SERIES PREVIEW: (2) Saskatoon Blades vs. (1) Winnipeg ICE
The 2023 WHL Eastern Conference Championship presented by Nutrien begins Friday, April 28. We present this preview of the best-of-seven series between the Winnipeg ICE and Saskatoon Blades.
The top two teams in the East Division will square off in the 2023 WHL Eastern Conference Championship presented by Nutrien.
The best-of-seven series between the Winnipeg ICE and Saskatoon Blades begins Friday, April 28 in Winnipeg (6:05 p.m. CT, Wayne Fleming Arena).
The top-ranked ICE are through to the Conference Championship for the second year running on the strength of an 8-2 post-season record. Winnipeg began its playoff journey with a four-game sweep of the Medicine Hat Tigers before defeating the Moose Jaw Warriors in six games in the Second Round.
Buffalo Sabres prospect Matthew Savoie leads the ICE offensively through the 2023 WHL Playoffs presented by Nutrien. The product of St. Albert, Alta. has totalled nine goals and 18 points from his 10 post-season appearances. Defenceman Ben Zloty sits second in team scoring with 15 points (0G-15A), while Arizona Coyotes draftee Conor Geekie collected 10 of his 14 post-season points in the Second Round series with the Warriors.
The Blades have strung together an enthralling month of hockey, rallying from a 2-0 series deficit to defeat the Regina Pats in the First Round before overcoming a 3-0 series deficit to get past the Red Deer Rebels in the Second Round. Saskatoon became one of only three teams in WHL history to complete a “reverse sweep” in a best-of-seven series, and the first to hail from the Eastern Conference.
2023 NHL Draft prospect Egor Sidorov has enjoyed a fruitful post-season after scoring 40 goals during the regular campaign. The Belarusian forward leads the Blades with nine goals, while his 19 points have him tied with linemate Trevor Wong for the Saskatoon scoring lead. Captain Aidan De La Gorgendiere has chipped in with 15 points (2G-13A) from the blue line.
A total of 11 NHL prospects are slated to participate in the series, seven from Winnipeg including first-rounders Savoie, Geekie and captain Carson Lambos (Minnesota Wild).
Edmonton Oilers prospect Jake Chiasson headlines the Blades quartet of NHL prospects; the product of Abbotsford, B.C. has scored three game-winning goals through the first two rounds of the post-season.
Both teams feature top-end talent for the 2023 NHL Draft, too. Winnipeg forward Zach Benson is ranked sixth among North American Skaters by NHL Central Scouting and led the ICE with 98 points during the regular season.
Saskatoon’s Tanner Molendyk is ranked #28 on the NHL Central Scouting list and like Benson, participated in the 2023 Kubota CHL / NHL Top Prospects Game this past January.
The two sides met six times during the regular season, with Winnipeg holding a 4-2 edge in wins including all three meetings in Manitoba. The two sides split the two matchups that took place following the turn of the calendar in January, with Saskatoon claiming a 3-2 victory in the most recent affair February 4.
Benson and Zloty led the ICE offensively in the season series, with both skaters earning seven points each on the strength of two goals and five assists. Forwards Connor McClennon and Ty Nash each scored four goals for Winnipeg versus the Blades.
Sidorov’s five goals led all participants in the regular season series, with his Saskatoon teammates Wong and Charlie Wright each earning four assists over their six outings versus Winnipeg.
Chestermere, Alta. product Daniel Hauser posted a 3-1-0-0 record for the ICE in the season series to go along with a .917 save percentage, while Blades netminder Ethan Chadwick earned both Saskatoon victories, finishing the season series with Winnipeg with a 2-2-0-0 record and .923 save percentage.
This series marks only the second-ever playoff meeting between the ICE and Blades. The two sides met in the Second Round of the 2011 WHL Playoffs, with the eventual WHL Champion Kootenay ICE winning the affair in four games.
STAT PACK
| Winnipeg ICE | Saskatoon Blades | |
| Regular Season Record | 57-10-1-0 (1st, East) | 48-15-4-1 (2nd, East) |
| Playoff Record | 8-2 | 8-0 |
| Playoff Leaders | Matthew Savoie (9-9-18) Ben Zloty (0-15-15) Conor Geekie (6-8-14) Daniel Hauser (8-1, 2.85, .902) |
Egor Sidorov (9-10-19) Trevor Wong (5-14-19) Aidan De La Gorgendiere (2-13-15) Ethan Chadwick (5-2, 3.09, .860) |
| Season Leaders | Zach Benson (36-62-98) Matthew Savoie (38-57-95) Connor McClennon (46-46-92) |
Trevor Wong (27-59-86) Egor Sidorov (40-36-76) Brandon Lisowsky (38-32-70) |
| Leading Goaltender | Daniel Hauser (37-4-1-0, 2.28, .917) | Austin Elliott (25-6-3-0, 2.20, .911) |
| Power Play | 23.8% (8th) | 27.6% (T-3rd) |
| Penalty Kill | 80.5% (6th) | 82.5% (3rd) |
| First Round | def. Medicine Hat (4-0) | def. Regina (4-3) |
| Second Round | def. Moose Jaw (4-2) | def. Red Deer (4-3) |
| Last WHL Championship | 2011 | -none- |
2022-23 REGULAR SEASON SERIES
Winnipeg (2) at Saskatoon (3) – February 4, 2023
Saskatoon (3) at Winnipeg (5) – February 1, 2023
Saskatoon (1) at Winnipeg (2) OT – December 31, 2022
Saskatoon (0) at Winnipeg (2) – December 30, 2022
Winnipeg (2) at Saskatoon (5) – November 26, 2022
Winnipeg (6) at Saskatoon (3) – November 25, 2022
GAME BREAKERS
Winnipeg ICE: After missing Winnipeg’s First Round series against Medicine Hat, 2023 NHL Draft prospect Zach Benson returned with seven points in the series against the Moose Jaw Warriors. Benson, who hails from Chilliwack, B.C., led the ICE with 98 points during the regular season and possesses dynamic offensive skill to go along with a savvy 200-foot game.
