WHL Morning Skate: April 5, 2025

NEED TO KNOW

– Medicine Hat, Lethbridge and Victoria all advanced to round two of the 2025 WHL Playoffs with Game 5 wins on Friday night

– Superstar Gavin McKenna closed out Round One with a league-leading 16 points (2G-14A) and has found the scoresheet in 45 straight games going back to the regular season

– Seattle Kraken prospects Julius Miettinen (Everett, 2G) and Lukas Dragicevic (Prince Albert, 2G-1A) had statement performances to help their teams get back in the win column

– Los Angeles Kings prospect Koehn Ziemmer scored twice as the Cougars routed the Winterhawks to stave off elimination

– Victoria Royals netminder Johnny Hicks bookended his first WHL playoff series with shutouts in Games 1 and 5

– The Spokane Chiefs can clinch a berth in round two on Saturday night

TOP PERFORMER- APRIL 4, 2025

What a generous guy. Victoria Royals alternate captain Cole Reschny logged four primary assists in a 7-0 rout of the Tri-City Americans to propel his team to the second round for the first time since 2019.  The top 2025 NHL Draft-eligible centreman sits second among all WHLers in playoff points with 12 (4G-8A) and is one of only eight skaters to find the scoresheet in every one of their team’s playoff matches. Two of Friday’s helpers came on the Victoria powerplay, which has been humming along at a lethal, league-best 36.8%. The Macklin, Sask. product picked up a game-winning goal in Game 2 to help Victoria become the first Western Conference team to advance to Round Two.

RESULTS

Everett (6), Seattle (2)

Series tied 2-2

Looks like these bears just woke up from hibernation! The regular season champion Silvertips posted the most decisive victory of this series with a 6-2 demolition of Seattle to level the series at two wins each. Simon Lovsin opened the scoring for the T-Birds, but Seattle Kraken prospect Julius Miettinen countered with a pair of second-period tallies as the Tips went on a five-goal run. Everett veteran Dominik Rymon buried the game-winner, while Nashville Predators prospect Austin Roest nabbed a pair of assists in a definitive win.

THREE STARS

1- Julius Miettinen, EVT

– 2G

2- Simon Lovsin, SEA

– 1G

3- Raiden LeGall, EVT

– 33/35 saves

– .942 save percentage

Victoria (7), Tri-City (0)

Victoria wins 4-1

The Royals left no doubt in a dominant 7-0 win in Kennwewick. Rookie Wyatt Danyleyko played hero by scoring the series-clinching goal for his hometown team by corralling a loose puck into the net early in the first period. Six different Royals skaters lit the lamp, including Brayden Boehm, who had a pair of goals in the definitive match. Cole Reschny was the start of the night with four assists, while WHL Rookie of the Year nominee Keaton Verhoeff dished a trio of helpers for his first postseason multipoint outing. The Royals are the first Western team to move on to the conference semifinals. This is the first time the B.C. Division Champions have advanced to the second round since 2019.

THREE STARS

1- Jake Sloan, TC

– +1

2- Brandon Whynott, TC

– 5 shots

3- Carter MacAdams, TC

– 1 shot

Prince George (7), Portland (2)

Portland leads 3-2

They’re heading back north! The Prince George Cougars dusted themselves off after a devastating double-overtime loss in Game 4 (though we doubt anyone is complaining about the ice time after Friday’s 5OT marathon between Baie-Comeau and Cape Breton in the QMJHL) and came out swinging with Captain Riley Heidt (Minnesota Wild) back in the lineup. The Cougars buried the opening goal for the first time in the series with Heidt striking with a backhander midway through the first period, and Matteo Danis added a pair to bring his series total to a team-leading five goals. Los Angeles Kings pick Koehn Ziemmer scored twice, including the game-winner, while Borya Valis (Toronto Maple Leafs) and Terik Parascak (Washington Capitals) picked up a goal and an assist each. Ryder Thompson and Alex Weiermair scored for the Winterhawks, but their work isn’t done yet. The teams will head back to Prince George to close out Round One at the CN Centre.

THREE STARS

1- Matteo Danis, PG

– 2G

2- Alex Weiermair, POR

– 1G-1A

3- Ryder Thompson, POR

– 1G

Swift Current (2), Medicine Hat (3)

Medicine Hat wins 4-1

The Broncos battled back to provide plenty of nervy moments for Medicine Hat fans packed into Co-op Place, but the Tigers ultimately prevailed to march on to Round Two. Rookies Markus Ruck and Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll gave the Tigers a comfy lead midway through the match before Connor Dale cut the lead in half with a shorthanded breakaway. Veteran defenceman Hunter Mayo seemed to tip the scales with an equalizer, but Ryder Ritchie (Minnesota Wild) put the game away less than a minute later with a series-clinching one-timer. Gavin McKenna added two more assists to bring his gaudy postseason total to 16 points (2G-14A) in five games. Both netminders shined in their first-round finale, with Tampa Bay Lightning prospect and reigning WHL Goaltender of the Month Harrison Meneghin stopping 25 shots and graduating goalie Reid Dyck steering aside 36 of 39. The Tigers will face the winner of the Prince Albert/Edmonton series in Round Two.

THREE STARS

1- Reid Dyck, SC

– 36/39 saves

– .923 save percentage

2- Carlin Dezainde, SC

– 1A

3- Hunter Mayo, SC

– 1G

Edmonton (2), Prince Albert (4)

Edmonton leads 3-2

The Art Hauser Centre is well-known as one of the toughest barns in the league, and the Raiders took advantage of the rocking atmosphere to double up the Oil Kings and extend the series to a sixth game. Despite being heavily outshot in the opening minutes, Prince Albert’s regular season leading scorer Tomas Mrsic (St. Louis Blues) netted his first of the series with a bouncing backhanded shot. Seattle Kraken defensive prospect Lukas Dragicevic scored twice (and assisted Mrsic’s goal) and alternate captain Aiden Oiring had two helpers before icing the game with an empty-netter. Edmonton battled hard with a powerplay goal from Ethan MacKenzie and Landon Hanson tally in the second period, but were unable to solve Max Hildebrand with the All-Star netminder making 36 stops. Hildebrand trails only Victoria’s Johnny Hicks in playoff save percentage with a sparkling .936.

THREE STARS

1- Lukas Dragicevic, PA

– 2G-1A

2- Max Hildebrand, PA

– 36/38 saves

– .947 save percentage

3- Aiden Oiring, PA

– 1G-2A

Brandon (2), Lethbridge (5)

Lethbridge wins 4-1

The Hurricanes scored four unanswered goals for their first series win since 2018. Lethbridge saw former WHL Champions step up in a big way with 2024 Ed Chynoweth Cup winner Brayden Yager (Winnipeg Jets) and 2023 champ Jordan Gustafson (Vegas Golden Knights) tying the game at two late in the second frame. Captain Noah Chadwick iced the series with a powerplay wrister from the high slot 33 seconds into the third period before Logan McCutcheon and Brayden Edwards closed out the scoring. Yager, Gustafson, Chadwick and McCutcheon all ended the night with a goal and an assist, while 2024 WHL champion Jackson Unger stopped 24 of 26 shots. Wheaties Captain Quinn Mantei and Joby Baumuller scored for Brandon in the first period. At the other end of the ice, Ethan Eskit made 47 stops for the Wheat Kings, including a dangerous Yager penalty shot.

THREE STARS

1- Nolan Flamand, BDN

– 1A

2- Marcus Nguyen, BDN

– 1 shot

3- Luke Shipley, BDN

– 1A

ON TAP