[{"id":267413,"date":"2026-04-14T14:08:02","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T20:08:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/?p=267413"},"modified":"2026-04-14T14:08:02","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T20:08:02","slug":"whl-stars-nhl-debuts-whl-champion-yager-cleared-for-takeoff-in-first-match-with-jets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/article\/whl-stars-nhl-debuts-whl-champion-yager-cleared-for-takeoff-in-first-match-with-jets","title":{"rendered":"WHL Stars &amp; NHL Debuts: WHL Champion Yager cleared for takeoff in first match with Jets"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Winnipeg Jets may be in refueling mode one season after taking home the Presidents&#8217; Trophy as NHL regular-season champions, but Brayden Yager is ready for takeoff.<\/p>\n<p>The Prince Albert-born, Saskatoon-raised forward took his first NHL strides under the bright lights of Las Vegas&#8217;s T-Mobile Arena on Monday night.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Everybody has kind of come up to me and congratulated me and are just saying enjoy it,&#8221; Yager said prior to the match. &#8220;You only get your first game once, so go out there, have fun, compete and just enjoy it.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>While the Jets were mathematically eliminated from playoff contention with a 6-2 loss to the 2023 Stanley Cup Champions, Yager showed plenty of promise with one shot and 17 shifts in 10:25 of ice time, while skating on a line with WHL great Nino Niederreiter, who surpassed 1,000 NHL games earlier this season.<\/p>\n<p>With two games left on the regular season slate, Jets alternate captain and Penticton Vees part-owner Mark Scheifele sees plenty of opportunity ahead for Yager and his fellow Winnipeg prospects.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;<span style=\"font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;color: #121212;background: white\">It\u2019s difficult, but we have young guys coming in the lineup and playing their early games, so it\u2019s time for guys to show their stuff,&#8221; Scheifele told reporters postgame. &#8220;We\u2019re going to have spots open next year.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;color: #121212;background: white\">Two games left. You have to play them, you have to give them your all.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">From Saskatoon to the Show \ud83e\udd29<\/p>\n<p>Welcome to the <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NHL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@NHL<\/a>, Brayden Yager!!! <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/BL28NjZGyo\">pic.twitter.com\/BL28NjZGyo<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NHLJets\/status\/2043865477219528983?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 14, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s a chance that&#8217;s well-earned for Yager, who was named Rookie of the Year for the AHL&#8217;s Manitoba Moose this season.<\/p>\n<p>The 6-foot, 170-pound forward logged 10 goals (including three powerplay strikes and a game-winner) and 20 assists for 30 points in 68 AHL games.<\/p>\n<p>Originally drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins with the 14th overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, the Jets traded for Yager in August 2024 for Rutger McGroarty.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We are very excited to add Brayden to the organization,&#8221; Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said at the time. &#8220;I think he&#8217;s a very talented player, a very skilled position at center where he can certainly make other players better around him.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Yager registered 332 points (129G-203A) in 265 games over parts of five seasons with the Moose Jaw Warriors and Lethbridge Hurricanes.<\/p>\n<p>He ranks in the top-10 in all-time points, goals and assists by a Warriors skater, but most importantly, played a key role in bringing Moose Jaw its first WHL Championship in 2024 by sweeping the Portland Winterhawks.<\/p>\n<p>Yager chipped in 27 points (11G-16A) in the Championship run and helped Lethbridge reach the 2025 WHL Eastern Conference Championship the following season, though the Hurricanes would fall to the eventual Ed Chynoweth Cup winners from Medicine Hat.<\/p>\n<p>Over his time in major junior, Yager was crowned Rookie of the Year in 2022, earned back-to-back WHL Most Sportsmanlike Player Awards, captured CHL Sportsman of the Year, and cracked the 2024 CHL Memorial Cup All-Star Team.<\/p>\n<p>He also made the WHL East Division Second All-Star Team twice.<\/p>\n<p>Yager could get his second NHL match under his belt as soon as Tuesday night, with the Jets visiting the Utah Mammoth at 7:00 p.m. MT.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Winnipeg Jets may be in refueling mode one season after taking home the Presidents&#8217; Trophy as NHL regular-season champions, but Brayden Yager is ready for takeoff. The Prince Albert-born, Saskatoon-raised forward took his first NHL strides under the bright lights of Las Vegas&#8217;s T-Mobile Arena on Monday night. &#8220;Everybody has kind of come up&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":487,"featured_media":267417,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1110],"tags":[{"term_id":1528,"name":"WHL to NHL","slug":"whl-to-nhl","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1528,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":112,"filter":"raw","term_order":"761"},{"term_id":1333,"name":"Brayden Yager","slug":"brayden-yager","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1333,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":28,"filter":"raw","term_order":"929"},{"term_id":1208,"name":"NHL Debut","slug":"nhl-debut","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1208,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":11,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1051"}],"class_list":["post-267413","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-whl-to-nhl","tag-brayden-yager","tag-nhl-debut","category-1110","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/04\/14140708\/Yager_Generic_1920-copy.