Quest in the West

This weekend marks the start of the Western Hockey League championship hopes for the Seattle Thunderbirds, Everett Silvertips and Portland Winterhawks. All three elite juniors teams are strong contenders to win the Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL champ and earn a bid in the four-team Memorial Cup in late June that includes title winners from the Ontario Hockey League and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

The past two Western Hockey League seasons have ended unfulfilled. Because of the COVID pandemic, the WHL has not crowned a champion nor held any postseason playoffs due to canceled and shortened playing time since 2019. That changes this year and the playoffs begin Friday.
There are several powerhouse teams vying for the Ed Chynoweth Cup this year with no clear favorite. That kind of scenario usually breeds entertaining games and series. In the Eastern Conference, the Edmonton Oil Kings and Winnipeg ICE seem destined for a conference final clash but don't rule out the Red Deer Rebels. Here in the West, and specifically, the local U.S. Division, everything is up for grabs.
Four teams qualified for the playoffs from the U.S. and the top three - the Everett Silvertips, Portland Winterhawks and Seattle Thunderbirds - can all make a claim to be the team to beat. Everett won the division for the fifth time in six years, but they won fewer games - 45 to 47 - than the second-place Winterhawks and one more game than third-place Seattle.
With the way the WHL bracket is set up, the league will re-seed the bracket after each round. The prospect of a great team being eliminated in the second round is almost a guarantee. Here's a look at each first-round series for the Western Conference. These best-of-seven matchups all have puck drops Friday evening.
Everett Silvertips (1 seed 45-13-5-5) versus Vancouver Giants (8 seed 24-39-5) - Game 1, Friday, 7:05 p.m., Angel of the Winds Arena, Everett
The Silvertips should have no problem skating by the Giants in the first round. Everett scored 95 more goals during the season than Vancouver did and has much more team depth. Both teams limped down the stretch. The Silvertips lost their final three games of the season. Is that a red flag or a team playing out the string? We'll likely have to wait until the second round to find that out.
Players to watch: The Giants have five NHL-drafted players on the roster with the most intriguing being Swedish import Fabian Lysell. He was a first-round pick of the Boston Bruins in the 2021 NHL Draft. He's adapted well in North America with 22 goals and 40 assists for 62 points in 53 games.
Everett has three NHL-drafted prospects. Its top player is defenseman Olen Zellweger, who was a second-round pick of Anaheim's at the 2021 draft. He's had a spectacular season leading all WHL defensemen with 78 points, including 64 assists in 55 games. Zellweger isn't alone. Everett has top forwards like Alex Swetlikoff (68 games, 33 G, 51 A, 84 pts) and Jackson Berezowski (62 games, 46 G, 33 A, 79 pts) who fuel the Silvertips' offense.
Portland Winterhawks (3 seed, 47-16-3-2) versus Prince George Cougars (6 seed, 24-39-4-1) - Game 1, Friday, 7 p.m., Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Portland
Like the Everett series, this one could be lopsided. Prince George snuck into the playoffs on the last weekend of the season and do so with a losing record. Portland enters the playoffs winners of six straight and led the Western Conference in goals scored with 298. After a slow start, the Winterhawks caught fire in the second half thanks to an improved defense and a trade that brought in former Prince George goalie Taylor Gauthier (Pittsburgh Penguins draftee), who has been spectacular and adds a storyline layer to this matchup.
Players to watch: The Winterhawks feature four NHL-drafted prospects but perhaps none better than Detroit Red Wings 2020 second-round pick Cross Hanas. A creative offensive player who has already pulled off a couple of Michigan goals in his WHL career, Hanas is dangerous whenever he's on the ice. Hanas led the Winterhawks with 86 points (26 goals, 60 assists) but he's not the only weapon. James Stefan scored 34 goals and defenseman Clay Hanus adds offense from the blue line.
Seattle Thunderbirds (4 seed, 44-18-4-2) versus Kelowna Rockets (5 seed, 42-20-1-5) - Game 1, Friday, 7:05 p.m., accesso ShoWare Center, Kent
This has potential to be the closest of all the U.S. first-round series. These two franchises have a rich playoff history together that includes a lot of Game 7s. Both clubs come into the postseason having won eight of their past 10 games.
Seattle has dealt with several injuries this season, including a long-term injury to their captain, defenseman Tyrel Bauer (Winnipeg Jets draftee). Bauer is back and the Thunderbirds are relatively healthy for the first time since the start of the season. They have a ton of talent. This round will be one of the first chances to see it all in action.
Players to watch: Seattle has seven NHL-drafted players, including Slovak import and bronze medal winner at the Beijing Olympics, Samuel Knazko (Columbus Blue Jackets) on defense and high-scoring forward Lukas Svejkovsky (Pittsburgh Penguins) who hails from Point Roberts, WA.
Defenseman Kevin Korchinski is a 2022 NHL Draft-eligible player who has been rocketing up draft boards and may be a top-10 pick. With all those prospects, however, it's the undrafted Jared Davidson who led Seattle in goals with 42 and points with 89. He exploded this season and could end up being a difference-maker.
The Rockets have talent as well and are led by Chicago Blackhawks second-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, Colton Dach. He scored 29 goals and is already NHL-sized. Former Thunderbird Jake Lee is having a great offensive season for Kelowna.
Kamloops Blazers (2 seed, 48-17-3-0) versus Spokane Chiefs (7 seed, 24-39-4-1) - Game 1, Friday, 7 p.m., Sandman Centre, Kamloops
It has been a tough season for the Chiefs who were on the wrong end of a lot of blowouts against the U.S. Division's top teams this year. They hung in, however, and managed a playoff spot. The Chiefs face a tall task as they take on the B.C. Division-winning Kamloops Blazers who were the second-best scoring team in the conference.
Players to watch: Spokane's goalie, Mason Beaupit, has seen a lot of rubber this season but still managed 20 wins. He helped his future cause at this year's CHL Top Prospects game, where he played quite well. Kamloops will attack Beaupit with 2021 Dallas Stars second-round pick Logan Stankoven, who was third in the WHL scoring race with 45 goals and 104 points. Former Chief forward Luke Toporowski and his 35 regular-season goals will likely cause fits for Beaupit.