# 2017–18 WHL season

The 2017–18 WHL season was the 52nd season of the Western Hockey League (WHL). The regular season began on September 22, 2017, and ended on March 18, 2018. The Moose Jaw Warriors finished the season with the league's best record. The playoffs began on March 22, 2018, and ended on May 13; the winning team, the Swift Current Broncos, were awarded the Ed Chynoweth Cup and a berth in the 2018 Memorial Cup tournament, held at the Brandt Centre in Regina, Saskatchewan from May 18 to 27, 2018. The Regina Pats automatically qualified for the tournament as hosts.

## Standings

Updated to game(s) played on March 18, 2018. 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
Top 3 (East division) :
| Pos | | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | Moose Jaw Warriors xyz | 72 | 52 | 15 | 2 | 3 | 326 | 216 | 109 |
| 2 | Swift Current Broncos x | 72 | 48 | 17 | 5 | 2 | 284 | 213 | 103 |
| 3 | Regina Pats x | 72 | 40 | 25 | 6 | 1 | 245 | 235 | 87 |
Top 3 (Central division) :
| Pos | | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | Medicine Hat Tigers xy | 72 | 36 | 28 | 8 | 0 | 260 | 252 | 80 |
| 2 | Lethbridge Hurricanes x | 72 | 33 | 33 | 6 | 0 | 244 | 260 | 72 |
| 3 | Red Deer Rebels x | 72 | 27 | 32 | 10 | 3 | 209 | 250 | 67 |
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 | 40 | 27 | 3 | 2 | 272 | 255 | 85 |
| 2 | East | Prince Albert Raiders x | 72 | 32 | 27 | 9 | 4 | 245 | 250 | 77 |
| 3 | East | Saskatoon Blades | 72 | 35 | 33 | 3 | 1 | 237 | 276 | 74 |
| 4 | Cen. | Kootenay Ice | 72 | 27 | 38 | 5 | 2 | 215 | 275 | 61 |
| 5 | Cen. | Calgary Hitmen | 72 | 24 | 37 | 9 | 2 | 226 | 276 | 59 |
| 6 | Cen. | Edmonton Oil Kings | 72 | 22 | 42 | 6 | 2 | 204 | 315 | 52 |
Top 3 (U.S. division) :
| Pos | | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | Everett Silvertips xy | 72 | 47 | 20 | 2 | 3 | 246 | 167 | 99 |
| 2 | Portland Winterhawks x | 72 | 44 | 22 | 1 | 5 | 274 | 214 | 94 |
| 3 | Spokane Chiefs x | 72 | 41 | 25 | 3 | 3 | 282 | 240 | 88 |
Top 3 (B.C. division) :
| Pos | | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | Kelowna Rockets xy | 72 | 43 | 22 | 5 | 2 | 280 | 249 | 93 |
| 2 | Victoria Royals x | 72 | 39 | 27 | 4 | 2 | 287 | 264 | 84 |
| 3 | Vancouver Giants x | 72 | 36 | 27 | 6 | 3 | 233 | 257 | 81 |
Western conference wild card :
| Pos | Div | (Top 2 qualify for playoffs) | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | U.S. | Tri-City Americans x | 72 | 38 | 25 | 8 | 1 | 255 | 249 | 85 |
| 2 | U.S. | Seattle Thunderbirds x | 72 | 34 | 28 | 8 | 2 | 250 | 258 | 78 |
| 3 | B.C. | Kamloops Blazers | 72 | 30 | 37 | 1 | 4 | 212 | 237 | 65 |
| 4 | B.C. | Prince George Cougars | 72 | 24 | 38 | 5 | 5 | 217 | 295 | 58 |

## 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 |
| Jayden Halbgewachs | Moose Jaw Warriors | 72 | 70 | 59 | 129 | 12 |
| Glenn Gawdin | Swift Current Broncos | 67 | 56 | 69 | 125 | 101 |
| Aleksi Heponiemi | Swift Current Broncos | 57 | 28 | 90 | 118 | 28 |
| Brayden Burke | Moose Jaw Warriors | 61 | 31 | 82 | 113 | 45 |
| Matthew Phillips | Victoria Royals | 71 | 48 | 64 | 112 | 32 |
| Tyler Steenbergen | Swift Current Broncos | 56 | 47 | 55 | 102 | 44 |
| Cody Glass | Portland Winterhawks | 64 | 37 | 65 | 102 | 26 |
| Ty Lewis | Brandon Wheat Kings | 70 | 44 | 56 | 100 | 60 |
| Patrick Bajkov | Everett Silvertips | 72 | 33 | 67 | 100 | 56 |
| Justin Almeida | Moose Jaw Warriors | 72 | 43 | 55 | 98 | 10 |

