# 1982–83 WHL season

The 1982–83 WHL season was the 17th season of the Western Hockey League (WHL). Fourteen teams completed a 72-game season. The Saskatoon Blades topped the regular season standings to capture their second Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy. In the playoffs, the Lethbridge Broncos won the President's Cup, defeating the Portland Winter Hawks in the championship series. The Broncos thus earned a berth in the 1983 Memorial Cup tournament. This was the first Memorial Cup to feature a host team as a fourth participant, and that host was the host Winter Hawks. Portland won the tournament, becoming the first American team to win the Memorial Cup title.
The season was the first for the Nanaimo Islanders, after the Billings Bighorns relocated to Vancouver Island prior to the season. In addition, two expansion teams joined the WHL: the Prince Albert Raiders and the Kelowna Wings.

## Team changes

* The Billings Bighorns are relocated to Nanaimo, British Columbia, becoming the Nanaimo Islanders.
* The Kelowna Wings join the WHL as an expansion team.
* The Prince Albert Raiders join the WHL as an expansion team.

## Regular season
### Final standings

| East Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA |
| x Saskatoon Blades | 72 | 52 | 19 | 1 | 105 | 467 | 303 |
| x Regina Pats | 72 | 48 | 24 | 0 | 96 | 397 | 281 |
| x Calgary Wranglers | 72 | 44 | 26 | 2 | 90 | 353 | 258 |
| x Winnipeg Warriors | 72 | 42 | 30 | 0 | 84 | 347 | 321 |
| x Lethbridge Broncos | 72 | 38 | 31 | 3 | 79 | 284 | 271 |
| x Medicine Hat Tigers | 72 | 37 | 34 | 1 | 75 | 345 | 338 |
| Brandon Wheat Kings | 72 | 21 | 51 | 0 | 42 | 327 | 460 |
| Prince Albert Raiders | 72 | 16 | 55 | 1 | 33 | 312 | 455 |
| West Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA |
| x Portland Winter Hawks | 72 | 50 | 22 | 0 | 100 | 495 | 387 |
| x Victoria Cougars | 72 | 47 | 24 | 1 | 95 | 444 | 335 |
| x Kamloops Junior Oilers | 72 | 46 | 26 | 0 | 92 | 461 | 356 |
| x Seattle Breakers | 72 | 24 | 47 | 1 | 49 | 319 | 418 |
| Nanaimo Islanders | 72 | 20 | 51 | 1 | 41 | 357 | 487 |
| Kelowna Wings | 72 | 12 | 57 | 3 | 27 | 299 | 531 |

### Scoring leaders

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalties in minutes
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| Dale Derkatch | Regina Pats | 67 | 84 | 95 | 179 | 62 |
| Dean Evason | Kamloops Junior Oilers | 70 | 71 | 93 | 164 | 102 |
| Kelly Glowa | Brandon Wheat Kings | 68 | 71 | 92 | 163 | 87 |
| Roger Kortko | Saskatoon Blades | 72 | 62 | 99 | 161 | 79 |
| Ken Yaremchuk | Portland Winter Hawks | 66 | 51 | 109 | 160 | 76 |
| Randy Heath | Portland Winter Hawks | 72 | 82 | 69 | 151 | 52 |
| Jim McGeough | Nanaimo Islanders | 72 | 76 | 56 | 132 | 126 |
| Mark Morrison | Victoria Cougars | 58 | 55 | 75 | 130 | 54 |
| Dan Hodgson | Prince Albert Raiders | 72 | 56 | 74 | 130 | 66 |
| Darren Boyko | Winnipeg Warriors | 72 | 49 | 81 | 130 | 8 |

## 1983 WHL Playoffs
### First round

* Saskatoon earned a bye
* Regina earned a bye
* Calgary defeated Medicine Hat 3 games to 2
* Lethbridge defeated Winnipeg 3 games to 0

### Division semi-finals

* Calgary defeated Regina 4 games to 1
* Lethbridge defeated Saskatoon 4 games to 2
* Portland defeated Seattle 4 games to 0
* Victoria defeated Kamloops 4 games to 3

### Division finals

* Lethbridge defeated Calgary 4 games to 2
* Portland defeated Victoria 4 games to 1

### WHL Championship

* Lethbridge defeated Portland 4 games to 1

## WHL awards

* Most Valuable Player: Mike Vernon, Calgary Wranglers
* Top Scorer - Bob Clarke Trophy: Dale Derkatch, Regina Pats
* Most Sportsmanlike Player: Darren Boyko, Winnipeg Warriors
* Top Defenseman - Bill Hunter Trophy: Gary Leeman, Regina Pats
* Rookie of the Year - Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy: Dan Hodgson, Prince Albert Raiders
* Top Goaltender - Del Wilson Trophy: Mike Vernon, Calgary Wranglers
* Coach of the Year - Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy: Daryl Lubiniecki, Saskatoon Blades
* Regular season champions - Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy: Saskatoon Blades

## All-Star Teams

| | First Team | First Team | Second Team | Second Team |
| Goal | Mike Vernon | Calgary Wranglers | Todd Lumbard | Regina Pats |
| Defense | Gary Leeman | Regina Pats | Doug Bodger | Kamloops Junior Oilers |
| Defense | Mike Heidt | Calgary Wranglers | Bob Rouse | Lethbridge Broncos |
| Center | Dale Derkatch | Regina Pats | Ken Yaremchuk | Portland Winter Hawks |
| Left Wing | Randy Heath | Portland Winter Hawks | Todd Strueby | Saskatoon Blades |
| Right Wing | Rich Chernomaz | Victoria Cougars | Lane Lambert | Saskatoon Blades |