[{"id":267305,"date":"2026-04-07T13:56:18","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T19:56:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/?p=267305"},"modified":"2026-04-07T13:56:18","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T19:56:18","slug":"whl-announces-finalists-for-lloyd-saunders-memorial-trophy-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/article\/whl-announces-finalists-for-lloyd-saunders-memorial-trophy-2","title":{"rendered":"WHL announces finalists for Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Calgary, Alta. \u2013<\/strong> The Western Hockey League announced today the 2025-26 finalists for the Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy, presented annually to the WHL\u2019s Executive of the Year.<\/p>\n

Lloyd Saunders was recognized and honoured for his outstanding contribution to sports, including his continuous support of junior hockey in Western Canada. Saunders was known as the \u201cDean\u201d of sportscasters in Western Canada, covering everything from the Olympics to the World Series, the Grey Cup to Memorial Cup and more.<\/p>\n

Finalists for WHL Awards are voted upon by WHL General Managers.<\/p>\n

Winners of 2026 WHL Awards will be announced from Tuesday, April 21, through Wednesday, May 6.<\/p>\n

Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy<\/u><\/strong> \u2013 Eastern Conference Finalists<\/p>\n

Curtis Hunt, Prince Albert Raiders
\nWillie Desjardins, Medicine Hat Tigers
\nGarry Davidson, Calgary Hitmen<\/p>\n

Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy<\/u><\/strong> \u2013 Western Conference Finalists<\/p>\n

Mike Fraser, Everett Silvertips
\nFred Harbinson, Penticton Vees
\nBruce Hamilton, Kelowna Rockets<\/p>\n

Curtis Hunt, Prince Albert Raiders<\/strong><\/p>\n

In his 11th season as General Manager of the Prince Albert Raiders, 59-year-old Curtis Hunt constructed a Club that went 52-10-5-1 en route to winning the WHL\u2019s East Division and the No. 1 seed in the WHL\u2019s Eastern Conference. From hiring WHL Coach of the Year finalist Ryan McDonald to acquiring the likes of Vancouver Canucks prospect Braeden Cootes and Dallas Stars prospect Brandon Gorzynski ahead of the 2026 WHL Trade Deadline. Through savvy drafting, Hunt and his team landed star defenceman Daxon Rudolph along with starting netminder Michal Orsulak and many others. Hunt\u2019s work includes the recruitment of San Jose Sharks prospect Max Heise during the offseason. In 2018-19, Hunt was named WHL Executive of the Year as his Raiders won the WHL Championship. Prior to his time in the front office, Hunt played three seasons in the WHL, winning a WHL Championship with the Raiders in 1985.<\/p>\n

Willie Desjardins, Medicine Hat Tigers<\/strong><\/p>\n

In his seventh consecutive season and 15th overall at the helm of the Medicine Hat Tigers, the 69-year-old Desjardins led his squad to a second consecutive Central Division crown on the strength of a record of 50-10-5-3. Desjardins and his team oversaw the recruitment of key U.S.-born players this past offseason, including Noah Davidson, Gavin Kor, Kade Stengrim, and Carter Casey. The 2025 CHL Import Draft saw Desjardins add Belarusian forward Yaroslav Bryzgalov, who has been a tremendous contributor this season. Desjardins, a three-time WHL Champion, has yet to be named WHL Executive of the Year.<\/p>\n

Garry Davidson, Calgary Hitmen<\/strong><\/p>\n

In his third season as builder of the Calgary Hitmen, 74-year-old Garry Davidson built a squad that finished fourth in the WHL\u2019s Eastern Conference with a record of 38-21-8-1. Davidson tinkered with the Hitmen roster throughout the season, adding scoring veteran Julien Maze, Ottawa Senators prospect Blake Vanek, and veterans Harrison Lodewyk and Ty Meunier, among others. Prior to the start of the campaign, Davidson and his team recruited Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Kale Dach, along with key U.S.-born players, including Landon Amrhein, Keaton Jundt, and Aidan Hesse. The 2025 CHL Import Draft saw Davidson add Russian scorer Andrei Molgachev. Prior to joining the Hitmen, Davidson spent nine seasons as GM of the Everett Silvertips. He was named WHL Executive of the Year in 2017-18, as his Silvertips advanced to Game 6 of the WHL Championship Series.<\/p>\n

Mike Fraser, Everett Silvertips<\/strong><\/p>\n

In two seasons as the General Manager of the Everett Silvertips, Mike Fraser has watched his team claim back-to-back Scotty Munro Memorial Trophies as WHL Regular Season Champions. In 2025-26, Fraser\u2019s Silvertips went 57-8-2-1 \u2013 the best season in franchise history. Fraser\u2019s key acquisition in 2025-26 include Philadelphia Flyers defenceman Luke Vlooswyk and veteran blueliner Kayd Ruedig, along with Alaskan netminder Anders Miller. Prior to the start of the season, Fraser added 20-year-old forward Rylan Gould via trade. During the 2025 CHL Import Draft, Fraser\u2019s group identified and selection 2026 NHL Draft-eligible forward Matias Vanhanen, who has been a revelation alongside Seattle Kraken prospect Julius Miettinen.<\/p>\n