### Leading goaltenders

These are the goaltenders that lead the league in GAA that 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 | 41 | 2437 | 31 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 1.60 | .947 |
| Cole Kehler | Portland Winterhawks | 53 | 3079 | 30 | 16 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 2.77 | .909 |
| Dylan Ferguson | Kamloops Blazers | 59 | 3382 | 24 | 28 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2.96 | .907 |
| Brody Willms | Moose Jaw Warriors | 54 | 3158 | 37 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3.00 | .898 |
| David Tendeck | Vancouver Giants | 48 | 2745 | 25 | 16 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3.02 | .912 |

## 2018 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 | Moose Jaw | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| W2 | Prince Albert | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| W2 | Prince Albert | 3 | | | E1 | Moose Jaw | 3 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | E2 | Swift Current | 4 | | | | | | | |
| E2 | Swift Current | 4 | | | E2 | Swift Current | 4 | | | | | | | |
| E3 | Regina | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| E3 | Regina | 3 | | | | | | E2 | Swift Current | 4 | | | | |
| Eastern | Eastern | Eastern | Eastern | Eastern | Eastern | Eastern | Eastern | E2 | Swift Current | 4 | | | | |
| Eastern | Eastern | Eastern | Eastern | Eastern | Eastern | Eastern | Eastern | C2 | Lethbridge | 2 | | | | |
| C2 | Lethbridge | 4 | | | | | | | | | C2 | Lethbridge | 2 | | | | |
| C3 | Red Deer | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| C3 | Red Deer | 1 | | | C2 | Lethbridge | 4 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | W1 | Brandon | 1 | | | | | | | |
| C1 | Medicine Hat | 2 | | | W1 | Brandon | 1 | | | | | | | |
| W1 | Brandon | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| W1 | Brandon | 4 | | | | | | | | | | E2 | Swift Current | 4 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | U1 | Everett | 2 |
| U1 | Everett | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | | U1 | Everett | 2 |
| W2 | Seattle | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| W2 | Seattle | 1 | | | U1 | Everett | 4 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | U2 | Portland | 1 | | | | | | | |
| U2 | Portland | 4 | | | U2 | Portland | 1 | | | | | | | |
| U3 | Spokane | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| U3 | Spokane | 3 | | | | | | U1 | Everett | 4 | | | | |
| Western | Western | Western | Western | Western | Western | Western | Western | U1 | Everett | 4 | | | | |
| Western | Western | Western | Western | Western | Western | Western | Western | W1 | Tri-City | 2 | | | | |
| B2 | Victoria | 4 | | | | | | | | | W1 | Tri-City | 2 | | | | |
| B3 | Vancouver | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| B3 | Vancouver | 3 | | | B2 | Victoria | 0 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | W1 | Tri-City | 4 | | | | | | | |
| B1 | Kelowna | 0 | | | W1 | Tri-City | 4 | | | | | | | |
| W1 | Tri-City | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | |

## Conference Quarter-finals
### Eastern Conference
#### (E1) Moose Jaw Warriors vs. (W2) Prince Albert Raiders

* Moose Jaw wins series 4 – 3

#### (E2) Swift Current Broncos vs. (E3) Regina Pats

* Swift Current wins series 4 – 3

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

* Brandon wins series 4 – 2
* Note: Games 3, 4, and 6 were played at Credit Union Place in Dauphin due to the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair taking place at the Keystone Centre from March 26 to 31.

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

* Lethbridge wins series 4 – 1

### Western Conference
#### (U1) Everett Silvertips vs. (W2) Seattle Thunderbirds

* Everett wins series 4 – 1

#### (U2) Portland Winterhawks vs. (U3) Spokane Chiefs

* Portland wins series 4 – 3

#### (B1) Kelowna Rockets vs. (W1) Tri-City Americans

* Tri-City wins series 4 – 0

#### (B2) Victoria Royals vs. (B3) Vancouver Giants

* Victoria wins series 4 – 3

## Conference Semi-finals
### Eastern Conference
#### (E1) Moose Jaw Warriors vs. (E2) Swift Current Broncos

* Swift Current wins series 4 – 3

#### (C2) Lethbridge Hurricanes vs. (W1) Brandon Wheat Kings

* Lethbridge wins series 4 – 1

### Western Conference
#### (U1) Everett Silvertips vs. (U2) Portland Winterhawks

* Everett wins series 4 – 1
* Note: Game 4 was played at Moda Center.

