s first-period surge continued with Diego Buttazzoni ripping a powerplay one-timer off another Chyzowski pass to deflect off an Everett player and into a yawning cage to make it 2-0. The Silvertips sliced the lead in half early in the final frame as Nashville Predators prospect Austin Roest wired a stunning pass through heavy traffic to a wide-open Tarin Smith for a clear shot from the backdoor. Philadelphia Flyers prospect Carter Sotheran iced the match with the empty-netter, tying the blueliner for the team goals lead with six.

THREE STARS

1- Ondrej Stebetak, POR

– 33/34 saves

– .971 save percentage

2- Kyle Chyzowski, POR

– 2A

3- Ryan Miller, POR

– 1G

Calgary 5, Lethbridge 3

Lethbridge leads 2-1

With their backs up against the wall, Calgary came through in a big way to get on the board in Round Two. The Hitmen never trailed in Game 3, with Captain Carson Wetsch opening the scoring after a punishing Canes turnover in their own end. The San Jose Sharks prospect drove the net after receiving a Connor Hvidston pass to snap a shot past Jackson Unger. Wetsch would add an empty net-goal later in the night and was credited with a third goal after the Hurricanes suffered a passing miscue with the extra attacker, leading to an empty-net own goal.  Hitmen alternate captain David Adaszynski and Calgary Flames prospect Axel Hurtig rounded out their team’s scoring, while Ottawa Senators prospect Carter Yakemchuk chipped in a pair of assists. On the other side of the ice, Lethbridge certainly kept things interesting with Trae Johnson and Shane Smith tying the game on two occasions. Seattle Kraken prospect Caden Smith also made things interesting with a late goal for his first of the playoffs, but the Hurricanes will go back to the drawing board as they look to take a stranglehold on the series on Wednesday night.

THREE STARS

1- David Adszynski, CGY

– 1G

2- Trae Johnson, LET

– 1G

3- Axel Hurtig, CGY

– 1G

ON TAP