Sports stats



WHL Western Hockey League

WHL Announces Three Million in Regular Season Attendance as 2024 WHL Playoffs Presented by Nutrien Begin

March 28, 2024 - Western Hockey League (WHL) News Release


Calgary, Alta. - As the 2024 WHL Playoffs presented by Nutrien begin, the Western Hockey League announced today league-wide regular season attendance has surpassed 3,000,000 for the first time since 2018-19, representing the highest per-game attendance rate since 2019-20.

WHL Regular Season Total Attendance

2023-24: 3,076,922

2022-23: 2,913,512

2021-22: 2,397,588

2020-21: N/A

2019-20*: 2,882,799

WHL Regular Season Per Game Attendance

2023-24: 4,114

2022-23: 3,895

2021-22: 3,205

2020-21: N/A

2019-20*: 4,154

* = COVID-19 shortened regular season (694 games played)

The 2024 WHL Playoffs presented by Nutrien open tonight with all eyes focused on Saskatoon as the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy-winning Blades host the Prince Albert Raiders.

WHL Playoff action will fire on all cylinders starting Friday night when all eight first-round series hit the ice.

After 748 WHL Regular Season games, 16 WHL Clubs will vie for the right to hoist the Ed Chynoweth Cup and represent the WHL at the Memorial Cup presented by Dow in Saginaw, Mich., this spring.

WHL fans can catch all the action by watching WHL Live on CHL TV, with various subscription options available:

2024 CHL Playoffs All Access - $89.99

2024 WHL Playoffs All Access - $59.99

2024 WHL Playoffs, First Round - $19.99

2024 WHL Playoffs, Daily - $9.99

* = all prices before tax and listed in CAD

WHL Live on CHL TV is available on iOS and Android mobile devices, traditional web browsers (Safari and Chrome), as well as smart TV devices such as Apple TV, Android OS, and Fire TV.

Nutrien Returns as Official Presenting Partner of 2024 WHL Playoffs and WHL Championship Series

For the second consecutive season, Nutrien Ltd. (TSX and NYSE: NTR) returns as the Official Presenting Partner of the 2024 WHL Playoffs and WHL Championship Series.

Nutrien and the WHL represent a natural fit, with Nutrien's global headquarters located in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and other corporate offices in Calgary, Alberta, and Regina, Saskatchewan, along with Nutrien's extensive retail branches and Nitrogen and Potash operations found throughout all four Western Canadian provinces and the Pacific Northwest United States. Like the WHL, Nutrien strives to be a meaningful partner in the communities where its employees live and work.

As presenting partner of the 2024 WHL Playoffs, Nutrien will be visible throughout WHL arenas in Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest United States, including as the official helmet sponsor of WHL Officials. Nutrien will also serve as the official helmet sponsor of competing players during the 2024 WHL Championship Series presented by Nutrien.

2024 WHL Playoffs Format

The 2024 WHL Playoffs presented by Nutrien features the Conference Playoff format for the third consecutive season.

The first-place teams in the two Divisions in each Conference will receive the top two playoff seeds based on Regular Season points. The next six Clubs in each Conference, based on Regular Season points, will receive the third to eighth playoff positions.

Clubs advancing to the second round and WHL Conference Championships presented by Nutrien will be re-seeded each round based on Regular Season points. The two Conference Champions will advance to the 2024 WHL Championship Series presented by Nutrien, with the Club possessing the most Regular Season points receiving home-ice advantage.

All series throughout the 2024 WHL Playoffs presented by Nutrien will follow a best-of-seven format.

The 2024 WHL Playoffs presented by Nutrien will conclude with the 2024 WHL Championship Series presented by Nutrien, scheduled to be played from Friday, May 10 through Monday, May 20, 2024.

2024 WHL Playoffs - First Round Matchups

Eastern Conference

(1) Saskatoon Blades vs. (8) Prince Albert Raiders - SERIES PREVIEW

Game 1: Thursday, March 28 - Prince Albert at Saskatoon, 7 p.m. MT

Game 2: Friday, March 29 - Prince Albert at Saskatoon, 7 p.m. MT

Game 3: Tuesday, April 2 - Saskatoon at Prince Albert, 7 p.m. MT

Game 4: Wednesday, April 3 - Saskatoon at Prince Albert, 7 p.m. MT

Game 5: Friday, April 5 - Prince Albert at Saskatoon, 7 p.m. MT*

Game 6: Saturday, April 6 - Saskatoon at Prince Albert, 7 p.m. MT*

Game 7: Monday, April 8 - Prince Albert at Saskatoon, 7 p.m. MT*

(2) Swift Current Broncos vs. (7) Lethbridge Hurricanes - SERIES PREVIEW

Game 1: Friday, March 29 - Lethbridge at Swift Current, 7 p.m. MT

Game 2: Saturday, March 30 - Lethbridge at Swift Current, 7 p.m. MT

Game 3: Tuesday, April 2 - Swift Current at Lethbridge, 7 p.m. MT

Game 4: Wednesday, April 3 - Swift Current at Lethbridge, 7 p.m. MT

Game 5: Friday, April 5 - Lethbridge at Swift Current, 7 p.m. MT*

Game 6: Sunday, April 7 - Swift Current at Lethbridge, 6 p.m. MT*

Game 7: Tuesday, April 9 - Lethbridge at Swift Current, 7 p.m. MT*

(3) Moose Jaw Warriors vs. (6) Brandon Wheat Kings - SERIES PREVIEW

Game 1: Friday, March 29 - Brandon at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m. MT

