# 2016–17 WHL season

The 2016–17 WHL season was the 51st season of the Western Hockey League (WHL). The regular season began on September 23, 2016, and ended on March 19, 2017. The Regina Pats won the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy for best regular season record for the first time since the 1973-74 season. The playoffs began on March 24, 2017, and ended on May 14, 2017. The Seattle Thunderbirds won their first Ed Chynoweth Cup, defeating Regina in the final, and earned a berth in the 2017 Memorial Cup tournament, which was held at the WFCU Centre in Windsor, Ontario from May 19–28, 2017.

## Standings

Updated to game(s) played on March 19, 2017. Source: Western Hockey League
Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; OTL = Overtime losses; SL = Shootout losses; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; PTS = Points; x = clinched playoff berth; y = clinched division title; z = clinched conference title
East Division (Top 3) :
| Pos | | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | Regina Pats xyz | 72 | 52 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 353 | 211 | 112 |
| 2 | Moose Jaw Warriors x | 72 | 42 | 21 | 8 | 1 | 255 | 219 | 93 |
| 3 | Swift Current Broncos x | 72 | 39 | 23 | 4 | 6 | 247 | 239 | 88 |
Central Division (Top 3) :
| Pos | | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | Medicine Hat Tigers xy | 72 | 51 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 350 | 248 | 103 |
| 2 | Lethbridge Hurricanes x | 72 | 44 | 21 | 4 | 3 | 280 | 253 | 95 |
| 3 | Red Deer Rebels x | 72 | 30 | 29 | 9 | 4 | 239 | 258 | 73 |
Eastern Conference Wild Card :
| Pos | Div | (Top 2 qualify for playoffs) | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | East | Brandon Wheat Kings x | 72 | 31 | 31 | 7 | 3 | 225 | 247 | 72 |
| 2 | Central | Calgary Hitmen x | 72 | 30 | 32 | 8 | 2 | 215 | 282 | 70 |
| 3 | East | Saskatoon Blades | 72 | 28 | 35 | 7 | 2 | 190 | 248 | 65 |
| 4 | Central | Edmonton Oil Kings | 72 | 23 | 43 | 5 | 1 | 193 | 292 | 52 |
| 5 | East | Prince Albert Raiders | 72 | 21 | 44 | 5 | 2 | 198 | 283 | 49 |
| 6 | Central | Kootenay Ice | 72 | 14 | 46 | 10 | 2 | 177 | 335 | 40 |
B.C. Division (Top 3) :
| Pos | | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | Prince George Cougars xy | 72 | 45 | 21 | 3 | 3 | 253 | 201 | 96 |
| 2 | Kelowna Rockets x | 72 | 45 | 22 | 5 | 0 | 283 | 206 | 95 |
| 3 | Kamloops Blazers x | 72 | 42 | 24 | 2 | 4 | 243 | 198 | 90 |
U.S. Division (Top 3) :
| Pos | | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | Everett Silvertips xy | 72 | 44 | 16 | 9 | 3 | 229 | 169 | 100 |
| 2 | Seattle Thunderbirds x | 72 | 46 | 20 | 4 | 2 | 253 | 206 | 98 |
| 3 | Tri-City Americans x | 72 | 41 | 28 | 3 | 0 | 272 | 252 | 85 |
Western Conference Wild Card :
| Pos | Div | (Top 2 qualify for playoffs) | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | U.S. | Portland Winterhawks x | 72 | 40 | 28 | 1 | 3 | 278 | 256 | 84 |
| 2 | B.C. | Victoria Royals x | 72 | 37 | 29 | 5 | 1 | 239 | 219 | 80 |
| 3 | U.S. | Spokane Chiefs | 72 | 27 | 33 | 8 | 4 | 235 | 272 | 66 |
| 4 | B.C. | Vancouver Giants | 72 | 20 | 46 | 3 | 3 | 183 | 296 | 46 |

