# 2021–22 WHL season

The 2021–22 WHL season was the 56th season of the Western Hockey League (WHL). The league played a full regular season schedule for the first time since the 2018–19 season. The season began on October 1, 2021, and ended on April 17, 2022.
The WHL announced in the summer of 2021 that no inter-conference games would be played during the regular season. On August 16, the WHL announced a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy for players, hockey operations staff, officials, and all other employees who would regularly interact with players. On September 8, the WHL announced that due to COVID-19 border restrictions, the schedule had been re-aligned so that the B.C. Division and U.S. Division would not play inter-division games until at least November. The Winnipeg Ice, playing their first full WHL season since relocating from Cranbrook, British Columbia in 2019—with their first two seasons shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic—won their first Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy for topping the regular season standings.
The playoffs—the first since 2019—began on April 22 and ended on June 13. The Edmonton Oil Kings won their third Ed Chynoweth Cup, defeating the Seattle Thunderbirds and earning the right to participate in the 2022 Memorial Cup tournament, which was hosted by the Saint John Sea Dogs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League at TD Station in Saint John, New Brunswick.

## Standings

As of April 17, 2022

### Conference standings

Western Conferenceviewtalkedit :
| Team | GP | W | L | OTL | SL | GF | GA | Pts |
| Everett Silvertips xy | 68 | 45 | 13 | 5 | 5 | 280 | 190 | 100 |
| Kamloops Blazers xy | 68 | 48 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 287 | 176 | 99 |
| Portland Winterhawks x | 68 | 47 | 16 | 3 | 2 | 298 | 192 | 99 |
| Seattle Thunderbirds x | 68 | 44 | 18 | 4 | 2 | 271 | 179 | 94 |
| Kelowna Rockets x | 68 | 42 | 20 | 1 | 5 | 250 | 207 | 90 |
| Prince George Cougars x | 68 | 24 | 39 | 4 | 1 | 177 | 240 | 53 |
| Spokane Chiefs x | 68 | 24 | 39 | 4 | 1 | 188 | 289 | 53 |
| Vancouver Giants x | 68 | 24 | 39 | 5 | 0 | 185 | 254 | 53 |
| Victoria Royals e | 68 | 23 | 39 | 5 | 1 | 193 | 275 | 52 |
| Tri-City Americans e | 68 | 19 | 43 | 6 | 0 | 179 | 306 | 44 |
Eastern Conferenceviewtalkedit :
| Team | GP | W | L | OTL | SL | GF | GA | Pts |
| Winnipeg Ice xyz | 68 | 53 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 317 | 152 | 111 |
| Edmonton Oil Kings xy | 68 | 50 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 295 | 182 | 104 |
| Red Deer Rebels x | 68 | 45 | 19 | 2 | 2 | 264 | 188 | 94 |
| Moose Jaw Warriors x | 68 | 37 | 24 | 4 | 3 | 251 | 221 | 81 |
| Saskatoon Blades x | 68 | 38 | 26 | 3 | 1 | 219 | 217 | 80 |
| Brandon Wheat Kings x | 68 | 35 | 28 | 3 | 2 | 218 | 242 | 75 |
| Lethbridge Hurricanes x | 68 | 33 | 30 | 4 | 1 | 216 | 238 | 71 |
| Prince Albert Raiders x | 68 | 28 | 35 | 4 | 1 | 194 | 225 | 61 |
| Regina Pats e | 68 | 27 | 36 | 3 | 2 | 240 | 277 | 59 |
| Swift Current Broncos e | 68 | 26 | 35 | 5 | 2 | 181 | 246 | 59 |
| Calgary Hitmen e | 68 | 25 | 34 | 7 | 2 | 183 | 229 | 59 |
| Medicine Hat Tigers e | 68 | 11 | 53 | 3 | 1 | 154 | 315 | 26 |
x – team has clinched playoff spot y – team has clinched division z – team has clinched conference title
e – team is eliminated from playoff contention

### 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 |
| Arshdeep Bains | Red Deer Rebels | 68 | 43 | 69 | 112 | 56 |
| Ben King | Red Deer Rebels | 68 | 52 | 53 | 105 | 57 |
| Logan Stankoven | Kamloops Blazers | 59 | 45 | 59 | 104 | 16 |
| Connor Bedard | Regina Pats | 62 | 51 | 49 | 100 | 42 |
| Kyle Crnkovic | Saskatoon Blades | 68 | 39 | 55 | 94 | 20 |
| Dylan Guenther | Edmonton Oil Kings | 59 | 45 | 46 | 91 | 45 |
| Matthew Savoie | Winnipeg Ice | 65 | 35 | 55 | 90 | 32 |
| Jared Davidson | Seattle Thunderbirds | 64 | 42 | 47 | 89 | 68 |
| Cross Hanas | Portland Winterhawks | 63 | 26 | 60 | 86 | 73 |
| Alex Swetlikoff | Everett Silvertips | 68 | 33 | 51 | 84 | 69 |