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\/267413","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=267413"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267413\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/267417"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=267413"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=267413"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=267413"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":267405,"date":"2026-04-14T11:00:25","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T17:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/?p=267405"},"modified":"2026-04-14T13:07:42","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T19:07:42","slug":"whl-morning-skate-april-14-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/video\/whl-morning-skate-april-14-3","title":{"rendered":"WHL Morning Skate: April 14"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>NEED TO KNOW<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&#8211; 2026 NHL Draft-eligible Liam Ruck netted his first playoff hat trick to give the reigning champion Tigers a 3-0 series lead over Calgary<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Hitmen alternate captain Ethan Moore scored in his seventh straight playoff game to lead all WHL skaters with eight tallies<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Moore is one of eight skaters in the WHL&#8217;s internet era (1996-present) to score in seven or more consecutive playoff games<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Three teams will try to take a 3-0 stranglehold on their respective series on Tuesday night<\/p>\n<p><strong>TOP PERFORMER<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-267406\" src=\"https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/04\/14090822\/HF1kzjhakAAI-h0.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/04\/14090822\/HF1kzjhakAAI-h0.jpeg 1080w, https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/04\/14090822\/HF1kzjhakAAI-h0-240x300.jpeg 240w, https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/04\/14090822\/HF1kzjhakAAI-h0-819x1024.jpeg 819w, https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/04\/14090822\/HF1kzjhakAAI-h0-768x960.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>NHL Draft-eligible Carter Casey stood on his head to get the Tigers within one win of the 2026 Eastern Conference Championship. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound netminder denied 34 of 36 shots while holding the Hitmen to one goal on six powerplay opportunities. He stopped 16 shots in the third period alone, including a point-blank stop on Ethan Moore as a Hitmen 5-on-3 powerplay expired.\u00a0Casey, 18, is 3-0-0 in the 2026 WHL Playoffs with a 1.81 goals-against average and .937 save percentage.\u00a0Casey is ranked 12th among all North American netminders by NHL Central Scouting in the agency&#8217;s midterm rankings for the 2026 NHL Draft.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RESULTS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-267367\" src=\"https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/04\/11090701\/MHvsCGY.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"135\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/04\/11090701\/MHvsCGY.png 1920w, https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/04\/11090701\/MHvsCGY-300x21.png 300w, https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/04\/11090701\/MHvsCGY-1024x72.png 1024w, https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/04\/11090701\/MHvsCGY-768x54.png 768w, https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/04\/11090701\/MHvsCGY-1536x108.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><b>Medicine Hat 5<\/b>, Calgary 2<\/p>\n<p>MH leads 3-0<\/p>\n<p>Calgary may not have skated away with a win, but 21-year-old Ethan Moore continued his playoff masterclass by tipping home a powerplay blast from Julien Maze to mark his league-leading eighth goal of the playoffs. Projected 2026 top NHL pick Liam Ruck (NHL CSS: 26) notched his first goal of the night a mere 15 seconds later as he buried a feed from Flames prospect Andrew Basha in the slot. Hitmen defenceman Wyatt Pisarczyk capped off a frantic first period by converting a bouncing point shot to send the teams to the dressing rooms with the Hitmen up 1-0. But the Tabbies came back fast and furious with four unanswered goals. Liam Ruck outskated his check to corral the puck and rip a shorthanded wrist high blocker-side on Eric Tu to level the match, and he teed up twin brother Markus (NHL CSS: 31) for a slick redirection that would stand as the game-winner. Liam completed the hat trick with an empty-netter, while Ethan Neutens also cashed in on the empty cage. Carter Casey&#8217;s 34 saves marked the second most of his WHL career (he also made 34 saves against the Hitmen in a 3-2 overtime win in the regular season), while Tu iced another impressive 23-save outing, including a penalty-shot stop on Noah Davidson in the opening frame. Calgary will fight to stave off elimination at home on Wednesday night.<\/p>\n<p><strong>THREE STARS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>1- Liam Ruck, MH<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u2013 3G-1A<\/p>\n<p><strong>2- Carter Casey, MH<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u2013 34 saves, .944 save percentage<\/p>\n<p><strong>3- Eric Tu, CGY<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u2013 23 saves, .885 save percentage<\/p>\n<p><strong>ON TAP<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-267415\" src=\"https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/04\/14104852\/260414_Tonights-Matchups_2026-WHL-Playoffs-240x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/04\/14104852\/260414_Tonights-Matchups_2026-WHL-Playoffs-240x300.png 240w, https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/04\/14104852\/260414_Tonights-Matchups_2026-WHL-Playoffs-819x1024.png 819w, https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/04\/14104852\/260414_Tonights-Matchups_2026-WHL-Playoffs-768x960.png 768w, https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/04\/14104852\/260414_Tonights-Matchups_2026-WHL-Playoffs.png 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NEED TO KNOW &#8211; 2026 NHL Draft-eligible Liam Ruck netted his first playoff hat trick to give the reigning champion Tigers a 3-0 series lead over Calgary &#8211; Hitmen alternate captain Ethan Moore scored in his seventh straight playoff game to lead all WHL skaters with eight tallies &#8211; Moore is one of eight skaters&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":487,"featured_media":267414,"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 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Hat-Tricks \u2013 Liam Ruck"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":130,"featured_media":267412,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1113],"tags":[{"term_id":1478,"name":"Liam Ruck","slug":"liam-ruck","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1478,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":33,"filter":"raw","term_order":"799"},{"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":1201,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1716"},{"term_id":52,"name":"WHL Hat 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NHL Draft-eligible forward Vanhanen named Sandman WHL Rookie of the Week"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: justify\"><strong>Calgary, Alta. \u2013<\/strong> The Western Hockey League announced today 2026 NHL Draft-eligible forward <a href=\"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/players\/30307\/\">Matias Vanhanen<\/a> of the Everett Silvertips has been named Sandman WHL Rookie of the Week for the weekend ending Sunday, April 12.