WHL Everett Silvertips

"Nothing Like It:" Rylan Gould on his Final Act in Everett

Published on March 20, 2026 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Everett Silvertips News Release


EVERETT, Wash. - Rylan Gould knows his path to Everett was unconventional.

Yet he knows without a doubt he was meant to finish out his Western Hockey League career as a Silvertip.

"Being a Silvertip is something truly I wish everyone got to experience," commented Gould. "There's nothing like it. I've never been prouder than being a Silvertip."

Gould was selected in the second round of the 2020 WHL Draft by the Swift Current Broncos, with whom he would go on to spend four seasons. In May of 2025, the Silvertips acquired Gould in a trade with the Broncos- however, the acquisition was nullified by his decision to commit to Michigan Tech for the 2025-26 season. Gould played six games in the NCAA before returning to the Western Hockey League, allowing Everett and Swift Current to complete a modified version of their original trade in late October.

Gould saw the opportunity waiting for him in Everett to play on a close-knit team with the potential to go far and decided he couldn't pass it up.

"It was kind of a no brainer, in a sense," he explained. "With the opportunity to win in your last year, you can't ask for much more than that. Seeing how close they were [in Everett] and the type of group, it was contagious and definitely something that I wanted to be a part of."

On Feb. 22, Gould played in his 300th WHL game, reaching a milestone that not even Gould himself imagined he would achieve. With varying paths both to the WHL and out of the WHL that may limit overall time in the league, 300 game players are an increasingly rare breed.

"You take it on a game-by-game basis and it goes by super quick," Gould recalled. "I was surrounded by great groups of people and guys with good character, and I think that translated to over here where this is the tightest group I've ever been a part of. It made it a lot easier to want to battle for everyone every night."

In celebration of the milestone, Silvertips players and staff alike wore matching 300th-game shirts to the arena with some writing "300" on their stick tape- a gesture Gould called "unexpected."

"It's a testimony to how close we are. It's still a whirlwind, I didn't really feel like I deserved all that but they're such a great group and I'm super lucky to have them."

Playing the majority of his WHL career in a small town like Swift Current, Saskatchewan taught Gould the importance of community and putting the team and fans before anything else. Gould's trademark brand of positivity, wisdom, and humility was quickly recognized by the team and the fanbase.

"It's more about the team and the community than it ever will be about yourself and that's something that I wanted to bring here," he explained. "We have the best fans in the league and such a great coaching staff and group where I felt that it was easy to be myself."

"He's aways been a super hard worker," said fellow overager and Manitoban Nolan Chastko. "He really embodies the Silvertip identity and just works his bag off. I can't say enough good things about him. Off the ice, he's an unbelievable guy, one of the best guys that I know. He was really easy to bond with and fit in super well as soon as he got here."

Zack Shantz, a former East Division rival-turned-teammate and fellow overager, emphasized the close bond that they have come to share on and off the ice this season. "He's just so sound, he does everything right. We are so close off the ice and that also helps [production] on the ice. He sees the ice so well and he talks a lot if he wants something to change on the ice. We always on the same page and it helps a lot."

The Silvertips have had a historic season thus far, smashing the franchise wins record, tying the WHL's road wins record, and approaching the WHL's record for most wins in a 68-game season.

"You don't really expect to break all these records," Gould said. "You just go one game at a time and then they kind of sneak up on you. We just want to keep getting better and keep having fun and I think that will take us a long way."

It hasn't set in for Gould yet that it is his last season, and he doesn't think that it will set in any time soon. "At some point there will be a time where we can't do it anymore, so our mindset is to play the last game and win it. If there is a regret, it would be to not enjoy this because it's not every day that we get this opportunity."

It's hard for Gould to pick just one favorite memory from his time in Everett. "Whether it's the bus trips or laughing on the bench or in the room, every single day being with this group, there's nothing like it."

Article by Lindsey McClellan

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Western Hockey League Stories from March 20, 2026


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