Often compared to collegiate sports, junior hockey fandom is rooted in geography and fueled by a tribal-like passion that connects communities to their teams. It’s a fascinating form of hockey to follow.
A league featuring some of the best 16- to 21-year-old players in the world, the CHL experiences constant roster turnover. Yet for fans, many of whom possess encyclopedia-like knowledge of their teams, players often begin to feel like family members, embodying the way supporters want their community to be represented.
It doesn’t take long for Everett players to realize how special of a community it is to play in. Though it sits within the greater Seattle metro area, it has long maintained an identity of its own. It’s a hard-nosed, blue-collar community that prides itself on its work ethic, a mentality reflected in the teams that represent it.
Calling Angel of the Winds Arena their home for nearly 25 years, Silvertips fans bring the cowbells, noise and passion for their team like no one else. And in 2025-26, their passion was finally rewarded.
Winning 57 games in the regular season, which led them to their second straight Scotty Munro Trophy for the best regular season, then going 16-2 in the postseason en route to the team’s first league championship, it was truly a dream season. There was just one hill left to climb…
Everett falls short at the Memorial Cup
One of the most well-traveled fan bases in the WHL, it was no surprise to see Everett well represented at Prospera Place in Kelowna for each game the Silvertips played at the Memorial Cup.
And it was quite the debut showing for the Silvertips. Everett went 2-1 in round-robin play, beating the Chicoutimi Saguenéens in the semifinal to advance to the championship against the Kitchener Rangers, who did not falter once during round-robin play.
Still, hope was in the air for the Silvertips on Sunday afternoon in Kelowna, but that quickly faded away as Rangers scored four unanswered goals and pulled away in the final. Playing catch-up for what felt like the entire game, the Silvertips ultimately fell to the Rangers 6-2, ending their magic-carpet ride of a season.
Head coach Steve Hamilton expressed the love he had for the team he was able to coach over the last two seasons, giving a lot of praise to his group’s fight to the very end.
“We rode this train as long as we could,” Hamilton said. “It’s been a privilege and an honor. After two amazing years together, and something that we’ve built together, I just value those guys and appreciate them.”
And while the loss will stick with them, these are memories that will be taken with these players for the rest of their lives.
Everett really impressed with its domination all season long. Despite playing a WHL-high 91 games, the team finished the season without losing back-to-back games a single time. They really felt like a group that was bought in to playing for each other.
“I’m just so thankful,” forward Zackary Shantz said. “We do so much together off the ice, and it’s going to be weird not seeing the guys… just the tightest team I’ve been a part of.”
Plenty of Silvertips had great showings during the tournament. Matias Vanhanen, with eight points, was named to the Memorial Cup All-Star Team, while also winning the George Parsons Sportsmanship Trophy.
Also named to the All-Star Team was phenom defenseman Landon DuPont, who, with six points, became the first Exceptional Status defenseman to score at the Memorial Cup.
— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) June 1, 2026
Despite all of the attention paid to DuPont this tournament, Hamilton felt he boosted his game when they needed him most.
“He was awesome,” Hamilton said. “He’s a special player, and I didn’t think he changed one bit. He did what he does all the time and handles it with class and poise. It was special.”
Kelowna proved to be a worthy host of the Memorial Cup once again. A beautiful oasis-like city in British Columbia, it provided a scenic backdrop for the tournament.
Prospera Place in Kelowna before the final game of the Memorial CupLarge Memorial Cup display in front of the Delta Hotels Grand Okanogan.Everett Silvertips fans decorated their vehicles ahead of traveling to the Memorial Cup.Waterfront Park in KelownaCHL Top 50 players (L-R) Eric Lindros, Denis Savard and Shea Weber being interviewed by TSN.Prospera Place in Kelowna as the Memorial Cup Final gets underway.
What’s left in the cupboard?
Signs are showing there’s not going to be much left from the Silvertips’ player base once next season rolls around. Players like Kraken prospect Julius Miettinen and Detroit Red Wings prospect Carter Bear are all but certainly heading to the professional ranks to join their NHL organizations.