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: justify\">Vanhanen, an 18-year-old product of Nokia, Finland, recorded four points (2G-2A) in two games, as the Silvertips staked out a 2-0 series lead over the Kelowna Rockets in the second round of the 2026 WHL Playoffs presented by Nutrien.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: justify\">The 5-foot-10, 175-pound left winger opened the second round of the WHL Playoffs with three points (2G-1A) in Game 1 against Kelowna on Friday, April 10. Vanhanen\u2019s second period goal went on to stand as the game-winning tally against Kelowna. He added an empty netter for good measure late in the third period and was named second star of the game for his performance.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: justify\">Vanhanen followed up Friday\u2019s effort with one assist in Game 2 on Saturday, April 11, helping the Silvertips to a 4-2 triumph over the Rockets. Vanhanen\u2019s lone helper in the contest helped set up an insurance goal on a power play by Seattle Kraken prospect Julius Miettinen midway through the third period.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: justify\">By earning an assist Saturday night, Vanhanen extended his WHL Playoffs point-scoring streak to six games. The Finnish forward has tallied points in all six of Everett\u2019s playoff games to date, having secured 10 points (5G-5A) along the way. Vanhanen\u2019s 10 points are tied for sixth among all WHL skaters and tied for first among all Silvertips in the 2026 WHL Playoffs.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: justify\">Vanhanen\u2019s time in the WHL has been nothing short of a success. After leading the Silvertips in regular season scoring with 87 points (21G-66A) in 62 games, Vanhanen was named a finalist for the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy for WHL Rookie of the Year and a finalist for the Brad Hornung Memorial Trophy for the WHL\u2019s Most Sportsmanlike Player.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: justify\">Eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft, Vanhanen is listed 76th among North American skaters in NHL Central Scouting\u2019s midterm rankings. He was originally selected by the Silvertips in the first round (31st overall) of the 2025 CHL Import Draft.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: justify\">Vanhanen and the Silvertips continue the second round of the 2026 WHL Playoffs Tuesday, April 14, with Game 3 against the Kelowna Rockets from Prospera Place. Stream all the action for <a href=\"https:\/\/victoryplus.com\/player\/2026_WHL_Playoffs\/19943?categorySlug=LIVE_UPCOMING_HOME_FEEDS\">FREE on Victory+.<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: justify\"><strong><u>Sandman WHL Rookie of the Week<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: justify\">September 22, 2025: JP Hurlbert, Kamloops Blazers<br \/>\nSeptember 29, 2025: Chase Surkan, Brandon Wheat Kings<br \/>\nOctober 6, 2025: Jacob Kvasnicka, Penticton Vees<br \/>\nOctober 14, 2025: Carter Casey, Medicine Hat Tigers<br \/>\nOctober 20, 2025: Andrei Molgachev, Calgary Hitmen<br \/>\nOctober 27, 2025: Chase Surkan, Brandon Wheat Kings<br \/>\nNovember 3, 2025: Dylan Dean, Edmonton Oil Kings<br \/>\nNovember 10, 2025: Kale Dach, Calgary Hitmen<br \/>\nNovember 17, 2024: Brock England, Seattle Thunderbirds<br \/>\nNovember 24, 2025: Colt Carter, Moose Jaw Warriors<br \/>\nDecember 1, 2025: JP Hurlbert, Kamloops Blazers<br \/>\nDecember 8, 2025: Boston Tait, Wenatchee Wild<br \/>\nDecember 15, 2025: Tyson Moss, Medicine Hat Tigers<br \/>\nDecember 22, 2025: Ludovic Perreault, Victoria Royals<br \/>\nDecember 29, 2025: Mason Kraft, Wenatchee Wild<br \/>\nJanuary 5, 2026: Jacob Kvasnicka, Penticton Vees<br \/>\nJanuary 12, 2026: Jacob Kvasnicka, Penticton Vees<br \/>\nJanuary 19, 2026: Prab Bhathal, Brandon Wheat Kings<br \/>\nJanuary 26, 2026: Andrei Molgachev, Calgary Hitmen<br \/>\nFebruary 2, 2026: Matias Vanhanen, Everett Silvertips<br \/>\nFebruary 9, 2026: Kale Dach, Calgary Hitmen<br \/>\nFebruary 16, 2026: Jonah Sivertson, Prince Albert Raiders<br \/>\nFebruary 23, 2026: Vojtech Cihar, Kelowna Rockets<br \/>\nMarch 2, 2026: Matias Vanhanen, Everett Silvertips<br \/>\nMarch 9, 2026: Easton Daneault, Lethbridge Hurricanes<br \/>\nMarch 16, 2026: Ben Harvey, Prince Albert Raiders<br \/>\nMarch 23, 2026: Poul Andersen, Red Deer Rebels<br \/>\nMarch 30, 2026: Brock Cripps, Prince Albert Raiders<br \/>\nApril 6, 2026: Vojtech Cihar, Kelowna Rockets<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: justify\"><strong>About the Western Hockey League<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: justify\">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":"<p>Vanhanen, an 18-year-old product of Nokia, Finland, recorded four points (2G-2A) in two games, as the Silvertips staked out a 2-0 series lead in the second round of the WHL Playoffs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":116,"featured_media":267396,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1113],"tags":[{"term_id":2077,"name":"Matias Vanhanen","slug":"matias-vanhanen","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2077,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":14,"filter":"raw","term_order":"222"},{"term_id":1564,"name":"WHL Weekly Awards","slug":"whl-weekly-awards","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1564,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":189,"filter":"raw","term_order":"725"},{"term_id":1163,"name":"WHL Rookie of the Week","slug":"whl-rookie-of-the-week","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1163,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":87,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1091"},{"term_id":36,"name":"everett