## Statistical leaders
### Scoring leaders

Players are listed by points, then goals.
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts. = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| Sam Steel | Regina Pats | 66 | 50 | 81 | 131 | 40 |
| Adam Brooks | Regina Pats | 66 | 43 | 87 | 130 | 61 |
| Tyler Wong | Lethbridge Hurricanes | 69 | 51 | 58 | 109 | 53 |
| Chad Butcher | Medicine Hat Tigers | 68 | 27 | 76 | 103 | 75 |
| Jayden Halbgewachs | Moose Jaw Warriors | 71 | 50 | 51 | 101 | 27 |
| Kailer Yamamoto | Spokane Chiefs | 65 | 42 | 57 | 99 | 46 |
| Cody Glass | Portland Winterhawks | 69 | 32 | 62 | 94 | 36 |
| Mason Shaw | Medicine Hat Tigers | 71 | 27 | 67 | 94 | 57 |
| Tyler Steenbergen | Swift Current Broncos | 72 | 51 | 39 | 90 | 22 |
| Matthew Phillips | Victoria Royals | 70 | 50 | 40 | 90 | 50 |

### Leading goaltenders

These are the goaltenders that lead the league in GAA that have played at least 1800 minutes.
Note: GP = Games played; Mins = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; OTL = Overtime losses; SOL = Shootout losses; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average; Sv% = Save percentage
| Player | Team | GP | Mins | W | L | OTL | SOL | SO | GAA | Sv% |
| Carter Hart | Everett Silvertips | 54 | 3078 | 32 | 11 | 6 | 2 | 9 | 1.99 | .927 |
| Connor Ingram | Kamloops Blazers | 45 | 2577 | 26 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 2.44 | .927 |
| Ty Edmonds | Prince George Cougars | 53 | 3092 | 31 | 16 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2.48 | .916 |
| Tyler Brown | Regina Pats | 50 | 2885 | 33 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 2.64 | .911 |
| Rylan Toth | Seattle Thunderbirds | 58 | 3274 | 36 | 18 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2.75 | .902 |

## 2017 WHL playoffs

| Conference Quarter-finals | Conference Quarter-finals | Conference Quarter-finals | | | Conference Semi-finals | Conference Semi-finals | Conference Semi-finals | Conference Finals | Conference Finals | Conference Finals | | WHL Championship | WHL Championship | WHL Championship |
| E1 | Regina | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| W2 | Calgary | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| W2 | Calgary | 0 | | | E1 | Regina | 4 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | E3 | Swift Current | 3 | | | | | | | |
| E2 | Moose Jaw | 3 | | | E3 | Swift Current | 3 | | | | | | | |
| E3 | Swift Current | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| E3 | Swift Current | 4 | | | | | | E1 | Regina | 4 | | | | |
| Eastern | Eastern | Eastern | Eastern | Eastern | Eastern | Eastern | Eastern | E1 | Regina | 4 | | | | |
| Eastern | Eastern | Eastern | Eastern | Eastern | Eastern | Eastern | Eastern | C2 | Lethbridge | 2 | | | | |
| C1 | Medicine Hat | 4 | | | | | | | | | C2 | Lethbridge | 2 | | | | |
| W1 | Brandon | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| W1 | Brandon | 0 | | | C1 | Medicine Hat | 3 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | C2 | Lethbridge | 4 | | | | | | | |
| C2 | Lethbridge | 4 | | | C2 | Lethbridge | 4 | | | | | | | |
| C3 | Red Deer | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| C3 | Red Deer | 3 | | | | | | | | | | E1 | Regina | 2 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | U2 | Seattle | 4 |
| U1 | Everett | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | | U2 | Seattle | 4 |
| W2 | Victoria | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| W2 | Victoria | 2 | | | U1 | Everett | 0 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | U2 | Seattle | 4 | | | | | | | |
| U2 | Seattle | 4 | | | U2 | Seattle | 4 | | | | | | | |
| U3 | Tri-City | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| U3 | Tri-City | 0 | | | | | | U2 | Seattle | 4 | | | | |
| Western | Western | Western | Western | Western | Western | Western | Western | U2 | Seattle | 4 | | | | |
| Western | Western | Western | Western | Western | Western | Western | Western | B2 | Kelowna | 2 | | | | |
| B2 | Kelowna | 4 | | | | | | | | | B2 | Kelowna | 2 | | | | |
| B3 | Kamloops | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| B3 | Kamloops | 2 | | | B2 | Kelowna | 4 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | W1 | Portland | 1 | | | | | | | |
| B1 | Prince George | 2 | | | W1 | Portland | 1 | | | | | | | |
| W1 | Portland | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | |

