They are so back.
The Tri-City Americans will compete for WHL glory when the 2025 WHL Playoffs presented by Nutrien kick off next month.
The Americans punched their playoff ticket by pushing the game to overtime against the Seattle Thunderbirds, combined with a 3-1 Wenatchee Wild loss to the Vancouver Giants on Sunday.
Max Curran’s 20th goal of the season pulled the Americans even halfway through the third period, and backed by Lukas Matecha’s 29 saves in regulation, Tri-City guaranteed the single point.
One of the biggest turning points of Tri-City’s season came in an eye-popping 12-game win streak that stretched from October 12, 2024 to November 11, 2024 and featured four overtime victories and back-to-back wins against the league-leading Everett Silvertips.
Tri City features four 20-goal scorers, including Captain Jake Sloan, who is in the midst of his third 20-goal season.
The Ams have seen plenty of offensive firepower from 2024 Colorado Avalanche pick Max Curran, who has averaged more than a point-per-game in 2025, and standout first-year players Gavin Garland, who has won WHL Rookie of the Week twice, in addition to a monthly award, and Savin Virk, who picked up the weekly award in early February after picking up his first WHL hat trick.
The blueline features projected 2025 first-round pick Jackson Smith, a towering defender who represented the CHL at the first ever CHL USA Prospects Challenge presented by Kubota Canada.
And how’s this for a stat- all three of Jackson Smith’s goals in 2024-25 have stood as the game-winner, with two coming in overtime.
He’s patrolled the blueline alongside gritty Utah Hockey Club prospect Terrell Goldsmith and Columbus Blue Jackets pick Charlie Elick, who was picked up at the 2025 WHL Trade Deadline.
The Americans return to the postseason after a one-year absence.
While Tri-City is still on the hunt for its first WHL Championship, the team did win the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy as WHL regular season champions in 2007-08 with a 52-16-2-2 record.
The Ams will continue to battle for home-ice advantage in the first round of the WHL Playoffs in a logjammed Western Conference.
Tri-City closes its regular season schedule on March 22 as the Ams host the powerhouse Spokane Chiefs at the Toyota Center in Kennewick, Wash.
