Capitals prospect Cristall named Tempo WHL Player of the Week
Calgary, Alta. – Spokane Chiefs forward Andrew Cristall has been named Tempo WHL Player of the Week for the week ending Sunday, April 27, 2025, the Western Hockey League announced Monday.
This is the fourth time Cristall has been recognized with the weekly award in 2024-25, in addition to a WHL Player of the Month win in November 2024.
The Burnaby, B.C. product led all WHL skaters with five goals and four assists for nine points in three games to help the Chiefs reach the WHL Western Conference Championship.
Cristall came through with his second overtime goal in as many games as the Chiefs eliminated the Victoria Royals in Game 6 of their second-round series in a staggering 5-4 double OT thriller. He served up two primary assists to help the Chiefs tie the match twice in the first period, and snagged a helper on Shea Van Olm’s hat trick goal to give Spokane a 4-2 lead in the final frame. Victoria stormed back to tie the game, and the players marched on into the wee hours until Cristall buried a powerplay wrister from a low angle with less than two minutes left in the second overtime period. The series-clinching goal marked Spokane’s 53rd shot of the game and helped Cristall pick up second-star honours with a goal and three assists.
He didn’t miss a beat as the Chiefs turned their attention to the Portland Winterhawks in Game 1 of the Western Conference Championship. Cristall fed Captain Berkly Catton for the series-opening goal just 34 seconds into the match and lit the lamp himself early in the third period with a one-timer from below the faceoff dot. His two-point helped Spokane complete a 10-4 rout of their U.S. Division rivals.
The 20-year-old stepped up in Game 2 with his second hat trick of the 2025 WHL Playoffs presented by Nutrien in a 6-5 overtime victory. Cristall’s first tally came with a long, screened shot from the high slot to level the game at two goals apiece. He tied the match again midway through the second frame with a snapper on the powerplay. Early in the third, Cristall created a Portland turnover that allowed the Chiefs to pile on the pressure, culminating in Cristall’s hat-trick goal to give Spokane its first lead of the night. Cristall was named first star of the contest.
Cristall has found the scoresheet in all 12 playoff games and leads the WHL in playoff goals (17) and points (33) while tying for fifth in assists (16). He’s also tied for the league lead in game-winning goals with three. He’s in the midst of one of the top playoff performances in modern WHL history. Cristall already has the most points of any skater since Lethbridge’s Brad Morrison’s 37-point run in the 2018 postseason and is tied for eighth among all skaters in playoff points in the internet era (1996-present).
He’s nominated for the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy for WHL Player of the Year, in addition to being recognized as a 2024-25 WHL Western Conference First All-Star Team member and winning the Bob Clarke Trophy as the regular season’s top scorer.
Cristall paced all skaters in the regular season with 48 goals and 84 assists for 132 points and a +59 rating in 57 games with the Spokane Chiefs and Kelowna Rockets.
Originally drafted by the Rockets in the first round of the 2020 WHL Prospects Draft, Cristall is one of the league’s greatest players of his time.
The 5-foot-10, 183-pound winger has 157 goals and 255 assists for 412 points in 248 regular-season contests, making him the first WHLer in the 21st century to hit the 400-point mark.
Cristall is also one of the WHL’s top active playoff scorers with 22 goals and 31 assists for 53 points in 32 contests over four trips to the postseason.
He was selected by the Washington Capitals with the 40th overall pick in the second round of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.
Cristall and the Chiefs look to take a 3-0 stranglehold on the Western Conference Championship as they travel to Portland for Game 3 at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Wednesday, April 30 at 7:00 p.m. PST.
Fans can stream the 2025 WHL Playoffs for free on Victory+.
2024-25 Tempo WHL Player of the Week
September 23, 2024: Roger McQueen, Brandon Wheat Kings
September 30, 2024: Nathan Behm, Kamloops Blazers
October 7, 2024: Shea Van Olm, Spokane Chiefs
October 15, 2024: Mazden Leslie, Vancouver Giants
October 21, 2024: Ben Kindel, Calgary Hitmen
October 28, 2024: Nathan Behm, Kamloops Blazers
November 4, 2024: Brady Birnie, Swift Current Broncos
November 11, 2024: Koehn Ziemmer, Prince George Cougars (Los Angeles Kings)
November 18, 2024: Tomas Mrsic, Prince Albert Raiders (St. Louis Blues)
November 25, 2024: Andrew Cristall, Kelowna Rockets (Washington Capitals)
December 2, 2024: Gavin McKenna, Medicine Hat Tigers
December 9, 2024: Tyson Jugnauth, Portland Winterhawks (Seattle Kraken)
December 16, 2024: Gracyn Sawchyn, Edmonton Oil Kings (Florida Panthers)
December 23, 2024: Rilen Kovacevic, Moose Jaw Warriors
December 30, 2024: Landon DuPont, Everett Silvertips
January 6, 2025: Evan Friesen, Wenatchee Wild
January 13, 2025: Andrew Cristall, Spokane Chiefs (Washington Capitals)
January 20, 2025: Berkly Catton, Spokane Chiefs (Seattle Kraken)
January 27, 2025: Quinn Mantei, Brandon Wheat Kings
February 3, 2025: Andrew Cristall, Spokane Chiefs (Washington Capitals)
February 10, 2025: Cole Reschny, Victoria Royals
February 18, 2025: Berkly Catton, Spokane Chiefs (Seattle Kraken)
February 24, 2025: Gavin McKenna, Medicine Hat Tigers
March 3, 2025: Teydon Trembecky, Victoria Royals
March 10, 2025: Hunter Laing, Saskatoon Blades (Calgary Flames)
March 17, 2025: Gavin McKenna, Medicine Hat Tigers
March 24, 2025: Jackson Smith, Tri-City Americans
March 31, 2025: Oasiz Wiesblatt, Medicine Hat Tigers
April 7, 2025: Berkly Catton, Spokane Chiefs (Seattle Kraken)
April 14, 2025: Landon DuPont, Everett Silvertips
April 21, 2025: Cole Reschny, Victoria Royals
About the Western Hockey League
Regarded as the world’s finest development league for junior hockey players, the Western Hockey League (WHL) head office is based in Calgary, Alberta. The WHL offers a world-class player experience featuring three key cornerstones: hockey development, education, and a safe and positive environment for all participants. A diverse and inclusive organization, the WHL consists of 22 member Clubs with 16 located in Western Canada and six in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. A member of the Canadian Hockey League, the WHL has been a leading supplier of talent for the National Hockey League for close to 60 years. The WHL is also a leading provider of hockey scholarships with over 375 graduates each year receiving WHL Scholarships to pursue a post-secondary education of their choice. Each season, WHL players also form the nucleus of Canada’s National Junior Hockey Team.
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