WHL Western Hockey League

2018 Rogers WHL Championship Series Begins Today in Swift Current

Published on May 4, 2018 under Western Hockey League (WHL) News Release


Swift Current, Sask. - The 2018 Rogers WHL Championship Series begins today, featuring the WHL Eastern Conference Champion Swift Current Broncos and WHL Western Conference Champion Everett Silvertips.

As part of the lead up to the 2018 Rogers WHL Championship Series, the 2018 WHL Awards were held Wednesday, May 2, while the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft was hosted Thursday, May 3 - both at the Sheraton Red Deer Hotel in Red Deer, Alta.

The 2018 Rogers WHL Championship Series opens today in Swift Current as the Broncos and Silvertips battle to become the 52nd WHL Champions and earn a spot at the 100th Mastercard Memorial Cup in Regina, Sask.

Swift Current and Regina meet in the Rogers WHL Championship Series for the first time in WHL history. The Broncos last appeared in the WHL Championship in 1993, defeating the Portland Winterhawks in seven games. The Silvertips last appearance in the WHL Championship came in 2004 in which Everett fell to the Medicine Hat Tigers in a four-game sweep.

Rogers WHL Championship Series - Game Schedule

DATE GAME AWAY HOME TIME

Friday, May 4 1 Everett at Swift Current 7 p.m. MT

Saturday, May 5 2 Everett at Swift Current 7 p.m. MT

Tuesday, May 8 3 Swift Current at Everett 7:05 p.m. PT

Wed., May 9 4 Swift Current at Everett 7:05 p.m. PT

Friday, May 11 5* Swift Current at Everett 7:35 p.m. PT

Sunday, May 13 6* Everett at Swift Current 7 p.m. MT

Monday, May 14 7* Everett at Swift Current 7 p.m. MT *= if necessary

* if necessary

Here's a look at the matchup for the 2018 Rogers WHL Championship Series:

SWIFT CURRENT BRONCOS vs. EVERETT SILVERTIPS

2017-18 Regular Season Records

Swift Current: 48-17-5-2 (103 points)

Everett: 47-20-2-3 (99 points)

2017-18 Head-to-Head Records

Swift Current: 0-1-0-0

Everett: 1-0-0-0

The Silvertips won the lone regular season meeting between the two Clubs by a score of 4-1 on January 21, 2018 at Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett.

COMPLETE PREVIEW

Two incredible teams on two incredible runs have reached a meeting point in the 2018 Rogers WHL Championship Series.

Claiming the Eastern Conference Championship for the first time since 1993, the Swift Current Broncos enter this series in pursuit of their fourth Ed Chynoweth Cup in franchise history. It's been a wild run for the Broncos, who have played 20 games to date in the 2018 WHL Playoffs, seven to down the Regina Pats, seven more to best the Moose Jaw Warriors and six to snuff out the Lethbridge Hurricanes.

For the Everett Silvertips, their run in the 2018 WHL Playoffs has been one of redemption for previous years, defeating the Seattle Thunderbirds in five games, doing the same to the Portland Winterhawks and edging the always-dangerous Tri-City Americans in the Western Conference Championship. Though they made it to this point in their inaugural season, they still have yet to taste their first-ever victory in WHL Championship play.

Vaughn WHL Goaltender of the Month Stuart Skinner (Edmonton Oilers) was the best among his peers during the month of April and the current leader in goals-against-average, save percentage, and shutouts (he's also tied for first in victories naturally), so beating him will be a definite challenge.

Opposing him is none other than the best goaltender in the entire Canadian Hockey League for the past few seasons and fellow Edmonton, Alta. area product Carter Hart (Philadelphia Flyers). The two were briefly teammates at the 2017 CIBC Canada-Russia Series and with how close the fraternity of junior hockey goaltending is, the two aren't separated by much.

For the offensive talents that will line up against each other from both sides, this series could easily dissolve into a goaltending duo, but it'd be rare to hear anyone complaining about that.

Interestingly enough, the conference championship round eliminated four of the top five point producers in WHL Playoffs scoring, a pair of Hurricanes and a pair of Americans. That leaves Broncos captain Glenn Gawdin (Calgary Flames) and his 25 points (9G-16A) in 20 games to lead the charge. Opposition from the Silvertips isn't far behind though, with Silvertips leading scorer and WHL Player of the Month for April Garrett Pilon (Washington Capitals) sitting at 24 points (11G-13A) to lead the visitors.

Blue lines alike are stacked from 2018 NHL Draft prospects Wyatte Wylie for the Silvertips and Artyom Minulin for the Broncos bound to clash. Colby Sissons (New Jersey Devils) has been worked through plenty of minutes through the first 20 games and will log more against the Silvertips' best come Game One. Opposing him will be the likes of Game Six overtime hero Kevin Davis and Ondrej Vala (Dallas Stars) who have been well-known to offensively contribute in bunches for Everett when required.

Everett Silvertips

2018 WHL Playoffs Scoring Leaders

C Garrett Pilon - 16 GP, 11-13-24

RW Patrick Bajkov - 16 GP, 13-8-21

C Connor Dewar - 16 GP, 9-12-21

LW Matt Fonteyne - 16 GP, 6-14-20

RW Riley Sutter - 15 GP, 6-8-14

Current NHL Prospects

PLAYER POSITION BIRTH YEAR NHL CLUB

Bajkov, Patrick RW 1997 Florida Panthers

Pilon, Garrett C 1998 Washington Capitals

Vala, Ondrej D 1998 Dallas Stars

Hart, Carter G 1998 Philadelphia Flyers

2018 NHL Draft Prospects

PLAYER POSITION BIRTH YEAR CENTRAL SCOUTING RANK

Wylie, Wyatte D 1999 71

Sutter, Riley RW 1999 80

Dewar, Connor C 1999 117

Swift Current Broncos

2018 WHL Playoffs Scoring Leaders

C Glenn Gawdin - 18 GP, 9-16-25

C Tyler Steenbergen - 20 GP, 11-13-24

C Aleksi Heponiemi - 20GP, 3-21-24

C Giorgio Estephan - 20 GP, 11-8-19

D Colby Sissons - 20 GP, 3-15-18

Current NHL Prospects

Current NHL Prospects

PLAYER POSITION BIRTH YEAR NHL CLUB

Gawdin, Glenn C 1997 Calgary Flames

Steenbergen, Tyler C 1998 Arizona Coyotes

Malenstyn, Beck LW 1998 Washington Capitals

Heponiemi, Aleksi C 1999 Florida Panthers

Sissons, Colby D 1998 New Jersey Devils

Anderson, Josh D 1998 Colorado Avalanche

Skinner, Stuart G 1998 Edmonton Oilers

2018 NHL Draft Prospects

PLAYER POSITION BIRTH YEAR CENTRAL SCOUTING RANK

Minulin, Artyom D 1998 186

Hofer, Joel G 2000 7 (NA Goaltenders)

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The 2018 Rogers WHL Championship Series will begin Friday, May 4 at 7 p.m. MT as the Swift Current Broncos play host to the Everett Silvertips.

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