The 2021 National Hockey League playoffs get underway on Saturday and 72 players with Western Hockey League experience are on a quest for the Stanley Cup.
The Vegas Golden Knights and Edmonton Oilers lead the way with nine WHL alumni on their playoff rosters as of this writing, while the New York Islanders are close behind with eight.
The Kelowna Rockets, Portland Winterhawks, and Seattle Thunderbirds have produced the most playoff performers with seven alumni on the list followed by the Vancouver Giants with six while the Tri-City Americans have produced five.
The 2020-21 NHL season was the league’s 104th season of operation. Edmonton Oilers star Leon Draisaitl (Kelowna Rockets) is tops among all former WHL players in scoring in the NHL this season with 31 goals and 83 points in 55 games thus far. Vegas Golden Knights forward Mark Stone (Brandon Wheat Kings) is next with 21 goals and 61 points in 55 games.
With the playoff match-ups set, the second season begins as the Tampa Bay Lightning looks to defend its 2020 title.
WHL alumni on NHL playoff rosters
Most recent WHL club is listed in brackets.
Boston Bruins (3):
Curtis Lazar (Edmonton Oil Kings)
Jake DeBrusk (Red Deer Rebels)
Brandon Carlo (Tri-City Americans)
Carolina Hurricanes (5):
Nino Niederreiter (Portland Winterhawks)
James Reimer (Red Deer Rebels)
Jake Bean (Tri-City Americans)
Morgan Geekie (Tri-City Americans)
Jordan Martinook (Vancouver Giants)
Colorado Avalanche (4):
Matt Calvert (Brandon Wheat Kings)
Devan Dubnyk (Kamloops Blazers)
Kyle Burroughs (Medicine Hat Tigers)
Bowen Byram (Vancouver Giants)
Edmonton Oilers (9):
Jujhar Khaira (Everett Silvertips)
Leon Draisaitl (Kelowna Rockets)
Tyson Barrie (Kelowna Rockets)
Tyler Ennis (Medicine Hat Tigers)
Kris Russell (Medicine Hat Tigers)
Caleb Jones (Portland Winterhawks)
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (Red Deer Rebels)
Ethan Bear (Seattle Thunderbirds)
Kailer Yamamoto (Spokane Chiefs)
Florida Panthers (5):
Chris Driedger (Calgary Hitmen)
Radko Gudas (Everett Silvertips)
Noah Juulsen (Everett Silvertips)
Aleksi Heponiemi (Swift Current Broncos)
Kevin Connauton (Vancouver Giants)
Minnesota Wild (3):
Victor Rask (Calgary Hitmen)
Matt Dumba (Portland Winterhawks)
Jared Spurgeon (Spokane Chiefs)
Montreal Canadiens (5):
Joel Edmundson (Kamloops Blazers)
Shea Weber (Kelowna Rockets)
Carey Price (Tri-City Americans)
Brendan Gallagher (Vancouver Giants)
Brett Kulak (Vancouver Giants)
Nashville Predators (5):
Colton Sissons (Kelowna Rockets)
Luca Sbisa (Portland Winterhawks)
Tyler Lewington (Medicine Hat Tigers)
Tanner Jeannot (Moose Jaw Warriors)
Ryan Johansen (Portland Winterhawks)
New York Islanders (8):
Ryan Pulock (Brandon Wheat Kings)
Andrew Ladd (Calgary Hitmen)
Johnny Boychuk (Moose Jaw Warriors)
Kieffer Bellows (Portland Winterhawks)
Braydon Coburn (Portland Winterhawks)
Jordan Eberle (Regina Pats)
Mathew Barzal (Seattle Thunderbirds)
Thomas Hickey (Seattle Thunderbirds)
Pittsburgh Penguins (2):
Tristan Jarry (Edmonton Oil Kings)
Colton Sceviour (Lethbridge Hurricanes)
St. Louis Blues (1):
Brayden Schenn (Saskatoon Blades)
Tampa Bay Lightning (5):
Luke Schenn (Kelowna Rockets)
Cal Foote (Kelowna Rockets)
Brayden Point (Moose Jaw Warriors)
Tyler Johnson (Spokane Chiefs)
Ben Thomas (Vancouver Giants)
Toronto Maple Leafs (1):
Morgan Rielly (Moose Jaw Warriors)
Vegas Golden Knights (9):
Mark Stone (Brandon Wheat Kings)
Ryan Reaves (Brandon Wheat Kings)
Nick Holden (Chilliwack Bruins)
Brayden McNabb (Kootenay Ice)
Chandler Stephenson (Regina Pats)
Shea Theodore (Seattle Thunderbirds)
Keegan Kolesar (Seattle Thunderbirds)
Dylan Coghlan (Tri-City Americans)
Peyton Krebs (Winnipeg Ice)
Washington Capitals (2):
Zdeno Chára (Prince George Cougars)
Brenden Dillon (Seattle Thunderbirds)
Winnipeg Jets (5):
Laurent Brossoit (Edmonton Oil Kings)
Josh Morrissey (Kelowna Rockets)
Jansen Harkins (Prince George Cougars)
Nate Thompson (Seattle Thunderbirds)
Adam Lowry (Swift Current Broncos)