silvertips","slug":"everett-silvertips","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":180,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1159,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1439"}],"class_list":["post-267392","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-video","tag-matias-vanhanen","tag-whl-weekly-awards","tag-whl-rookie-of-the-week","tag-everett-silvertips","category-1113","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/04\/13115005\/2604013_ROW_Vanhanen-1920.png",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":{"video_id":"2559926","partner_id":"31014","player_id":"47902","width":"16","height":"9","360p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/sd\/2559926.mp4","240p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/ld\/2559926.mp4","480p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/hsd\/2559926.mp4","1080p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/fhd\/2559926.mp4","hls":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/streaming\/2559926\/2559926.m3u8","webp":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/webp\/2559926.webp"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267392","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=267392"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267392\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/267396"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=267392"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=267392"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=267392"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":267390,"date":"2026-04-13T11:56:35","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T17:56:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/?p=267390"},"modified":"2026-04-13T11:56:35","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T17:56:35","slug":"washington-capitals-prospect-parascak-named-tempo-whl-player-of-the-week-fuelled-by-co-op","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/video\/washington-capitals-prospect-parascak-named-tempo-whl-player-of-the-week-fuelled-by-co-op","title":{"rendered":"Washington Capitals prospect Parascak named Tempo WHL Player of the Week, Fuelled by Co-op"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: justify\"><strong>Calgary, Alta. \u2013<\/strong> The Western Hockey League announced today Washington Capitals prospect and Prince George Cougars forward Terik Parascak has been named Tempo WHL Player of the Week, Fuelled by Co-op, for the week ending Sunday, April 12.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: justify\">Parascak, a 19-year-old product of Lethbridge, Alta., recorded six points (4G-2A) in two games this past week, as the Cougars stormed out to a 2-0 series lead over the Penticton Vees in the second round of the 2026 WHL Playoffs presented by Nutrien.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: justify\">The 6-foot, 187-pound right winger recorded multipoint efforts in both games to start the best-of-seven series. Friday, April 10, in Game 1 from the South Okanagan Events Centre in Penticton, Parascak posted three points (2G-1A), including the game-winning goal, as the Cougars stunned the Vees on home ice. The Cougars scored in each period, with Parascak\u2019s game-winning marker coming on a power play with 13 seconds to go in the second period. The veteran forward added an empty-net goal to ice the Game 1 victory and was named first star of the contest.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: justify\">The following night, Parascak once again registered three points (2G-1A), including the game-winning tally, as the Cougars collected a 6-2 triumph to open up a 2-0 series lead over the Vees. Parascak opened the scoring 6:35 into the first period, registering a shorthanded marker. He added a power-play tally with 4:08 to go in the first period, giving Prince George a commanding 3-0 lead. Before the opening 20 minutes had expired, the Cougars were out front by a 4-0 margin. The Vees added two goals midway through the third period to close the gap, but it wasn\u2019t enough to overcome a 6-0 hole. Parascak was named first star of the game once again.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: justify\">With 14 points (7G-7A) in eight games, Parascak is second in WHL Playoffs scoring, trailing teammate Brock Souch and his 15 points (5G-10A). Parascak\u2019s seven goals are tied for first in the 2026 WHL Playoffs, while his four power-play goals stand alone atop the WHL scoring charts.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: justify\">With 79 points (33G-46A) in 61 regular season games, Parascak led the Cougars in scoring in 2025-26. Originally selected by the Cougars in the fourth round (76th overall) of the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft, Parascak has secured 266 points (104G-162A) in 192 career WHL regular season outings. Over 28 career WHL post-season contests with the Cougars, he has collected 38 points (17G-21A).<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: justify\">Parascak was selected by the Washington Capitals in the first round (17th overall) of the 2024 NHL Draft. He signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Caps on July 5, 2024.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: justify\">The best-of-seven series between the Cougars and Vees continues Tuesday, April 14, from the CN Centre in Prince George. Stream all the action <a href=\"https:\/\/victoryplus.com\/player\/2026_WHL_Playoffs\/19941?categorySlug=LIVE_UPCOMING_HOME_FEEDS\">FREE on Victory+.<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: justify\"><strong><u>Tempo WHL Player of the Week<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: justify\">September 22, 2025: Ethan Semeniuk, Moose Jaw Warriors<br \/>\nSeptember 29, 2025: JP Hurlbert, Kamloops Blazers<br \/>\nOctober 6, 2025: Matias Vanhanen, Everett Silvertips<br \/>\nOctober 14, 2025: Noah Kosick, Swift Current Broncos<br \/>\nOctober 20, 2025: Kooper Gizowski, Prince George Cougars<br \/>\nOctober 27, 2025: Caden Brown, Regina Pats<br \/>\nNovember 3, 2025: Max Curran, Edmonton Oil Kings<br \/>\nNovember 10, 2025: Luke Mistelbacher, Brandon Wheat Kings<br \/>\nNovember 17, 2025: Liam Ruck, Medicine Hat Tigers<br \/>\nNovember 24, 2025: JP Hurlbert, Kamloops Blazers<br \/>\nDecember 1, 2025: Tarin Smith, Everett Silvertips<br \/>\nDecember 8, 2025: Bryce Pickford, Medicine Hat Tigers<br \/>\nDecember 15, 2025: Joby Baumuller, Brandon Wheat Kings<br \/>\nDecember 22, 2025: Mathis Preston, Spokane Chiefs<br \/>\nDecember 29, 2025: Jonas Woo, Medicine Hat Tigers<br \/>\nJanuary 5, 2026: Lukas Sawchyn, Edmonton Oil Kings<br \/>\nJanuary 12, 2026: Bryce Pickford, Medicine Hat Tigers<br \/>\nJanuary 19, 2026: Daxon Rudolph, Prince Albert Raiders<br \/>\nJanuary 26, 2026: Brandon Gorzynski, Prince Albert Raiders<br \/>\nFebruary 2, 2026: Tij Iginla, Kelowna Rockets<br \/>\nFebruary 9, 2026: Carter Sotheran, Edmonton Oil Kings<br \/>\nFebruary 16, 2026: Landon DuPont, Everett Silvertips<br \/>\nFebruary 23, 2026: Owen Martin, Spokane Chiefs<br \/>\nMarch 2, 2026: Julius Miettinen, Everett Silvertips<br \/>\nMarch 9, 2026: Tij Iginla, Kelowna Rockets<br \/>\nMarch 16, 2026: Landon DuPont, Everett Silvertips<br \/>\nMarch 23, 2026: Cameron Schmidt, Seattle Thunderbirds<br \/>\nMarch 30, 2026: Julien Maze, Calgary Hitmen<br \/>\nApril 6, 2026: Miroslav Holinka, Edmonton Oil Kings<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: justify\"><strong>About the Western Hockey League<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: justify\">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":"<p>Parascak, a 19-year-old product of Lethbridge, Alta., recorded six points (4G-2A) in two games this past week.