‘Dynamic’: Winger Andrew Cristall brings scorer’s touch, automatic chemistry to Spokane Chiefs lineup

Over the past few seasons, every move Spokane Chiefs general manager Matt Bardsley has made has been in preparation for acquiring high-scoring winger Andrew Cristall – if not Cristall himself, then someone of that caliber.
Now that it has come to fruition, the results so far have exceeded even the loftiest expectations.
In five games with the Chiefs since being acquired from the Kelowna Rockets on Jan. 8, Cristall has five goals and 11 assists. The top line of Cristall, captain and fellow NHL draft pick Berkly Catton and winger Shea Van Olm has accumulated a whopping 40 points, and the Chiefs have scored 31 total goals – a 6.2 goals -per -game average.
“He just brings another element to our game,” Chiefs coach Brad Lauer said. “When you can add offense but still be responsible defensively in the 200-foot game, it’s nice to add guys like that.”
In the two weeks subsequent to the trade, Cristall and Catton have earned consecutive Western Hockey League player of the week honors.
“Hopefully ‘Olmer’ wins it next week,” Cristall said at practice on Tuesday.
Van Olm leads the league in goals with 33, Cristall is second two goals back and is tops in points with 76 – four ahead of second place. Catton, who was fourth in the league in scoring last year but has missed nine games this season due to NHL training camp and the IIHF World Junior Championship, has 20 goals with 42 assists in 33 games.
It’s the type of production hockey executives and coaches usually only dream about.
“The key word when talking about him is ‘dynamic,’ ” Lauer said. “With him and (Catton), they can make plays and do things in areas where you might not think there’s a play to be made.”
It’s taken just a handful of games, and even fewer practices – with five games in 11 days and three on the road – for an undeniable chemistry to be forged on the top line.
“I think we all kind of think the game at a high level,” Cristall said. “Those two players are pretty, pretty special to play with. I just want to come here and try to fit what they needed. Obviously, it’s worked out pretty good so far. But there’s still things that we can do better on.”
“I think the biggest thing is that they think the game the same way,” Lauer said. “They understand the offensive side of the game and, you know, they understand the defensive side of the game – responsibility. So, I think the chemistry part of it is just their hockey sense, hockey intelligence, and their ability to be able to play with and without the puck.”
Some players think the game faster than others. Watching Cristall and Catton over the past five games, one can almost see them planning two or three plays ahead of their opponents, always looking for the next pass or opportunity to shoot.
“It’s more instincts once we’re in a game,” Cristall said. “I think in practice and stuff, you’re definitely thinking more about different scenarios and things like that. But once the game comes, it’s all instincts and communication.”
The Chiefs paid a hefty price for the 19-year-old Cristall, who will in all likelihood play just half a season for them – he almost made the first-place Washington Capitals in training camp this season as a second-round pick (40th overall) in the 2023 NHL draft before returning to juniors. In the deal, Kelowna received winger Hayden Paupanekis, first- and third-round picks in 2025, second- and sixth-round picks in 2026 and a first-round pick in 2027.
Bardsley, in two seasons as decision-maker for the Chiefs, has been hoarding draft picks with every completed trade. He said he now feels like the club has the right personnel and the opportunity to chase a league championship and possibly the Memorial Cup . And with Catton possibly gone to the Seattle Kraken or their American Hockey League affiliate next season, the future is now.
“I felt that with where our group’s at, (Cristall) was a player that we had a lot of interest in,” Bardsley said. “There certainly were a lot of other really good players (traded). … But our focus was a little more on Andrew in that situation.
“I hope the fans are excited to know that we are trying to make a push this year and give them something really exciting to see on the ice.”
“It’s a commitment that ownership has made,” Lauer said. “And obviously (Bardsley) has done a good job of acquiring the guys for us. The important part is that our window is just starting to open. I mean, we have six 16-year-olds here and playing every night, and they’re playing very well for us and contributing.”
Cristall, a natural athlete from Burnaby, British Columbia, never figured while he was playing pond hockey as a kid that one day his hockey career would garner this much attention.
“I just loved the game growing up,” he said. “I played a few different sports, and just kind of fell in love with being on the ice, skating and playing hockey. So, to be here now and, you know, being drafted by the NHL, and maybe get there one day, it’s pretty surreal. I’m definitely not taking it for granted.”
With Kelowna near the bottom of the Western Conference standings, Cristall was aware of the possibility he would end up on the move. Still, it’s always a shock to the system.
“It’s a new beginning,” he said. “Basically, all I’ve known is Kelowna for past four and a half years. Being able to move across the country, into a different country, and just kind of see what it’s like to play for the Chiefs, I thought it was a really good opportunity. And once I got down here, it’s been super fun.”
He admitted he didn’t know a whole lot about Spokane before he got here. But he knew most of the important stuff.
“I know the Gonzaga basketball team, they’re down here. And then, I’ve been here for some away games,” he said. “And I never liked playing here, because the fans would be pretty unreal, and we wouldn’t do too well. So, when I got traded here, I was pretty pumped.”
Cristall brings 219 regular -season and 20 playoff games of experience to the Chiefs, plus his time in Caps camp where he was among the last two cut, which he described as “an unreal experience.”
“I learned so much. Staff, management, the players – they were all so good to me,” he said. “Learning the ins and outs of pro hockey, and what it takes to play at that level and to kind of get there, I’m just looking to bring back all that experience and hopefully share some of it with the young guys here.”