The NCAA is going to have a plethora of Silvertips heading its way, too. Anders Miller, Tarin Smith, Zackary Shantz, Raiden LeGall, and Shea Busch are all committed to collegiate programs for next season, and it has been widely speculated that DuPont will move to the college ranks as well.
Still, as they’ve proven year after year, don’t ever count out the Silvertips. This franchise, which has notably never missed the WHL playoffs, always finds a way to keep the train moving and continue building out its player base. There are still plenty of recent first-round draft picks and exciting pieces in the system, like Reid Nicol and Mirco Dufour, to help supplement the buildup once again.
#WHL 57 wins in the regular season, winning their second consecutive Scotty Munro Trophy, 16-2 in the WHL playoffs ending in their first ever league championship, and a valiant run at the #MemorialCup
Everett forward Jesse Heslop has been with the Silvertips since 2021, playing more than 300 games with the team during the regular season and playoffs. He recognized that while the loss in the final stings, the group will carry the memories they made for the rest of their careers.
“As soon as I set foot in this organization, I knew it was the cream of the crop of the WHL,” Heslop said. “To get here after those four long years, it means everything. I’ve been with a few of those core guys this whole time, so obviously a sad feeling tonight, but we’ll look back and be happy.”
Banners will be raised to the rafters of Angel of the Winds Arena at the beginning of next season, and rightfully so. One game shy of the ultimate goal, Hamilton couldn’t be prouder of his group.
“The sting will fade and with time you’re able to get a perspective,” Hamilton said. “There’s a lifetime of memories enacted here. Right now you can’t see past the sting of losing the final game of the season, but there’s so much to celebrate… this was a special group.”
Header Courtesy of Evan Morud and the Everett Silvertips
You would have been hard-pressed to find Everett Silvertips head coach Steve Hamilton saying one bad thing about his team’s performance following a Game 1 loss in the WHL Finals at the hands of the Prince Albert Raiders.
Losing a series-opening contest can be a big blow to any team with high aspirations like Everett. That gave the illusion of an uphill battle for the Silvertips, but with Hamilton and the players made available to the media afterward, there was nothing but calmness and poise.
You got the sense they felt they hadn’t played their best hockey in that game… and they would end up being right.
— xyz – Everett Silvertips (@WHLsilvertips) May 16, 2026
The Silvertips hardly faltered the rest of the series against the Raiders, sweeping their next four games and clinching the franchise’s first Ed Chynoweth Cup, and in the words of Silvertips radio voice Casey Bryant …
“Everett finally has its champion!”
After becoming just the second team over the last two decades to win a championship with two or fewer losses in a single postseason, the long-awaited celebration commenced for the Silvertips.
Classic iconography followed, from the team joining together to lift the cup, to Hamilton putting on the team biker jacket in the locker room and lifting it vigorously. Plus, seeing captain Tarin Smith, who had missed the playoffs due to injury, be first to receive the Cup was a touching moment for a team as connected as Everett.
— xyz – Everett Silvertips (@WHLsilvertips) May 17, 2026
The Silvertips then brought the trophy home, where it was met by thousands of rambunctious fans at Everett High School, many of whom had been waiting for this moment for more than two decades.
It was quite the sight to behold for one of the most statistically dominant teams in league history. The only thing keeping the word “statistically” from being removed from that sentence is the one trophy still missing from the cabinet, the Memorial Cup.
A season to remember
It’s been a banner year in the City of Smokestacks. The Silvertips are not just U.S. Division champions, finishing 43 points ahead of second place, or Scotty Munro Trophy champions by seven points, or Western Conference champions with only two playoff losses, but WHL champions for the first time ever.
Pinpointing one moment through the playoffs where it felt like the Silvertips were destined for greatness is tricky. There are so many pivotal moments to pick from: Landon DuPont’s overtime clincher in Round 2, Rylan Gould’s stick-tossing overtime winner in the conference finals Game 2, or Julius Miettinen scoring in the final five minutes of Game 3 of the finals to take a 2-1 series lead, a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
#SeaKraken prospect Julius Miettinen gives the Everett Silvertips a 3-2 lead with under 5 to go in regulation.
The Silvertips adopted an attitude, as Hamilton harped on this postseason, of keeping everything “between the ears,” doing the simple things to help calm the nerves and stabilize a steady attack.