Fred Harbinson, Penticton Vees<\/strong><\/p>\n

In his first season as a WHL head coach and general manager, Harbinson guided the Penticton Vees to a B.C. Division title as an expansion team. The 54-year-old product of Port Alberni, B.C., led Penticton to a record of 44-14-6-4. Building the roster from the ground up, Harbinson\u2019s work began during the 2025 WHL Expansion Draft, where he acquired the likes of veterans Brady Birnie, Matteo Danis, and others. Harbinson\u2019s roster construction took shape through recruitment, as he welcomed the likes of New York Islanders prospect Jacob Kvasnicka, Seattle Kraken prospect Ryden Evers, Brittan Alstead, Ethan Weber and more to the WHL. Harbinson bolstered his crease with the acquisition of netminder Ethan McCallum and also added Czech veteran Samuel Drancak up front. Prior to joining the WHL, Harbinson spent 18 seasons at the helm of the BCHL Vees, winning six BCHL titles.<\/p>\n

Bruce Hamilton, Kelowna Rockets<\/strong><\/p>\n

In his 35th season as the ultimate architect of the Kelowna Rockets, 68-year-old Bruce Hamilton designed a team worthy of hosting the 2026 Memorial Cup. Hamilton\u2019s Rockets finished fourth in the WHL\u2019s Western Conference, going 38-21-6-3. Prior to puck drop this season, Hamilton added San Jose Sharks prospect Carson Wetsch, along with veteran blueliner Mazden Leslie. Before the 2026 WHL Trade Deadline passed, Hamilton had bolstered his depth and veteran presence with the addition of Vancouver Canucks prospect Parker Alcos, Shane Smith, Ty Halaburda, and others. Two of Hamilton\u2019s savviest moves came in the form of imports \u2013 during the 2025 CHL Import Draft, he selected New York Islanders prospect Tomas Polentin with the first-overall pick; later in the campaign, he acquired Los Angeles Kings prospect Vojtech Cihar via trade and was successful in recruiting him to Kelowna following the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship. The offseason also saw Hamilton recruit U.S.-born netminder Harrison Boettiger, who is on the radar for the 2026 NHL Draft. Over his WHL career, Hamilton has won four WHL Championships, one Memorial Cup, and has been named WHL Executive of the Year on two occasions (1992-93, 2002-03).<\/p>\n

About the Western Hockey League<\/strong><\/p>\n

Regarded as the world\u2019s finest development league for junior hockey players, the Western Hockey League (WHL) head office is based in Calgary, Alberta. The WHL consists of 23 member Clubs with 17 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 over 50 years. The WHL is also the 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\u2019s National Junior Hockey Team.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy is presented annually to the WHL\u2019s Executive of the Year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":116,"featured_media":267306,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1110],"tags":[{"term_id":2318,"name":"2026 WHL Awards","slug":"2026-whl-awards","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2318,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":8,"filter":"raw","term_order":"10"},{"term_id":1911,"name":"Penticton Vees","slug":"penticton-vees","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1911,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":128,"filter":"raw","term_order":"379"},{"term_id":23,"name":"calgary hitmen","slug":"calgary-hitmen","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":75,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1056,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1255"},{"term_id":36,"name":"everett silvertips","slug":"everett-silvertips","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":180,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1152,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1435"},{"term_id":33,"name":"kelowna rockets","slug":"kelowna-rockets","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":166,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1083,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1613"},{"term_id":30,"name":"medicine hat tigers","slug":"medicine-hat-tigers","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":185,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1191,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1712"},{"term_id":39,"name":"prince albert raiders","slug":"prince-albert-raiders","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":206,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1118,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1811"}],"class_list":["post-267305","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-2026-whl-awards","tag-penticton-vees","tag-calgary-hitmen","tag-everett-silvertips","tag-kelowna-rockets","tag-medicine-hat-tigers","tag-prince-albert-raiders","category-1110","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/04\/07132619\/Executive-of-the-Year_Awards-1920_Finalists-1920.png",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267305","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/116"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=267305"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267305\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/267306"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=267305"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=267305"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=267305"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":267301,"date":"2026-04-07T11:56:34","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T17:56:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/?p=267301"},"modified":"2026-04-07T12:00:37","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T18:00:37","slug":"whl-announces-finalists-for-dunc-mccallum-memorial-trophy-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/article\/whl-announces-finalists-for-dunc-mccallum-memorial-trophy-2","title":{"rendered":"WHL announces finalists for Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Calgary, Alta. \u2013<\/strong> The Western Hockey League announced today the 2025-26 finalists for the Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy, presented annually to the WHL\u2019s Coach of the Year.<\/p>\n

The Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy honours the outstanding record and contribution of Dunc McCallum, who coached the Brandon Wheat Kings from 1976 to 1981. McCallum compiled an impressive coaching record over six WHL season going 251-123-41.<\/p>\n

Finalists for WHL Awards are voted upon by WHL General Managers.<\/p>\n

Winners of 2026 WHL Awards will be announced from Tuesday, April 21, through Wednesday, May 6.<\/p>\n

Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy<\/u><\/strong> \u2013 Eastern Conference Finalists<\/p>\n

Willie Desjardins, Medicine Hat Tigers
\nRyan McDonald, Prince Albert Raiders
\nDustin Friesen, Calgary Hitmen<\/p>\n

Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy<\/u><\/strong> \u2013 Western Conference Finalists<\/p>\n

Steve Hamilton, Everett Silvertips
\nMark Lamb, Prince George Cougars
\nFred Harbinson, Penticton Vees<\/p>\n