#### (B2) Victoria Royals vs. (W1) Tri-City Americans

* Tri-City wins series 4 – 0

## Conference Finals
### Eastern Conference
#### (E2) Swift Current Broncos vs. (C2) Lethbridge Hurricanes

* Swift Current wins series 4 – 2

### Western Conference
#### (U1) Everett Silvertips vs. (W1) Tri-City Americans

* Everett wins series 4 – 2

## WHL Championship
### (E2) Swift Current Broncos vs. (U1) Everett Silvertips

* Swift Current 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 |
| Brad Morrison | Lethbridge Hurricanes | 16 | 16 | 21 | 37 | 6 |
| Michael Rasmussen | Tri-City Americans | 14 | 16 | 17 | 33 | 4 |
| Glenn Gawdin | Swift Current Broncos | 24 | 14 | 18 | 32 | 32 |
| Aleksi Heponiemi | Swift Current Broncos | 26 | 5 | 25 | 30 | 2 |
| Garrett Pilon | Everett Silvertips | 22 | 11 | 17 | 28 | 8 |
| Morgan Geekie | Tri-City Americans | 14 | 17 | 10 | 27 | 4 |
| Tyler Steenbergen | Swift Current Broncos | 26 | 12 | 15 | 27 | 12 |
| Connor Dewar | Everett Silvertips | 22 | 12 | 14 | 26 | 24 |
| Jordy Bellerive | Lethbridge Hurricanes | 16 | 9 | 16 | 25 | 20 |
| Patrick Bajkov | Everett Silvertips | 22 | 14 | 9 | 23 | 18 |

## 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 |
| Stuart Skinner | Swift Current Broncos | 26 | 1609 | 16 | 10 | 59 | 6 | .932 | 2.20 |
| Carter Hart | Everett Silvertips | 22 | 1325 | 14 | 8 | 53 | 2 | .921 | 2.40 |
| Logan Flodell | Lethbridge Hurricanes | 16 | 968 | 10 | 6 | 45 | 2 | .906 | 2.79 |
| Dawson Weatherill | Spokane Chiefs | 5 | 284 | 2 | 3 | 14 | 0 | .912 | 2.96 |
| Ryan Kubic | Regina Pats | 7 | 409 | 3 | 4 | 21 | 0 | .891 | 3.08 |

## WHL awards

| Ed Chynoweth Cup | WHL Champions | Swift Current Broncos | Swift Current Broncos |
| Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy | Regular season champions | Moose Jaw Warriors | Moose Jaw Warriors |
| Four Broncos Memorial Trophy | Player of the Year | Carter Hart | Everett Silvertips |
| Bob Clarke Trophy | Top Scorer | Jayden Halbgewachs | Moose Jaw Warriors |
| Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy | Top Defenceman | Kale Clague | Moose Jaw Warriors |
| Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy | Rookie of the Year | Dylan Cozens | Lethbridge Hurricanes |
| Del Wilson Trophy | Top Goaltender | Carter Hart | Everett Silvertips |
| WHL Plus-Minus Award | Top Plus-Minus Rating | Glenn Gawdin | Swift Current Broncos |
| Brad Hornung Trophy | Most Sportsmanlike Player | Aleksi Heponiemi | Swift Current Broncos |
| Daryl K. (Doc) Seaman Trophy | Scholastic Player of the Year | Ty Smith | Spokane Chiefs |
| Jim Donlevy Memorial Trophy | Scholastic team of the Year | Saskatoon Blades | Saskatoon Blades |
| Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy | Coach of the Year | Emanuel Viveiros | Swift Current Broncos |
| Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy | Executive of the Year | Garry Davidson | Everett Silvertips |
| Allen Paradice Memorial Trophy | Top Official | Brett Iverson | Brett Iverson |
| St. Clair Group Trophy | Marketing/Public Relations Award | Edmonton Oil Kings | Edmonton Oil Kings |
| Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Trophy | Humanitarian of the Year | Ty Ronning | Vancouver Giants |
| WHL Playoff MVP | WHL Finals Most Valuable Player | Glenn Gawdin | Swift Current Broncos |
| 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 |
| Logan Flodell | Lethbridge Hurricanes | G | Logan Thompson | Brandon Wheat Kings |
| Kale Clague | Moose Jaw Warriors | D | Josh Mahura | Regina Pats |
| David Quenneville | Medicine Hat Tigers | D | Colby Sissons | Swift Current Broncos |
| Jayden Halbgewachs | Moose Jaw Warriors | F | Tyler Steenbergen | Swift Current Broncos |
| Glenn Gawdin | Swift Current Broncos | F | Jordy Bellerive | Lethbridge Hurricanes |
| Aleksi Heponiemi | Swift Current Broncos | F | Brayden Burke | Moose Jaw Warriors |

#### Western Conference

| First Team | First Team | Pos. | Second Team | Second Team |
| Player | Team | Pos. | Player | Team |
| Carter Hart | Everett Silvertips | G | David Tendeck | Vancouver Giants |
| Cal Foote | Kelowna Rockets | D | Henri Jokiharju | Portland Winterhawks |
| Ty Smith | Spokane Chiefs | D | Juuso Valimaki | Tri-City Americans |
| Matthew Phillips | Victoria Royals | F | Ty Ronning | Vancouver Giants |
| Cody Glass | Portland Winterhawks | F | Dillon Dubé | Kelowna Rockets |
| Jaret Anderson-Dolan | Spokane Chiefs | F | Patrick Bajkov | Everett Silvertips |