It was an attack that, more often than not, was not only effective but forceful. The Silvertips outscored opponents by more than a 2-1 ratio this postseason, 82-36.
Key players from this run included DuPont, whose 23 points were the most by any 16-year-old defenseman in league history, but his output came with help from linemates Matias Vanhanen and Carter Bear, who each had solid playoff performances of their own. And Kraken prospect Miettinen was named the WHL’s Most Valuable Player during the playoffs, recording 14 goals and 13 assists across 18 games with the Silvertips, which led the league in both goals and points.
While it’s easy to point to the stars on offense getting it done, the Silvertips’ depth has been such an important piece of why they have been successful this postseason. With 10 players scoring at least four goals, it felt like every player on the roster had at least one or two moments to help them reach the top.
Plus, for a franchise that has had stellar goaltending for much of its history, Anders Miller cemented himself among the all-time Everett greats. Finishing with a 1.91 goals-against average and a .932 save percentage while playing all 18 games, it was not only one of the most dominant performances in Everett history, but in WHL history.
On to Kelowna for the Memorial Cup
Playing in the Memorial Cup tournament is another first for the Silvertips, who will be joined by the OHL champion Kitchener Rangers, the QMJHL champion Chicoutimi Saguenéens, and the host Kelowna Rockets.
The margin for error is slim in a round-robin, then single-elimination tournament like this. Compared to a seven-game playoff series, one loss could determine the fate of the entire tournament.
Even though the Silvertips are favored by many to take it all, Hamilton’s group is approaching this tournament with humility.
“The Western Hockey League hasn’t won [the Memorial Cup] in 12 years, and I find it hard to believe that we’d be the favorites, to be honest,” Hamilton said in a pre-tournament press conference. “These teams are going to have a lot of the same pieces. A great goaltender, a couple big-time defensemen, and some big-time forwards. There will probably be very slim margins between these teams.”
The last team from the WHL to win the Memorial Cup was the 2014 Edmonton Oil Kings, a team for which Hamilton ironically served as an assistant coach. It’s going to be a grind. Still, it’s nothing the well-rounded Silvertips aren’t prepared for.
“[It’s] really important for us that we recreate that wave of energy and momentum,” Hamilton said. “We’ve got to be ready to sprint. It’s not the marathon that the [regular] season and playoffs are.”
With the amount of attention paid to this tournament across Canada and the United States, this may be the perfect opportunity for DuPont to showcase his talents to a national audience. Key players like him will need to continue to shine for the Silvertips during this tournament.
Getting to know the Silvertips’ tournament opponents, Everett will open its tournament action against the Chicoutimi Saguenéens on Saturday. Featuring recent Kraken entry-level contract signee Alexis Bernier, a defensive prospect who recorded four goals and three assists in 20 playoff games, the Saguenéens are a tight-checking, hard-nosed group that likes to attack in waves. Much like the Silvertips, they went all in this season for a league championship.
The Kitchener Rangers were the closest team to the Silvertips statistically this season. A team that also lost only twice during the playoffs, Kitchener’s roster is loaded with 12 NHL-affiliated prospects, including first-round picks Cameron Reid (NSH) and Sam O’Reilly (TBL). Everett, for reference, only has five.
— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) May 20, 2026
When it comes to the host Kelowna Rockets, Everett has the advantage of already playing and beating the Rockets in a series earlier in the WHL playoffs. The Silvertips were already able to neutralize Utah prospect Tij Iginla and other Rockets stars during that series, but it might be a tall task to do so again, especially on this big of a stage and in their barn.
A lot can happen in a week and a half.
The tournament kicks off Friday, May 22, and runs through Sunday, May 31, at Prospera Place in Kelowna, British Columbia.
2026 Memorial Cup schedule (times PDT)
Friday, May 22: Kitchener vs. Kelowna, 6 p.m. Saturday, May 23: Everett vs. Chicoutimi, 6 p.m. Sunday, May 24: Kelowna vs. Chicoutimi, 6 p.m. Monday, May 25: Everett vs. Kitchener, 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 26: Chicoutimi vs. Kitchener, 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 27: Kelowna vs. Everett, 6 p.m. Thursday, May 28: Tiebreaker (if necessary), 6 p.m. Friday, May 29: Semifinal, 6 p.m. Sunday, May 31: Championship game, 4 p.m.
