SERIES PREVIEW: Prince George (1) vs. Portland (2)
The WHL’s two top-scoring regular season teams are set to clash in the WHL’s Western Conference Championship, presented by Nutrien, with the B.C. Division champion Prince George Cougars taking on the U.S. Division champion Portland Winterhawks.
The Cougars are moving on to the Conference Championship for the first time since 2007 after eliminating the Kelowna Rockets in five games, while the Winterhawks swept the Everett Silvertips to advance for the first time since 2015.
The evenly-matched squads split their regular season series, with each club taking two wins during the regular season.
Portland led the WHL in regular season goals (330), while Prince George ranked second with 316.
The Cougars allowed the second-fewest goals (187), with the Winterhawks clocking in at third with 204.
Winterhawks General Manager and Head Coach and Mike Johnston made the biggest move of the WHL trade deadline by acquiring Detroit Red Wings prospect Nate Danielson and bringing in Seattle Kraken prospect Tyson Jugnauth from the Wisconsin Badgers.
Cougars General Manager and Head Coach Mark Lamb opted to bring in depth forwards Borya Valis and Matteo Danis, while depth WHL draft pick Terik Parascak and undrafted netminder Joshua Ravensbergen enjoyed breakout rookie seasons to lead Prince George to its best-ever regular season.
Johnston and Lamb are both nominated for WHL Executive of the Year as well as WHL Coach of the Year.
This marks the first time these teams have met in the postseason since the 2022 WHL Playoffs, which saw Portland sweep Prince George in their first-round series. a total of 20 players, 10 from each team, who were rostered in that series will take part in the 2024 rematch.
The series also features 11 NHL prospects- Koehn Ziemmer (Los Angeles), Zac Funk (Washington), Riley Heidt (Minnesota), Ty Young (Vancouver), James Stefan (Edmonton), Josh Davies (Florida), Nate Danielson (Detroit), Marek Alscher (Florida), Tyson Jugnauth (Seattle), Carter Sotheran (Philadelphia) and Luca Cagnoni (San Jose), as well as five players ranked by NHL Central Scouting ahead of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft.
Game 1 of the WHL’s Western Conference Championship presented by Nutrien will take place on Friday, Apil 26 at 7:00 p.m. PST at Prince George’s CN Centre.
Following a 2-3-2 format, the series will shift south of the border to Portland for Game 3 on Monday, April 29 at 7 p.m. PST.
STAT PACK
| Prince George Cougars | Portland Winterhawks | |
| Record | 49-15-1-3 (1st B.C.) | 48-15-4-1 (1st U.S.) |
| Playoff Leaders | Riley Heidt (3G, 13A, 16PTS)
Zac Funk (7G, 8A, 15PTS) Terik Parascak (5G, 7A, 12PTS) |
James Stefan (6G, 7A, 13PTS)
Gabe Klassen (3G, 9A, 12PTS) Carter Sotheran (4G, 6A, 10PTS) |
| Season Leaders | Zac Funk (67G, 56A, 123PTS)
Riley Heidt (37G, 80A, 117PTS) Terik Parascak (43G, 62A, 105PTS) |
Gabe Klassen (35G, 71A, 106PTS)
James Stefan (50G, 51A, 101PTS) Luca Cagnoni (18G, 72A, 90PTS) |
| Leading Goaltender (Playoffs) | Joshua Ravensbergen (7-0-0-0, 1.85, .931) | Jan Spunar (8-0-0-0, 1.94, .931) |
| Power Play (Playoffs) | 28.9% (4th) | 41.4% (2nd) |
| Penalty Kill (Playoffs) | 96.8% (1) | 82.1% (5th) |
| Second Round | Def. Kelowna (4-1) | Def. Everett (4-0) |
| Last WHL Championship | 1981* | 2013 |
*As the Victoria Cougars
REGULAR SEASON SERIES
December 3, 2023- Prince George 4, Portland 0
January 6, 2024- Prince George 3, Portland 4
January 19, 2024- Portland 2, Prince George 3
January 20, 2024- Portland 2, Prince George 1
GAME BREAKERS
Prince George Cougars: Washington Capitals prospect Zac Funk’s offensive prowess has poured over into the offseason, where he has seven goals and eight assists for 15 points in nine games, highlighted by a hat trick to eliminate the Rockets in Game 5. He’s only been held off the scoresheet once in the postseason and has four multipoint games under his belt so far. Funk was Prince George’s top forward against Portland in the regular season, netting four goals- including a hat trick in a 4-0 victory- and three assists in four appearances. The 6-foot, 210-pound winger scored a game-winner against the Winterhawks and assisted the game-winner in the Cougars’ second victory against the U.S. Division powerhouse.