### Leading goaltenders

These are the goaltenders that lead the league in GAA that played at least 1,500 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% |
| Daniel Hauser | Winnipeg Ice | 40 | 2,344 | 34 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 2.00 | 0.914 |
| Dylan Garand | Kamloops Blazers | 45 | 2,689 | 34 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2.16 | 0.925 |
| Sebastian Cossa | Edmonton Oil Kings | 46 | 2,631 | 33 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 2.28 | 0.913 |
| Gage Alexander | Winnipeg Ice | 29 | 1,703 | 18 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2.40 | 0.911 |
| Connor Ungar | Red Deer Rebels | 34 | 1,900 | 21 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2.43 | 0.911 |

## 2022 WHL Playoffs

| Conference Quarterfinals | Conference Quarterfinals | Conference Quarterfinals | | | Conference Semifinals | Conference Semifinals | Conference Semifinals | | | Conference Finals | Conference Finals | Conference Finals | | WHL Championship | WHL Championship | WHL Championship |
| E1 | Winnipeg | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| E8 | Prince Albert | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| E8 | Prince Albert | 1 | | | E1 | Winnipeg | 4 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | E4 | Moose Jaw | 1 | | | | | | | | | |
| E4 | Moose Jaw | 4 | | | E4 | Moose Jaw | 1 | | | | | | | | | |
| E5 | Saskatoon | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| E5 | Saskatoon | 1 | | | | | | | | E1 | Winnipeg | 1 | | | | |
| Eastern | Eastern | Eastern | Eastern | Eastern | Eastern | Eastern | Eastern | | | E1 | Winnipeg | 1 | | | | |
| Eastern | Eastern | Eastern | Eastern | Eastern | Eastern | Eastern | Eastern | | | E2 | Edmonton | 4 | | | | |
| E2 | Edmonton | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | E2 | Edmonton | 4 | | | | |
| E7 | Lethbridge | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| E7 | Lethbridge | 0 | | | E2 | Edmonton | 4 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | E3 | Red Deer | 0 | | | | | | | | | |
| E3 | Red Deer | 4 | | | E3 | Red Deer | 0 | | | | | | | | | |
| E6 | Brandon | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| E6 | Brandon | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | E2 | Edmonton | 4 |
| Note: Pairings are re-seeded after the first round. | Note: Pairings are re-seeded after the first round. | Note: Pairings are re-seeded after the first round. | Note: Pairings are re-seeded after the first round. | Note: Pairings are re-seeded after the first round. | Note: Pairings are re-seeded after the first round. | Note: Pairings are re-seeded after the first round. | Note: Pairings are re-seeded after the first round. | Note: Pairings are re-seeded after the first round. | Note: Pairings are re-seeded after the first round. | Note: Pairings are re-seeded after the first round. | Note: Pairings are re-seeded after the first round. | Note: Pairings are re-seeded after the first round. | | E2 | Edmonton | 4 |
| Note: Pairings are re-seeded after the first round. | Note: Pairings are re-seeded after the first round. | Note: Pairings are re-seeded after the first round. | Note: Pairings are re-seeded after the first round. | Note: Pairings are re-seeded after the first round. | Note: Pairings are re-seeded after the first round. | Note: Pairings are re-seeded after the first round. | Note: Pairings are re-seeded after the first round. | Note: Pairings are re-seeded after the first round. | Note: Pairings are re-seeded after the first round. | Note: Pairings are re-seeded after the first round. | Note: Pairings are re-seeded after the first round. | Note: Pairings are re-seeded after the first round. | | W4 | Seattle | 2 |
| W1 | Everett | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | W4 | Seattle | 2 |
| W8 | Vancouver | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| W8 | Vancouver | 4 | | | W2 | Kamloops | 4 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | W8 | Vancouver | 2 | | | | | | | | | |
| W4 | Seattle | 4 | | | W8 | Vancouver | 2 | | | | | | | | | |
| W5 | Kelowna | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| W5 | Kelowna | 1 | | | | | | | | W2 | Kamloops | 3 | | | | |
| Western | Western | Western | Western | Western | Western | Western | Western | | | W2 | Kamloops | 3 | | | | |
| Western | Western | Western | Western | Western | Western | Western | Western | | | W4 | Seattle | 4 | | | | |
| W2 | Kamloops | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | W4 | Seattle | 4 | | | | |
| W7 | Spokane | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| W7 | Spokane | 0 | | | W3 | Portland | 3 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | W4 | Seattle | 4 | | | | | | | | | |
| W3 | Portland | 4 | | | W4 | Seattle | 4 | | | | | | | | | |
| W6 | Prince George | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

