I was quite busy with work and academics this week, so my output covering the totality of the second round (and the beginning of the third) slowed to a crawl and eventually evaporated. I will attempt to give this as thorough of a treatment as possible to make up for lost time.

OHL:

Eastern Conference:

(4) Oshawa Generals defeat (1) Brantford Bulldogs in six games

It seemed to be right there in front of them for the first seed as they took a commanding 2-0 series lead via 5-2 and 8-5 victories. However, the king of CHL goal scoring this season, Nick Lardis (Chicago Blackhawks) was injured near the ending of the latter game (wherein he had a hat trick and exemplified his value to Brantford), completely changing the trajectory of the series. The defending Eastern Conference champs took the next four games, closing things out with a 4-1 win in which LW Colby Barlow (Winnipeg Jets) was the first star via a 1g-2a, +2 performance.

(2) Barrie Colts defeat (3) Kingston Frontenacs in seven games

This was quite an exchange of blows to start things off, as Barrie took the first two games (6-2 and 7-4) before Kingston won Games 3 and 4 (5-3 and 9-4). It remained competitive in Games 5 and 6 as the teams traded overtime victories, with Barrie winning Game 5 2-1 in the extra frame (2025 NHL Draft D Kashawn Aitcheson was the hero in that one at the 9:57 mark, as one might anticipate as he has developed quite a propensity for scoring clutch goals this year). Kingston RW Gage Heyes’ OT GWG just 2:53 into the extra stanza forced a Game 7, but the Frontenacs would fall 6-4 in the decider. Aitcheson shined yet again, via his first star performance wherein he posted 2g-1a and a +2.

Western Conference:

(1) London Knights defeat (5) Erie Otters in four games

Ultimately, 2025 NHL Entry Draft projected #1 overall pick/D Matthew Schaefer never made it back to the Erie roster. Ergo, this series never had a chance of being truly competitive. The “Mini-NHL” took the first three games by a combined goal differential of +12 (17-5), punctuated by a 4-0 shutout win in which London G Austin Elliott (UMass Lowell commit) recorded 23 saves. LW/C Denver Barkey (Philadelphia Flyers) continued to show out in the first couple of games as his dominant postseason run went on, posting a hat trick in Game 1 followed by a 1g-3a performance in the next matchup. Game 4 ended up being the most drama as the Knights had a terrific performance from F Sam O’Reilly (Edmonton Oilers) who had points on all three regulation goals, but couldn’t keep the Otters at bay enough to prevent LW Malcolm Spence (2025 NHL Entry Draft) from scoring the third period goal that forced overtime. O’Reilly would get it done again, though, sending the Knights to the conference finals yet again.

(3) Kitchener Rangers defeat (2) Windsor Spitfires in seven games

This truly was one of the greatest series in CHL history. Windsor seemingly had Kitchener dead to rights by beating the Rangers by identical 5-1 scorelines in Games 1 and 2 before taking Game 3 6-3 on the back of an incredible 5g-1a performance by LW Liam Greentree (Los Angeles Kings). Not to be denied, however, Kitchener won Games 4 and 5 3-0 (with C/Ottawa Senators prospect Luke Ellinas recording a hat trick and G Jackson Parsons recording 24 saves) and 5-2, respectively, before really inspiring confidence by a 4-0 Game 6 win in which RW Jack Pridham (Chicago Blackhawks) tallied 2 goals while Parsons had 29 saves. They looked like the better team and played a smarter game in this span and this really made you think the reverse sweep was attainable. Game 7 was no cakewalk, though, as both Parsons and Windsor G Joey Costanzo were tested often in a game that’s regulation time ended with a 1-1 tie. Ellinas would rise to the occasion, finishing what he started with his second goal of the game at 14:28 of the extra period to complete the series comeback for Kitchener. This put them in pretty small company for teams to have accomplished what they did in both CHL and OHL history.

Round three (so far):

Eastern Conference:

Oshawa Generals lead Barrie Colts in series 1-0 (3-1)

Western Conference:

London Knights lead Kitchener Rangers in series 1-0 (5-2)

QMJHL:

Eastern Conference:

(1) Moncton Wildcats defeat (4) Baie-Comeau Drakkar in five games

In a matchup between this year’s Jean Rougeau Trophy winners and last’s, there didn’t seem to be much of a prayer here for the lower seed as they were defeated 7-0 (a game in which Moncton C/2025 NHL Entry Draft top prospect Caleb Desnoyers recorded 2g-1a while G Mathis Rousseau tallied 26 saves in the shutout victory) and 4-1 in the first two games. Baie-Comeau C Raoul Boilard racked up 2 goals in a 5-2 win in Game 3, but the Drakkar would fall 4-3 in 2OT in Game 4, a game in which Moncton RW Juraj Pekarcik (St. Louis Blues) was the hero by way of the OT GWG, as well as the Wildcats’ first goal and an assist on Desnoyers’ tally to give them a 3-2 lead. Moncton closed it out in a competitive 5-4 victory, with this series being about as tight as it could get in its final three matches after the uneventful start.

(2) Rimouski Océanic defeats (3) Chicoutimi Saguenéens in six games

After a 5-2 victory to kick things off, Rimouski won Game 2 by a score of 3-2 in overtime, with C Maël Lavigne being the hero. The series lead was erased in the next couple of matchups, though, as Chicoutimi would take Game 3 in a 3-0 decision (G Raphaël Précourt would record 25 saves in the clean sheet) before claiming their own 3-2 OT victory, in which D Loïc Usereau would get the job done at 5:19 of the extra frame after recording, incidentally, the primary assist on the GTG 5:19 into the third. Rimouski would close things out, however, by a 3-2 regulation win in Game 5 and a 4-1 victory in Game 6, both games wherein the offense was done by committee.

