Eagles, Wolverines battle for AJHL supremacy

The Canmore Eagles will take on the Whitecourt Wolverines for the championship of the Alberta Junior Hockey League.

On Friday, April 17, the two franchises will begin a best-of-seven-series to replace the two-time defending league champion and current national title holder Calgary Canucks

Canmore (32-19-3-1) finished first in the South Division this past season. The Eagles divisional playoff run included a six-game, opening-round victory over the Canucks and a four-game sweep of the Drumheller Dragons that ended April 8.

Whitecourt (39-13-1-2) finished first in the North Division for the second successive season although last season they were knocked out of the playoff in the division final by the Grande Prairie Storm. Whitecourt earned a spot in the championship series on Tuesday (April 14) with a Game 7 2-1 overtime victory over the Storm. Three of the Wolverines’ victories in the series came in overtime. Whitecourt’s playoff run opened with a five games victory over the Fort McMurray Oil Barons.

This is Eagles’ first league championship series. It has been a longtime coming for this franchise, finishing at the top of the South Division in the 1990-91 and 1991-92 seasons but unable to get out of the semifinal rounds in either of those years. Canmore’s next chance to reach the league final came in 2024 when Whitecourt stood in its path. The No. 1 Wolverines defeated the No. 7 Eagles in seven games in a series that featured the teams alternating victories, with the deciding game a 3-1 win for the Wolverines on home ice.

Such is the nature of junior A hockey which allows players to compete until the year they turn 21 years old (2005-born for this season) that there are seismic roster turnovers each year and only six players are still with these teams two springs later. For Canmore, it is forwards Cohen Daoust, Bryson Insinger, Tavynn Hamilton, defenceman Haruki Morikawa and goaltender Hudson Sedo.  The Wolverines’ lone holdover is this season’s league MVP and leading scorer Jalen Bianchet.

Whitecourt has made two previous trips to the league final since the franchise moved to the community in 2012, getting swept by both the Brooks Bandits in 2017 and the Calgary Canucks in 2024. The franchise has existed since 1976, known first as the Fort Saskatchewan Traders until 2007, winning two league titles – 1979 and 1984 – and reaching the league final on five other occasions. The franchise moved to St. Albert in the fall of 2007 and were known as the less successful Steel for the next five seasons before relocating to Whitecourt.

The two teams split their regular-season series, with all four victories being road wins.

Oct. 4: Eagles 4 at Wolverines 2 – Casey Black scored the first two goals and set up the third goal as Canmore scored four consecutive third-period goals to overturn a 1-0 deficit. Daoust finished with one goal and two assists. Brendan Ruskowski scored both Whitecourt goals.

Nov. 15: Wolverines 2 at Eagles 0 – Whitecourt goaltender Eliott Pratt made 30 saves while a pair of second-period goals propelled the visitors to victory.

Nov. 22: Eagles 4 at Wolverines 1 – Lutic scored twice and set up one goal as the Eagles took a 3-0 lead through two periods and added an empty net goal to finish off the scoring. Whitecourt fired 37 shots at Alex Scheiwiller, with the home team’s lone goal coming from a penalty shot by Bianchet.

Jan. 31: Wolverines 5 at Eagles 3 – Kyle Tucker scored with just over five minutes left in regulation time to snap a 3-3 tie with an empty net goal by Ruskowski – his second goal of the contest – sealing a victory for the visitors. Whitecourt outshot Canmore 42-38. Daoust had a goal and an assist for the home side.

Power Plays: Canmore 38.5% (5 goals); Whitecourt 20.0% (3 goals).

If you are looking for the keys to victory, search no further than the 2005-born goaltending duel about to unfold. For Canmore, Scheiwiller is 8-1 with a 2.58 goals-against average, .929 save percentage and two shutouts in these playoffs.  The Calgary native was voted the league’s best in that position this season and is a two-time league MVP finalist. For Whitecourt, Pratt is 8-4 with a 2.01 GAA and a .933 S/Pct. with one shutout. The Toronto native led the league in regular season wins (26), shutouts (5) and GAA (2.32).

There is a reward at the conclusion of this series, as the winner will represent Alberta at the 10-team Centennial Cup, May 7-17, in Summerside, P.E.I., to try and retain the national title for the AJHL.

Game 1 – Canmore at Whitecourt, Friday, April 17 (JDA Place, 7 p.m.)

Game 2 – Canmore at Whitecourt, Saturday, April 18 (JDA Place, 7 p.m.)

Game 3 – Whitecourt at Canmore, Tuesday, April 21 (Canmore Recreation Centre, 7 p.m.)

Game 4 – Whitecourt at Canmore, Wednesday, April 22 (Canmore Recreation Centre, 7 p.m.)

(if necessary)

Game 5 – Canmore at Whitecourt, Saturday, April 25 (JDA Place, 7 p.m.)

Game 6 – Whitecourt at Canmore, Tuesday, April 28 (Canmore Recreation Centre, 7 p.m.)

Game 7 – Canmore at Whitecourt, Friday, May 1 (JDA Place, 7 p.m.)

Top Playoff Scorers: Canmore – Insinger 7G-5A—12Pts, Will Lutic 5G-7A—12Pts, Daoust 2G-9A—11Pts, Hudson Landmark 6G-4A—10Pts, Easton Milne 3G-7A—10Pts; Whitecourt – Ruskowski 8G-4A—12Pts, Tyler Pretty 7G-5A—12Pts, Xander Schulte 5G-5A—10Pts, Bianchet 5G-4A—9Pts.

Playoff Goaltending: Canmore – Scheiwiller 8-1, 2.58, .929, 2 shutouts, Sedo 0-1, 2.23, .913; Whitecourt – Pratt 8-4, 2.01, .933, 1 shutout.

Playoff Penalty Minutes: Canmore 157 (power play – 20% 8 goals, penalty killing – 71.1% 11 goals allowed); Whitecourt 121 (power play – 15.9% 7 goals, penalty killing – 72% 7 goals allowed).

Playoff Records: Canmore 8-2 (2-0 in overtime), Whitecourt 8-4 (2-1 in OT). Home – Canmore 4-1 (1-0 in OT), Whitecourt 5-2 (2-1 in OT). Away – Canmore 4-1 (1-0 in OT), Whitecourt 3-2.

OVERTIME: Playoff tickets are on sale on the Canmore Eagles website. canmoreeagles.ca/tickets. … You can also follow the Canmore Eagles at home and on the road throughout the playoffs with your local broadcast team – Russ Ullyot (play-by-play) and Zach Amin (analyst) – at flohockey.tv. … The Eagles are in need of volunteers to help with game day experiences, email info@canmoreeagles.com for more information on opportunities and perks that come with being part of the Game Day Crew.