WHL Eastern Conference Championship preview: Prince Albert Raiders vs. Medicine Hat Tigers

Anyone ready for a rematch?

One season after Medicine Hat swept Prince Albert aside in the second round in its march to the Ed Chynoweth Cup, the Tigers and Raiders will clash again- this time, with a berth in the 2026 WHL Championship Series on the line.

This time, the Raiders are entering as the Eastern Conference leaders and top seed in the series.

Prince Albert is flying high after eliminating the rival Saskatoon Blades in four games, including back-to-back shutouts in Games 2 and 3.

Vancouver Canucks prospect Braeden Cootes and 2026 NHL Draft-eligible Daxon Rudolph led PA in second-round scoring with five points each, including Rudolph’s series-clinching goal at the SaskTel Centre.

The reigning WHL Champions are also well-rested after completing a sweep of the Calgary Hitmen the same evening.

Two of the Tigers’ wins over the Hitmen were decided by a single goal, but the Tabbies continually came alive for late game-changing plays.

Three Medicine Hat skaters (Bryce Pickford, Liam Ruck and Andrew Basha) tied for the team second-round scoring lead with five points of their own.

Defenceman of the Year finalist Jonas Woo bagged the series-deciding goal on the powerplay in Game 4.

The Central Division champion Tigers ranked as the highest scoring team in the regular season while allowing the sixth-fewest goals.

On the flip side, the East Division champion Raiders were the second-highest scoring squad while allowing the fewest goals in the league.

The matchup features three of the most exciting prospects in the 2026 NHL Draft in Rudolph and the Ruck twins, Markus and Liam, who ranked first and second, respectively, in scoring across the entire CHL.

Prince Albert and Medicine Hat split the regular-season series at two wins each, with the Tigers taking the first pair and the Raiders claiming the two post-WHL Trade Deadline matches in January.

Look out for captains Bryce Pickford and Justice Christensen, who deliver scoring punch and a physical threat whenever they’re on the ice.

Pickford, a Montreal Canadiens prospect and Defenceman of the Year finalist, is coming off a 45-goal regular season that included five points (2G-3A) against Prince Albert, highlighted by a Gordie Howe hat trick in a 7-1 Tabbies win on December 3.

Christensen, who has signed an AHL contract with the Grand Rapids Griffins for 2026-27, has picked up four playoff assists- and dumped an opponent into the bench- but has yet to release the WHL-famous ‘juice bomb’ point shot in the postseason.

The Art Hauser Centre will play host to Game 1 on Friday, April 24 at 7:00 p.m. ST.

The teams will make tracks for the Gas City for Game 3 on Tuesday, April 28, at Co-op Place.

	Medicine Hat Tigers	Prince Albert Raiders
Record	50-10-5-1	52-10-5-1
Playoff Leaders	Andrew Basha (3G-11A, 14 pts) Jonas Woo (5G-6A, 11 pts) Bryce Pickford (5G-4A, 9 pts)	Daxon Rudolph (5G-7A, 12 pts) Braeden Cootes (5G-6A, 11 pts) Brayden Dube (3G-8A, 11 pts)
Season Leaders	Markus Ruck (21G-87A, 108 pts) Liam Ruck (45G-59A, 104 pts) Jonas Woo (29G-57A, 86 pts)	Daxon Rudolph (28G-50A, 78 pts) Aiden Oiring (28G-41A, 69 pts) Brandon Gorzynski (27G-42A, 69 pts)
Leading Goaltender (Playoffs)	Jordan Switzer (5-1-00, 2.67 GAA, .885 save percentage)	Michal Orsulak (8-1-0, 1.55 GAA, .919 save percentage, three shutouts)
Power Play (Playoffs)	24.1% (8th)	25% (7th)
Penalty Kill (Playoffs)	87.9% (1st)	77.8% (7th)
Second Round	Def. Calgary (4-0)	Def. Saskatoon (4-0)
Last WHL Championship	2025	2019

 

2025-26 Regular Season Series: Series tied 2-2-0-0
November 29, 2025- Medicine Hat 3, Prince Albert 2
December 3, 2025- Prince Albert 1, Medicine Hat 7
January 17, 2026- Prince Albert 8, Medicine Hat 5
January 24, 2026- Medicine Hat 1, Prince Albert 5

 

GAME BREAKERS

Medicine Hat:  Veteran defenceman Jonas Woo is the WHL’s active playoff games-played leader with a whopping 66 postseason tilts over five seasons. His scoring capacity has also cranked up over the years, culminating in 2025-26’s 86-point (29G-57A) run that saw Woo set a franchise record for single-season points by a defenceman. The Winnipeg, Man. product has already matched his point total from the 2025 WHL Championship run with five goals (including a hat trick and two game-winners) and six assists for 11 points in eight games. The 5-foot-10, 180-pound rearguard led Medicine Hat with six points (3G-3A) in four games against Prince Albert in the regular season, including a one-goal, three-assist romp in a 7-1 win on December 3.

Prince Albert: San Jose Sharks prospect Max Heise had the Tigers’ number in 2025-26, leading all skaters with seven points (4G-3A) against the Central Division champions. Notably, he logged an even-strength hat trick and two assists to rout Medicine Hat 8-5 on January 17th. The 6-foot-3, 172-pound centreman averaged a point per game in his first WHL campaign with 63 points (29G-34A) in 63 outings. Heise may have missed the beginning of the postseason with an injury, but he’s found his form with a goal and an assist in Game 4 against the Blades, marking his first postseason points in the Dub.

GOALTENDING

Medicine Hat: Never let them know your next move. The Tigers toggled between Jordan Switzer and Carter Casey in Round Two, with both goaltenders registering a save percentage above .905. Switzer, who earned two wins against Prince Albert while primarily backing up Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Harrison Meneghin in the 2025 Championship run, took on all four starts against Prince Albert in the regular season. The 19-year-old went 2-2-0-0 with a 3.52 goals-against average and a .870 save percentage.

Prince Albert: There’s a reason Michal Orsulak is ranked second among all North American goaltenders heading into the 2026 NHL Draft. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Czech import has three shutouts in the 2026 WHL Playoffs and ranks third among all goaltenders with a postseason GAA of 1.55. Orsulak went 2-2-0-0 against Medicine Hat this season with. a 3.94 GAA and .876 save percentage. He was pulled in the first period against the Tigers in the aforementioned 7-1 loss, but returned to the game in the third period and stopped all seven shots he faced from that point on.

X FACTOR

Medicine Hat: Both teams added impact NHL prospects to their rosters at the turn of the calendar year. Calgary Flames pick Andrew Basha has added some tools to his belt in a switch to centre and has found tremendous success on a line with the NHL Draft-eligible Ruck twins. Basha is tied for third in the playoff scoring race with 14 points, while sitting second in assists with 11. The 6-foot, 187-pound forward picked up two assists in two appearances against the Raiders and will look for more in the Conference Championship.

Prince Albert: Prince Albert logged the biggest move of the 2026 WHL Trade Deadline by adding Vancouver Canucks pick and World Juniors bronze medalist Braeden Cootes. He’s second in Raiders’ playoff scoring with 11 points (5G-6A) and showed plenty of versatility against the Tabbies in two regular-season games, where he bagged a goal and three assists.

2026 WHL PLAYOFFS SERIES SCHEDULE