WHL’s conference finals feature the favourites you expected

The conference finals are here and there’s no surprise surrounding the four teams left standing. Before the season, they were thought to be the best clubs and after 72 games and three rounds of playoffs, here they are.

On the latest episode, Jeff and Sam Cosentino break down all the matchups in the Dub, the ‘O’ and the ‘Q’.

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In the Eastern Conference, the Red Deer Rebels survived a scare from the Regina Pats in the second round but move on to take on the defending conference champion Brandon Wheat Kings. Out West, the reigning WHL champion Kelowna Rockets used some last-second heroics to beat the top-seeded Victoria Royals and will take on the red hot Seattle Thunderbirds.

Here’s how the two series shake down:

Brandon Wheat Kings vs. Red Deer Rebels
Head to Head 2-2

You like goals, you love the Wheaties. After stumbling in their first two playoff games against Edmonton, the Wheat Kings have turned up the heat. Brandon has gone 8-1 since and has lit the lamp 50 times in the post-season—by far the most in the WHL. They have five guys who are averaging more than a point-per-game and are going to be tough for Red Deer to slow down.

The Rebels have some fire power up front as well with Adam Helewka and Jake DeBrusk and they may even see the return of regular-season leading scorer Ivan Nikolishin in this series. He’s missed the majority of the post-season and the Rebels will need him to keep up with high-scoring Brandon.

The Wheat Kings are no slouches on the blueline either. Ivan Provorov is the star, but he’s getting help from Kale Clague and Macoy Erkamps as well. They can all move the puck and chip in on offence. Red Deer features a more physical defense, led by Haydn Fleury, but they are going to have to come up with their ‘A’ game to slow down the Brandon onslaught. Getting goalie Rylan Toth back during the Regina series is a big plus for the Rebels and he better be ready, he’s going to see a good deal of rubber in this one.

Special teams could be a big factor here. Both clubs have seen their power play click during in the playoffs and Red Deer’s Helewka lead’s the WHL with six power-play goals. Conversely, both teams have struggled some to kill penalties. Brandon is at 79 percent while Red Deer sits at 74. Needless to say, both Brandon coach Kelly McCrimmon and Red Deer’s Brent Sutter will want to keep this series as much as a five-on-five affair as possible.

Who’s going to win
It’s hard to pick against the Wheat Kings. They have the better depth, they’ve been here before and the Rebels will be in tough to keep up with them. Red Deer will make it a series but in the end they can’t outscore Brandon. Wheat Kings in six.

Kelowna Rockets vs. Seattle Thunderbirds
Head to Head 2-2

The Rockets have provided us with a lot of playoff drama this year. They’ve won two Game 7’s in overtime, proving further that it’s hard to kill a champion and are riding high. They beat a hot Kamloops group and the league’s top team in Victoria and now will take on a Thunderbirds team that may be the hottest team in the CHL.

Seattle has just one regulation loss since Feb. 20, a streak that has seen them go 21-1-1-0. They’re 8-1 in the post season and have been laying in wait while the Rockets were pushed to their second straight seventh game. Will that make a difference?

The Rockets strength is their forward group. They have three lines that can score and guys like Rourke Chartier, Justin Kirkland and Tyson Baillie have been through the ringer before. Dillon Dube has been quiet so far in the post-season, something that could easily change.

Seattle has one of the league’s best in Mathew Barzal and just got New York Rangers prospect Ryan Gropp back late in the Everett series. He made his presence felt right away, picking up game-winning goals in Seattle’s last two victories. The Thunderbirds power play has struggled but the return of Gropp should give it a big boost here.

Seattle has the stronger defence with Ethan Bear and veteran 20-year-olds Jerret Smith and Jared Hauf. They’ve done a good job of making life easy for Landon Bow, who has been perhaps the best trade-deadline pick up in the WHL.

For Kelowna, Michael Herringer has stepped in between the piepes for the injured Jackson Whistle and seems to have become stronger as the post-season has progressed. He was great in the Victoria series and head coach Brad Ralph has to feel pretty good about his netminder now.

Who’s going to win
This will be a good one. Kelowna has eliminated Seattle in two of the past three post seasons. The Thunderbirds are playing great, structured hockey right now and Steve Konowalchuk’s forces will get it done here. Seattle in six.