WHL Playoffs Preview: Landon DuPont, Silvertips eye title

Landon DuPont has more than lived up to his status as an exceptional player.

Now, the Everett Silvertips defenceman will try to take an outstanding rookie season to the next level.

The first defenceman to be granted exceptional status in the WHL, allowing him to play a year earlier than other rookies, DuPont, 15, finished as the top rookie scorer in the league with 60 points in 56 games after going first overall in the draft to the Washington state team.

The son of former Calgary Flame Micki DuPont is a key part of a Silvertips team that finished with the top record in the WHL.

The Silvertips, who entered the league in 2003, are looking to win their first WHL crown.

DuPont became the first defenceman aged 16 or younger to crack 50 points in a WHL season since the great Scott Niedermayer in 1989-90 with the Kamloops Blazers.

Here's a look at first-round matchups and storylines to watch in the WHL playoffs.

FIRST-ROUND MATCHUPS

Eastern Conference
No. 1 Medicine Hat Tigers vs. No. 8 Swift Current Broncos
No. 2 Prince Albert Raiders vs. No. 7 Edmonton Oil Kings
No. 3 Calgary Hitmen vs. No. 6 Saskatoon Blades
No. 4 Lethbridge Hurricanes vs. No. 5 Brandon Wheat Kings

Western Conference
No. 1 Everett Silvertips vs. No. 8 Seattle Thunderbirds
No. 2 Victoria Royals vs. No. 7 Tri-City Americans
No. 3 Spokane Chiefs vs. No. 6 Vancouver Giants
No. 4 Prince George Cougars vs. No. 5 Portland Winterhawks

ELITE EVERETT

The Silvertips have been the class of the league all season, but they won't have one important player in the playoffs.

First-round NHL Draft prospect Carter Bear is out with an Achilles injury suffered earlier this month in the midst of a 40-goal season.

Meanwhile, DuPont isn't the only rookie making a big impact for Everett.

First-year goalie Raiden LeGall led the league in goals-against average and save percentage. The Bemidji State commit joined the Silvertips in November after the NCAA approved a rule change allowing WHL players to play U.S. college hockey starting next season.

The Silvertips match up in the first round against a Thunderbirds team featuring one of the top defencemen eligible for this year's NHL Draft — Czechia's Radim Mrtka.

McKENNA, TIGERS ON PROWL

Gavin McKenna might be the best player in junior hockey, and he isn't even eligible for the NHL Draft until next season.

The Medicine Hat Tigers star enters the playoffs on a 40-game scoring streak. He was second in the league in scoring with 129 points in 56 games, helping the Tigers clinch the top seed in the Eastern Conference with a win over the Calgary Hitmen on the final night of the season.

Tigers captain Oasiz Wiesblatt also is a 100-point man, marking the first time Medicine Hat has had two players reach three digits in scoring since 1990-91.

INJURY CONCERN?

Calgary goalie Daniel Hauser set a record for WHL career wins in the final week of the season, but did not play in the finale against Red Deer and was listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

Traded to Calgary by the Wenatchee Wild in January, Hauser had a four-game shutout streak early in his time with the Hitmen.

The overager, assuming he isn't out too long, now has a chance to go out on a high playing close to home — he grew up in nearby Chestermere, Alta.

“Especially having my whole career away from home, a long way from home, it has been amazing to be back home, for myself and for my family and my friends,” Hauser told the Calgary Herald earlier this season. “My parents are loving coming to the games.

“So it’s been awesome for myself and for a lot of other people, for sure.”

TERRIFIC TRADE

The Spokane Chiefs made a huge acquisition when they acquired Andrew Cristall from the out-of-contention Kelowna Rockets prior to the trade deadline.

Cristall became the first Spokane player to finish as the league's scoring champion, finishing with 132 points. The Washington Capitals prospect has shown continuous improvement after notching 92 points in 2022-23 and 111 in 2023-24.

Cristall is part of a tremendous trip with Seattle Kraken first-round pick Berkly Catton (third in the league in scoring) and Shea Van Olm, the league's leading goal scorer.

DRAFT BUZZ

Brandon Wheat Kings towering centre Roger McQueen is the top WHL prospect (seventh overall) in Sam Cosentino's March NHL Draft rankings.

The six-foot-five McQueen missed most of the season with a lower-body injury, so a nice playoff performance could give him a draft boost. He has been good since returning, notching nine points in nine games.

Joshua Ravensbergen of the Prince George Cougars is Cosentino's top-ranked goalie.

The Cougars lost out to the Victoria Royals in a tight race for the B.C. Division title, dropping Prince George to the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference. That sets up a Western Conference final rematch against the Portland Winterhawks in the first round.

The Winterhawks won that series and are 4-0 against Prince George this season.