## Conference Quarter-finals
### Eastern Conference
#### (E1) Regina Pats vs. (W2) Calgary Hitmen

* Regina wins series 4 – 0

#### (E2) Moose Jaw Warriors vs. (E3) Swift Current Broncos

* Swift Current wins series 4 – 3

#### (C1) Medicine Hat Tigers vs. (W1) Brandon Wheat Kings

* Medicine Hat wins series 4 – 0
* Note: Games 3 and 4 were played at Credit Union Place in Dauphin due to the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair taking place at the Keystone Centre from March 27 to April 1.

#### (C2) Lethbridge Hurricanes vs. (C3) Red Deer Rebels

* Lethbridge wins series 4 – 3

### Western Conference
#### (U1) Everett Silvertips vs. (W2) Victoria Royals

* Everett wins series 4 – 2

#### (U2) Seattle Thunderbirds vs. (U3) Tri-City Americans

* Seattle wins series 4 – 0

#### (B1) Prince George Cougars vs. (W1) Portland Winterhawks

* Portland wins series 4 – 2

#### (B2) Kelowna Rockets vs. (B3) Kamloops Blazers

* Kelowna wins series 4 – 2

## Conference Semi-finals
### Eastern Conference
#### (E1) Regina Pats vs. (E3) Swift Current Broncos

* Regina wins series 4 – 3

#### (C1) Medicine Hat Tigers vs. (C2) Lethbridge Hurricanes

* Lethbridge wins series 4 – 3

### Western Conference
#### (U1) Everett Silvertips vs. (U2) Seattle Thunderbirds

* Seattle wins series 4 – 0

#### (B2) Kelowna Rockets vs. (W1) Portland Winterhawks

* Kelowna wins series 4 – 1

## Conference Finals
### Eastern Conference
#### (E1) Regina Pats vs. (C2) Lethbridge Hurricanes

* Regina wins series 4 – 2

### Western Conference
#### (U2) Seattle Thunderbirds vs. (B2) Kelowna Rockets

* Seattle wins series 4 – 2

## WHL Championship
### (E1) Regina Pats vs. (U2) Seattle Thunderbirds

* Seattle wins series 4 – 2

## Playoff scoring leaders

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| Keegan Kolesar | Seattle Thunderbirds | 19 | 12 | 19 | 31 | 37 |
| Sam Steel | Regina Pats | 23 | 11 | 19 | 30 | 8 |
| Reid Gardiner | Kelowna Rockets | 17 | 15 | 13 | 28 | 6 |
| Ethan Bear | Seattle Thunderbirds | 17 | 6 | 20 | 26 | 12 |
| Dawson Leedahl | Regina Pats | 23 | 12 | 13 | 25 | 34 |
| Mathew Barzal | Seattle Thunderbirds | 16 | 7 | 18 | 25 | 16 |
| Giorgio Estephan | Lethbridge Hurricanes | 18 | 11 | 13 | 24 | 8 |
| Tyler Wong | Lethbridge Hurricanes | 20 | 11 | 13 | 24 | 14 |
| Connor Hobbs | Regina Pats | 23 | 6 | 18 | 24 | 22 |
| Egor Babenko | Lethbridge Hurricanes | 20 | 10 | 13 | 23 | 14 |