Willie Desjardins, Medicine Hat Tigers<\/strong><\/p>\n

In his seventh consecutive season and 15th overall at the helm of the Medicine Hat Tigers, the 69-year-old Desjardins led his squad to a second consecutive Central Division crown on the strength of a record of 50-10-5-3. Under Desjardins\u2019 guidance, the Tigers were the highest-scoring team in the WHL this season, recording 348 goals for an average of 5.12 goals per game. Medicine Hat outscored the next highest scoring team by 38 goals. The Tigers also owned the most lethal power play in the WHL, converting at a rate of 32.2 per cent during the regular season. Desjardins, a three-time WHL Champion, was previously named WHL Coach of the Year for the 2005-06 season.<\/p>\n

Ryan McDonald, Prince Albert Raiders<\/strong><\/p>\n

In his first full season behind the bench, 38-year-old Prince Albert Raiders coach Ryan McDonald helped his team claim the No. 1 seed in the WHL\u2019s Eastern Conference with a record of 52-10-5-1. The Raiders were the second-highest scoring team in the WHL, tallying 310 goals in 68 games (4.56 goals per game). McDonald\u2019s Raiders were the stingiest team in the WHL this season, allowing a league low 165 goals against (2.43 goals against per game). Prior to taking over coaching duties for the Raiders on an interim basis last season, McDonald served as an assistant coach from 2020-21 into 2024-25. Prior to his coaching career, the native of Prince Albert played 306 career WHL regular season games from 2003-04 to 2008-09, including 182 games with the Raiders.<\/p>\n

Dustin Friesen, Calgary Hitmen<\/strong><\/p>\n

In his first season calling the shots in Calgary, 43-year-old Hitmen coach Dustin Friesen guided his squad to a fourth-place finish in the WHL\u2019s Eastern Conference with a record of 38-21-8-1. The Hitmen owned the WHL\u2019s second best power play during the regular season, converting at a rate of 31.7 per cent. Prior to joining the Hitmen, Friesen served as an assistant coach for the Moose Jaw Warriors (2023-24) and as an associate coach with the QMJHL\u2019s Moncton Wildcats (2024-25). As a player, Friesen spent four seasons in the WHL (2000-01 to 2003-04), all as a member of the Swift Current Broncos. During his final campaign, he served as captain of the Broncos.<\/p>\n

Steve Hamilton, Everett Silvertips<\/strong><\/p>\n

In both of his seasons leading the Everett Silvertips, coach Steve Hamilton has guided the Club to back-to-back Scotty Munro Memorial Trophies as WHL Regular Season Champions. In 2025-26, Hamilton\u2019s Silvertips went 57-8-2-1 \u2013 the best season in franchise history. The Silvertips were the third highest scoring team in the WHL this season, securing 304 goals in 68 games (4.47 goals per game). On the defensive side of the puck, Everett limited opponent to the fewest goals of any team in the Western Conference, allowing a mere 173 goals against (2.54 goals against per game). Hamilton, a 52-year-old product of Edmonton, Alta., is in his 12th season as a WHL head coach, having previously served with the Edmonton Oil Kings (2014-15 to 2017-18) and Calgary Hitmen (2018-19 to 2023-24). In 2012 and 2014 he won WHL Championships with the Oil Kings as an assistant and associate coach, respectively.<\/p>\n

Mark Lamb, Prince George Cougars<\/strong><\/p>\n

A former WHL Coach of the Year (2023-24), Prince George Cougars head coach Mark Lamb led his squad to a third-place finish in the WHL\u2019s Western Conference with a record of 44-22-2-0. Lamb is in his seventh season as Head Coach and eighth season as General Manager of the Cougars. Prior to joining Prince George, he spent seven seasons as General Manager and Head Coach of the Swift Current Broncos. Lamb\u2019s playing career saw him play parts of four seasons in the WHL, including an impressive 136-point campaign (59G-77A) in 72 games with the Medicine Hat Tigers in 1983-84.<\/p>\n

Fred Harbinson, Penticton Vees<\/strong><\/p>\n

In his first season as a WHL head coach, Harbinson guided the Penticton Vees to a B.C. Division title as an expansion team. The 54-year-old product of Port Alberni, B.C., led Penticton to a record of 44-14-6-4. Part of the team\u2019s success can be attributed to a WHL-best penalty kill, which rejected opponent power plays at a rate of 81.8 per cent. Prior to joining the WHL, Harbinson spent 18 seasons at the helm of the BCHL Vees, winning six BCHL titles and earning BCHL Coach of the Year recognition twice (2015-16 and 2021-22).<\/p>\n