Header Courtesy of Mark Peterson, the Prince Albert Raiders, and the Western Hockey League
We have ourselves a series. After falling 4-2 to the Prince Albert Raiders in Game 1 of the WHL Finals on Friday night, the Everett Silvertips bounced back in a huge way Saturday, beating the Raiders 6-2 to tie the series at one game apiece.
It wasn’t the start to the series the Silvertips wanted in the first game. After an early goal from Carter Bear in the first period, the offense fell flat and gave in to a steady and fast Raiders attack. Silvertips alternate captain Landon DuPont liked the pushback in the third period, but it proved to be too little, too late.
“It was a good push,” DuPont said following Game 1. “We hadn’t been in a situation like that in a while, and I think we handled it well. Just a tick off.”
Game 2 featured many of the same chances for the Silvertips to convert, but this time they finally found the back of the net, sending Angel of the Winds Arena into a frenzy.
Here are Three (brief) Takeaways from Games 1 and 2 of the WHL Finals.
Takeaway 1: Finding and keeping space to work
In Game 1, space was tighter for the Silvertips than what they grew accustomed to in their first two playoff series. The Raiders got better as the game went on, focusing on disrupting zone entries and trying to keep pucks to the outside.
The Tips got opportunities to strike, but the Raiders played tight defense, and goalie Michal Orsulak was lights out the whole evening, stopping 39 of 41 Everett shots.
But in Game 2, it was attack, attack, attack from the start for Everett. The Tips were ready to pounce on their chances from the moment the puck dropped in the first period.
Silvertips head coach Steve Hamilton liked the offensive structure the Tips played with on Saturday.
“It was definitely by design what we were trying to accomplish tonight,” Hamilton said. “There was a directness and probably a much better net presence than we had 24 hours earlier.”
Takeaway 2: Top-line guys were top-line guys
The top line for Everett rose to the occasion this weekend. Matias Vanhanen had one assist, while Kraken prospect Julius Miettinen scored two goals and added four assists in the two games.
But what a couple of games from Bear, too. With three goals in two games, the Detroit Red Wings prospect hounded pucks all weekend and was involved in every play after the whistle.
Meanwhile, on the back end, mitigating a guy like Braeden Cootes takes a concerted effort, but Silvertips defensemen were quick to keep sticks and bodies in front of him and the goal.
As the series shifts to Prince Albert for the next three games, it’s pivotal the Silvertips look at how they utilized space in Game 2 and remain active on pucks in a hostile environment like Art Hauser Centre.
Takeaway 3: Anders Miller continues to be rock solid
The Silvertips have done solid work putting bodies in shooting lanes. But when pucks do find their way through, the play of goalie Anders Miller has been spectacular throughout the WHL playoffs. With a .932 playoff save percentage, he continued his strong run through the first two games of the finals by stopping 59 of 64 shots faced across the two games.
What Hamilton likes about Miller’s game is his ability to slow things down and let the game come to him.
“He’s got a calm to his game right now that we all feel good about,” Hamilton said. “He is really good at keeping things quiet when they need to be. Catching a puck, swallowing it up, get a face-off, reset. That’s a key attribute to a goaltender. You want the play to die when it hits him, and I think he’s done an excellent job at knowing when to just put an end to it.”
This series is now a best-of-5, though home ice now belongs to the Raiders with Game 3 set for Tuesday night in P.A.
As a reminder, the series is following the 2-3-2 format, so Games 3 through 5 will be in Prince Albert and, if necessary, Games 6 and 7 will return to Angel of the Winds Arena.
Header courtesy of Evan Morud and the Everett Silvertips.
Channeling Glinda the Good to describe the aesthetics of the upcoming WHL Finals between the Everett Silvertips and Prince Albert Raiders: “It’s just— You’re green!”
This season has been historic on all fronts for the Everett Silvertips. Regular-season champions for the second year in a row and Western Conference champions for the third time ever, this team shattered pretty much everyone’s expectations for this season and has taken them to another level.
