The first round of the WHL is in the books and there are now just eight teams left fighting for the Ed Chynoweth Cup.
Seven out of eight teams with home-ice advantage came out victorious in the opening round and two of the eight series went the distance.
Here’s a look at all it went down and what’s to come in round two:
Round One of the 2025 #WHLPlayoffs are in the rear-view mirror, while Round Two is on the horizon.
— Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) April 9, 2025
So, make a cup of coffee, relax, and get up-to-date with today's edition of WHL Morning Skate!
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Entering the playoffs as the top seed in the West, the Everett Silvertips got all they could handle from their I5 rivals in the Seattle Thunderbirds.
The two teams split the first two games with matching 3-2 wins, then split the next two games as well with each earning a 6-2 win.
After a 7-4 victory in game five, Everett avoided the pressure of a game seven with a dramatic 1-0 double overtime win in game six to earn the series win.
The BC Division winners were also the only team from the division to advance out of round one, as the Victoria Royals disposed of the Tri-City Americans in five games.
Victoria won the first three games with ease before falling 6-4 on the road in game four.
They bounced back with a 7-0 thrashing of the Americans in front of their home fans to clinch the series in game five.
The Spokane Chiefs also managed to win their first-round series in five games, largely thanks to their top line of Andrew Cristall, Berkly Catton and Shea Van Olm.
The trio combined for 14 goals and 37 points in the short series against the Vancouver Giants, despite Cristall missing game three due to a suspension.
Vancouver took advantage of Cristall’s absence, as their only win came while the star forward was sitting out.
In the lone Western Conference series to go the distance, the Portland Winterhawks were also the only underdog to emerge from the first round with a victory.
Portland took a 3-1 lead over Prince George before the Cougars clawed their way back with wins in game five and six.
The magic came to an end in game seven, however, as the Winterhawks got a series-winning goal late in the third period to stun the Prince George crowd and eliminate the Cougars.
Superstar Gavin McKenna led the Medicine Hat Tigers to a relatively easy series win over the Swift Current Broncos in the opening round.
The 17-year-old from Whitehorse, who isn’t eligible to be drafted into the NHL until 2026, scored 16 points in just five games as the Tigers cruised into round two.
Despite entering the post-season as the second seed in the East, the Prince Albert Raiders had their hands full with the Edmonton Oil Kings.
After a split in the first two games, Edmonton shocked Prince Albert with a pair of wins on home ice to put the Raiders on the brink of elimination.
The Raiders showed no quit, however, winning two in a row to force a game seven before blowing out the Oil Kings 5-0 in the series-deciding game on Tuesday night.
The lone sweep of the first round came in the East, as the Saskatoon Blades were unable to muster up a win against the Calgary Hitmen.
It wasn’t relatively close either, as Calgary managed four or more goals in every single game, while Saskatoon was unable to score more than twice in a game.
And finally, the Lethbridge Hurricanes punched their ticket to the second round with a five-game series win over the Brandon Wheat Kings.
The Canes stormed out to a 3-0 lead in the series before the Wheat Kings responded with a game four victory on home ice.
But Lethbridge was simply too much to handle for Brandon, as the Canes fired 53 shots at the Wheat Kings net in a convincing 5-2 game five victory.
Round two in the West will see the Everett Silvertips take on the Portland Winterhawks, while the Victoria Royals do battle with the Spokane Chiefs.
The East will feature showdown between the top two seeds in round two, as the Medicine Hat Tigers will take on the Prince Albert Raiders, while the Calgary Hitmen and Lethbridge Hurricanes will renew their rivalry in the other series.
Three teams each from the United States and Alberta along with lone teams from British Columbia and Saskatchewan remain in the hunt for the Ed Chynoweth Cup.
