WHL Portland Winterhawks

Series Preview: (6) Everett Silvertips vs. (3) Portland Winterhawks

Published on March 28, 2023 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Portland Winterhawks News Release


The curtain rises on the 2023 WHL Playoffs presented by Nutrien Friday, March 31, and WHL.ca is previewing each of the eight First Round matchups. We continue by examining the series between the Portland Winterhawks and Everett Silvertips.

U.S. Division rivals will meet in the First Round of the 2023 WHL Playoffs presented by Nutrien when the Portland Winterhawks tangle with the Everett Silvertips.

The best-of-seven First Round series begins Friday, March 31 in Portland (7:00 p.m. PT, Veterans Memorial Coliseum), marking the first post-season meeting between the sides since the Silvertips won a Second Round affair five years ago.

Portland reached the 40-win mark for the sixth consecutive season in which it was possible to do so, finishing in second place in the U.S. Division in the process. The Winterhawks were deadly on home ice as well; only Seattle and Winnipeg had fewer than the four regulation losses suffered by Portland at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

Everett, meanwhile, enters the post-season having finished fourth in the U.S. Division with a record of 33-32-2-1. The look and feel of the Club changed dramatically January 8, when NHL prospects Ryan Hofer and Olen Zellweger were dealt to the Kamloops Blazers, but the new-look Silvertips have found their stride with 20-year-old forward Jackson Berezowski leading the way.

Gabe Klassen led Portland in scoring during the regular season, completing the campaign with 35 goals and 69 points. Five Winterhawks completed the season with 59 or more points including defenceman Luca Cagnoni (17G-47A), who represented the Club at the 2023 Kubota CHL / NHL Top Prospects Game in January.

Berezowski set single-season and franchise goals records for Everett in 2022-23, completing the campaign with a team-best 48 tallies and 81 points. The Yorkton, Sask. product concluded the regular season portion of his WHL career with 130 goals. 2023 NHL Draft prospect Austin Roest (32G-46A) and Vegas Golden Knights draftee Ben Hemmerling (21G-41A) both cracked the 60-point barrier.

The Winterhawks added to their NHL talent pool with the acquisition of Winnipeg Jets first-rounder Chaz Lucius in January, but his presence in Portland was short-lived. The American World Juniors star suffered a season-ending injury after just six games with the Winterhawks, leaving defencemen Marek Alscher (Florida Panthers) and Ryan McCleary (Pittsburgh Penguins) as the only NHL-drafted players on the active roster. Hemmerling is the lone current Silvertip drafted to an NHL Club.

The Winterhawks have two capable goaltenders, though veteran Dante Giannuzzi carried more of the workload during the regular season, winning 23 games, two by shutout. Czech import Jan Spunar went 17-7-2-1 during the regular season and is ranked by NHL Central Scouting ahead of the 2023 NHL Draft in June.

Everett shook up its goaltending mid-way through the season, acquiring 19-year-old Tyler Palmer from the Victoria Royals. The Fernie, B.C. product is set to make his WHL Playoffs debut this weekend after posting a 16-14-1-1 record as a Silvertip during the regular season.

These two sides met eight times during the regular season and Portland earned points in seven of the encounters including six wins. Seven of the eight meetings were decided by two goals or more, including a 10-3 Everett victory on home ice March 3.

The two Clubs have faced each other six times in the WHL Playoffs and on both occasions with both teams winning three best-of-seven series. The Silvertips won the most recent affair in 2018 en route to the Western Conference Championship. This series marks the fourth First Round encounter; Everett won a seven-game thriller in 2005, while Portland came out on top in opening-round series both in 2010 and 2013.

STAT PACK

Portland Winterhawks Everett Silvertips

Record 40-20-5-3 (2nd, U.S.) 33-32-2-1 (4th, U.S.)