All of that is fine and dandy, but none of it will feel as vindicating to Silvertip Country unless it fills the trophy cabinet with the crown jewel that’s been eluding them all these years: the Ed Chynoweth Cup.
It’s safe to say that this is the best chance they’re going to get. So far this season, it’s all been cruise control. Going 57-8-3 in the regular season, winning 12 of 13 playoff games and 24 of 26 since their Central Division trip in February, just the also-green Prince Albert Raiders now stand in their way from glory.
This postseason has featured many Silvertips coming through in clutch moments. Need a tying goal? Shea Busch has you covered. What about a key shot block late in games? Brek Liske and Luke Vlooswyk are there to mitigate. Night after night during these playoffs, someone new is stepping up.
“When we are at our best, everybody contributes,” said head coach Steve Hamilton, who was recently awarded WHL Coach of the Year.
#WHL Steve Hamilton’s tenure as Head Coach of the Everett Silvertips has been remarkably efficient.
But what goes into shutting down a team like P.A., and how well does Everett match up with the Raiders?
With Game 1 of the best-of-7 series beginning Friday night at Angel of the Winds Arena, it’s time to take a look at how both teams got to this point, what to watch for in this series, and the keys to victory.
Halting the home-ice Raids
On Nov. 11, the Raiders rolled into AOTW Arena for their only matchup this season, beating an at-the-time ailing Silvertips team 4-1.
Something must’ve gotten into the Tips room on that night, because since then, the team has won 31 of its last 33 home games, including having a perfect 9-0 mark in the playoffs.
P.A. has been superb with a 26-6-2 home record of its own at Art Hauser Centre. It’s worth noting this series will follow the 2-3-2 format, with Games 3, 4, and, if necessary, 5 being played in P.A.
— xyz – Everett Silvertips (@WHLsilvertips) May 6, 2026
Stars need to shine
This is a big series for top-line players to showcase their pro-quality attributes. For Everett, Kraken prospect Julius Miettinen, Detroit Red Wings prospect Carter Bear, and Matias Vanhanen have been point-per-game players these playoffs for the Silvertips and have been tough for any team to match against.
The Raiders feature a heavy forechecking group led by Braeden Cootes, a first-round pick of the Vancouver Canucks and former Seattle Thunderbirds center. He’s joined up front by Aiden Oiring and Brayden Dube, all of whom have been point-per-game players in the playoffs for P.A.
And it’s a great series to get to know some stars of tomorrow. Raiders dynamic defenseman Daxon Rudolph is a top prospect eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft that leads the playoffs in points with nine goals and 14 assists.
Going against projected top pick in 2027 Landon DuPont on the Everett side, watching how these two groups work the blue line will be important in determining how the series flows.
Doing the little things
One area of the ice that often goes unnoticed is the neutral zone, and the Silvertips are effective at making sure that when the puck is on their sticks in the middle area, it’s not there for long.
Against a team like Prince Albert that likes to create offense off rush chances, being efficient and tough to break through in the neutral zone will be crucial for Everett’s defensive units during this series, especially one missing the likes of captain Tarin Smith.
“You have to be really good on the lines. Pucks have to get out, pucks have to get in.” Hamilton said. “That’s probably the greatest area of transition. If you don’t manage pucks on entries then it becomes a short rink for the other team.”
Everett faced a heavy forecheck from the Kelowna Rockets, but possession was often limited, and the Tips were quick to get pucks away from their net.
Envisioning how P.A. will attack—crashing the zone and disrupting plays physically—the Silvertips should be cautious to avoid mistakes in their own zone.
Winning the goaltending battle
The play of goaltender Anders Miller has been outstanding for the Silvertips during these playoffs, and it is bound to continue in the finals.
With an impressive .938 save percentage this postseason, the only concern with his play has been rebound control—juicy ones at that—against a heavy attacking team like P.A. It will be critical in keeping the series on a steady course for the Silvertips.
It’s been an up-and-down playoffs for Raiders goalie Michal Orsulak. With only an .898 save percentage this postseason, he has nights where he’ll go lights out—three shutouts in the playoffs—and others where he’ll allow four or more goals. For him, it’s about finding that consistent middle ground against a high-octane offense like Everett.