## Conference Quarter-finals
### Eastern Conference
#### (E1) Winnipeg Ice vs. (E8) Prince Albert Raiders

* Winnipeg won series 4–1

#### (E2) Edmonton Oil Kings vs. (E7) Lethbridge Hurricanes

* Edmonton won series 4–0

#### (E3) Red Deer Rebels vs. (E6) Brandon Wheat Kings

* Red Deer won series 4–2

#### (E4) Moose Jaw Warriors vs. (E5) Saskatoon Blades

* Moose Jaw won series 4–1

### Western Conference
#### (W1) Everett Silvertips vs. (W8) Vancouver Giants

* Vancouver won series 4–2

#### (W2) Kamloops Blazers vs. (W7) Spokane Chiefs

* Kamloops won series 4–0

#### (W3) Portland Winterhawks vs. (W6) Prince George Cougars

* Portland won series 4–0

#### (W4) Seattle Thunderbirds vs. (W5) Kelowna Rockets

* Seattle won series 4–1

## Conference Semi-finals
### Eastern Conference
#### (E1) Winnipeg Ice vs. (E4) Moose Jaw Warriors

* Winnipeg won series 4–1

#### (E2) Edmonton Oil Kings vs. (E3) Red Deer Rebels

* Edmonton won series 4–0

### Western Conference
#### (W2) Kamloops Blazers vs. (W8) Vancouver Giants

* Kamloops won series 4–2

#### (W3) Portland Winterhawks vs. (W4) Seattle Thunderbirds

* Seattle won series 4–3

## Conference Finals
### Eastern Conference
#### (E1) Winnipeg Ice vs. (E2) Edmonton Oil Kings

* Edmonton won series 4–1

### Western Conference
#### (W2) Kamloops Blazers vs. (W4) Seattle Thunderbirds

* Seattle won series 4–3

## WHL Championship
### (E2) Edmonton Oil Kings vs. (W4) Seattle Thunderbirds

* Edmonton won 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 |
| Logan Stankoven | Kamloops Blazers | 17 | 17 | 14 | 31 | 8 |
| Jared Davidson | Seattle Thunderbirds | 25 | 13 | 16 | 29 | 10 |
| Lukas Svejkovsky | Seattle Thunderbirds | 24 | 11 | 17 | 28 | 10 |
| Zachary Benson | Winnipeg Ice | 15 | 9 | 14 | 23 | 10 |
| Luke Toporowski | Kamloops Blazers | 16 | 9 | 14 | 23 | 24 |
| Zack Ostapchuk | Vancouver Giants | 12 | 7 | 16 | 23 | 4 |
| Dylan Guenther | Edmonton Oil Kings | 16 | 13 | 8 | 21 | 10 |
| Carter Souch | Edmonton Oil Kings | 19 | 12 | 9 | 21 | 12 |
| Connor McClennon | Winnipeg Ice | 15 | 8 | 13 | 21 | 16 |
| Reid Schaefer | Seattle Thunderbirds | 25 | 6 | 15 | 21 | 32 |

## 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 |
| Tyler Brennan | Prince George Cougars | 4 | 226 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0.954 | 1.86 |
| Taylor Gauthier | Portland Winterhawks | 11 | 656 | 7 | 4 | 21 | 1 | 0.937 | 1.92 |
| Dylan Garand | Kamloops Blazers | 17 | 1,029 | 11 | 6 | 33 | 3 | 0.933 | 1.92 |
| Sebastian Cossa | Edmonton Oil Kings | 19 | 1,150 | 16 | 3 | 37 | 5 | 0.919 | 1.93 |
| Daniel Hauser | Winnipeg Ice | 12 | 674 | 8 | 2 | 25 | 1 | 0.910 | 2.23 |

