WHL Morning Skate: April 6, 2025

NEED TO KNOW

– Berkly Catton’s historic night helped the Spokane Chiefs eliminate Vancouver in Game 5 on Saturday

– Regular season leading goal scorer Shea Van Olm potted his first postseason hat trick

– Silvertips Captain Kaden Hammell erupted for four points (1G-3A) to give Everett its first lead of their series against Seattle

– Brayden Schuurman scored a hat trick to keep underdog Seattle in the fight against Everett

– Edmonton and Portland look to advance to Round Two with wins on Sunday

TOP PERFORMER- APRIL 5

Call him Berkly Ca7ton. The Spokane Chiefs Captain bagged two goals and five assists for a whopping seven points in a 9-4 win to knock out the Giants in Game 5. The wild night sees the 2024 eighth overall pick of the Seattle Kraken join rarified territory. Catton is the first player to put up seven points in a single playoff match since Olen Zellweger (Kamloops Blazers) in 2023. Only three players have pulled off the feat since 1996, the other being Stephane Legault (Edmonton Oil Kings) in 2013. For curious minds, the single-game record is eight points, a milestone shared by Dave Chartier (Brandon Wheat Kings, 1981) and Alfie Turcotte (Portland Winterhawks, 1983). Catton is second in the 2025 playoff scoring race with 14 points (4G-10) in five games, second only to Medicine Hat star Gavin McKenna’s 16 points (2G-14A) in five outings. Earlier this year, Catton became the fifth player in Chiefs franchise history to post back-to-back hundred-plus point seasons.

RESULTS

Seattle (4), Everett (7)

Everett leads 3-2

It’s not the route Everett expected to take, but the 2025 WHL regular season champions have started to find their groove in the 2025 WHL Playoffs presented by Nutrien. After dropping Game 1 to the rival Seattle Thunderbirds and tying the series twice, the Silvertips seized their first lead of the first round with a dominant showing on Saturday. 2024 WHL Champion Brayden Schuurman opened the scoring for the eight-seed Thunderbirds for his first of three goals on the night, but Silvertips Captain Kaden Hammell scored late in the first period to spark a flurry of goals from his teammates. Austin Roest (Nashville Predators), Zackary Shantz and Julius Miettinen (Seattle Kraken) scored 44 seconds apart to give Everett a 3-1 lead entering the second period. Shea Busch buried the game-winner and an insurance marker, while Roest picked up another goal late in the match to put things well out of reach. T-Birds Captain Braeden Cootes did give his team some life with a late powerplay snipe, but they’ll go back to the drawing board as Seattle looks to extend the series in Game 6 on Monday.

THREE STARS

1- Kaden Hammell, EVT

– 1G-3A

2- Brayden Schuurman, SEA

– 3G

3- Shea Busch, EVT

– 2G

Vancouver (4), Spokane (9)

Spokane wins 4-1

For the fourth time in five games, the Vancouver Giants opened the scoring but were unable to hold back the Chiefs’ dynamite top line of Shea Van Olm, Berkly Catton and Andrew Cristall. The trio combined for seven goals and 11 assists, including a hat trick from Van Olm and Catton’s aforementioned historic seven-point night. With Vancouver leading 2-1 midway through the first period, Spokane went on a tear of seven consecutive goals, creating an insurmountable deficit for the visiting G-men. Top 2025 NHL Draft-eligible forward Cameron Schmidt scored twice while graduating players Maxim Muranov and Jaden Lipinski closed out Vancouver’s scoring with the final goals of their WHL careers. Spokane will advance to Round Two for the first time since 2019, when the Chiefs were knocked out by none other than the Vancouver Giants in the Western Conference Championship.

THREE STARS

1- Berkly Catton, SPO

– 2G-5A

2- Andrew Cristall, SPO

– 2G-4A

3- Shea Van Olm, SPO

– 3G-2A

ON TAP