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 Conference standings
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 Red Deer Rebels 68 43 69 112 56 Red Deer Rebels 68 52 53 105 57 Kamloops Blazers 59 45 59 104 16 Regina Pats 62 51 49 100 42 Saskatoon Blades 68 39 55 94 20 Edmonton Oil Kings 59 45 46 91 45 Winnipeg Ice 65 35 55 90 32 Seattle Thunderbirds 64 42 47 89 68 Portland Winterhawks 63 26 60 86 73 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.WHL Regular season: Goaltending leaders. Retrieved on October 4, 2021.
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% Winnipeg Ice 40 2,344 34 3 1 0 8 2.00 0.914 Kamloops Blazers 45 2,689 34 9 1 0 4 2.16 0.925 Edmonton Oil Kings 46 2,631 33 9 2 1 6 2.28 0.913 Winnipeg Ice 29 1,703 18 7 2 2 2 2.40 0.911 Red Deer Rebels 34 1,900 21 9 1 0 1 2.43 0.911
2022 WHL Playoffs
Conference Quarter-finals Eastern Conference
(E1) Winnipeg Ice vs. (E8) Prince Albert Raiders
(E2) Edmonton Oil Kings vs. (E7) Lethbridge Hurricanes
(E3) Red Deer Rebels vs. (E6) Brandon Wheat Kings
(E4) Moose Jaw Warriors vs. (E5) Saskatoon Blades
Western Conference
(W1) Everett Silvertips vs. (W8) Vancouver Giants
(W2) Kamloops Blazers vs. (W7) Spokane Chiefs
(W3) Portland Winterhawks vs. (W6) Prince George Cougars
(W4) Seattle Thunderbirds vs. (W5) Kelowna Rockets
Conference Semi-finals Eastern Conference
(E1) Winnipeg Ice vs. (E4) Moose Jaw Warriors
(E2) Edmonton Oil Kings vs. (E3) Red Deer Rebels
Western Conference
(W2) Kamloops Blazers vs. (W8) Vancouver Giants
(W3) Portland Winterhawks vs. (W4) Seattle Thunderbirds
Conference Finals Eastern Conference (E1) Winnipeg Ice vs. (E2) Edmonton Oil Kings
Western Conference (W2) Kamloops Blazers vs. (W4) Seattle Thunderbirds
WHL Championship
(E2) Edmonton Oil Kings vs. (W4) Seattle Thunderbirds
Playoff scoring leaders Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes
Player Team GP G A Pts PIMLogan Stankoven Kamloops Blazers 171714318Jared Davidson Seattle Thunderbirds 2513162910Lukáš Švejkovský Seattle Thunderbirds 2411172810Zachary Benson Winnipeg Ice 159142310Luke Toporowski Kamloops Blazers 169142324Zack Ostapchuk Vancouver Giants 12716234Dylan Guenther Edmonton Oil Kings 161382110Carter Souch Edmonton Oil Kings 191292112Connor McClennon Winnipeg Ice 158132116Reid Schaefer Seattle Thunderbirds 256152132
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 AchievementAcademic Recipient Alumni Achievement Awards Ryan Getzlaf
All-Star teams Eastern Conference Central Division
First TeamWHL Names Central Division All-Star Teams Pos. Second Team Player Team 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 TeamWHL Names East Division All-Star Teams Pos. Second Team Player Team 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
Western Conference B.C. Division First TeamWHL Names B.C. Division All-Star Teams Pos. Second Team Player Team 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 TeamWHL Names U.S. Division All-Star Teams Pos. Second Team Player Team 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
Regular season + Home team Home games Average attendance Total attendanceEverett Silvertips 34 5,341 181,610Edmonton Oil Kings 34 5,197 176,724Calgary Hitmen 34 4,777 162,422Spokane Chiefs 34 4,418 150,234Regina Pats 34 3,958 134,588Kelowna Rockets 34 3,778 128,477Kamloops Blazers 34 3,471 118,028Saskatoon Blades 34 3,389 115,253Portland Winterhawks 34 3,325 113,052Red Deer Rebels 34 3,307 112,450Seattle Thunderbirds 34 3,237 110,063Lethbridge Hurricanes 34 2,983 101,431Brandon Wheat Kings 34 2,846 96,785Vancouver Giants 34 2,843 96,666Victoria Royals 34 2,803 95,303Tri-City Americans 34 2,696 91,678Moose Jaw Warriors 34 2,664 90,593Prince Albert Raiders 34 2,333 79,351Medicine Hat Tigers 34 2,166 73,656Prince George Cougars 34 1,914 65,110Winnipeg Ice 34 1,582 53,812Swift Current Broncos 34 1,479 50,305League7483,2052,397,591
See also List of WHL seasons 2022 Memorial Cup 2021–22 OHL season 2021–22 QMJHL season
References
External links Official website of the Western Hockey League Official website of the Canadian Hockey League