WHL Morning Skate: April 17, 2025
NEED TO KNOW
– Portland Captain Kyle Chyzowski’s hat trick helped the Hawks to make their series against the Silvertips a best-of-three
– Half of Everett and Portland’s games in the 2025 WHL Playoffs have required at least one period of overtime
– Teydon Trembecky’s last-minute hat-trick goal halted a Spokane comeback attempt
– Calgary and Lethbridge are guaranteed to go at least six games after Calgary snatched a pair of road wins
– Gavin McKenna’s stunning lacrosse goal helped power the Tigers to a 3-0 series lead
– The Tigers can advance to the Eastern Conference Championship for the first time since 2014 with a win on Thursday night
TOP PERFORMER- APRIL 16
Josh Zakreski scores big goals. The 19-year-old played overtime hero on Wednesday night when he corralled a bouncing puck to tuck it past Raiden LeGall on the backhand with less than five minutes remaining in the first overtime period. He also assisted Captain Kyle Chyzowski’s two first-period tallies. Zakreski’s OT goal has levelled the series at two games each to make it a best-of-three down the stretch. He’s tied for the league lead in game-winning goals with two, having scored the deciding goal in Game 7 against the Prince George Cougars in Round One. Zakreski, one of the returning members for Portland after last year’s run to the finals, has already matched his playoff point total from 2024 in seven fewer games with five goals and three assists in 11 contests.
RESULTS
Everett 5, Portland 6 (OT)
Series tied 2-2
Now that’s how you grind out a win. Portland and Everett traded blows all night, but the Winterhawks never ceded the lead to tie their series off the strength of a pair of home games. Hawks Captain and WHL Player of the Year finalist Kyle Chyzowski struck twice in the first 10 minutes en route to his first-ever playoff hat trick and is now sitting third in the WHL playoff points and goals races. In addition, Diego Buttazzoni (1G-3A), Josh Zakreski (1G-2A), Seattle Kraken prospect Tyson Jugnauth (2A) and rookie defenceman Kayd Ruedig (1G-1A) all recorded multipoint games for Portland. Everett countered hard with three powerplay goals and two late strikes from Captain and Kraken prospect Kaden Hammell to force the extra frame. Anaheim Ducks pick Tarin Smith had a trio of helpers, while exceptional status defenceman Landon DuPont chipped in a goal and an assist. 2025 NHL Draft-eligible Ondrej Stebetak made 43 stops in the win and has made at least 40 saves in every game this series.
THREE STARS
1- Kyle Chyzowski, POR
– 3G
2- Diego Buttazzoni, POR
– 1G-3A
3- Josh Zakreski, POR
– 1G-2A
Spokane 3, Victoria 4
Victoria leads 2-1
Overtime? In this economy? Teydon Trembecky doesn’t have time for that. Fresh off of a 46-goal regular season campaign, the veteran winger popped off for another statement game with a hat trick and an assist. It looked like Victoria was destined for a blowout win after Trembecky and 2025 NHL Draft-eligible centre Cole Reschny combined for three goals and three assists in a 3:30 span in the first period, but the Chiefs battled back with three straight goals of their own to tie the game, courtesy a pair from Washington Capitals prospect and Chase Harrington. As fans geared up for overtime, Trembecky called game with a lethal powerplay wrister with 30 seconds left in regulation. This marks his second four-plus point game of the postseason after a five-point (1G-4A) outburst in Game 2 against Tri-City. Victoria’s Jayden Kraus, who is also eligible for this year’s NHL Draft, dazzled in his first start of the postseason with 46 saves and a .938 save percentage.
THREE STARS
1- Teydon Trembecky, VIC
– 3G-1A
2- Cole Reschny, VIC
– 1G-3A
3- Andrew Cristall, SPO
– 2G
Medicine Hat 6, Prince Albert 1
Medicine Hat leads 3-0
DID YOU SEE THAT?! One game after setting the hockey world ablaze with his stickhandling wizardry and a goal-of-the-year candidate, Player of the Year finalist Gavin McKenna upped the ante by pulling off a lacrosse goal on the road to give his Tigers a commanding 3-0 series lead. The projected first overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft was on fire again with a goal and a pair of assists to put Prince Albert on the brink, while Florida Panthers prospect Hunter St. Martin opened the scoring and assisted Mathew Ward’s game-winning second-period strike. Fellow NHL prospects Veeti Vaisanen (Utah Hockey Club), Tanner Moleyndyk (Nashville Predators) and Ryder Ritchie (Minnesota Wild) all lit the lamp for the streaking Tabbies, while Seattle Kraken pick Lukas Dragicevic broke the goose egg for the Raiders with his sixth goal of the playoffs. Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Harrison Meneghin was near-perfect with 21 saves and a .955 save percentage. The bright news for Prince Albert? Alternate captain Aiden Oiring has points in nine straight games to lead all WHL skaters in the playoffs. It’s do-or-die for the hardy Raiders on Thursday night.
THREE STARS
1- Gavin McKenna, MH
– 1G-2A
2- Hunter St. Martin, MH
– 1G-2A
3- Aiden Oiring, PA
– 1A
Calgary 3, Lethbridge 2 (OT)
Series tied 2-2
Well, well, well. How the turn… tables. Calgary and Lethbridge are knotted up after both sides claimed a pair of hard-fought road wins. Four Broncos Memorial Trophy finalist Oliver Tulk and draft-eligible linemate Ben Kindel were up to their old tricks as Kindel dished a backhand feed for a Tulk tap-in early in the first period. The Canes found themselves playing catch-up the rest of the night, with Captain Noah Chadwick (Toronto Maple Leafs) dropping a powerplay clap bomb to tie things up. Brandon Gorzynski and Trae Johnson swapped goals to send the match to OT, where Kindel ignited again with a sharp wrister from the slot. Rookie netminder Anders Miller was victorious in his busiest night of the 2025 postseason with 32 saves and a .941 save percentage.
THREE STARS
1- Noah Chadwick, LET
– 1G
2- Anders Miller, CGY
– 32/34 saves
– .941 save percentage
3- Trae Johnson
– 1G
ON TAP
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