Game 2: Saturday, March 30 - Brandon at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m. MT

Game 3: Wednesday, April 3 - Moose Jaw at Brandon, 7 p.m. CT

Game 4: Thursday, April 4 - Moose Jaw at Brandon, 7 p.m. CT

Game 5: Saturday, April 6 - Brandon at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m. MT*

Game 6: Sunday, April 7 - Moose Jaw at Brandon, 6 p.m. CT*

Game 7: Tuesday, April 9 - Brandon at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m. MT*

(4) Medicine Hat Tigers vs. (5) Red Deer Rebels - SERIES PREVIEW

Game 1: Friday, March 29 - Red Deer at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m. MT

Game 2: Saturday, March 30 - Red Deer at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m. MT

Game 3: Tuesday, April 2 - Medicine Hat at Red Deer, 7 p.m. MT

Game 4: Wednesday, April 3 - Medicine Hat at Red Deer, 7 p.m. MT

Game 5: Friday, April 5 - Red Deer at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m. MT*

Game 6: Sunday, April 7 - Medicine Hat at Red Deer, 2 p.m. MT*

Game 7: Tuesday, April 9 - Red Deer at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m. MT*

* = if necessary

Western Conference

(1) Prince George Cougars vs. (8) Spokane Chiefs

Game 1: Friday, March 29 - Spokane at Prince George, 7 p.m. PT

Game 2: Saturday, March 30 - Spokane at Prince George, 6 p.m. PT

Game 3: Tuesday, April 2 - Prince George at Spokane, 7:05 p.m. PT

Game 4: Wednesday, April 3 - Prince George at Spokane, 6:35 p.m. PT

Game 5: Friday, April 5 - Prince George at Spokane, 7:05 p.m. PT*

Game 6: Monday, April 8 - Spokane at Prince George, 7 p.m. PT*

Game 7: Wednesday, April 10 - Spokane at Prince George, 7 p.m. PT*

(2) Portland Winterhawks vs. (7) Victoria Royals - SERIES PREVIEW

Game 1: Friday, March 29 - Victoria at Portland, 7 p.m. PT

Game 2: Saturday, March 30 - Victoria at Portland, 6 p.m. PT

Game 3: Tuesday, April 2 - Portland at Victoria, 7:05 p.m. PT

Game 4: Wednesday, April 3 - Portland at Victoria, 7:05 p.m. PT

Game 5: Friday, April 5 - Portland at Victoria, 7:05 p.m. PT*

Game 6: Sunday, April 7 - Victoria at Portland, 5 p.m. PT*

Game 7: Tuesday, April 9 - Victoria at Portland, 7 p.m. PT*

(3) Everett Silvertips vs. (6) Vancouver Giants - SERIES PREVIEW

Game 1: Friday, March 29 - Vancouver at Everett, 7:05 p.m. PT

Game 2: Saturday, March 30 - Vancouver at Everett, 6:05 p.m. PT

Game 3: Wednesday, April 3 - Everett at Vancouver, 7 p.m. PT

Game 4: Friday, April 5 - Everett at Vancouver, 7 p.m. PT

Game 5: Sunday, April 7 - Vancouver at Everett, 4:05 p.m. PT*

Game 6: Tuesday, April 9 - Everett at Vancouver, 7 p.m. PT*

Game 7: Wednesday, April 10 - Vancouver at Everett, 7:05 p.m. PT*

(4) Wenatchee Wild vs. (5) Kelowna Rockets - SERIES PREVIEW

Game 1: Friday, March 29 - Kelowna at Wenatchee, 7 p.m. PT

Game 2: Saturday, March 30 - Kelowna at Wenatchee, 6 p.m. PT

Game 3: Tuesday, April 2 - Wenatchee at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m. PT

Game 4: Wednesday, April 3 - Wenatchee at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m. PT

Game 5: Friday, April 5 - Kelowna at Wenatchee, 7 p.m. PT*

Game 6: Sunday, April 7 - Wenatchee at Kelowna, 2:05 p.m. PT*

Game 7: Tuesday, April 9 - Kelowna at Wenatchee, 6 p.m. PT*

* = if necessary

For complete coverage of the 2024 WHL Playoffs, please visit WHL.ca.

Check out the Western Hockey League Statistics



Western Hockey League Stories from March 28, 2024


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central