About the Western Hockey League<\/strong><\/p>\n

Regarded as the world\u2019s finest development league for junior hockey players, the Western Hockey League (WHL) head office is based in Calgary, Alberta. The WHL consists of 23 member Clubs with 17 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 over 50 years. The WHL is also the 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\u2019s National Junior Hockey Team.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy honours the outstanding record and contribution of Dunc McCallum, who coached the Brandon Wheat Kings from 1976 to 1981.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":116,"featured_media":267304,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1110],"tags":[{"term_id":2318,"name":"2026 WHL Awards","slug":"2026-whl-awards","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2318,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":8,"filter":"raw","term_order":"10"},{"term_id":1911,"name":"Penticton Vees","slug":"penticton-vees","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1911,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":128,"filter":"raw","term_order":"379"},{"term_id":23,"name":"calgary hitmen","slug":"calgary-hitmen","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":75,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1056,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1255"},{"term_id":36,"name":"everett silvertips","slug":"everett-silvertips","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":180,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1152,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1435"},{"term_id":30,"name":"medicine hat tigers","slug":"medicine-hat-tigers","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":185,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1191,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1712"},{"term_id":39,"name":"prince albert raiders","slug":"prince-albert-raiders","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":206,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1118,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1811"},{"term_id":28,"name":"prince george cougars","slug":"prince-george-cougars","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":162,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1076,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1813"}],"class_list":["post-267301","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-2026-whl-awards","tag-penticton-vees","tag-calgary-hitmen","tag-everett-silvertips","tag-medicine-hat-tigers","tag-prince-albert-raiders","tag-prince-george-cougars","category-1110","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/04\/07114553\/COTY_Nominees-1920.png",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267301","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/116"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=267301"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267301\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/267304"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=267301"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=267301"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=267301"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":267297,"date":"2026-04-07T10:59:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T16:59:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/?p=267297"},"modified":"2026-04-07T10:59:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T16:59:12","slug":"whl-morning-skate-april-7","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/article\/whl-morning-skate-april-7","title":{"rendered":"WHL Morning Skate: April 7"},"content":{"rendered":"

NEED TO KNOW<\/strong><\/p>\n

– Saskatoon alternate captain Rowan Calvert scored in overtime to knock off the Edmonton Oil Kings in Game 7<\/p>\n

– The sixth-seed Blades are the only lower-ranked team to pull off an upset in Round One of the 2026 WHL Playoffs<\/p>\n

– Toronto Maple Leafs prospect and Oil Kings standout Miroslav Holinka led all skaters in points (11) and goals (7) in the first round<\/p>\n

– Saskatoon will face arch-rival Prince Albert in Round Two<\/p>\n

– Round Two kicks off on Friday, April 10<\/p>\n

TOP PERFORMER<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Super Cooper is coming in clutch! The 18-year-old scored the game-tying goal for a second straight night, and this time, it set up a series-clinching win for his Blades. Williams picked up an assist on Oilers prospect David Lewandowski’s game-opening powerplay tally. In the third period, just seconds after the Oil Kings took the lead, Hodnett burst past an Edmonton defender to pick up a feed from Calvert and snap the puck home to level the match. Williams, who is ranked 42nd among all North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting, scored the game-tying goal in Game 6 with seven seconds remaining in regulation. The 6-foot-1, 159-pound centreman has logged two goals and three assists for five points in seven games in the 2026 WHL Playoffs.<\/p>\n

RESULTS<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Saskatoon 3<\/b>, Edmonton 2 (OT)<\/p>\n

SAS wins 4-3<\/p>\n

Neither team won back-to-back games in the opening round as Saskatoon ousted the battered Oil Kings in Edmonton. While the margin for error was razor-thin, regulation saw a flurry of quick responses. After Lewandowski’s game-opening powerplay goal, Aaron Obobaifo responded two minutes later with a picture-perfect tip off a Carter Sotheran blast. Late in the third, Edmonton captain Gavin Hodnett gave the home side its first lead of the night with his first goal of the series, only to see Williams notch the equalizer 33 seconds later. In overtime, alternate captain Rowan Calvert tipped another powerplay feed from Lewandowski and swan dived to the ice in celebration as his teammates piled on. Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Evan Gardner made 29 saves in the Game 7 win<\/p>\n

THREE STARS<\/strong><\/p>\n

1- Rowan Calvert, SAS<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2013 1G-1A<\/p>\n

2- Gavin Hodnett, EDM<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2013 1G<\/p>\n

3- Cooper Williams, SAS<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2013 1G-1A<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NEED TO KNOW – Saskatoon alternate captain Rowan Calvert scored in overtime to knock off the Edmonton Oil Kings in Game 7 – The sixth-seed Blades are the only lower-ranked team to pull off an upset in Round One of the 2026 WHL Playoffs – Toronto Maple Leafs prospect and Oil Kings standout Miroslav Holinka…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":487,"featured_media":267300,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1110],"tags":[{"term_id":2300,"name":"2026 WHL Playoffs","slug":"2026-whl-playoffs","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2300,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":140,"filter":"raw","term_order":"25"},{"term_id":1234,"name":"WHL Morning Skate","slug":"whl-morning-skate","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1234,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":70,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1023"}],"class_list":["post-267297","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-2026-whl-playoffs","tag-whl-morning-skate","category-1110","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/04\/07095216\/1920-8.png",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267297","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/487"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=267297"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267297\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/267300"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=267297"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=267297"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=267297"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":267284,"date":"2026-04-07T09:58:04","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T15:58:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/?p=267284"},"modified":"2026-04-07T09:58:04","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T15:58:04","slug":"whl-announces-2025-26-finalists-for-whl-business-award","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/article\/whl-announces-2025-26-finalists-for-whl-business-award","title":{"rendered":"WHL announces 2025-26 finalists for WHL Business Award"},"content":{"rendered":"

Calgary, Alta. \u2013<\/strong> The Western Hockey League announced today the 2025-26 finalists for the WHL Business Award, presented annually to the WHL Club that best exemplifies giving back to the community and producing an electrifying game-day experience for fans.<\/p>\n

Winners of 2026 WHL Awards will be announced from Tuesday, April 21, through Wednesday, May 6.<\/p>\n

