Know Your Foe: Portland Winterhawks vs. Everett Silvertips WHL Playoff Preview
WHL Portland Winterhawks

Know Your Foe: Portland Winterhawks vs. Everett Silvertips WHL Playoff Preview

Published on March 24, 2026 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Portland Winterhawks News Release


For the 15th consecutive year, the Portland Winterhawks will vie for the Ed Chynoweth Cup in the WHL Playoffs. This year's first-round matchup will be against the Everett Silvertips as the two teams meet in the postseason for the fourth consecutive year - with Portland having won the previous three meetings.

Twelve players will make their WHL Playoff debuts, but a robust core of veterans will lead the crew into another enthralling chapter of Winterhawk playoff history.

The Winterhawks defeated the reigning Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy champions Silvertips in seven games during the second round of the 2025 WHL Playoffs. Portland won games five and seven in Everett to clinch the series. Winterhawks netminder Ondřej Štěbeták made 40 saves in the deciding game to send the Hawks onto the Western Conference Finals.

The Silvertips finished the regular season having won 12 of their last 13 games, helping secure a 57-8-2-1 record, 117 points, and their third WHL regular season title. Everett also topped the CHL power rankings for nine weeks this season, including the last seven.

In his second postseason as Winterhawks head coach Kyle Gustafson says there is an element of confidence when Portland takes on Everett.

"Everett's obviously an amazing team, they're the top of the league," Gustafson said. "We do have some confidence; the season series, the way we started against them, even our last game against them we felt good in a lot of areas. What suits us best is they're very similar in tempo - they play fast and their defense moves pucks."

Everett is led by a potent core of talent. Matias Vanhanaen leads the Tips with 87 points behind 21 goals and 66 assists. Carter Bear is second on the team in points with 77, but his 36 goals lead the team, supplemented with 41 assists. Finish phenom Julius Miettinen (35-41-76), exceptional blueliner Landon DuPont (18-55-73), and Anaheim Ducks draft pick Tarin Smith (16-55-71) all finished the year north of 70 points.

In the crease, the Silvertips are backstopped by two 19-year-old netminders - Anders Miller and Raiden LeGall. Miller has played in 36 games this season, working up to a 2.30 GAA, a 0.914 save percentage, and a 31-5-0-0 record. LeGall has played in 37 games, posting a 2.80 GAA, 0.892 SV%, and a 27-4-2-1 record.

On Friday, the Winterhawks begin the hunt for another WHL title against the Everett Silvertips.

The WHL Playoffs will be available for free on Victory+ without geo-restrictions, giving fans the opportunity to follow their favorite teams and players on the road to the championship. With Victory+ offering a free, ad-supported streaming service, this ensures that the game is accessible to everyone, no matter where they are or what devices they use, including Samsung and Vizio smart TVs, Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, iOS, Android and web browser.

Learn more at victoryplus.com/download.

Series Schedule:

Game 1 - Friday, March 27 - @EVT - 7:05 p.m.

Game 2 - Saturday, March 28 - @EVT - 7:05 p.m.

Game 3 - Tuesday, March 31, @POR - 7:00 p.m.

Game 4 - Wednesday, April 1, @POR - 7:00 p.m.

*Game 5 - Friday, April 3 - @EVT - 7:05 p.m.

*Game 6 - Saturday, April 4, @POR - 6:00 p.m.

*Game 7 - Tuesday, April 7, @ EVT - 7:05 pm

Regular Season Results (POR went 3-3-0-0)

Everett 8 @ Portland 5 (Mar 15 2026) Final

Everett 4 @ Portland 2 (Mar 7 2026) Final

Portland 2 @ Everett 5 (Mar 6 2026) Final

Everett 2 @ Portland 5 (Dec 31 2025) Final

Portland 7 @ Everett 6 (Nov 15 2025) Final SO

Portland 3 @ Everett 2 (Sep 28 2025) Final OT

POR Leading Scorers in the Regular Season Series:

Alex Weiermair - 6G - 6A - 9 PTS

Ryan Miller - 3G - 6A - 9 PTS

Nathan Free - 4G - 4A - 8 PTS

Jordan Duguay - 1G - 6A - 7 PTS

Sam Spehar - 2G - 3A - 5 PTS

EVT Leading Scorers in the Regular Season Series:

Jesse Heslop - 2G - 8A - 10 PTS

Landon DuPont - 2G - 6A - 8 PTS

Tarin Smith - 5G - 2 A - 7 PTS

Matias Vanhanen - 1G - 6 A - 7 PTS

Nolan Chastko - 3 G - 2 A - 5 PTS

Check out the Portland Winterhawks Statistics

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Western Hockey League Stories from March 24, 2026


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