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":116,"featured_media":267395,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1113],"tags":[{"term_id":1564,"name":"WHL Weekly Awards","slug":"whl-weekly-awards","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1564,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":189,"filter":"raw","term_order":"725"},{"term_id":1214,"name":"Terik Parascak","slug":"terik-parascak","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1214,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":44,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1046"},{"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":1082,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1817"},{"term_id":284,"name":"whl player of the week","slug":"whl-player-of-the-week","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":307,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":329,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2109"}],"class_list":["post-267390","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-video","tag-whl-weekly-awards","tag-terik-parascak","tag-prince-george-cougars","tag-whl-player-of-the-week","category-1113","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/04\/13114910\/260413_POW_Parascak-1920.png",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":{"video_id":"2559924","partner_id":"31014","player_id":"47902","width":"16","height":"9","360p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/sd\/2559924.mp4","240p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/ld\/2559924.mp4","480p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/hsd\/2559924.mp4","1080p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/fhd\/2559924.mp4","hls":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/streaming\/2559924\/2559924.m3u8","webp":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/webp\/2559924.webp"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267390","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=267390"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267390\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/267395"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=267390"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=267390"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=267390"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":267393,"date":"2026-04-13T11:54:25","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T17:54:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/?p=267393"},"modified":"2026-04-13T11:54:25","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T17:54:25","slug":"2026-nhl-draft-eligible-netminder-orsulak-named-mary-browns-chicken-whl-goaltender-of-the-week","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/video\/2026-nhl-draft-eligible-netminder-orsulak-named-mary-browns-chicken-whl-goaltender-of-the-week","title":{"rendered":"2026 NHL Draft-eligible netminder Orsulak named Mary Brown&#8217;s Chicken WHL Goaltender of the Week"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: justify\"><strong>Calgary, Alta. \u2013<\/strong> The Western Hockey League announced today 2026 NHL Draft-eligible netminder <a href=\"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/players\/30250\/\">Michal Orsulak<\/a> of the Prince Albert Raiders has been named Mary Brown\u2019s Chicken WHL Goaltender of the Week for the week ending Sunday, April 12.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: justify\">Orsulak, an 18-year-old product of Tremosna, Czechia, went 2-0 with a 0.50 goals-against average, .969 save percentage, and one shutout, as the Raiders opened up a 2-0 series lead in the second round of the 2026 WHL Playoffs presented by Nutrien.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: justify\">Game 1 on Friday, April 10, the 6-foot-4, 220-pound puckstopper made 16 saves as the Raiders secured a 6-1 win over the Saskatoon Blades at the Art Hauser Centre. Orsulak was particularly busy during a third-period push from the Blades, making nine saves on 10 shots.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: justify\">Game 2 on Saturday, April 11, saw Orsulak turn in a perfect performance, making 15 saves in a 3-0 triumph over the Blades at the Art Hauser Centre.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: justify\">To this point in the 2026 WHL Playoffs, Orsulak is 6-1 with a 1.57 GAA, .911 SV%, and two shutouts. He tied for first in wins, ranks second in GAA, and leads the WHL Playoffs in shutouts.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: justify\">In his first season with the Raiders, Orsulak went 28-4-3-1 with a 2.22 GAA, .907 SV%, and four shutouts in 36 regular season appearances. He was named a finalist for the Del Wilson Memorial Trophy, presented annually to the WHL Goaltender of the Year, and is also a member of the WHL Eastern Conference First All-Star Team.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: justify\">Eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft, Orsulak is listed second among North American netminders in NHL Central Scouting\u2019s midterm rankings.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: justify\">The Raiders continue their march in the 2026 WHL Playoffs with Game 3 of their best-of-seven series against the Saskatoon Blades set for Tuesday, April 14, at SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon. Watch all the action <a href=\"https:\/\/victoryplus.com\/player\/2026_WHL_Playoffs\/20016?categorySlug=LIVE_UPCOMING_HOME_FEEDS\">FREE on Victory+.