WHL Business Award<\/u><\/strong> \u2013 Eastern Conference Finalist<\/p>\n

Prince Albert Raiders<\/p>\n

WHL Business Award<\/u><\/strong> \u2013 Western Conference Finalist<\/p>\n

Portland Winterhawks<\/p>\n

Prince Albert Raiders<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Prince Albert Raiders achieved business success through a strong commitment to community engagement, digital growth, and collaboration. As a community-owned organization, the Raiders deepened local ties through expanded partnerships with minor hockey and increased charitable contributions, donating $85,000 to community initiatives. The Raiders also delivered significant growth across digital platforms, ranking among WHL leaders in app engagement, website traffic, and social media performance, despite operating in a small market. Attendance also saw notable gains. By prioritizing innovation, strategic partnerships, and league-wide collaboration, the Raiders strengthened their brand, enhanced fan engagement, and drove measurable business growth throughout 2025-26.<\/p>\n

Portland Winterhawks<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Portland Winterhawks business success came through revenue growth, fan engagement, and innovative marketing. The Club saw ticket sales revenue increase by six per cent and surpassed 5,100 in average attendance, while expanding premium seating offerings, growing merchandising revenue, and partnerships. The Winterhawks enhanced the fan experience with state-of-the-art LED rinkboards, themed promotional nights, and community-driven initiatives. Digitally, the Winterhawks ranked among the WHL leaders in social media reach and streaming engagement, supported by strategic content and paid campaigns. The Club\u2019s collaboration with League initiatives and operational excellence further reinforced their position as a top-performing franchise.<\/p>\n

About the Western Hockey League<\/strong><\/p>\n

Regarded as the world\u2019s finest development league for junior hockey players, the Western Hockey League (WHL) head office is based in Calgary, Alberta. The WHL consists of 23 member Clubs with 17 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 over 50 years. The WHL is also the 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\u2019s National Junior Hockey Team.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The WHL Business Award is presented annually to the WHL Club that best exemplifies giving back to the community and producing an electrifying game-day experience for fans.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":116,"featured_media":267299,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1110],"tags":[{"term_id":2318,"name":"2026 WHL Awards","slug":"2026-whl-awards","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2318,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":8,"filter":"raw","term_order":"10"},{"term_id":32,"name":"portland winterhawks","slug":"portland-winterhawks","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":181,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1183,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1808"},{"term_id":39,"name":"prince albert raiders","slug":"prince-albert-raiders","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":206,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1118,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1811"}],"class_list":["post-267284","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-2026-whl-awards","tag-portland-winterhawks","tag-prince-albert-raiders","category-1110","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/04\/07092944\/260401_WHL-Business-Award-Nominees.png",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267284","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/116"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=267284"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267284\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/267299"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=267284"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=267284"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=267284"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":267294,"date":"2026-04-07T09:30:03","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T15:30:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/?p=267294"},"modified":"2026-04-07T09:30:03","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T15:30:03","slug":"central-division-clash-featuring-tigers-and-hitmen-set-for-second-round-of-2026-whl-playoffs-presented-by-nutrien","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/article\/central-division-clash-featuring-tigers-and-hitmen-set-for-second-round-of-2026-whl-playoffs-presented-by-nutrien","title":{"rendered":"Central Division clash featuring Tigers and Hitmen set for second round of 2026 WHL Playoffs presented by Nutrien"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Medicine Hat Tigers and Calgary Hitmen will meet in the second round of the 2026 WHL Playoffs presented by Nutrien.<\/p>\n

The second-round series featuring two Central Division contenders was confirmed Monday night after the Saskatoon Blades upset the Edmonton Oil Kings in overtime of Game 7 of the final remaining first-round series.<\/p>\n

Co-op Place in Medicine Hat will host Games 1 and 2 on Friday, April 10, and Saturday, April 11, respectively. The Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary will welcome the two Clubs for Games 3 and 4 on Monday, April 13, and Wednesday, April 15, respectively.<\/p>\n

The Tigers advanced to the second round of the 2026 WHL Playoffs after defeating the Regina Pats in five games, while the Hitmen swept the Brandon Wheat Kings in four games to punch their ticket.<\/p>\n

Medicine Hat took home the regular season series between the two Clubs, going 7-1-0-0, including three overtime \/ shootout victories. The two teams last met for a home-and-home series on February 27 and 28, which saw the Tigers emerge with 3-2 and 8-3 triumphs.<\/p>\n

2026 NHL Draft-eligible forward Markus Ruck, who led the WHL in scoring, finished atop Medicine Hat\u2019s scoring chart for the season series with Calgary, racking up 14 points (3G-11A) in eight games.<\/p>\n

The Hitmen received valuable output from veteran forward Julien Maze, who registered six points (3G-3A) in five games.<\/p>\n

Between the pipes, Carter Casey went 6-0-0-0 with a 2.17 goals-against average and .923 save percentage for the Tigers.<\/p>\n

On the other side, reining WHL Goaltender of the Week Eric Tu went 1-3-2-0 in six appearances for the Hitmen.<\/p>\n

