This is sure to be a dandy! It’s no secret that the Everett Silvertips have been the WHL’s best team all season. With the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy locked up, they’ll get to enjoy home-ice advantage throughout the WHL Playoffs.
But it’s been their cross-town rivals, the Seattle Thunderbirds, who have been turning up the heat in the second half of the season, and they feel ready to show the Silvertips their mettle in Round 1.
T-Birds’ second-half claw back
Yep, that’s right. The Seattle Thunderbirds are back in the playoff picture after missing out last season.
As the No. 8 seed, they will take on the No. 1-seeded Silvertips in Round 1, with Games 1 and 2 set for Friday and Saturday nights at Angel of the Winds Arena.
The series will shift to accesso ShoWare Center in Kent on Tuesday and the following Friday for Games 3 and 4.
This marks the fifth time the two storied franchises have faced each other in the playoffs, with Seattle owning a 4-1 all-time record.
At points this season, it looked like the T-Birds weren’t even going to sniff the playoffs. Sitting in last place on Jan. 10 at 12-24-2-1 and having just traded Sawyer Mynio to Calgary—seven points behind the final playoff spot in the Western Conference and with three teams to jump—there just wasn’t a lot to look forward to.
But the T-Birds turned things around. Since that day in January, they’ve picked up 38 points, finishing 30-33-4-1 and ending up 10 points clear of the team behind them for their playoff spot.
32 points earned since the January 9th trade deadline moves the @SeattleTbirds from 11th to 8th place in the Western Conference, jumping over three teams and into the playoffs.
— Thom Beuning (@ThomBeuning) March 19, 2025
Everett and Spokane have been the class of the division for practically the entire season, finishing in first and third place in the conference, respectively. But Seattle has held its ground against those top teams recently, going 2-1-0-0 against both since the calendar flipped to 2025.
Overager Brayden Schuurman, acquired at the WHL trade deadline from the Moose Jaw Warriors, was a key part of the Thunderbirds’ retooling efforts to get more dynamic.
“We know we can skate and compete with any team here,” Schuurman said. “At the end of the day, it’s about who wants it more.”
Players like Braeden Cootes (63 points), Nathan Pilling (60), and Coster Dunn (56) have been crucial to Seattle’s success in recent months, alongside the addition of Schuurman. But it’s been goaltender Scott Ratzlaff in vintage form who’s been the big difference-maker. Over his last 10 games, Ratzlaff has posted a .932 save percentage after struggling at times in the earlier stages of the season.
Taking on Everett in the playoffs is going to be a tall task, as any No. 1 seed would be for a No. 8 seed. But there’s a fight in this Seattle group that has bled into its results down the stretch, including winning its last two games of the season against higher-seeded teams in the conference.
The Thunderbirds have really seemed to adopt a “playing with nothing to lose” mentality down the stretch. Head coach Matt O’Dette is proud of his group’s tenacity and fight over the last few months.
“It gives our team confidence knowing that we can beat these top teams,” O’Dette said. “We’ve got a young team, and we’ve been really building something here over the second half of the season.”
There’s a lot of mental fortitude in this T-Birds group. Friday’s game in Spokane was evidence of that, as Seattle came from two goals down in the final five minutes to win 7-6 in a shootout. They finished the season on a four-game winning streak.
#WHL This @SeattleTbirds team man. Y’all better watch out now.
— Cameron Riggers (@CameronRiggers) March 22, 2025
After trailing 6-4 with less than five minutes to go, they claw their way back to win it 7-6 in a shootout.
What a game this was! pic.twitter.com/O2uMs6yXOC
Since the second half of the season began on Dec. 27, the T-Birds have been stellar at home, going 10-6-1 at accesso ShoWare Center, which will be key in this series.
If the T-Birds can steal at least one of the first two games in Everett, they will put themselves in a strong position to steal the series heading back home to the Sho. But as previously mentioned, it will be a tall task.
Everett’s playoff push
As for the Silvertips, making the playoffs yet again adds to the history of a franchise that has never failed to qualify. Maybe—just maybe—this could finally be the year they break through and win the franchise’s first-ever Ed Chynoweth Cup.
If there were ever a year to do it, it’d be this one, as they boast arguably the best roster they’ve ever had. The Silvertips finished the regular season with a 48-12-4-4 record and 104 points—clearing the next closest team by six.
The Tips have consistently gotten contributions from all around, and there wasn’t really a major flaw in their game. They finished the season ranked in the top three for both goals for and goals against and in the top eight in both power-play and penalty-killing percentage.
Their one area of weakness—and the main concern of late—has been goaltending. Before Jan. 29, starter Jesse Sanche had allowed more than four goals in a game just twice all season. Since then, he’s done so six times.
It’s been more of a tandem approach lately, as Raiden LeGall finished the season with the highest save percentage (.921) and goals-against average (2.16) among qualified starters. It wouldn’t be surprising to see both goaltenders play at some point during this series.
Missing Carter Bear will be a tough blow, too. The 2025 draft-eligible prospect was on pace for a monumental season before it was cut short by an Achilles injury in late February.
Despite the injury, the Silvertips still rightfully honored Bear with the team MVP award, after he finished as the team’s leader in total points with 82.
There will be key players expected to step up in Bear’s absence during this series and beyond. One player to watch will be veteran forward Tyler MacKenzie, who was an all-around “lead-by-example” guy this season with 78 points in 67 games, finishing the year with a plus-49 plus/minus rating.
After their 2-1 win over the T-Birds on Feb. 28, MacKenzie spoke about the types of battles they have had against Seattle lately and what it takes to triumph.
“It took every guy in the room,” MacKenzie said. “They’re a hell of a team, and they play us hard every time… that was a team win all-around. It took every guy on the ice.”
The Tips had a 6-1-0-1 record against the T-Birds in the regular-season series but lost two of their final three meetings.
With players like Austin Roest and Kraken prospect Julius Miettinen returning to the fold from injuries, Everett will be tough to handle on any given night.
With a stacked defensive corps led by Kraken prospect Kaden Hammell and WHL rookie points leader Landon DuPont, it’s hard to imagine Everett having too much trouble keeping opponents at bay.
The big key for the Silvertips, though, will be playing with consistency—not just in this series but throughout the playoffs. Playing with confidence and keeping the puck out of their own zone as much as possible will ultimately make or break their championship aspirations.
The other series in the west, Round 1:
#2 Victoria vs. #7 Tri-City
- Two top 2025 draft-eligible prospects — VIC forward Cole Reschny and TC defenseman Jackson Smith—will duke it out. Victoria won the season series at 3-0-1-0.
#3 Spokane vs. #6 Vancouver
- Expect quite a few goals this series, as Spokane finished second in goals for this season, while Vancouver boasts six 20-goal scorers. Spokane won the regular season series at 4-0-0-0.
#4 Prince George vs. #5 Portland
- The two most geographically distant teams in the conference are ironically set to face off, featuring Kraken prospect and POR defenseman Tyson Jugnauth, who led all WHL defensemen in points with 79. Portland owned P.G. during the regular season at 4-0-0-0.
The WHL also announced expansion efforts to Penticton and Chilliwack. The Penticton Vees will begin play next season as members of the B.C. Division, while the league is hopeful Chilliwack will join the fold in 2026-27.
Header photo courtesy of Brian Liesse and the Seattle Thunderbirds
Just a note: These were the final points totals for the top-3 Seattle scorers: Cootes 63, Pilling 60, Dunn 56.
Thanks. Fixed.
And these games will be televised, correct? With that new Victory deal?