<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: justify\"><strong><u>Mary Brown\u2019s Chicken WHL Goaltender of the Week<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: justify\">September 22, 2025: Ethan Eskit, Victoria Royals<br \/>\nSeptember 29, 2025: Logan Edmonstone, Kamloops Blazers<br \/>\nOctober 6, 2025: Parker Snell, Edmonton Oil Kings<br \/>\nOctober 14, 2025: Evan Gardner, Saskatoon Blades<br \/>\nOctober 20, 2025: Burke Hood, Vancouver Giants<br \/>\nOctober 27, 2025: Andrew Reyelts, Penticton Vees<br \/>\nNovember 3, 2025: Eric Tu, Calgary Hitmen<br \/>\nNovember 10, 2025: Michal Orsulak, Prince Albert Raiders<br \/>\nNovember 17, 2025: Anders Miller, Everett Silvertips<br \/>\nNovember 24, 2025: Harrison Boettiger, Kelowna Rockets<br \/>\nDecember 1, 2025: Joshua Ravensbergen, Prince George Cougars<br \/>\nDecember 8, 2025: Matthew Hutchison, Regina Pats<br \/>\nDecember 15, 2025: Eric Tu, Calgary Hitmen<br \/>\nDecember 22, 2025: Marek Sklenicka, Seattle Thunderbirds<br \/>\nDecember 29, 2025: Filip Ruzicka, Brandon Wheat Kings<br \/>\nJanuary 5, 2026: Xavier Wendt, Tri-City Americans<br \/>\nJanuary 12, 2026: Ethan Eskit, Victoria Royals<br \/>\nJanuary 19, 2026: Carter Esler, Spokane Chiefs<br \/>\nJanuary 26, 2026: Ethan McCallum, Penticton Vees<br \/>\nFebruary 2, 2026: Jayden Kraus, Brandon Wheat Kings<br \/>\nFebruary 9, 2026: Logan Edmonstone, Kamloops Blazers<br \/>\nFebruary 16, 2026: Grayson Malinoski, Seattle Thunderbirds<br \/>\nFebruary 23, 2026: Filip Ruzicka, Brandon Wheat Kings<br \/>\nMarch 2, 2026: Parker Snell, Edmonton Oil Kings<br \/>\nMarch 9, 2026: Andrew Reyelts, Penticton Vees<br \/>\nMarch 16, 2026: Harrison Boettiger, Kelowna Rockets<br \/>\nMarch 23, 2026: Ethan McCallum, Penticton Vees<br \/>\nMarch 30, 2026: Harrison Boettiger, Kelowna Rockets<br \/>\nApril 6, 2026: Eric Tu, Calgary Hitmen<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: justify\"><strong>About the Western Hockey League<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: justify\">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":"<p>Orsulak, an 18-year-old product of Tremosna, Czechia, went 2-0 with a 0.50 goals-against average, .969 save percentage, and one shutout, as the Raiders opened up a 2-0 series lead in the second round of the 2026 WHL Playoffs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":116,"featured_media":267394,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1113],"tags":[{"term_id":2093,"name":"Michal Orsulak","slug":"michal-orsulak","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2093,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":12,"filter":"raw","term_order":"206"},{"term_id":1564,"name":"WHL Weekly Awards","slug":"whl-weekly-awards","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1564,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":189,"filter":"raw","term_order":"725"},{"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":1126,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1815"},{"term_id":489,"name":"WHL Goaltender of the Week","slug":"whl-goaltender-of-the-week","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":514,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":289,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2074"}],"class_list":["post-267393","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-video","tag-michal-orsulak","tag-whl-weekly-awards","tag-prince-albert-raiders","tag-whl-goaltender-of-the-week","category-1113","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/04\/13114826\/260413_GOW_Orsulak-1920.png",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":{"video_id":"2559922","partner_id":"31014","player_id":"47902","width":"16","height":"9","360p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/sd\/2559922.mp4","240p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/ld\/2559922.mp4","480p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/hsd\/2559922.mp4","1080p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/fhd\/2559922.mp4","hls":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/streaming\/2559922\/2559922.m3u8","webp":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31014\/webp\/2559922.webp"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267393","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=267393"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267393\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/267394"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=267393"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=267393"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=267393"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":267389,"date":"2026-04-13T11:30:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T17:30:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/?p=267389"},"modified":"2026-04-13T11:30:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T17:30:15","slug":"nine-whl-players-named-to-canadas-pre-tournament-camp-roster-for-2026-iihf-u18-world-championship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/article\/nine-whl-players-named-to-canadas-pre-tournament-camp-roster-for-2026-iihf-u18-world-championship","title":{"rendered":"Nine WHL players named to Canada&#8217;s pre-tournament camp roster for 2026 IIHF U18 World Championship"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: justify\"><strong>Calgary, Alta. \u2013<\/strong> Nine Western Hockey League players have been named to the pre-tournament camp roster for Canada\u2019s National Men\u2019s U-18 Team ahead of the 2026 IIHF U18 World Championship, Hockey Canada announced Monday.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: justify\">The WHL will be represented by two goaltenders, two defencemen, and five forwards on Canada\u2019s pre-tournament roster. In total, Hockey Canada named three goaltenders, seven defencemen, and 13 forwards to the roster, which was selected by General Manager Alan Millar (Tottenham, Ont.) and Head Scout Byron Bonora (Brooks, Alta.), with support from Director of Hockey Operations Benoit Roy (Sudbury, Ont.), Senior Vice-President of High Performance and Hockey Operations Scott Salmond (Creston, B.C.), and Coordinator of Hockey Operations Jared Power (Calgary, Alta.).<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: justify\">Seven WHL Clubs will be represented on Canada\u2019s roster, with the Brandon Wheat Kings and Vancouver Giants both boasting two players. Also represented are the Lethbridge Hurricanes, Red Deer Rebels Regina Pats, Seattle Thunderbirds, and Spokane Chiefs.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: justify\"><strong>Canada\u2019s National Men\u2019s U-18 Team \u2013 Pre-Tournament Camp, WHL Players<\/strong><\/p>\n<table style=\"font-weight: 400\" width=\"675\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"105\"><strong>Last Name<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"87\"><strong>First Name<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"167\"><strong>WHL Club<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"179\"><strong>Hometown<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"51\"><strong>Ht<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"40\"><strong>Wt<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"46\"><strong>Pos<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"105\">Oaten<\/td>\n<td width=\"87\">Leif<\/td>\n<td width=\"167\">Lethbridge Hurricanes<\/td>\n<td width=\"179\">Calgary, Alta.