Know Your Foe: Portland Winterhawks vs Prince George Cougars WHL Playoff Preview

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WHL Portland Winterhawks

Know Your Foe: Portland Winterhawks vs Prince George Cougars WHL Playoff Preview

March 25, 2025 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Portland Winterhawks News Release


For the 14th straight postseason, the Portland Winterhawks are ready to compete in the WHL Playoffs. The first-round matchup will be a rematch of the 2024 Western Conference Championship, where Josh Davies' double-overtime goal gave the Winterhawks a 4-2 series win.

While Portland as an organization is no stranger to the playoffs, 12 rookies and 14 players on this year's roster did not play in last season's series with the Cougars. 2024-2025 rookie Cole Slobodian made his WHL debut in Game 6 on the road last year.

The Cougars and Winterhawks have met in three of the last four post-seasons, but only Josh Zakreski, Ryder Thompson, and captain Kyle Chyzowski remain from the 2022 playoff series.

The remaining veterans and head coach Kyle Gustafson are doing their best to help get the younger players as best prepared as possible.

"We asked (our veterans) to share a lot of experiences they've had in the past, especially with Chyz (Chyzowski) and Ryder," he explained. "I think it is nearly 40 games they've played in the league in the playoffs. We set the table with Mike (Johnston) and myself with our experience in the league and what they can expect. We will try to do everything you can to fast-track it, but there is nothing like being in the moment. You've got to experience it yourself, but we are doing everything we can to help these players on what to expect. The nerves, I'm sure they'll be there for everyone."

68 games are in the books, and every team's record is reset back to 0-0-0-0.

Before the team departs for Prince George, head coach Kyle Gustafson is excited to get his team back on the ice and in the video room to prepare for playoff intensity.

"It is an exciting time. The players love playoff time. They love the atmosphere. They love the competition. I think everyone is excited. It is good for us to have a week of practice before the long travel. At the same time, there is a lot of excitement around the team for sure," Gustafson said.

Thompson echoed the excitement. "(Monday) was a good practice, and we did some good video on Prince George. Everyone is really excited. Obviously, it was a pretty good regular season, but it is going to be a loud building in Prince George. The guys are looking forward to it. This is everything we've worked for this year."

The Cougars were red-hot down the stretch, winning eight of their last ten games. While Prince George may not have the dynamic offense from a year ago, with players like Zac Funk (67 goals in 2024) and Ondrej Becher (96 points in 2024) graduating to professional hockey, Thompson has seen enough games against them to know what to expect.

"They've got a really good offensive group, and their defense isn't afraid to step in there either," he said. "They are good off the rush, super skilled, and if we take penalties, they're going to make us pay on their power play. I think all around, they're a hard, physical-working team. They work for their chances and they're super skilled, so we have to be a working team, too."

Led by Minnesota Wild prospect Riley Heidt, the Cougars have five skaters who finished the regular season with over 70 points. Heidt, like Zakreski, Thompson, and Jugnauth, has played in the last two series against Portland, including in 2022 when he was a 16-year-old rookie. In three games played, the Saskatoon, Saskatchewan native tailed three points (1G, 2A).

Goaltender Josh Ravensbergen started five of the six games in the 2024 Western Conference Championship and figures to again be a key factor for the No. 4 seed.

On Friday, the Winterhawks are looking to "keep rollin" as they begin their run through the 2025 WHL Playoffs.

The WHL Playoffs will be available 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 28 - @PG - 7:00 p.m. (Watch Party hosted by Cartside at 1825 N Williams Avenue, Portland, OR 97227)

Game 2 - Saturday, March 29 - @PG - 6:00 p.m. (Watch Party hosted by Grains of Wrath at 230 NE 5th Avenue, Camas, WA 98607)

Game 3 - Tuesday, April 1 - @POR - 7:00 p.m. (Toyota Fan Fest - 5:45-7:00 p.m.)

Game 4 - Wednesday, April 2 - @POR - 7:00 p.m.

*Game 5 - Friday, April 4 - @POR - 7:00 p.m.

*Game 6 - Sunday, April 6 - @PG - 6:00 p.m.

*Game 7 - Monday, April 7 - @PG - 7:00 p.m.

Regular Season Results (POR went 4-0-0-0)

Prince George 1 @ Portland 4 (Dec 13, 2024) Final

Portland 5 @ Prince George 4 (Oct 9, 2024) Final SO

Portland 4 @ Prince George 3 (Oct 8, 2024) Final OT

Prince George 2 @ Portland 3 (Oct 5, 2024) Final

POR Leading Scorers in the Regular Season Series:

Josh Zakreski - 5G - 0A - 5 PTS

Tyson Jugnauth - 1G - 4A - 5 PTS

Diego Buttazzoni - 2G - 2A - 4 PTS

Hudson Darby - 2G - 2A - 4 PTS

Ryan Miller - 1G - 2A - 3 PTS

Kayd Ruedig - 1G - 2A - 3 PTS

PG Leading Scorers in the Regular Season Series:

Koehn Ziemmer - 3G - 1A - 4 PTS

Borya Valis - 1G - 3A - 4 PTS

Riley Heidt - 0G - 3A - 3 PTS

Terik Parascak - 2G - 0A - 2 PTS

Viliam Kmec - 1G - 1A - 2 PTS

Carson Carels - 0G - 2A - 2 PTS

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