Blazers clinch first WHL playoff berth since 2022-23 season

Kamloops is the sixth Western Conference team to clinch a playoff berth, with three teams – Portland, the Seattle Thunderbirds and the Victoria Royals – vying for the final two spots. The Blazers are in sixth place, but both the Thunderbirds (28-27-6-4) and the Royals (28-28-6-3) can pass them in the standings.

The Blazers will begin the playoffs on the road, and if the current standings hold, they’ll face the Kelowna Rockets (38-19-6-3) in the first round. The Rockets won this weekend’s home-and-home to take the season series four games to two.

The Blazers last played for the Ed Chynoweth Cup in 2023 when they hosted the Memorial Cup. It was the second season in a row they were eliminated by Seattle in the Western Conference Finals.

Their offense has been powered by 2026 NHL Draft eligible forward JP Hurlbert, who is featured in the latest Tattle of Hastings. The Texas Tornado is fourth in the WHL scoring race with 93 points (39 goals and 54 assists).

Three other skaters – Tommy Lafreniere (38G-35A), Nathan Behm (36G-46A), and Josh Evaschesen (32G-40A) have also hit the 30 goal mark.

Logan Edmonstone has been the go-to between the pipes, and he boasts a 21-16-4-3 record, a 3.17 goals-against average, a .901 save percentage and four shutouts. He is tied for second in shutouts, is second in minutes played (2,779), and is in the top five in both shots faced (1,484) and saves (1,337).

Next up for the Blazers is a Tuesday (March 17) game in Prince George against the fourth-place Cougars (41-22-2-0).

They’ll end the regular season with a home-and-home against the last place Vancouver Giants (25-38-1-2) in Kamloops next Friday (March 20) and in Langley the following night.

by Victor Kaisar

Blazers clinch first WHL playoff berth since 2022-23 season

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