<\/td>\n<td width=\"51\">6-3<\/td>\n<td width=\"40\">194<\/td>\n<td width=\"46\">G<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"105\">Esler<\/td>\n<td width=\"87\">Carter<\/td>\n<td width=\"167\">Spokane Chiefs<\/td>\n<td width=\"179\">Okotoks, Alta.<\/td>\n<td width=\"51\">5-11<\/td>\n<td width=\"40\">165<\/td>\n<td width=\"46\">G<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"105\">Lin<\/td>\n<td width=\"87\">Ryan<\/td>\n<td width=\"167\">Vancouver Giants<\/td>\n<td width=\"179\">Richmond, B.C.<\/td>\n<td width=\"51\">5-11<\/td>\n<td width=\"40\">176<\/td>\n<td width=\"46\">D<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"105\">Pantelas<\/td>\n<td width=\"87\">Giorgos<\/td>\n<td width=\"167\">Brandon Wheat Kings<\/td>\n<td width=\"179\">Victoria, B.C.<\/td>\n<td width=\"51\">6-2<\/td>\n<td width=\"40\">214<\/td>\n<td width=\"46\">D<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"105\">Preston<\/td>\n<td width=\"87\">Mathis<\/td>\n<td width=\"167\">Vancouver Giants<\/td>\n<td width=\"179\">Penticton, B.C.<\/td>\n<td width=\"51\">5-11<\/td>\n<td width=\"40\">176<\/td>\n<td width=\"46\">F<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"105\">Lansard<\/td>\n<td width=\"87\">Zach<\/td>\n<td width=\"167\">Regina Pats<\/td>\n<td width=\"179\">Ste. Anne, Man.<\/td>\n<td width=\"51\">6-0<\/td>\n<td width=\"40\">174<\/td>\n<td width=\"46\">F<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"105\">England<\/td>\n<td width=\"87\">Brock<\/td>\n<td width=\"167\">Seattle Thunderbirds<\/td>\n<td width=\"179\">Red Deer, Alta.<\/td>\n<td width=\"51\">5-11<\/td>\n<td width=\"40\">174<\/td>\n<td width=\"46\">F<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"105\">Jacobson<\/td>\n<td width=\"87\">Jaxon<\/td>\n<td width=\"167\">Brandon Wheat Kings<\/td>\n<td width=\"179\">Brandon, Man.<\/td>\n<td width=\"51\">5-10<\/td>\n<td width=\"40\">183<\/td>\n<td width=\"46\">F<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"105\">Hamilton<\/td>\n<td width=\"87\">Beckett<\/td>\n<td width=\"167\">Red Deer Rebels<\/td>\n<td width=\"179\">Saskatoon, Sask.<\/td>\n<td width=\"51\">5-11<\/td>\n<td width=\"40\">172<\/td>\n<td width=\"46\">F<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: justify\">Also named to the team is former Victoria Royals defenceman Keaton Verhoeff. Roster additions will be announced in the coming weeks following the conclusion of the second round of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) playoffs, while the final roster for the 2026 IIHF U18 Men\u2019s World Championship will be announced prior to the start of the tournament.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: justify\"><strong>Oaten<\/strong> appeared in 31 games with the Hurricanes this season, going 6-19-2-0. He won gold with Canada Red at the 2025 U17 World Hockey Challenge. Oaten was originally selected by Lethbridge in the third round (58th overall) of the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft. He is eligible for the 2028 NHL Draft.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: justify\">In his second season with the Chiefs, <strong>Esler<\/strong> went 24-18-1-0 with a 2.80 goals-against average, .903 save percentage and five shutouts in 44 appearances. Internationally, he most recently helped Canada to a bronze medal at the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. He was named a finalist for the WHL\u2019s Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Trophy, which is presented annually to the WHL\u2019s Humanitarian of the Year. Esler is eligible for the 2027 NHL Draft.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: justify\"><strong>Lin<\/strong> enjoyed a second consecutive campaign with 50+ points on the Giants blueline, registering 57 points (14G-43A) in 53 games. He represented Team CHL at the 2025 CHL USA Prospects Challenge and was also named to the roster for Team West at the 2026 WHL Prospects Game presented by Showpass, but was unable to compete due to injury. Internationally, Lin most recently helped Canada claim bronze at the 20225 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. He was also a member of Canada\u2019s gold-medal winning team at the 2025 IIHF U18 World Championship. Eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft, Lin is listed 13th among North American skaters on NHL Central Scouting\u2019s midterm rankings.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: justify\">In his second season with the Wheat Kings, <strong>Pantelas<\/strong> posted career highs in goals (6), assists (31), and points (37), while taking to the ice for 68 regular season games. He represented Team CHL at the 2025 CHL USA Prospects Challenge and also competed for Team East at the 2026 WHL Prospects Game presented by Showpass. Internationally, Pantelas most recently represented Canada at the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, helping his nation to a bronze medal. Eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft, Pantelas is listed 58th among North American skaters on NHL Central Scouting\u2019s midterm rankings.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: justify\"><strong>Preston<\/strong> registered 44 points (18G-26A) in 46 games split between the Giants and Spokane Chiefs this past season. He represented Team CHL at the 2025 CHL USA Prospects Challenge and was named to the roster for Team West at the 2026 WHL Prospects Game presented by Showpass, but was unable to compete due to injury. Preston was a member of Canada\u2019s bronze-medal squad at the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft, he is listed 24th among North American skaters in NHL Central Scouting\u2019s midterm rankings.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: justify\"><strong>Lansard<\/strong> tallied 56 points (24G-32A) in 68 games in his second season with the Pats. He represented Team East at the 2026 WHL Prospects Game presented by Showpass. He has yet to represent Canada on the international stage. Originally selected by the Pats in the fourth round (78th overall) of the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft, Lansard is eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft and is listed 72nd among North American skaters in NHL Central Scouting\u2019s midterm rankings.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: justify\"><strong>England<\/strong> impressed in his WHL rookie campaign, posting 51 points (21G-30A) in 64 games with the Thunderbirds. Internationally, he helped Canada Red claim gold at the 2025 U17 World Hockey Challenge. Originally selected by the Thunderbirds in the first round (11th overall) of the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft, England is considered a top prospect eligible for the 2027 NHL Draft.