This is the 2017-18 Western Hockey League season. This is the league's 52nd season dating back to its' founding as the Canadian Major Junior Hockey League in 1966 and subsequent renaming to the Western Canada Hockey League in 1968 and to the present name in 1978.
Membership changes[]
- none
Teams[]
Eastern Conference[]
| Division | Team | City | Arena | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central | Calgary Hitmen | Calgary, Alberta, Canada | Scotiabank Saddledome
Stampede Corral (some playoff games) |
19,289
6,450 |
| Edmonton Oil Kings | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | Rogers Place | 18,641 | |
| Kootenay Ice | Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada | Western Financial Place | 4,654 | |
| Lethbridge Hurricanes | Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada | ENMAX Centre | 5,479 | |
| Medicine Hat Tigers | Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada | Canalta Centre | 5,500 (expandable to 6,500) | |
| Red Deer Rebels | Red Deer, Alberta, Canada | ENMAX Centrium | 6,000 | |
| East | Brandon Wheat Kings | Brandon, Manitoba, Canada | Westman Communications Group Place | 5,102 |
| Moose Jaw Warriors | Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada | Mosaic Place | 4,714 | |
| Prince Albert Raiders | Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada | Art Hauser Centre | 3,366 | |
| Regina Pats | Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada | Brandt Centre | 6,200 | |
| Saskatoon Blades | Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada | SaskTel Centre | 15,195 | |
| Swift Current Broncos | Swift Current, Saskatchewan, Canada | Credit Union iPlex | 3,239 |
Western Conference[]
Standings[]
Eastern Conference[]
Eastern Division[]
| Team | GP | W | L | OL | SL | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moose Jaw Warriors | 72 | 52 | 15 | 2 | 3 | 326 | 216 | 109 |
| Swift Current Broncos | 72 | 48 | 17 | 5 | 2 | 284 | 213 | 103 |
| Regina Pats | 72 | 40 | 25 | 6 | 1 | 245 | 235 | 87 |
Central Division[]
| Team | GP | W | L | OL | SL | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medicine Hat Tigers | 72 | 36 | 28 | 8 | 0 | 260 | 252 | 80 |
| Lethbridge Hurricanes | 72 | 33 | 33 | 6 | 0 | 244 | 260 | 72 |
| Red Deer Rebels | 72 | 27 | 32 | 10 | 3 | 209 | 250 | 67 |
Eastern Conference Wild Card[]
| Team | GP | W | L | OL | SL | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brandon Wheat Kings | 72 | 40 | 27 | 3 | 1 | 272 | 255 | 85 |
| Prince Albert Raiders | 72 | 32 | 27 | 9 | 4 | 245 | 250 | 77 |
| Saskatoon Blades | 72 | 35 | 33 | 3 | 1 | 237 | 276 | 74 |
| Kootenay Ice | 72 | 27 | 38 | 5 | 2 | 215 | 275 | 61 |
| Calgary Hitmen | 72 | 24 | 37 | 9 | 2 | 226 | 276 | 59 |
| Edmonton Oil Kings | 72 | 22 | 42 | 6 | 2 | 204 | 315 | 52 |
Western Conference[]
BC Division[]
| Team | GP | W | L | OL | SL | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kelowna Rockets | 72 | 43 | 22 | 5 | 2 | 280 | 249 | 93 |
| Victoria Royals | 72 | 39 | 27 | 4 | 2 | 287 | 264 | 84 |
| Vancouver Giants | 72 | 36 | 27 | 6 | 3 | 233 | 257 | 81 |
US Division[]
| Team | GP | W | L | OL | SL | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Everett Silvertips | 72 | 47 | 20 | 2 | 3 | 246 | 167 | 99 |
| Portland Winterhawks | 72 | 44 | 22 | 1 | 5 | 274 | 214 | 94 |
| Spokane Chiefs | 72 | 41 | 25 | 3 | 3 | 282 | 240 | 88 |
Western Conference Wild Card[]
| Team | GP | W | L | OL | SL | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tri-City Americans | 72 | 38 | 25 | 8 | 1 | 255 | 249 | 85 |
| Seattle Thunderbirds | 72 | 34 | 28 | 8 | 2 | 250 | 259 | 78 |
| Kamloops Blazers | 72 | 30 | 37 | 1 | 4 | 212 | 237 | 65 |
| Prince George Cougars | 72 | 24 | 38 | 5 | 5 | 217 | 295 | 58 |
2018 Ed Chynoweth Cup Playoffs[]
Format[]
The league is divided up into 2 conferences with 2 divisions each. The Eastern Conference is made up of the 6-team East Division and the 6-team Central Division while the Western Conference is made up of the 5-team BC and 5-team US Divisions. The league presently uses the same format as the NHL does with the top 3 teams in each division qualifying for the playoffs and the next two best records in the conference qualifying as the 7 and 8 seeds and joining the playoffs for the division they start the playoffs in.
The winner of the Chynoweth Cup advances to the 2018 Memorial Cup, which is being held at the Brandt Centre in Regina, Saskatchewan and hosted by the Regina Pats.
Eastern Division Semifinals[]
- Moose Jaw Warriors defeated Prince Albert Raiders 4 games to 3
- Swift Current Broncos defeated Regina Pats 4 games to 3
Central Division Semifinals[]
- Brandon Wheat Kings defeated Medicine Hat Tigers 4 games to 2
- Lethbridge Hurricanes defeated Red Deer Rebels 4 games to 1
BC Division Semifinals[]
- Tri-City Americans defeated Kelowna Rockets 4 games to none
- Victoria Royals defeated Vancouver Giants 4 games to 3
US Division Semifinals[]
- Everett Silvertips defeated Seattle Thunderbirds 4 games to 1
- Portland Winterhawks defeated Spokane Chiefs 4 games to 3
Eastern Division Final[]
- Swift Current Broncos defeated Moose Jaw Warriors 4 games to 3
Central Division Final[]
- Lethbridge Hurricanes defeated Brandon Wheat Kings 4 games to 1
BC Division Final[]
- Tri-City Americans defeated Victoria Royals 4 games to none
US Division Final[]
- Everett Silvertips defeated Portland Winterhawks 4 games to 1
Eastern Conference Final[]
- Swift Current Broncos defeated Lethbridge Hurricanes 4 games to 2
Western Conference Final[]
- Everett Silvertips defeated Tri-City Americans 4 games to 2
Ed Chynoweth Cup Final[]
- Swift Current Broncos defeated Everett Silvertips 4 games to 2
The Swift Current Broncos advance to the 2018 Memorial Cup. Broncos forward and captain Glenn Gawdin was named Chynoweth Cup Most Valuable Player with 14 goals and 18 assists in 24 playoff games. Swift Current won its first WHL championship in 25 years.
2018 WHL champions Swift Current Broncos