The playoff streak lives on in the Rose City!
The Portland Winterhawks qualified for the 2026 WHL Playoffs with a 2-1 Victoria Royals loss to the Prince George Cougars on Saturday night.
Portland is on the ice, duelling the rival Seattle Thunderbirds in a 3-3 showdown to determine final playoff seeding.
Vegas Golden Knights prospect Alex Weiermair has led the Hawks’ attack with a 92-point (37G-55A) campaign to sit fifth in the WHL points race and tie for fourth in shorthanded goals with four.
Captain and Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Ryan Miller, 2026 NHL Draft eligible Jordan Duguay and Nathan Free have all surpassed 20 goals,
On the blueline, 2025 Utah Mammoth pick and 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship silver medalist Max Psenicka has seen his output skyrocket in his sophomore season with 28 points (7G-21A).
In net, Ondrej Stebetak entered Saturday’s action with a 23-19-4-1 record, a 3.36 goals-against average, a .899 save percentage and one shutout, while making the third-most stops of any WHL netminder (1397).
Stebetak, who is ranked 22nd among all North American netminders heading into the 2026 NHL Draft, Weiermaier and Miller played key roles in Portland’s run to the 2025 WHL Western Conference Championship.
The 18-year-old went 8-5-4 in the 2025 playoffs while averaging 32 stops per night, highlighted by a 49-save effort in double overtime to down the Prince George Cougars in Game 4 of their first-round series.
Notably, Miller scored the game-tying goal with under 30 seconds remaining in regulation.
Portland has clinched a playoff berth for 15 consecutive seasons, reaching the Championship Series five times in that span.
The Winterhawks have lifted the Ed Chynoweth Cup three times in franchise history, most recently in 2013 with a roster that featured 2013 WHL Rookie of the Year Seth Jones and franchise great Oliver Bjorkstrand.
The U.S. Division powerhouse has also won the Memorial Cup in 1983 and 1998.
Now, the Winterhawks wait to see how seeding for round one of the 2026 WHL Playoffs will shake out.
Follow the road to the Ed Chynoweth Cup by streaming WHL hockey for free on Victory+.