Portland Winterhawks: after being held off the first three games of the playoffs, Kyle Chyzowski has erupted for seven goals and two assists in five straight games, including two multi-goal nights. The Winterhawks alternate captain is tied for third in postseason goals and has been a key feature of Portland’s deadly playoff powerplay with five goals coming on the man advantage- including a game-tying goal and game-winning goal. The 5-foot-10 centreman didn’t score against the Cougars in the regular season but looks to carry the momentum he built in the second round into the Western Conference Championship.
GOALTENDING
Prince George Cougars: Standout rookie Joshua Ravensbergen has done a remarkable job in his first run through the WHL Playoffs. The 17-year-old is undefeated in the postseason with a 7-0-0-0 record, a 1.85 goals-against average, a .931 save percentage, and a league-leading pair of shutouts. Ravensbergen was named Giuseppe WHL Goaltender of the Week after recording back-to-back shutouts against Kelowna to open the second-round series. The B.C. Division Second Team All-Star posted similar numbers against the Winterhawks during the regular season, going 2-1-0-0 against the U.S. Division champs with a 2.01 goals-against average, a .932 save percentage and a 33-save shutout.
Portland Winterhawks: Despite missing two months of the regular season due to injury, Jan Spunar hasn’t missed a beat in his return to the lineup and second go-around in the playoffs. The WHL Goaltender of the Year nominee is 8-0-0-0 through the postseason with a 1.94 goals-against average, a .931 save percentage and a shutout. The 6-foot-3, 199-pound netminder was named Giuseppe WHL Goaltender of the Week this week after recording a 27-save shutout to eliminate the Everett Silvertips. Spunar did not suit up against the Cougars in the 2023-24 regular season.
X FACTOR
Prince George Cougars: Minnesota Wild prospect Riley Heidt is riding a league-best nine-game point streak into the Western Conference Championship. The Cougars alternate captain has three goals and 13 assists for 16 points in nine matches. His 13 helpers are second only to Moose Jaw Captain Denton Mateychuk’s 14. Heidt was named the Top Performer for April 19 after netting two goals- including the game-winner- and two assists to eliminate the Rockets in Game 5. The 5-foot-11 centreman is a key piece of the Cougars’ special teams with six powerplay assists and a shorthanded helper. Heidt snagged a pair of goals and three assists in four games against Portland in the regular season.
Portland Winterhawks: First-year defenceman Tyson Jugnauth found his scoring touch in the second round against Everett, bringing his playoff totals to four goals and five assists in eight contests. The Seattle Kraken prospect is second among WHL defencemen in goals and sports one of the best plus/minus ratings in the league at +11. Jugnauth netted a powerplay goal and a shorthanded marker and added an assist in Game 1 against the Silvertips for his strongest outing of the playoffs. The 6-foot-1 blueliner had one assist in three matches against Prince George in the regular season.
SERIES SCHEDULE
| Game | Date | Visitor | Home | Time |
| 1 | Friday, April 26 | Portland | Prince George | 7:00 p.m. PST |
| 2 | Saturday, April 27 | Portland | Prince George | 6:00 p.m. PST |
| 3 | Monday, April 29 | Prince George | Portland | 7:00 p.m. PST |
| 4 | Wednesday, May 1 | Prince George | Portland | 7:00 p.m. PST |
| 5* | Thursday, May 2 | Prince George | Portland | 7:00 p.m. PST |
| 6* | Monday, May 6 | Portland | Prince George | 7:00 p.m. PST |
| 7* | Tuesday, May 7 | Portland | Prince George | 7:00 p.m. PST |
*If necessary
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