## Playoff leading goaltenders

Note: GP = Games played; Mins = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; GA = Goals Allowed; SO = Shutouts; SV& = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average
| Player | Team | GP | Mins | W | L | GA | SO | Sv% | GAA |
| Griffen Outhouse | Victoria Royals | 6 | 458 | 2 | 4 | 16 | 0 | .923 | 2.10 |
| Connor Ingram | Kamloops Blazers | 6 | 357 | 2 | 4 | 13 | 0 | .946 | 2.18 |
| Carter Hart | Everett Silvertips | 10 | 691 | 4 | 6 | 28 | 1 | .908 | 2.43 |
| Zach Sawchenko | Moose Jaw Warriors | 7 | 414 | 3 | 4 | 17 | 0 | .923 | 2.46 |
| Jordan Papirny | Swift Current Broncos | 14 | 896 | 7 | 7 | 37 | 1 | .935 | 2.48 |

## WHL awards

| Ed Chynoweth Cup | WHL Champions | Seattle Thunderbirds | Seattle Thunderbirds |
| Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy | Regular season champions | Regina Pats | Regina Pats |
| Four Broncos Memorial Trophy | Player of the Year | Sam Steel | Regina Pats |
| Bob Clarke Trophy | Top Scorer | Sam Steel | Regina Pats |
| Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy | Top Defenceman | Ethan Bear | Seattle Thunderbirds |
| Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy | Rookie of the Year | Aleksi Heponiemi | Swift Current Broncos |
| Del Wilson Trophy | Top Goaltender | Carter Hart | Everett Silvertips |
| WHL Plus-Minus Award | Top Plus-Minus Rating | Sergey Zborovskiy | Regina Pats |
| Brad Hornung Trophy | Most Sportsmanlike Player | Tyler Steenbergen | Swift Current Broncos |
| Daryl K. (Doc) Seaman Trophy | Scholastic Player of the Year | Brian King | Everett Silvertips |
| Jim Donlevy Memorial Trophy | Scholastic team of the Year | Victoria Royals | Victoria Royals |
| Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy | Coach of the Year | John Paddock | Regina Pats |
| Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy | Executive of the Year | John Paddock | Regina Pats |
| Allen Paradice Memorial Trophy | Top Official | Brett Iverson | Brett Iverson |
| St. Clair Group Trophy | Marketing/Public Relations Award | Regina Pats | Regina Pats |
| Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Trophy | Humanitarian of the Year | Tyler Wong | Lethbridge Hurricanes |
| WHL Playoff MVP | WHL Finals Most Valuable Player | Mathew Barzal | Seattle Thunderbirds |
| Professional Hockey Achievement Academic Recipient | Alumni Achievement Awards | TBD |

### All-Star Teams
#### Eastern Conference

| First Team | First Team | Pos. | Second Team | Second Team |
| Player | Team | Pos. | Player | Team |
| Zach Sawchenko | Moose Jaw Warriors | G | Logan Flodell | Saskatoon Blades |
| Connor Hobbs | Regina Pats | D | Sergey Zborovskiy | Regina Pats |
| Kale Clague | Brandon Wheat Kings | D | Jake Bean | Calgary Hitmen |
| Sam Steel* | Regina Pats | F | Tyler Steenbergen | Swift Current Broncos |
| Adam Brooks | Regina Pats | F | Jayden Halbgewachs | Moose Jaw Warriors |
| Tyler Wong | Lethbridge Hurricanes | F | Chad Butcher | Medicine Hat Tigers |
* - unanimous selection

#### Western Conference

| First Team | First Team | Pos. | Second Team | Second Team |
| Player | Team | Pos. | Player | Team |
| Carter Hart | Everett Silvertips | G | Connor Ingram | Kamloops Blazers |
| Ethan Bear* | Seattle Thunderbirds | D | Parker Wotherspoon | Tri-City Americans |
| Noah Juulsen | Everett Silvertips | D | Juuso Valimaki | Tri-City Americans |
| Mathew Barzal | Seattle Thunderbirds | F | Kailer Yamamoto | Spokane Chiefs |
| Cody Glass | Portland Winterhawks | F | Morgan Geekie | Tri-City Americans |
| Matthew Phillips | Victoria Royals | F | Kole Lind | Kelowna Rockets |
* - unanimous selection