Two of the WHL’s most recent champions are set to tangle in Round One of the 2025 WHL Playoffs presented by Nutrien.
Second-seed Prince Albert will host the seventh-seed Edmonton after a wild final weekend that saw the Raiders come from behind with back-to-back wins against Saskatoon to clinch the East Division title and home-ice advantage.
The Raiders have six 20-goal scorers, including Captain Justice Christensen, who led all WHL defenders with 22 tallies, and St. Louis Blues pick Tomas Mrsic, who tied for 11th in the WHL scoring race.
Prince Albert’s blue line took a big step forward with the acquisition of Seattle Kraken prospect Lukas Dragicevic and 2023 WHL Prospects Draft first overall pick Daxon Rudolph, who was named WHL Rookie of the Month for January.
Between the pipes, Max Hildebrand is better than ever with 33 wins and is undefeated against the Oil Kings in 2024-25.
Edmonton returns to the postseason for the first time since lifting the Ed Chynoweth Cup in 2023.
The Oil Kings are the sixth stingiest team in the WHL, thanks, in part, to the team’s stellar penalty kill and rock-solid tandem of Alex Worthington and rookie Ethan Simcoe, who has three shutouts and a .911 save percentage in his first 22 WHL games.
Top 2025 NHL Draft prospect Blake Fiddler, a 6-foot-4 right-shot defenceman, has cut a foreboding figure on the Edmonton blueline and doubled his rookie offensive totals with 10 goals and 23 assists.
Brothers Gracyn and rookie Lukas Sawchyn have been massive drivers on offense by combining for 45 goals, while the Czech contingent of Blues pick Adam Jecho and Toronto Maple Leafs pick Miroslav Holinka have heated up in the back half of the season.
Prince Albert is 3-2-0-0 against Edmonton in 2024-25.
Edmonton and Prince Albert last met in the 2019 Eastern Conference Championship, which saw the Raiders prevail in six games en route to winning the 2019 WHL Championship.
The best-of-seven first-round series between the Raiders and Oil Kings will start on Friday, March 28 at 7:00 p.m. MST at the Art Hauser Arena.
| Edmonton Oil Kings | Prince Albert Raiders | |
| Record | 37-27-2-2 | 39-23-5-1 |
| Leading Scorers | Gracyn Sawchyn (30G-48A, 78PTS)
Gavin Hodnett (24G-38A, 62PTS) Lukas Sawchyn (15G-40A, 55PTS) |
Tomas Mrsic (33G-57A, 90PTS)
Aiden Oiring (29G-56A, 85PTS) Lukas Dragicevic (18G-52A, 70PTS) |
| Leading Goaltender | Alex Worthington (22-18-0-2, 2.99GAA, .902 save percentage, one shutout) | Max Hildebrand (33-16-5-0, 2.87GAA, .918 save percentage, three shutouts) |
| Powerplay | 22.9% (14th) | 28.1% (3rd) |
| Penalty Kill | 81.8% (2nd) | 73.3% (18th) |
| 2024 WHL Playoffs | Did not qualify | Lost First Round (Saskatoon) |
| Last WHL Championship | 2022 | 2019 |
2024-25 REGULAR SEASON SERIES
Prince Albert leads 3-2-0-0
November 16, 2024- Edmonton 1, Prince Albert 4
December 17, 2024- Prince Albert 5, Edmonton 2
January 10, 2025- Prince Albert 4, Edmonton 5
February 28, 2025- Edmonton 5, Prince Albert 4
March 15, 2025- Prince Albert 4, Edmonton 1
GAME BREAKERS
Edmonton: Gracyn Sawchyn has been the crown jewel for Edmonton’s offence in 2024-25. The Florida Panthers prospect, who signed his first NHL contract in November, hit 30 goals for the first time in his WHL career to reach exactly 200 career points (67G-133A). The 20-year-old is making his second trip to the WHL Playoffs after winning it all with Seattle in 2023, when he tallied 11 points in 17 postseason matches. This year, he led Edmonton with three goals and two assists against the Raiders and will lean on his playoff experience as he embarks on another postseason grind.
Prince Albert: For the second time in his WHL career, Seattle Kraken prospect Lukas Dragicevic is averaging more than a point per game. The 19-year-old finished third in points among all blueliners (18G-52A) and ranks third among all skaters in powerplay assists (31). He surpassed 200 career points earlier this season and has three goals and two assists in five outings against the Oil Kings.
GOALTENDING
Edmonton: Alex Worthington has stepped up to the plate in his first season as a WHL starter with a 22-18-0-2 record. The 19-year-old ranks 12th in save percentage while stopping more than 1,100 shots in 2024-25. He picked up a WHL Goaltender of the Week win in November of 2024 and was among the player-nominated finalists for WHL Goaltender of the Year in the WHL Midseason Player Survey. Worthington and standout rookie Ethan Simcoe have formed a formidable tandem in one of the most competitive divisions in the WHL.
Prince Albert: Max Hildebrand hopes to cap off a stellar WHL career in style. The 20-year-old was named WHL Goaltender of the week three times this season and ranks second among all WHL goaltenders in save percentage and wins after posting his first 30-plus victory campaign. Hildebrand also led all goalies in minutes played (3,181) and saves (1,709). The Martensville, Sask. product is also 3-0-0-0 against the Oil Kings in the regular season with a sparking 1.33 goals-against average and .961 save percentage.
X FACTOR
Edmonton: St. Louis Blues fans may want to pay special attention to this matchup. 2024 third-round selection Adam Jecho has been on a tear since returning from the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship and put pen to paper on his entry-level deal with the Blues earlier this week. The 6-foot-5, 201-pound centreman has led the Oil Kings with 16 goals since re-joining Edmonton in early January, including the game-winning goal in Edmonton’s 5-4 win against Prince Albert on February 28, 2025.
Prince Albert: Not to be outdone, St. Louis’s fourth-round pick from 2024, Tomas Mrsic, has been the go-to guy for Prince Albert in his first season with the Raiders. Mrsic has a team-leading 33 goals, including 14 powerplay tallies, a team-leading five game-winners and two hat tricks. The 6-foot, 170-pound winger hasn’t been held off the scoresheet against the Oil Kings this season, boasting a whopping four goals and eight assists in five regular-season meetings.
2025 WHL PLAYOFFS SERIES SCHEDULE
| Game | Visitor | Home | Day | Date | Time | |
| 1 | Edmonton | @ | Prince Albert | Friday | March 28 | 7 MT |
| 2 | Edmonton | @ | Prince Albert | Saturday | March 29 | 7 MT |
| 3 | Prince Albert | @ | Edmonton | Tuesday | April 1 | 7 MT |
| 4 | Prince Albert | @ | Edmonton | Wednesday | April 2 | 7 MT |
| 5* | Edmonton | @ | Prince Albert | Friday | April 4 | 7 MT |
| 6* | Prince Albert | @ | Edmonton | Sunday | April 6 | 4 MT |
| 7* | Edmonton | @ | Prince Albert | Tuesday | April 8 | 7 MT |
* = if necessary