Leading Scorers Gabe Klassen (35-34-69)

Robbie Fromm-Delorme (33-34-67)

James Stefan (22-42-64) Jackson Berezowski (48-33-81)

Austin Roest (32-46-78)

Ben Hemmerling (21-41-62)

Leading Goaltender Dante Giannuzzi (23-13-3-2, 3.37, .894) Tyler Palmer (19-24-4-1, 3.66, .892)

Power Play 23.7% (9th) 21.2% (T-11th)

Penalty Kill 82.2% (54th) 78.3% (12th)

2022 WHL Playoffs Lost Second Round (Seattle) Lost First Round (Vancouver)

Last WHL Championship 2013 -none-

2022-23 REGULAR SEASON SERIES

Everett (1) at Portland (3) - March 5, 2023

Portland (3) at Everett (10) - March 3, 2023

Everett (2) at Portland (7) - December 31, 2022

Portland (5) at Everett (1) - December 30, 2022

Everett (2) at Portland (4) - December 11, 2022

Portland (3) at Everett (4) OT - December 3, 2022

Portland (5) at Everett (2) - November 23, 2022

Everett (1) at Portland (4) - November 18, 2022

GAME BREAKERS

Portland Winterhawks: Gabe Klassen, Robbie Fromm-Delorme and James Stefan all have more than 150 career WHL points, but of the three, Fromm-Delorme has the most goals during playoff play, scoring six times over 16 post-season outings. The 21-year-old enters his final WHL Playoffs campaign having finished second among Winterhawks goal-getters with 33, and over his last 103 WHL regular season games has scored 48 times. The Richmond, B.C. product plays with passion and emotion, which will suit this series nicely.

Everett Silvertips: Berezowski is the goal-scoring hero in Everett and will be counted upon this spring after missing the 2022 WHL Playoffs due to injury. His 22 power-play goals were good for a share of the League lead, while his 48 goals ranked third among WHL skaters. Like Fromm-Delorme, Berezowski is playing in his final WHL campaign, an intangible that will certainly motivate both himself and his teammates.

GOALTENDING

Portland Winterhawks: Dante Giannuzzi is likely to make his WHL Playoffs debut when this series begins after serving as Taylor Gauthier's backup last spring. He's earned the opportunity, posting 59 career regular season wins to go along with five shutouts since making his Portland debut during the 2018-19 season.

Everett Silvertips: The Silvertips shipped out longtime netminder Braden Holt to secure Tyler Palmer's services from the Victoria Royals, and since arriving in Everett, the 19-year-old has posted a .900 save percentage, winning 16 times as well. Palmer is an athletic goaltender, capable of making saves many deem nigh on impossible.

X-FACTORS

Portland Winterhawks: Marcus Nguyen has developed into an all-situations player for Portland, and can produce offensively in any situation into which he's deployed. The Calgarian scored 23 goals during the regular season including a team-best four short-handed markers, and while there won't be shootouts in the 2023 WHL Playoffs presented by Nutrien, Nguyen was a clutch performer, going 4/5 in the shootout during the regular season.

Everett Silvertips: Silvertips general manager Dennis Williams made the move to acquire veteran forward Raphael Pelletier from Swift Current at the WHL Trade Deadline, and the move has paid dividends. Since arriving in Snohomish County, Pelletier has recorded 24 points in 31 games and has turned into a valuable option on the power-play. The Legal, Alta. product will be looking to make the most of his first opportunity to compete in the WHL Playoffs.

SERIES SCHEDULE

Game Date Away Home Time

1 March 31, 2023 Everett Portland 7:00 p.m. PT

2 April 1, 2023 Everett Portland 6:00 p.m. PT

3 April 3, 2023 Portland Everett 7:05 p.m. PT

4 April 7, 2023 Portland Everett 7:05 p.m. PT

5 April 8, 2023 Everett Portland 7:00 p.m. PT *

6 April 10, 2023 Portland Everett 7:05 p.m. PT *

7 April 11, 2023 Everett Portland 7:00 p.m. PT *

* - if necessary

Through WHL Live on CHL TV, fans can enjoy every single scheduled game throughout the 2023 WHL Playoffs presented by Nutrien with the purchase of a WHL All-Access Pass at the low price of $59.99 plus applicable taxes and fees.

WHL Live - 2023 WHL Playoffs Packages

All-Access: $59.99

Round-by-Round: $19.99 per round

24-Hour Access: $9.99

* all prices in Canadian dollars

+ does not include applicable taxes and fees

WHL Live on CHL TV is available to fans anywhere in the world, providing high-quality streaming of WHL games on Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV platforms, via mobile with iOS and Android, and on web using Safari or Google Chrome web browsers. Visit WHLLive.com for complete details.

Check out the Portland Winterhawks Statistics

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Western Hockey League Stories from March 28, 2023


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