Reid Schaefer, Luke Prokop Win WHL Championship with Seattle Thunderbirds

Nashville Predators prospects Reid Schaefer and Luke Prokop were crowned Western Hockey League champions on Friday with the Seattle Thunderbirds' 3-1 victory over the Winnipeg ICE in Game 5 of the championship series.

This marks the second WHL Championship in Thunderbirds franchise history. The Club last raised the Ed Chynoweth Cup in 2017.

The Predators acquired Schaefer, along with defenseman Tyson Barrie, a first-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft and a fourth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft from the Edmonton Oilers at the trade deadline in exchange for defenseman Mattias Ekholm and a sixth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. General Manager/President of Hockey Operations David Poile described Schaefer as a "talented forward with high upside" following the announcement of the trade.

It has been a banner year for Schaefer, who also won gold at the 2023 World Junior Championship, suiting up in all seven of Canada's games. Originally drafted by Edmonton in the first round (32nd overall) of the 2022 NHL Draft, Schaefer is skating in his fourth season with the Thunderbirds. He finished the 2022-23 regular season with 61 points (28g-33a) and put up 19 points (8g-11a) in 19 playoff games.

"It's so surreal, honestly," Schaefer told WHL TV following Seattle's Game 5 victory. "It's a dream come true. After falling short last year, we were just that much more eager to get it done this year. I'm just so proud of the guys. I just love every one of them, and I'm excited."

Schaefer and the Thunderbirds fell just short last year, falling to the Edmonton Oil Kings in six games in the WHL championship series. Among the players to hoist the Ed Chynoweth Cup with Edmonton last season was none other than Prokop, who arrived in Seattle via trade in October in exchange for a first-round draft pick in 2025, a third-round draft pick in 2023, and a third-round draft pick in 2025.

Prokop recorded 21 points (4g-17a) in 43 regular-season games with Seattle this season and put up five points (1g-4a) in the playoffs. Prokop, who attended his first NHL training camp last summer, was selected by the Predators in the third round of the 2020 NHL Draft (73rd overall) and signed a three-year, entry-level contract in December 2020.

"It's unbelievable to win with this group of guys," Prokop told WHL TV. "I was able to do it last year with a special group and this year was a special one [as well]. A lot of lifetime friends and good memories with this team, and we're not finished yet. We're going for the Memorial Cup and we're going to be a force there."

The Thunderbirds will now advance to the 2023 Memorial Cup presented by Kia, which will be held from May 26-June 4 in Kamloops, B.C. There, they will face the Kamloops Blazers, Peterborough Petes, Quebec Remparts in a round-robin tournament to determine the 2023 CHL champions.

Photo of Reid Schaefer courtesy of Brian Liesse/Seattle Thunderbirds