The everett silvertips opened the 2026 WHL Championship Series on Friday, May 8, in Everett against the Prince Albert Raiders. The winner of the league final earns a berth in the Memorial Cup, with the 106th edition set for May 22-31 in Kelowna, British Columbia.
Angel of the Wings Arena
Games 1 and 2 were at Angel of the Wings Arena in downtown Everett, giving the Western Conference champions the first home portion of the 57th WHL Championship. If the series went the distance, Games 6 and 7 were also scheduled for Everett.
Everett reached the final by sweeping the Penticton Vees in four games. Prince Albert advanced after a six-game series with the Medicine Hat Tigers, setting up a matchup between the Western Conference champion and the Eastern Conference champion.
Silvertips And Raiders Scoring
Everett entered with a 57-8-2-1 record and 117 points, plus a playoff scoring lead spread across several players. Matias Vanhanen led the Silvertips with 19 points in 13 games, while Julius Miettinen had 18, Landon DuPont had 17, and Carter Bear had 16.
Prince Albert countered with a 52-10-5-1 record and 110 points, and Daxon Rudolph led its playoff scoring with 23 points in 15 games. Braeden Cootes had 18 points, while Aiden Oiring, Brayden Dube, and Brock Cripps each finished with 17.
TSN And Victory+
All seven games were carried nationally in Canada by TSN and streamed globally for free on Victory+. That put the entire series in reach for viewers on both sides of the border as Everett tried to turn its home ice into the opening edge in a best-of-seven final.
The first two games in Everett mattered most for the Silvertips because they had the early home portion, but Prince Albert brought the stronger first-round test into the championship round after surviving six games against Medicine Hat. The series opened with both teams carrying the best numbers from their conferences and the Memorial Cup berth still undecided.
