The field was officially set on Tuesday night as Kamloops beat Kelowna in a tiebreaker game for the final Western Hockey League playoff spot. The opening round is set to feature some interesting matchups.
Eastern Conference
Prince Albert Raiders vs. Red Deer Rebels
Head-to-head: Prince Albert 3-1-0-0
Last meeting: Prince Albert beat Red Deer 2-1 in a shootout on March 1
Prince Albert Player to Watch: The 2018-19 season was a breakout year for Noah Gregor. After posting goal totals of 27, 27, and 29 in his first three WHL seasons, Gregor posted 43 this season.
Red Deer Player to Watch: Brandon Hagel turned a hot start to the season into a contract with the Chicago Blackhawks and finished the year as the Rebels’ leading scorer.
Saskatoon Blades vs. Moose Jaw Warriors
Head-to-head: Saskatoon 5-1-0-0
Last meeting: Saskatoon beat Moose Jaw 5-3 on March 10
Saskatoon Player to Watch: Draft eligible forward Kirby Dach was solid in his first full season with the Blades a year ago and proceeded to take a big step forward in his development as he became one of the top draft-eligible North American players this season.
Moose Jaw Player to Watch: Montreal Canadiens prospect Josh Brook led all WHL defencemen with 75 points, which also set a career high for the veteran blueliner.
Edmonton Oil Kings vs. Medicine Hat Tigers
Head-to-head: 5-0-0-1
Last meeting: Edmonton beat Medicine Hat 4-2 on March 1
Edmonton Player to Watch: Trey Fix-Wolanski, a Columbus Blue Jackets prospect, scored eight times in his final nine games to finish the year with 37 goals, a career high.
Medicine Hat Player to Watch: Goaltender Mads Sogaard won four of his final five starts to end the regular season.
Lethbridge Hurricanes vs. Calgary Hitmen
Head-to-head: Lethbridge 5-1-0-0
Last meeting: Lethbridge beat Calgary 7-4 on March 9
Lethbridge Player to Watch: Acquired from the Regina Pats, Nick Henry (Colorado Avalanche) had points in 15 of his final 16 games, including nine goals.
Calgary Player to Watch: With Carl Stankowski missing major time due to injury, rookie goaltender Jordan McNaughton got an unexpectedly heavy workload between the pipes and proceeded to win 25 games.
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Western Conference
Vancouver Giants vs. Seattle Thunderbirds
Head-to-head: Split 2-2-0-0
Last meeting: Vancouver beat Seattle 5-1 on March 12
Vancouver Player to Watch: Arizona Coyotes prospect David Tendeck has 11 wins in his last 14 regular season starts.
Seattle Player to Watch: 2019 draft prospect Jake Lee heads a young Thunderbirds blueline corps.
Victoria Royals vs. Kamloops Blazers
Head-to-head: Victoria 5-3-0-1
Last meeting: Kamloops beat Victoria 8-0 on March 13
Victoria Player to Watch: Overage goaltender Griffen Outhouse saw a slightly lighter workload this season but still saw a bulk of the starts for the Royals and posted solid numbers.
Kamloops Player to Watch: Overage goaltender Dylan Ferguson has missed time and didn’t dress in Tuesday’s tiebreaker game. In his place, rookie Dylan Garand, a Victoria native, stopped 27 shots in the tiebreaker against Kelowna and has five wins and a shootout loss in his last six starts.
Everett Silvertips vs. Tri-City Americans
Head-to-head: Everett 5-3-0-0
Last meeting: Everett beat Tri-City 3-0 on March 8
Everett Player to Watch: Draft-eligible goaltender Dustin Wolf went winless in his last three regular season starts but gave up just six goals in the process. The sophomore netminder finished the regular season with 41 wins and a 1.69 goals-against average.
Tri-City Player to Watch: Veteran forward Kyle Olson, a prospect of the Anaheim Ducks set career highs in goals (21), assists (49), and points (70).
Spokane Chiefs vs. Portland Winterhawks
Head-to-head: Spokane 3-2-0-1
Last meeting: Spokane beat Portland 5-2 on March 1
Spokane Player to Watch: Jaret Anderson-Dolan scored goals in nine of his last 10 games. The Los Angeles Kings prospect scored 11 goals in that stretch.
Portland Player to Watch: Overage forward Joachim Blichfeld, a prospect of the San Jose Sharks, led the WHL in scoring with 114 points. In doing so, the veteran forward nearly doubled his previous career high.