Hurricanes looking to make deep run in WHL playoffs

Lethbridge and Brandon kick off their Round 1 matchup Friday night, and the Canes believe they finally have the group to get over the playoff hump.

The Hurricanes are set to kick off the 2025 playoffs with a first-round matchup against the Brandon Wheat Kings.

The Hurricanes are entering the post-season with their highest expectations in years.

After a flurry of moves earlier in the season, the club finished with its best record since 2019.

“It’s been a couple of years since we’ve started on home ice, so that’s a nice change,” said Hurricanes assistant coach, Ryan Aasman.

“We’re excited about playing games one and two on a weekend in front of our fans,” added Aasman. “It’s been a really comfortable rink for us this year, judging by our record at home, so we’re really excited about the start.

“It’s a good opponent and we’re excited for tomorrow.”

Lofty goals

While the team enters the playoffs with lofty goals, they’ll have to overcome history.

The playoffs have not been kind to the Hurricanes over the past few seasons.

The team hasn’t won a playoff game since 2019.

“Just got to take it day by day, right. And our goal is to win the first game. And, I think we’re, we’re capable of doing that. And I think that’ll start some momentum for us. And, Yeah, hopefully get the snowball rolling,” said Hurricanes defenceman and captain, Noah Chadwick.

Championship experience

Despite the Hurricanes’ struggles in the playoffs over the past several years, several players on the roster have championship experience.

Jordan Gustafson, Brayden Yager and Jackson Unger have each won a WHL championship with their previous teams.

They believe their experience can make a difference for the canes this time around.

“I think experience goes a long way in playoffs,” said Gustafson who won the Ed Chynoweth Cup in 2023 with the Seattle Thunderbirds. “You know, if you’re up or down, it doesn’t really matter. You just got to stay as even-(keeled) as possible.

“And just make sure that you have good vibes around the room on the bench,” he added. “You know, you’re going to be up in series, you’re going to be down in the series. Doesn’t matter. We know what we got in our locker room, and we’re going to stick to our plan.”

The Canes hope this is the year for a playoff run.

But they know they can’t overlook their first-round match up against the Wheat Kings.

Lethbridge earned seven of a possible eight points against the Wheaties this season.

Despite Lethbridge having the edge in the season series players and coaches know they’ll be in for a tough first round.

Aasman has seen firsthand how good Wheat King goaltender Carson Bjarnason can be.

“You know a good goalie that can steal a game or two?” asked Aasman. “He’s hard to play against. He’s had good starts against us too.

“So (it will be challenging to beat) a big goaltender like that, who can manage the game both with how he stops the puck and how he plays the puck--their back end has some mobile guys that will be in the rush, and they create a little bit of offense through them as well.”

Game 1 is Friday night at 7 p.m. followed game two Saturday at 6 p.m.