WHL Morning Skate: April 2

NEED TO KNOW

– The Everett Silvertips and Kelowna Rockets have become the first teams to advance to Round 2 of the 2026 WHL Playoffs

– Los Angeles Kings prospect Vojtech Cihar has tied his Kelowna teammate Tij Iginla for the playoff scoring lead with 10 points in four games, while ranking first in goals with six

– Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Miroslav Holinka picked up a hat trick to tie Edmonton’s series against the Saskatoon Blades

– Draft-eligible Kalder Varga’s powerplay strike helped Red Deer stave off elimination against Prince Albert

– The Calgary Hitmen and Prince George Cougars can advance to the second round with wins on Thursday night

TOP PERFORMER

RESULTS

Everett 6, Portland 3

EVT wins 4-0

The Everett Silvertips have slain their dragon. After three straight seasons of being eliminated by the Portland Winterhawks, the Tips got their revenge by completing a Round One sweep on Wednesday night. Nathan Free and Nathan Brown gave the Hawks a 2-0 lead, but Jaxsin Vaughn kicked off the Everett comeback by swatting a rebound past Ondrej Stebetak (NHL CSS: 22). Everett leaned on its depth as six different skaters hit the scoresheet, including top 2027 NHL Draft prospect Landon DuPont, who drove the net and capitalized on a slick backhand to give his team its first lead of the night. Sucker Creek, Alta.’s Zachary Shantz led the regular season champs by scoring the game-winning goal and tacking on a pair of assists. Nathan Free led the Hawks with three goals, while Vegas Golden Knights prospect Alex Weiermair netted four assists. Postgame, the Silvertips extended the handshake line to the Portland tunnel to acknowledge injured Winterhawks alternate captain and 2025 WHL Humanitarian of the Year Kyle McDonough.

THREE STARS

1- Alex Weiermair, POR

– 2A

2- Niko Tsakumis, POR

– +1

3- Ondrej Stebetak, POR

– 36 saves, .782 save percentage

Prince Albert 3, Red Deer Rebels 4

PA leads 3-1

Put the brooms away, this series is heading back to Saskatchewan! Dallas Stars prospect Brandon Gorzynski and top 2026 NHL Draft prospect Daxon Rudolph (NHL CSS: 6) scored early to give the Eastern Conference leaders an early lead, but the underdog Rebels roared back for their first playoff victory since April 5, 2024. Rebels 2026 WHL Trade Deadline pickup Cameron Dillard stepped up with a wrister from the blueline to get the home team on the board late in the opening frame, and tied it up early in the second with a solid one-timer through traffic. PA rookie Connor Howe briefly restored the lead with his first WHL Playoff goal, but Rebels regular-season leading scorer Beckett Hamilton (NHL CSS: 75) found the equalizer with a deft shot from the slot. Kalder Varga (NHL CSS: 164) bagged the game-winner with a powerplay one-timer from the same spot. Rookie goaltender Kondro was the difference-maker, holding PA to a single goal on six powerplay opportunities and battling through a 22-shot second period for his first playoff win.

THREE STARS

1- Matthew Kondro, RD

– 35 saves, .921 save percentage

2- Beckett Hamilton, RD

– 1G-1A

3- Cameron Dillard, RD

– 2G

Penticton 3, Seattle 4

PEN leads 3-1

The Thunderbirds came heavy out of the gates to seize a 4-0 lead, but had to outlast a third-period push from the Vees to extend their series. Joe Gramer logged his second goal in as many games for the lone goal of the opening frame before Philadelphia Flyers prospect Matthew Gard and rookie Brock England added second-period strikes less than four minutes apart. The game-winner belonged to T-Birds alternate captain Coster Dunn, who pounded a one-timer off a crisp feed from Noah Kosick (NHL CSS: 55). Samuel Drancak made it a one-goal game with less than five minutes to play, but Marek Sklenicka (NHL CSS: 8) slammed the door from there. Sklenicka made 39 saves in the last two periods alone, while holding the Vees to one goal on three powerplay opportunities.

THREE STARS

1- Marek Sklenicka, SEA

– 50 saves, .943 save percentage

2- Brock England, SEA

– 1G

3- Antonio Martorana, SEA

– 1A

Medicine Hat 4, Regina 2

MH leads 3-1

The floodgates have stayed open for the defending champs. After erupting for eight goals in Game 3, Medicine Hat put up four more to give itself a chance to move on with a win on Friday. Zachary Lansard (NHL CSS: 72) drew first blood after deking out Carter Casey (NHL CSS: 12), but Kade Stengrim answered for the Tabbies less than three minutes later. Gavin Kor rounded out the first period scoring, and Eastern Conference First Team All-Star Liam Ruck (NHL CSS: 26) and Noah Davidson rounded out the scoring for Medicine Hat.

THREE STARS

1- Carter Casey, MH

– 28 saves, .933 save percentage

2- Ruslan Karimov, REG

– 1G

3- Andrew Basha, MH

– 2A

Edmonton 5, Saskatoon 2

Series tied 2-2

The see-saw continues in the Eastern 3v6. Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Miroslav Holinka took control with his first playoff hat trick. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound forward snagged the game-opener with a wrister from the left faceoff dot, danced through the Saskatoon defenders before roofing a backhand shot on the powerplay, and capped it off by burying a big rebound into an open cage. 2025 WHL Rookie of the Year finalist Lukas Sawchyn’s first goal of the series would stand as the game-winner, while Kazden Mathies and Calgary Flames prospect Hunter Laing tallied for the home side. Neither team has won consecutive games so far- will Edmonton break the streak at home on Friday?

THREE STARS

1- Miroslav Holinka, EDM

– 3G

2- Lukas Sawchyn, EDM

– 1G-2A

3- Hunter Laing, SAS

– 1G

Kelowna 6, Kamloops 2

KEL wins 4-0

The Kamloops Blazers were unable to contain wave after wave of Rockets attacks as they bowed out in Game 4. Edmonton Oilers prospect Tommy Lafreniere capped off a breakout season with a pair of goals for the home side, including the first tally of the night, but notches from four NHL prospects powered Kelowna to the win. Los Angeles Kings pick Vojtech Cihar registered his fifth and sixth goals of the series, while Montreal Canadiens prospect Hayden Paupanekis and New York Islanders fourth-rounder Tomas Poletin picked up their first goals of the postseason. Six-foot-4, 230-pound Dawson Gerwing saw a puck deflect off of him and into the twine for the series-winner.

THREE STARS

1- Vojtech Cihar, KEL

– 2G

2- Tommy Lafreniere, KAM

– 2G

3- Ryan Michael, KAM

– 2 shots

Prince George 2, Spokane 3

PG leads 3-1

The Cougars got a big boost with NHL Draft-eligible Carson Carels (NHL CSS: 3) and Dmitri Yakutsenak (NHL CSS: 148) returning to the lineup after missing a large chunk of the series, but the Chiefs clawed out a narrow win to ensure a Game 5 will be played in Spokane. Logan Wormald picked off a Cougars pass to fly down the ice on a two-on-one, feeding Winnipeg Jets prospect Owen Martin for the shorthanded game-opener. Rookie Townes Kozicky levelled the game with a backhander for his first WHL Playoff goal, but Assanali Sarkenov and Gavin Burcar hit the back of the net less than a minute apart to seal the win for the 2025 Western Conference champions.

THREE STARS

1- Assanali Sarkenov, SPO

– 1G

2- Owen Martin, SPO

– 1G

3- Carter Esler, SPO

– 23 saves, .920 save percentage

ON TAP