Two of the greatest expansion teams in WHL history are hours away from clashing in Game 1 of the 2026 WHL Western Conference Championship.
Back in 2003-04, the Everett Silvertips set a league record for wins by an expansion team with 34 and clawed their way all the way to the league finals to cap off a gutsy season.
Now, the Penticton Vees have shattered with wins record with 44 victories and stand four wins away from repeating the Silvertips’ feat.
Either way, a team from the West will have a chance to lift the Ed Chynoweth Cup for the first time.
The regular-season champion Silvertips will play in the Conference Championship for the fourth time in team history and the first time since 2018 after grounding the 2026 Memorial Cup host Kelowna Rockets in five games.
2027 NHL Draft-eligible Landon DuPont leads all WHL defencemen with 13 points (3G-10A), including the Game 5 overtime winner to clinch the series for Everett.
Joining DuPont atop the Silvertips’ playoff leaderboard are 2026 NHL Draft-eligible Matias Vanhanen, who has ripped it up with 14 points (7G-7A) in nine games, and Seattle Kraken prospect Julius Miettinen, who has the most goals of any active playoff skater with eight.
Penticton is riding a wave of momentum after turning a 2-0 series deficit into a jaw-dropping four-game comeback against the Prince George Cougars.
New York Islanders pick Jacob Kvasnicka has helmed the attack with 13 playoff points (7G-6A), including potting the series-clinching goal in overtime in Game 6.
First-year WHLer Louis Wehmann paced the Vees in second-round scoring by breaking out for seven points (2G-5A) in six games against the Cats, while Andrew (AJ) Reyelts locked in for 40 saves in Game 6.
Everett went 3-1-0-0 against Penticton in the regular season, highlighted by a pair of statement wins on March 13 and 14 that saw the Silvertips clinch the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy as regular-season champions for the second straight year.
But the Vees’ lone win was a big one, with Reyelts making 33 stops and Seattle Kraken prospect Ryden Evers logging four goals in a 7-0 rout that marked Everett’s first regulation loss of the season.
The Silvertips enter the playoffs having scored the third-most goals of any WHL squad, while allowing the second-fewest goals against.
The B.C. Division champs weren’t far behind, with the Vees clocking in at 6th in goals for and rankings as the league’s third-stingiest team.
Game 1 is set for Thursday, April 23, at 7:05 p.m. PT at Angel of the Winds Arena, before the series shifts north for Game 3 at the South Okanagan Events Centre on Monday, April 27.
STAT PACK
| Penticton Vees | Everett Silvertips | |
| Record | 44-14-6-4 (1st B.C.) | 57-8-2-1 (1st U.S.) |
| Playoff Leaders | Jacob Kvasnicka (7G-6A, 13 pts)
Ryden Evers (6G-5A, 11 pts) Louis Wehmann (5G-6A, 11 pts) |
Matias Vanhanen (7G-7A, 14 pts)
Landon DuPont (3G-10A, 13 pts) Julius Miettinen (8G-4A, 12 pts) |
| Season Leaders | Jacob Kvasnicka (35G-50A, 85 pts)
Ryden Evers (35G-39A, 74 pts) Brady Birnie (22G-48A, 70 pts) |
Matias Vanhanen (21G-66A, 87 pts)
Carter Bear (36G-41A, 77 pts) Julius Miettinen (35G-41A, 76 pts) |
| Leading Goaltender (Playoffs) | Andrew Reyelts (8-2-0), 2.44 GAA, .914 save percentage, one shutout) | Anders Miller (8-0-1, 1.55 GAA, .948 save percentage, one shutout) |
| Power Play (Playoffs) | 28.6% (5th) | 25% (6th) |
| Penalty Kill (Playoffs) | 75% (11th) | 83.3% (3rd) |
| Second Round | Def. Prince George (4-2) | Def. Kelowna (4-1) |
| Last WHL Championship | – | – |
2025-26 REGULAR SEASON SERIES
Everett leads 3-1-0-0
October 17, 2025- Everett 5, Penticton 2
October 25, 2025- Penticton 7, Everett 0
March 13, 2026- Everett 6, Penticton 3
March 14, 2026- Penticton 3, Everett 4
GAME BREAKERS
Penticton: Two finalists for 2025-26 WHL Rookie of the Year are set to go head-to-head. New York Islanders prospect Jacob Kvasnicka just continues to come up clutch for Penticton. The 18-year-old leads his team with 13 points (7G-6A) to tie for fifth in scoring and third in goals, but it’s his timing that truly stands out. The Burnsville, Minn. product is fresh off scoring the series-clinching goal in overtime against the Cougars, and had a penalty shot strike that gave the Vees some insurance in its Game 5 win over Seattle to send the Thunderbirds packing. Kvasnicka was Penticton’s leading scorer against Everett with a goal and six assists for seven points in four matches.