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: justify\">In his second WHL season, <strong>Jacobson<\/strong> excelled with the Wheat Kings, posting 85 points (25G-60A) in 63 games, earning a place on the WHL\u2019s Eastern Conference Second All-Star Team. Internationally, Jacobson earned a silver medal with Canada Red at the 2024 U17 World Hockey Challenge. Originally selected by the Wheat Kings in the first round (fifth overall) of the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft, Jacobson is considered a top prospect eligible for the 2027 NHL Draft.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: justify\">Recently named captain of the Rebels, <strong>Hamilton<\/strong> emerged with 62 points (24G-38A) in 67 games this past season. He represented Team East at the 2026 WHL Prospects Game presented by Showpass. Originally selected by the Rebels in the first round (18th overall) of the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft, Hamilton is eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft, listed 75th among North American skaters in NHL Central Scouting\u2019s midterm rankings. He has yet to represent Canada on the international stage.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: justify\"><strong>Verhoeff<\/strong> spent the 2025-26 campaign with the University of North Dakota following 75 games over two seasons with the Victoria Royals. From 2023-24 through 2024-25, the 6-foot-4, 212-pound right-shot defenceman tallied 47 points (21G-26A) as a member of the Royals. Most recently, he patrolled the blueline for Canada at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship, bringing home a bronze medal. Verhoeff is eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft, listed second among North American skaters in NHL Central Scouting\u2019s midterm rankings.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: justify\">Canada\u2019s National Men\u2019s U-18 Team will play two pre-tournament games, taking on Sweden at Ondrej Nepala Arena in Bratislava on April 17 and Czechia at the Pavol Demitra Ice Hockey Arena in Trencin on April 19. The 2026 IIHF U18 World Championship begins April 22, with Canada taking on Slovakia, Latvia, Norway, and Finland in the preliminary round before the tournament concludes with medal games May 2.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: justify\">For more information on the 2026 IIHF U18 Men\u2019s World Championship, please visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.iihf.com\/en\/events\/2026\/wm18\">IIHF.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: justify\">For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada\u2019s National Men\u2019s U-18 Team, please visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockeycanada.ca\/en-ca\/team-canada\/men\/under-18\/2025-26\">HockeyCanada.ca<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: justify\"><strong>About the Western Hockey League<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: justify\">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":"<p>The WHL will be represented by two goaltenders, two defencemen, and five forwards on Canada\u2019s pre-tournament roster.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":116,"featured_media":267391,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1110],"tags":[{"term_id":2328,"name":"Zachary Lansard","slug":"zachary-lansard","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2328,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":2,"filter":"raw","term_order":"7"},{"term_id":2183,"name":"Leif Oaten","slug":"leif-oaten","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2183,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":3,"filter":"raw","term_order":"124"},{"term_id":1670,"name":"Brock England","slug":"brock-england","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1670,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":5,"filter":"raw","term_order":"620"},{"term_id":1636,"name":"Carter Esler","slug":"carter-esler","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1636,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":14,"filter":"raw","term_order":"653"},{"term_id":1638,"name":"Giorgos Pantelas","slug":"giorgos-pantelas","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1638,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":10,"filter":"raw","term_order":"655"},{"term_id":1522,"name":"Mathis Preston","slug":"mathis-preston","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1522,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":39,"filter":"raw","term_order":"767"},{"term_id":1518,"name":"Ryan Lin","slug":"ryan-lin","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1518,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":28,"filter":"raw","term_order":"770"},{"term_id":1517,"name":"Keaton Verhoeff","slug":"keaton-verhoeff","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1517,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":24,"filter":"raw","term_order":"772"},{"term_id":1496,"name":"Beckett Hamilton","slug":"beckett-hamilton","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1496,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":3,"filter":"raw","term_order":"785"},{"term_id":1461,"name":"Jaxon Jacobson","slug":"jaxon-jacobson","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1461,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":12,"filter":"raw","term_order":"809"},{"term_id":125,"name":"hockey canada","slug":"hockey-canada","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":129,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":157,"filter":"raw","term_order":"1489"}],"class_list":["post-267389","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","tag-zachary-lansard","tag-leif-oaten","tag-brock-england","tag-carter-esler","tag-giorgos-pantelas","tag-mathis-preston","tag-ryan-lin","tag-keaton-verhoeff","tag-beckett-hamilton","tag-jaxon-jacobson","tag-hockey-canada","category-1110","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/04\/13111617\/U18-Camp_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\/267389","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=267389"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267389\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/267391"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=267389"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=267389"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=267389"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}]