The time to strike is now…
This is the biggest series in the history of these two franchises, and it’s make or break time.
In addition to being broadcast on Victory+, the series will also air on TSN across Canada, which means it will be one of the first times a large national audience will be exposed to DuPont and Rudolph.
So, who’s heading to Kelowna for the Memorial Cup? Will the Silvertips stay sound defensively and finally get over the hump, or will the Raiders attack be too much to handle?
Header Courtesy of Evan Morud and the Everett Silvertips
That was the feeling among practically all Everett Silvertips fans when their second-round opponent, the Kelowna Rockets, tied Game 5 late in regulation on Friday.
It was only two nights prior in Game 4 when the Rockets came back from a 3-0 deficit, tying it with seven seconds left and eventually winning in overtime to stave off elimination.
The Silvertips have had their fair share of blunders in the playoffs in recent memory, but this would have easily taken the cake.
There was plenty of reason to worry among Everett faithful as overtime began, but it didn’t take long into the extra frame for those in attendance to remember, these are not the same Silvertips as seasons past.
The Everett Silvertips are moving on to the Western Conference Finals!
Landon DuPont is the hero in overtime, as the Tips beat the Rockets 2-1.
Everett bested Kelowna in the series 4 games to 1, advancing to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2017-18.
So, how did it happen?
Recapping Round 2
Everett was rolling through the first seven and a half games of these playoffs without much adversity, outscoring opponents 40-9 up to that point. Sure, there were little moments of momentum swings, but nothing that looked derailing.
But Game 4 happened, then for the first 60 minutes of Game 5 where Rockets goaltender Josh Banini only allowed one out of 53 shots to pass him. There were certainly times where things could have snowballed out of control, but to this Silvertips team, adversity is often turned into fuel.
“I said to them after Game 4… adversity’s not a bad thing,” head coach Steve Hamilton said. “We’ve been rolling pretty well for a long time, and to have a game where the outcome is undecided and there’s a heartbreaking loss, there’s a lesson in that.”
Landon DuPont, the overtime hero and leader among all WHL defensemen with 13 points this playoffs, echoed that sentiment.
“It’s just versatility and finding different ways to win,” DuPont said. “Not every game we’re going to get five or six goals, sometimes it’s going to be a 1-1 game going into overtime.”
Plenty more to like from Round 2
The Everett Silvertips franchise has a long lineage of great goaltending, and Anders Miller is making his mark as another player in a storied group.
According to QuantHockey, of goalies who have played in nine games or more in a single playoffs in WHL history, no one has ever recorded a higher save percentage than Miller, who sits at a .948 through two rounds of the playoffs. That’s not bad for a simple mid-season acquisition.
“I just really like his demeanor,” Hamilton said. “The guys trust him and count on him, and he’s lived up to it.”
And limiting that Tij Iginla guy was a big thing, too. One of the top point-getters in the WHL, Iginla was held off the scoresheet just six times during the regular season, yet the Silvertips held him scoreless in four out of five games during this series.
Everett is hoping it will get the chance to face Iginla and the Rockets again when Kelowna hosts the Memorial Cup in late May.
“We don’t want to give up time and space to anybody,” Hamilton said. “And when you get a player of that caliber—he’s crafty, he’s going to make things happen—you’ve got to limit his looks and take away as much time and space as you can.”
Previewing the Conference Finals
Who could have guessed the Penticton Vees, the newest expansion WHL team, would be the last ones standing from a talented B.C. Division?
A story that likens itself to the Vegas Golden Knights, the Vees are now four wins away from the franchise’s first finals appearance. The Vees are led on the top line by Seattle Kraken prospect Ryden Evers, Jacob Kvasnicka, and Tristan Peterson.
But in order to get to the Finals, they’ll have to go through the buzz saw Silvertips. Everett took the season series three games to one, though the games were competitive.
Everett captain Tarin Smith missed the entire second round for the Silvertips. Hamilton said its a similar timeline for Smith to Brek Liske’s injury from earlier this season, an injury that sidelined Liske for over a month.
