The Prince George Cougars and Spokane Chiefs are set to face-off in the first round of the 2026 WHL Playoffs.
The matchup was solidified Sunday night following the 2025-26 WHL Regular Season finale, which saw the Chiefs drop a 4-0 decision to the Seattle Thunderbirds. The loss locked the Chiefs (36-30-2-0) into sixth place in the WHL’s Western Conference, ensuring a first-round date with the third-place Cougars (44-22-2-0).
The Cougars won all four games of the season series between the two Clubs, outscoring the Chiefs by a margin of 15-8. Most recently, the Cougars scratched out back-to-back wins March 6 and 7 at CN Centre in Prince George, defeating the Chiefs by scores of 5-1 and 4-3, respectively.
Washington Capitals prospect Terik Parascak led the Cougars in scoring this season, registering 79 points (33G-46A) in 61 games. The 19-year-old product of Lethbridge, Alta., was selected by the Capitals in the first round (17th overall) of the 2024 NHL Draft.
The Spokane Chiefs scoring race was won by 2026 NHL Draft-eligible talent Tyus Sparks, who wrapped up his campaign with 65 points (28G-37A) in 69 games. A midseason acquisition from the Vancouver Giants, the product of Meridian, Idaho, has made some noise for himself on draft radars and is ranked 63rd among North American skaters on the NHL Central Scouting Midterm Rankings.
The Cougars have qualified for the post-season in five consecutive years, dating back to 2022. Last season, they dropped a seven-game heartbreaker to the Portland Winterhawks in the first round of the 2025 WHL Playoffs. The season prior, the Cougars advanced to the WHL’s Western Conference Championship, once again falling to the Winterhawks, albeit in six games.
The Chiefs return to the WHL Playoffs having advanced all the way to the 2025 WHL Championship, before ultimately dropping a five-game series to the Medicine Hat Tigers.
You don’t have to look far to find the last post-season matchup between the Cougars and Chiefs. In 2024, the two teams met in the first round of the WHL Playoffs, with the Cougars scoring a 4-0 sweep.
The best-of-seven first-round series between the Cougars and Chiefs will follow a 2-3-2 format and begins Friday, March 27 (7 p.m. PT) from CN Centre in Prince George. From there, the series shifts back to Spokane, with Game 3 slated for Monday, March 30 (7 p.m. PT) at Numerica Veterans Arena.
| Game | Visitor | Home | Day | Date | Time | |
| 1 | Spokane | @ | Prince George | Friday | March 27 | 7 p.m. PT |
| 2 | Spokane | @ | Prince George | Saturday | March 28 | 6 p.m. PT |
| 3 | Prince George | @ | Spokane | Monday | March 30 | 7 p.m. PT |
| 4 | Prince George | @ | Spokane | Wednesday | April 1 | 7 p.m. PT |
| 5* | Prince George | @ | Spokane | Thursday | April 2 | 6:05 p.m. PT |
| 6* | Spokane | @ | Prince George | Sunday | April 5 | 6 p.m. PT |
| 7* | Spokane | @ | Prince George | Monday | April 6 | 7 p.m. PT |
* = if necessary
