WHL Playoffs: After brief celebration, Spokane Chiefs back to ‘business as usual’ preparing for WHL championship series against Medicine Hat

The Spokane Chiefs haven’t reached a Western Hockey League championship series since 2008, but after the initial celebration from sweeping the Portland Winterhawks in the conference final, it’s been “business as usual,” according to coach Brad Lauer.

The team took an extra day in Portland to visit the Oregon Coast and “get away from the game and enjoy the day,” Lauer said. But then, it was back to work preparing for the Medicine Hat Tigers.

“We enjoyed what we accomplished,” Lauer said.

“Since we got back here Monday, it’s been business as usual for us. Nothing changes day to day with the stuff that we do – the kids are going to school, kids are working out. We’re running our practice. We’re doing lots of video. We’re not going to change too much.”

“There’s lots of excitement, and you kind of take that night to enjoy it,” Chiefs captain Berkly Catton said. “But then after that, you’re kind of flipping the page, and, you know, recovering from whatever it may be from the last round of the playoffs, and just kind of resting up and then kind of looking forward to the next series”

Even though the Chiefs are sticking with routine, there’s still a little more excitement surrounding the team and organization.

“There’s a jump in their step, for sure,” Lauer said. “They’re extremely happy right now, where they’re at and what they’ve done and what they accomplished. And they should be.”

Lauer said the good vibes don’t come from just winning, but they are by design.

“That’s one thing we’ve tried to create right from Day 1 is to making sure when you’re coming here, you’re coming here with a smile and to have some fun. And they’ve done that all year.”

As with every major junior team, the Chiefs are stocked with players from 16 to 20 years old. The Chiefs are fortunate to have the WHL points leader (Andrew Cristall), goal-scoring leader (Shea Van Olm) and NHL first-round draft pick Catton, but it’s the quality of the depth that has helped the Chiefs achieve the success they have.

“There’s so much skill, I think, up and down the line of everyone can play on our team, which is something that’s underrated,” Catton said. “It’s a really cool environment. And everyone just comes into the rink every day and wants to get better, and in practice, wants to be the best player, and ultimately, you know, day by day, that pushes everyone to be better.”

General manager Matt Bardsley, the architect of that depth, is pleased to see the hard work of the past three years coming to fruition.

“We don’t want to be a one-line team,” he said – though the top line is exceptionally good. “I think it’s good that we’ve had that depth scoring. It gives everybody real good confidence within their game.”

In the series against Portland, the Chiefs picked up critical goals from all four lines and several defensemen . Players like Coco Armstrong, who had seven goals all season, and former first-round draft pick Chase Harrington are buying in to roles and chipping in on offense at opportune times.

“(Harrington) has earned his opportunities,” Bardsley said. “And I think even something like having a role on the penalty kill, I think it gives players confidence and they’re contributing to their team in different ways.”

When Bardsley was hired by the Chiefs in 2022, he stated “hanging banners” as one of his priorities. The Western Conference championship is a good place to start, but, “there’s still other banners that we would like to hang as well,” he said.

“I think (Lauer) and his staff have done an incredible job. Give our players credit too, for buying into that. When you start to have success, you know, it becomes a bit addicting, so to speak. Now they want more, but without skipping steps. We talk about trust in the process and doing the right things.”

“Having an opportunity to win the league is every kid’s dream,” Catton said.

The players, most of whom were toddlers the last time a Chiefs team reached the league finals, may be a bit myopic when it comes to the broader impact their success has for the fans and Spokane in general. But the feeling of civic pride over the antics of a bunch of teenagers playing a game reverberates throughout the community.

“The organization knows it certainly means a lot,” Bardsley said. “We can kind of feel it a little bit in the city, even around town. … You just start to see things around the city, just people in general, talking about it. I think that’s exciting, you know? I think it’s great for our brand, great for the organization, great for the play, great for everybody. Maybe the players don’t quite recognize it, but they’re saying the right things and I think they recognize that this is important.”

“We’re all just itching for this first game on Friday,” Catton said. “To be a part of such a special thing like this is pretty cool.”