Vees and Thunderbirds to Meet in First Round of 2026 WHL Playoffs
WHL Seattle Thunderbirds

Vees and Thunderbirds to Meet in First Round of 2026 WHL Playoffs

Published on March 22, 2026 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Seattle Thunderbirds News Release


The Penticton Vees initiation into the WHL Playoffs will feature the hard-nosed Seattle Thunderbirds.

The Vees, who finish their WHL expansion season atop the B.C. Division with a record of 44-14-6-4, will look to extend regular season success into the WHL post-season for the first time.

As for the Thunderbirds, they turned up the heat during the second half of the season and finished the campaign with a record of 30-27-6-4, landing seventh in the WHL's Western Conference.

The Vees collected the season series, securing wins in all four outings, while outscoring the Thunderbirds by a margin of 24-11. Most recently, Penticton snuck past Seattle with a 5-4 shootout win on February 1.

New York Islanders prospect Jacob Kvasnicka has help spur on the offense for Penticton, registering 85 points (35G-50A) in 65 games this season. The 18-year-old right winger was selected by the Islanders in the seventh round (202nd overall) in the 2025 NHL Draft.

Dallas Stars prospect Cameron Schmidt has been electric since arriving in the Emerald City following a mid-season trade from the Vancouver Giants. The 5-foot-8, 158-pound right winger has collected 98 points (49G-49A) in 71 games, and will look to reach the 50-goal and 100-point plateaus when Seattle wraps up its regular season Sunday at Spokane (5:05 p.m. PT).

The 2025 WHL Playoffs saw the Thunderbirds fall to the regular season champion Everett Silvertips in six games during the first round of post-season play. But you don't have to wind the clock back that far to find Seattle success stories in the WHL Playoffs. The 2023 campaign finished with the Thunderbirds hoisting the Ed Chynoweth Cup, after having accomplished the feat for the first time back in 2017.

Though this marks Penticton's first foray into the WHL Playoffs, Head Coach and General Manager Fred Harbinson understands what it takes to win at this time of year, having guided the Vees to six BCHL titles.

The Vees finished the 2025-26 WHL Regular Season on a high note with a 5-0 victory at Kelowna.

The best-of-seven first-round series between the Vees and Thunderbirds fires up Friday, March 27 (7:05 p.m. PT) at the South Okanagan Events Centre. The series will shift to Seattle for Game 3 on Tuesday, March 31 (7:05 p.m. PT).

Game Visitor Home Day Date Time

1 Seattle @ Penticton Friday March 27 7:05 p.m PT

2 Seattle @ Penticton Saturday March 28 7:05 p.m. PT

3 Penticton @ Seattle Tuesday March 31 7:05 p.m. PT

4 Penticton @ Seattle Wednesday April 1 7:05 p.m. PT

5* Seattle @ Penticton Friday April 3 7:05 p.m. PT

6* Penticton @ Seattle Sunday April 5 5:05 p.m. PT

7* Seattle Sunday @ Penticton Tuesday April 7 7:05 p.m. PT

* = if necessary

Check out the Seattle Thunderbirds Statistics

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Western Hockey League Stories from March 22, 2026


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