Everett: Did someone call for a guy who can put the puck Vanhan-in the net? Finnish sensation Matias Vanhanen is climbing the scoring leaderboard and NHL Central Scouting’s list, rocketing up from 76th among North American skaters in the midterm projections to 54th in the agency’s final rankings for the 2026 NHL Draft. Vanhanen is tied for third in goals (seven) and points (14) among all WHL skaters in the playoffs, and has only been held off the scoresheet once. Vanhanen only netted two assists in four outings against the Vees in the regular season, but can he elevate his game with a berth in the Championship on the line?
GOALTENDING
Penticton: Andrew Reyelts has been a scene-stealer for the Vees. He may rank seventh among all WHL goaltenders in goals-against average (2.44) and ninth in save percentage (.914), but his actual numbers have been stellar and just speak to the strength many teams have found between the pipes. Reyelts made 40 saves to oust Prince George in Game 6 and will try to carry that momentum into the Western Conference Championship. The Proctor, Minn. product went 1-1-1-0 against Everett in his first WHL campaign with a 2.29 GAA, a .929 save percentage and a 33-save shutout.
Everett: Anders Miller has looked near-inassailable in the postseason. The Anchorage, Alaska product is second among all goaltenders in playoff goals-against average (1.55), save percentage (.948) and owns a 19-save shutout. Miller went 1-1-0-0 against Penticton in the regular season with a 5.06 GAA and .870 save percentage, but those numbers are mainly marred by the 7-0 loss in early October. Despite that setback, Miller rebounded with a 40-save, .930 save percentage effort in a 4-3 overtime win in March, earning first star and marking the second-busiest game of his WHL career.
X-FACTOR
Penticton: Ryden Evers has been one of Penticton’s most reliable scorers from preseason to playoffs. The Seattle Kraken prospect was also one of the Vees’ most versatile weapons against the Silvertips in their regular season series. Evers erupted for a four-goal outing in a 7-0 drubbing of the Silvertips in Everett on October 25, and scored twice- including the game-tying goal- in a 4-3 overtime loss in the final clash between the teams on March 14.
Everett: Florida Panthers prospect Shea Busch only got one tilt in against the Vees in the regular season before being sidelined with an injury for the bulk of the regular season, but he made it count. The 6-foot-3, 214-pound winger scored in a 5-2 win over Penticton on October 17th while logging three shots and a +2 rating. Busch had 18 points (13G-5A) in 12 games in his truncated regular season and has netted two goals and four assists in his first seven games back in the postseason.
SERIES SCHEDULE
| Game | Visitor | Home | Day | Date | Time | |
| 1 | Penticton | @ | Everett | Thursday | April 23 | 7:05pm PT |
| 2 | Penticton | @ | Everett | Saturday | April 25 | 6:30pm PT |
| 3 | Everett | @ | Penticton | Monday | April 27 | 7:05pm PT |
| 4 | Everett | @ | Penticton | Tuesday | April 28 | 7:05pm PT |
| 5* | Penticton | @ | Everett | Friday | May 1 | 7pm PT |
| 6* | Everett | @ | Penticton | Sunday | May 3 | 6:05pm PT |
| 7* | Penticton | @ | Everett | Tuesday | May 5 | 7:05pm PT |
* = if necessary