The 2015 WHL Playoffs represent the last time these two teams met during post-season play. A second-round series featured the Hitmen defeating the Tigers in five games, before falling to the Brandon Wheat Kings in the WHL\u2019s Eastern Conference Championship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\nGame<\/strong><\/td>\n		Visitor<\/strong><\/td>\n\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\nHome<\/strong><\/td>\nDay<\/strong><\/td>\nDate<\/strong><\/td>\nTime<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1<\/td>\nCalgary<\/td>\n@<\/td>\nMedicine Hat<\/td>\nFriday<\/td>\nApril 10<\/td>\n7pm MT<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2<\/td>\nCalgary<\/td>\n@<\/td>\nMedicine Hat<\/td>\nSaturday<\/td>\nApril 11<\/td>\n7pm MT<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3<\/td>\nMedicine Hat<\/td>\n@<\/td>\nCalgary<\/td>\nMonday<\/td>\nApril 13<\/td>\n7pm MT<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
4<\/td>\nMedicine Hat<\/td>\n@<\/td>\nCalgary<\/td>\nWednesday<\/td>\nApril 15<\/td>\n7pm MT<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
5*<\/td>\nCalgary<\/td>\n@<\/td>\nMedicine Hat<\/td>\nFriday<\/td>\nApril 17<\/td>\n6pm MT<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6*<\/td>\nMedicine Hat<\/td>\n@<\/td>\nCalgary<\/td>\nSunday<\/td>\nApril 19<\/td>\n4pm MT<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
7*<\/td>\nCalgary<\/td>\n@<\/td>\nMedicine Hat<\/td>\nTuesday<\/td>\nApril 21<\/td>\n7pm MT<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

* = if necessary<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The second-round series featuring two Central Division contenders was confirmed Monday night after the Saskatoon Blades upset the Edmonton Oil Kings in overtime of Game 7 of the final remaining first-round series.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":116,"featured_media":267295,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1110],"tags":[{"term_id":2300,"name":"2026 WHL Playoffs","slug":"2026-whl-playoffs","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2300,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":140,"filter":"raw","term_order":"25"},{"term_id":23,"name":"calgary hitmen","slug":"calgary-hitmen","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":75,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1056,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1255"},{"term_id":30,"name":"medicine hat tigers","slug":"medicine-hat-tigers","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":185,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1191,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1712"}],"class_list":["post-267294","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-2026-whl-playoffs","tag-calgary-hitmen","tag-medicine-hat-tigers","category-1110","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/04\/07085624\/MHvsCGY_Series-Matchup-1920.png",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267294","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/116"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=267294"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267294\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/267295"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=267294"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=267294"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=267294"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":267293,"date":"2026-04-07T09:00:34","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T15:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/?p=267293"},"modified":"2026-04-07T09:00:34","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T15:00:34","slug":"raiders-and-blades-to-renew-post-season-rivalry-in-second-round-of-2026-whl-playoffs-presented-by-nutrien","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/article\/raiders-and-blades-to-renew-post-season-rivalry-in-second-round-of-2026-whl-playoffs-presented-by-nutrien","title":{"rendered":"Raiders and Blades to renew post-season rivalry in second round of 2026 WHL Playoffs presented by Nutrien"},"content":{"rendered":"

It just might be the fiercest rivalry in the WHL \u2013 and now, the 2026 WHL Playoffs presented by Nutrien will be graced by a second-round, best-of-seven battle between the Prince Albert Raiders and Saskatoon Blades.<\/p>\n

The second-round clash was confirmed Monday night after the Blades upset the third-seed Edmonton Oil Kings in overtime of Game 7 of their first-round series. Captain Rowan Calvert redirected a power-play point shot to the back of the net, sending Saskatoon to its first ever Game 7 road victory in franchise history.<\/p>\n

Prince Albert\u2019s Art Hauser Centre will host Games 1 and 2 on Friday, April 10, and Saturday, April 11, respectively. The series will shift to Saskatoon and SaskTel Place for Games 3 and 4 on Tuesday, April 14, and Wednesday, April 15, respectively.<\/p>\n

The Raiders \u2013 the No. 1 seed in the WHL\u2019s Eastern Conference \u2013 advanced to the second round of the post-season following a five-game set with the Red Deer Rebels.<\/p>\n

Prince Albert laid claim to the eight-game regular season series, going 6-1-1-0. The two rivals closed out the regular season with a home-and-home series that saw the Raiders earn back-to-back 4-0 victories March 20 and 21.<\/p>\n

2026 NHL Draft-eligible skaters Daxon Rudolph and Riley Boychuk finished the season series with eight points (2G-6A) each to lead the Raiders in scoring against the Blades.<\/p>\n

For Saskatoon, captain Calvert led the scoring parade, registering six points (2G-4A) in seven games.<\/p>\n

In net, both Michal Orsulak and Steele Bass saw action in three games, with Orsulak going a perfect 3-0-0-0 with a 1.95 goals-against average and .913 save percentage.<\/p>\n

Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Evan Gardner took to the crease for six games, going 1-3-0-1 with a 3.14 GAA and .922 SV%.<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t have to look too far to find the last playoff meeting between the Raiders and Blades. In 2024, the two Saskatchewan rivals met during the first round of the post-season with Saskatoon emerging after a five-game battle. The Blades went on to advance to Game 7 of the WHL\u2019s Eastern Conference Championship before falling to the eventual WHL Champion Moose Jaw Warriors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\nGame<\/strong><\/td>\n		Visitor<\/strong><\/td>\n\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\nHome<\/strong><\/td>\nDay<\/strong><\/td>\nDate<\/strong><\/td>\nTime<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1<\/td>\nSaskatoon<\/td>\n@<\/td>\nPrince Albert<\/td>\nFriday<\/td>\nApril 10<\/td>\n7pm ST<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2<\/td>\nSaskatoon<\/td>\n@<\/td>\nPrince Albert<\/td>\nSaturday<\/td>\nApril 11<\/td>\n7pm ST<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3<\/td>\nPrince Albert<\/td>\n@<\/td>\nSaskatoon<\/td>\nTuesday<\/td>\nApril 14<\/td>\n7pm ST<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
4<\/td>\nPrince Albert<\/td>\n@<\/td>\nSaskatoon<\/td>\nWednesday<\/td>\nApril 15<\/td>\n7pm ST<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
5*<\/td>\nSaskatoon<\/td>\n@<\/td>\nPrince Albert<\/td>\nFriday<\/td>\nApril 17<\/td>\n7pm ST<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6*<\/td>\nPrince Albert<\/td>\n@<\/td>\nSaskatoon<\/td>\nSunday<\/td>\nApril 19<\/td>\n4pm ST<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
7*<\/td>\nSaskatoon<\/td>\n@<\/td>\nPrince\u00a0Albert<\/td>\nTuesday<\/td>\nApril 21<\/td>\n7pm ST<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