## WHL awards

| Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy | Regular season champions | Winnipeg Ice |
| Four Broncos Memorial Trophy | Player of the Year | Logan Stankoven, Kamloops Blazers |
| Bob Clarke Trophy | Top Scorer | Arshdeep Bains, Red Deer Rebels |
| Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy | Top Defenceman | Olen Zellweger, Everett Silvertips |
| Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy | Rookie of the Year | Brayden Yager, Moose Jaw Warriors |
| Del Wilson Trophy | Top Goaltender | Dylan Garand, Kamloops Blazers |
| WHL Plus-Minus Award | Top Plus-Minus Rating | Nolan Orzeck, Winnipeg Ice |
| Brad Hornung Trophy | Most Sportsmanlike Player | Logan Stankoven, Kamloops Blazers |
| Daryl K. (Doc) Seaman Trophy | Scholastic Player of the Year | Connor Levis Kamloops Blazers |
| Jim Donlevy Memorial Trophy | Scholastic team of the Year | Brandon Wheat Kings |
| Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy | Coach of the Year | James Patrick, Winnipeg Ice |
| Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy | Executive of the Year | Matt Cockell, Winnipeg Ice |
| Allen Paradice Memorial Trophy | Top Official | Chris Crich |
| St. Clair Group Trophy | Marketing/Public Relations Award | Everett Silvertips |
| Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Trophy | Humanitarian of the Year | Luke Prokop, Edmonton Oil Kings |
| WHL Playoff MVP | WHL Finals Most Valuable Player | Kaiden Guhle, Edmonton Oil Kings |
| Professional Hockey Achievement Academic Recipient | Alumni Achievement Awards | |

### All-Star Teams
#### Central Division

| First Team | First Team | Pos. | Second Team | Second Team |
| Player | Team | Pos. | Player | Team |
| Sebastian Cossa | Edmonton Oil Kings | G | Isaac Poulter | Swift Current Broncos |
| Kaiden Guhle | Edmonton Oil Kings | D | Simon Kubicek | Edmonton Oil Kings |
| Christoffer Sedoff | Red Deer Rebels | D | Owen Pickering | Swift Current Broncos |
| Arshdeep Bains | Red Deer Rebels | F | Riley Fiddler-Schultz | Calgary Hitmen |
| Dylan Guenther | Edmonton Oil Kings | F | Justin Hall | Lethbridge Hurricanes |
| Ben King | Red Deer Rebels | F | Jake Neighbours | Edmonton Oil Kings |

#### East Division

| First Team | First Team | Pos. | Second Team | Second Team |
| Player | Team | Pos. | Player | Team |
| Daniel Hauser | Winnipeg Ice | G | Carl Tetachuk | Moose Jaw Warriors |
| Carson Lambos | Winnipeg Ice | D | Ryker Evans | Regina Pats |
| Denton Mateychuk | Moose Jaw Warriors | D | Chad Nychuk | Brandon Wheat Kings |
| Connor Bedard | Regina Pats | F | Ridly Greig | Brandon Wheat Kings |
| Matthew Savoie | Winnipeg Ice | F | Jagger Firkus | Moose Jaw Warriors |
| Kyle Crnkovic | Saskatoon Blades | F | Tristen Robins | Saskatoon Blades |

#### B.C. Division

| First Team | First Team | Pos. | Second Team | Second Team |
| Player | Team | Pos. | Player | Team |
| Dylan Garand | Kamloops Blazers | G | Talyn Boyko | Kelowna Rockets |
| Gannon Laroque | Victoria Royals | D | Ethan Samson | Prince George Cougars |
| Jake Lee | Kelowna Rockets | D | Quinn Schmiemann | Kamloops Blazers |
| Colton Dach | Kelowna Rockets | F | Tarun Fizer | Victoria Royals |
| Bailey Peach | Victoria Royals | F | Pavel Novak | Kelowna Rockets |
| Logan Stankoven | Kamloops Blazers | F | Luke Toporowski | Kamloops Blazers |

#### U.S. Division

| First Team | First Team | Pos. | Second Team | Second Team |
| Player | Team | Pos. | Player | Team |
| Taylor Gauthier | Portland Winterhawks | G | Thomas Milic | Seattle Thunderbirds |
| Clay Hanus | Portland Winterhawks | D | Kevin Korchinski | Seattle Thunderbirds |
| Olen Zellweger | Everett Silvertips | D | Ronan Seeley | Everett Silvertips |
| Jackson Berezowski | Everett Silvertips | F | Bear Hughes | Spokane Chiefs |
| Jared Davidson | Seattle Thunderbirds | F | Tyson Kozak | Portland Winterhawks |
| Cross Hanas | Portland Winterhawks | F | Lukas Svejkovsky | Seattle Thunderbirds |