Missing out of the First Round of the #WHLPlayoffs means just one thing for Zach Benson…
It's time to make up for the time lost.
The 2023 #NHLDraft prospect is on the board, 7:57 into his first game back! @WHLWpgICE | #FeedingtheFuture pic.twitter.com/EgEhg8hgZ6
— The WHL (@TheWHL) April 15, 2023
Saskatoon Blades: Egor Sidorov has been a difference-maker for Saskatoon during their run to the Eastern Conference Championship. His team-leading nine goals through rounds one and two included an overtime winner against the Regina Pats; he sits tied with Kamloops captain Logan Stankoven for the League lead in post-season power-play goals with six.
Egor Sidorov gets the @BladesHockey started less than a minute into Game 6!#WHLPlayoffs | #FeedingTheFuture pic.twitter.com/psg0REk6HU
— The WHL (@TheWHL) April 23, 2023
GOALTENDING
Winnipeg ICE: Daniel Hauser has been the go-to-guy for Winnipeg all season long and through the first two rounds of the 2023 WHL Playoffs presented by Nutrien, he’s posted an 8-1 record and .902 save percentage. The 19-year-old is extremely agile in his crease and is a proven winner, holding a combined 94-10-3-0 record over his WHL regular season and playoff career.
📽️ SAVE OF THE NIGHT 📽
Howie was in his element Wednesday.@RealCdnSS | @WHLWpgICE | #SaveoftheNight pic.twitter.com/PmM4KZq5FL
— The WHL (@TheWHL) April 20, 2023
Saskatoon Blades: Ethan Chadwick and Austin Elliott have acted as a tandem all season long, and both have put up similar numbers in the post-season. Chadwick has five wins to Elliott’s three, but Elliott has been leaned upon in both Game 7 victories to this juncture in the 2023 WHL Playoffs presented by Nutrien.
Highway robbery by Ethan Chadwick 🤯 pic.twitter.com/HjhPCB7RMn
— Saskatoon Blades (@BladesHockey) April 20, 2023
X-FACTORS
Winnipeg ICE: Ottawa Senators prospect Zack Ostapchuk has thrived in Winnipeg since being acquired from the Vancouver Giants in January. The product of St. Albert, Alta., who scored 23 points in 23 playoff games with the Vancouver Giants last spring, has matched his goal total from the 2022 post-season with seven tallies in nine outings with the ICE. Ostapchuk has a penchant for scoring clutch goals, too; four of his 14 career post-season tallies have been game-winners.
Zack Ostapchuk and the @WHLWpgICE take Game 4 in WHOA-vertime!#WHLPlayoffs | #FeedingTheFuture | @Senators pic.twitter.com/GsXSyUxx52
— The WHL (@TheWHL) April 20, 2023
Saskatoon Blades: Centre Jayden Wiens is an invaluable member of the Blades forward corps and will be counted upon both on the scoresheet and in the face-off circle in the 2023 WHL Eastern Conference Championship presented by Nutrien. Hailing from Carrot River, Sask., Wiens has already contested nearly 300 face-offs during the post-season, winning 51.2 per cent of them, while his seven playoff goals rank second among Saskatoon skaters.
The @BladesHockey and Jayden Wiens strike first in Game 6!#WHLPlayoffs | #FeedingtheFuture pic.twitter.com/ZgYN3fY36M
— The WHL (@TheWHL) April 9, 2023
SERIES SCHEDULE
| Game | Date | Away | Home | Time | |
| 1 | April 28, 2023 | Saskatoon | Winnipeg | 6:05 p.m. CT | |
| 2 | April 29, 2023 | Saskatoon | Winnipeg | 4:05 p.m. CT | # |
| 3 | May 2, 2023 | Winnipeg | Saskatoon | 7:00 p.m. MT | |
| 4 | May 3, 2023 | Winnipeg | Saskatoon | 7:00 p.m. MT | |
| 5 | May 5, 2023 | Saskatoon | Winnipeg | TBD | * |
| 6 | May 7, 2023 | Winnipeg | Saskatoon | 4:00 p.m. MT | * |
| 7 | May 9, 2023 | Saskatoon | Winnipeg | 7:05 p.m. CT | * |
* – if necessary
# – subject to change
Through WHL Live on CHL TV, fans can enjoy every single scheduled game throughout the 2023 WHL Playoffs presented by Nutrien with the purchase of a WHL All-Access Pass at the low price of $59.99 plus applicable taxes and fees.
WHL Live – 2023 WHL Playoffs Packages
All-Access: $59.99
Round-by-Round: $19.99 per round
24-Hour Access: $9.99
* all prices in Canadian dollars
+ does not include applicable taxes and fees
WHL Live on CHL TV is available to fans anywhere in the world, providing high-quality streaming of WHL games on Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV platforms, via mobile with iOS and Android, and on web using Safari or Google Chrome web browsers. Visit WHLLive.com for complete details.
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