* = if necessary<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It just might be the fiercest rivalry in the WHL \u2013 and now, the 2026 WHL Playoffs presented by Nutrien will be graced by a second-round, best-of-seven battle between the Prince Albert Raiders and Saskatoon Blades.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":116,"featured_media":267296,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1110],"tags":[{"term_id":2300,"name":"2026 WHL Playoffs","slug":"2026-whl-playoffs","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2300,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":140,"filter":"raw","term_order":"25"},{"term_id":39,"name":"prince albert raiders","slug":"prince-albert-raiders","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":206,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1118,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1811"},{"term_id":38,"name":"saskatoon blades","slug":"saskatoon-blades","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":300,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1119,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1899"}],"class_list":["post-267293","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-2026-whl-playoffs","tag-prince-albert-raiders","tag-saskatoon-blades","category-1110","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/04\/07085628\/260407_SASvsPA_Series-Matchup-1920.png",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267293","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/116"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=267293"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267293\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/267296"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=267293"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=267293"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=267293"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":267292,"date":"2026-04-06T23:48:48","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T05:48:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/?p=267292"},"modified":"2026-04-06T23:49:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T05:49:10","slug":"saskatoon-blades-at-edmonton-oil-kings-game-7-2026-whl-playoffs-highlights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/video\/saskatoon-blades-at-edmonton-oil-kings-game-7-2026-whl-playoffs-highlights","title":{"rendered":"Saskatoon Blades at Edmonton Oil Kings – Game 7 | 2026 WHL Playoffs Highlights"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":604,"featured_media":267287,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1113],"tags":[{"term_id":2300,"name":"2026 WHL Playoffs","slug":"2026-whl-playoffs","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2300,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":140,"filter":"raw","term_order":"25"},{"term_id":1161,"name":"whl highlights","slug":"whl-highlights","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1161,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":2083,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1088"},{"term_id":22,"name":"edmonton oil kings","slug":"edmonton-oil-kings","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":207,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1251,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1419"},{"term_id":38,"name":"saskatoon blades","slug":"saskatoon-blades","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":300,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1119,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1899"}],"class_list":["post-267292","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-video","tag-2026-whl-playoffs","tag-whl-highlights","tag-edmonton-oil-kings","tag-saskatoon-blades","video-channels-2026-whl-playoffs","video-channels-highlights","video-channels-edmonton-oil-kings","video-channels-saskatoon-blades","category-1113","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/04\/06232919\/25-26-Highlights_EDMvsSAS-1.png",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":{"video_id":"2553410","partner_id":"31014","player_id":"47902","width":"16","height":"9","360p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/sd\/2553410.mp4","240p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/ld\/2553410.mp4","480p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/hsd\/2553410.mp4","1080p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/fhd\/2553410.mp4","hls":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/streaming\/2553410\/2553410.m3u8","webp":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/webp\/2553410.webp"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267292","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/604"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=267292"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267292\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/267287"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=267292"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=267292"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=267292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":267291,"date":"2026-04-06T23:44:48","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T05:44:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/?p=267291"},"modified":"2026-04-06T23:47:33","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T05:47:33","slug":"whl-highlight-of-the-night-april-6-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/video\/whl-highlight-of-the-night-april-6-2026","title":{"rendered":"WHL Highlight of the Night – April 6, 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":604,"featured_media":267288,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1113],"tags":[{"term_id":2300,"name":"2026 WHL Playoffs","slug":"2026-whl-playoffs","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2300,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":140,"filter":"raw","term_order":"25"},{"term_id":1298,"name":"Rowan Calvert","slug":"rowan-calvert","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1298,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":4,"filter":"raw","term_order":"960"},{"term_id":38,"name":"saskatoon blades","slug":"saskatoon-blades","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":300,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1119,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1899"},{"term_id":1026,"name":"WHL Highlight of the Night","slug":"whl-highlight-of-the-night","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1058,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":736,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2076"}],"class_list":["post-267291","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-video","tag-2026-whl-playoffs","tag-rowan-calvert","tag-saskatoon-blades","tag-whl-highlight-of-the-night","video-channels-2026-whl-playoffs","video-channels-highlight-of-the-night","video-channels-saskatoon-blades","category-1113","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/04\/06232926\/HoN-1920-1.png",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":{"video_id":"2553406","partner_id":"31014","player_id":"47902","width":"16","height":"9","360p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/sd\/2553406.mp4","240p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/ld\/2553406.mp4","480p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/hsd\/2553406.mp4","1080p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/fhd\/2553406.mp4","hls":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/streaming\/2553406\/2553406.m3u8","webp":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/webp\/2553406.webp"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267291","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/604"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=267291"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267291\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/267288"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=267291"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=267291"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=267291"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":267290,"date":"2026-04-06T23:41:57","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T05:41:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/?p=267290"},"modified":"2026-04-06T23:41:57","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T05:41:57","slug":"real-canadian-superstore-save-of-the-night-april-6-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/video\/real-canadian-superstore-save-of-the-night-april-6-2026","title":{"rendered":"Real Canadian Superstore Save of the Night: April 6, 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":604,"featured_media":267289,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1113],"tags":[{"term_id":2300,"name":"2026 WHL Playoffs","slug":"2026-whl-playoffs","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2300,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":140,"filter":"raw","term_order":"25"},{"term_id":1733,"name":"Brayden Klimpke","slug":"brayden-klimpke","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1733,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":4,"filter":"raw","term_order":"555"},{"term_id":38,"name":"saskatoon blades","slug":"saskatoon-blades","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":300,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1119,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1899"},{"term_id":16,"name":"SAVE OF THE NIGHT","slug":"save-of-the-night","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1056,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":826,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1900"}],"class_list":["post-267290","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-video","tag-2026-whl-playoffs","tag-brayden-klimpke","tag-saskatoon-blades","tag-save-of-the-night","video-channels-2026-whl-playoffs","video-channels-save-of-the-night","video-channels-saskatoon-blades","category-1113","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/04\/06232933\/SoN-1920-1.png",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":{"video_id":"2553405","partner_id":"31014","player_id":"47902","width":"16","height":"9","360p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/sd\/2553405.mp4","240p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/ld\/2553405.mp4","480p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/hsd\/2553405.mp4","1080p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/fhd\/2553405.mp4","hls":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/streaming\/2553405\/2553405.m3u8","webp":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/webp\/2553405.webp"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267290","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/604"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=267290"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267290\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/267289"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=267290"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=267290"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=267290"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":267248,"date":"2026-04-06T21:58:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T03:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/?p=267248"},"modified":"2026-04-06T21:58:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T03:58:00","slug":"blades-upset-oil-kings-in-overtime-in-game-7-to-advance-to-second-round-of-the-2026-whl-playoffs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/article\/blades-upset-oil-kings-in-overtime-in-game-7-to-advance-to-second-round-of-the-2026-whl-playoffs","title":{"rendered":"Blades upset Oil Kings in overtime in Game 7 to advance to second round of the 2026 WHL Playoffs"},"content":{"rendered":"