The first two games of this series will be at Angel of the Winds Arena on Thursday, April 23, and Saturday, April 25.
— xyz – Everett Silvertips (@WHLsilvertips) April 20, 2026
Matchup to watch
Julius Miettinen and Ryden Evers might be teammates one day in the Kraken organization, but for now, the towering forwards will duke it out to see who will be the representative for the Kraken organization in the WHL Finals. This will be the third consecutive season that the Kraken prospect pool is represented in the Finals (Jagger Firkus in 2024, Berkly Catton in 2025).
Miettinen (6-foot-3) is second in the playoffs for goals scored with eight thus far for the Silvertips, while Evers (also 6-foot-3) is 10th with six for the Vees.
Header Courtesy of Evan Morud and the Everett Silvertips
The Everett Silvertips cruised through the first round of the Western Hockey League playoffs, defeating the Portland Winterhawks in four games.
They have had their sights set on the Memorial Cup in Kelowna since the puck dropped on the 2025-26 season.
But now, in order to get to Kelowna for the tournament, they will have to go through Kelowna, the team, as they are set to face the Rockets in the second round.
— xyz – Everett Silvertips (@WHLsilvertips) April 6, 2026
Tons of future NHL talent will be on display this series, with a total of 12 players combined from both teams affiliated with NHL clubs. A normal series may have somewhere in the three-to-five range of affiliated prospects.
From Kelowna, that’s Tomas Poletin (NYI), Tij Iginla (UTAH), Carson Wetsch (SJS), Vojtech Cihar (LAK), Kanjyu Gojsic (NSH), Parker Alcos (VAN), and Peyton Kettles (PIT)
From Everett, it’s Carter Bear (DET), Julius Miettinen (SEA), Shea Busch (FLA), Tarin Smith (ANA), and Luke Vlooswyk (PHI).
Add in Landon DuPont, Brek Liske, and other future draft eligibles, it’s looking to be a promising series from a talent standpoint.
But before we get to the series ahead, let’s look back at the series that was for the Silvertips versus the Portland Winterhawks, and then we’ll get to what to expect from this star-studded series against the Rockets.
Recapping Round 1
This series was dominated by Everett from the start. Just 1:37 into Game 1, the Winterhawks were already playing catch-up with the Silvertips scoring twice early.
From there, Everett, the No. 1 overall seed in the WHL playoffs, was just flat out dominant. They rattled off wins in four straight games en route to a sweep, outscoring Portland 25-5 and avenging the playoffs losses at the Winterhawks’ hands the prior two seasons.
Despite gaining back Shea Busch, who had missed the majority of the season from an upper-body injury, the Silvertips lost Tarin Smith to an injury he suffered along the end boards early in Game 4. There is no word yet on Smith’s status heading into the second round.
Looking at Round 2
Now, a look at the opponent: the Kelowna Rockets are on a mission — not just to compete for the Memorial Cup they will host, but to win the WHL championship and to be the ultimate Memorial Cup champs.
The last time a CHL team won the Memorial Cup as a host and winner of their own league was in 2005 when the London Knights hosted and won the OHL. The Rockets are looking to do the same this season, but it’s going to be a tall task.
The Rockets are led offensively by Utah Mammoth first-rounder Tij Iginla. The former Seattle Thunderbird returned from injury and a stint at the World Junior Championship and has recorded 90 points in 48 regular-season games. He is currently tied for second in the playoffs with 10 points.
Everett drew a hard hand with this series being early on, but with the way things have been going for the team that’s lost just eight games all year, this is a great series to find out what the Silvertips are made of and if they have what it takes to go the distance.
Everett player to watch in Round 2
Aside from the star players who light up the scoresheet every night, forward Jaxsin Vaughn was seemingly involved in nearly every scrum last series for Everett and delivered several big hits throughout.
Head coach Steve Hamilton admires the ferocity with which Vaughn plays.
“He knows exactly who he is and what he needs to do. He had four or five real punishing hits (during Game 2),” Hamilton said. “That’s part of the investment in the series, and for a guy like him, it’s not always gonna show up on the scoresheet what he brings.”
Header courtesy of Evan Morud and the Everett Silvertips