Western Conference:

(1) Rouyn-Noranda Huskies defeat (4) Halifax Mooseheads in four games

Unlike Halifax’s historic upset of Drummondville in the opening round in which they became the first team in QMJHL history to win a playoff series as the 16th overall seed, there was no competition to be had here. Ultimately, the Huskies outscored the Mooseheads 18-3 in the four game sweep. The most dominant offensive performance throughout was by C Bill Zonnon (2025 NHL Entry Draft), who recorded 2g-2a in a 5-0 Game 2 victory in which Rouyn-Noranda outshot 46-19. I give credit to Halifax for even having had this opportunity, however, as well as G Jacob Steinman who had at least 30 saves in every game this series, including 40+ in both of the first two. Without him, this series would have been even more of a disaster.

(2) Shawinigan Cataractes defeat (3) Sherbrooke Phoenix in four games

This was one of those “close sweeps” in which no game was particularly out of hand. Notably, Game 1 was decided by a score of 5-4, while Game 4 was decided in overtime by a score of 3-2. Phoenix G Linards Feldbergs (noteworthy for his WJC performances with Latvia) was exception in the final game, recording 41 saves and looking dialed in despite ultimately being felled by Cataractes RW Félix Lacerte in the extra stanza. Some bounces in the other direction could have had this being a very different series. As for Feldbergs, though, I bet we see him taken in this year’s draft, as goaltending is one of the class’ many weaknesses (particularly amongst first year eligibles, wherein I do not really see an immediately projectable starter beyond Joshua Ravensbergen of Prince George).

Round three (so far):

(1) Moncton Wildcats lead (4) Rouyn-Noranda Huskies 2-0 (5-3, 2-1)

(2) Rimouski Océanic lead (3) Shawinigan Cataractes 1-0 (5-1)

WHL:

Eastern Conference:

Medicine Hat Tigers defeat Prince Albert Raiders in four games

Power wins. Really, that’s the story here. MHT scored a combined 17 goals in the first three games, with LW/C Gavin McKenna (2026 NHL Entry Draft) continuing to get it done on his historic point streak but plenty of contributions coming from across the lineup. The first two games of this series were close, including an OT decided Game 2 in which RW Liam Ruck closed proceedings out at 8:50, but Games 3 and 4 were won by a combined 9-1 by MHT. One really has to fancy their chances of winning the Ed Chynoweth Cup.

Lethbridge Hurricanes defeat Calgary Hitmen in seven games

This was defined by a macro-narrative of being back and forth. Lethbridge took Games 1 and 2 4-0 and 2-1, respectively, before Calgary took Games 3, 4, and 5, as F Ben Kindel (2025 NHL Entry Draft) scored OT winners in both of the latter two matches and demonstrated his clutch gene. However, Lethbridge would respond by skunking Calgary 5-1 in Game 6 (D/Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Noah Chadwick had 2 goals in the game) before putting a bow on things with a 3-1 win. This was one of the most entertaining series across an incredible second round in the CHL.

Western Conference:

Portland Winterhawks defeat Everett Silvertips in seven games

Despite encountering a plethora of injuries in round one, Everett was able to get the cavalry back in time for round two (with the obvious exception of late season injury Carter Bear) and took two overtime victories to kick things off. Jesse Heslop finished the job in the opening match, while Julius Miettinen (Seattle Kraken) was the hero in Game 2. Portland responded with Game 3 win by a score of 3-1, before taking Game 4 in OT 6-5, powered by a Kyle Chyzowski (University of Denver commit) hat trick and a Josh Zakreski GWG (those two being the first and third stars, respectively, while UMass Lowell commit Diego Buttazzoni earned second star via his 1g-3a performance). Portland would go up 3-2 in the series via a closely contested 4-3 regulation win in Game 5, but Everett forced a Game 7 with an 8-4 win in which forwards Austin Roest and Tyler Mackenzie both had multi-point games, as did blueline wunderkind Landon DuPont (2027 NHL Entry Draft). Try as they might, though, this banged up squad who clearly were still not at 100% would fall 4-2 in the final matchup.

Spokane Chiefs defeat Victoria Royals in six games

Both teams exchanged a lot of offense with one another in this series and it required three overtime wins by Spokane for Victoria to be put away. I would wager that VIC were the superior special teams performers in this series, but the Chiefs just were such an excellent 5v5 squad, and Andrew Cristall (Washington Capitals) was the catalyst and clutch player that pushed them over the top. I must commend VIC’s Cole Reschny (2025 NHL Entry Draft) for how he showed out in this series (with 5g-8a after his 4g-8a performance in five games against Tri-City, making for an amazing playoffs overall). This was truly a great showcase for him before he gets picked by a club in the show.

Round three (so far):

Eastern Conference:

Medicine Hat Tigers lead Lethbridge Hurricanes in series 1-0 (5-2)

Western Conference:

Spokane Chiefs lead Portland Winterhawks in series 1-0 (10-4)

What lies ahead:

Most of the action resumes tomorrow. Only one game is on the slate for tonight, with Medicine Hat–Lethbridge taking place at 9:00 PM EDT. Moncton–Rouyn Noranda does not resume until Tuesday, April 29th at 7:00 PM EDT.