THAT’S PLAYOFF HOCKEY.<\/p>\n

The sixth-seed Saskatoon Blades have shaken up the 2026 WHL Playoffs with a 3-2 overtime win to oust the third-seed Edmonton Oil Kings in Game 7 of their first-round series.<\/p>\n

Edmonton Oilers prospect David Lewandowski dished the opening blow with a powerplay marker early in the second period.<\/p>\n

In another match with minimal room for error, the Oil Kings clawed back to a tie with a precision tip off a faceoff win before captain Gavin Hodnett gave the home side their first lead of the night with his first goal of the series.<\/p>\n

But the Blades wouldn’t go quietly into the night as 2026 NHL Draft-eligible Cooper Williams nailed the equalizer 33 seconds later to force extras.<\/p>\n

That’s where alternate captain Rowan Calvert blasted a powerplay goal through traffic to seal the series for the Blades.<\/p>\n

Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Evan Gardner made 29 stops in the clinching win.<\/p>\n

Three of the games in the first-round series required overtime.<\/p>\n

Saskatoon seized a narrow 3-2 win in the series-opener thanks to a third-period strike from Hayden Harsanyi, but Oil Kings alternate captain Ethan MacKenzie put things on level ground with a slick overtime goal in Game 2.<\/p>\n

The Blades scored three unanswered goals to go back on top with a 4-3 result in Game 3, capped off with a blast from defenceman Tristen Doyle.<\/p>\n

Edmonton battled back again with a dominant 5-2 showing in Game 4, thanks to a hat trick from Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Miroslav Holinka, but Harsanyi came back in Game 5 with his second game-winner of the series to set the stage for Game 6.<\/p>\n

Calgary Flames prospect Hunter Laing and Lewandowski paced the Blades with eight points (3G-5A) in seven games.<\/p>\n

Saskatoon put up a 34-27-5-2 record in 2025-26.<\/p>\n

The Blades haven’t missed the postseason since 2018 and are on the hunt for their first WHL Championship.<\/p>\n

To continue the journey, they’ll now have to get past their greatest rivals- the East Division champion Prince Albert Raiders.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

THAT’S PLAYOFF HOCKEY. The sixth-seed Saskatoon Blades have shaken up the 2026 WHL Playoffs with a 3-2 overtime win to oust the third-seed Edmonton Oil Kings in Game 7 of their first-round series. Edmonton Oilers prospect David Lewandowski dished the opening blow with a powerplay marker early in the second period. In another match with…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":487,"featured_media":267249,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1110],"tags":[{"term_id":2300,"name":"2026 WHL Playoffs","slug":"2026-whl-playoffs","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2300,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":140,"filter":"raw","term_order":"25"},{"term_id":38,"name":"saskatoon blades","slug":"saskatoon-blades","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":300,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1119,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1899"}],"class_list":["post-267248","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-2026-whl-playoffs","tag-saskatoon-blades","category-1110","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/04\/05165711\/260405_SAS_Advanced-1920.png",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267248","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/487"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=267248"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267248\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/267249"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=267248"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=267248"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=267248"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}]