Vancouver is ready for battle with game 1 tonight in Kamloops.

(Rob Wilton/Vancouver Giants)

The WHL Playoffs are here, and the Vancouver Giants will get their first chance to take care of business tonight in Kamloops, BC. Nutrien presents this year’s playoffs, and Vancouver is hopeful they can put up a good fight against the Blazers, who are set to host the Memorial Cup later in the spring. The Giants are the clear underdogs, but it’s not their first time in a similar situation.

Last year, the Vancouver Giants took down the Everett Silvertips in six games, marking the first time a No. 8 seed had beaten a No. 1 seed in the first round of the WHL playoffs since the league first included 16 teams in the playoffs back in 2002. Vancouver finished 47 points back of the Everett Silvertips last season and 39 points behind the Kamloops Blazers this year.

Kamloops finished the regular season 48-13-4-3, good for second in the Western Conference and first in the BC Division. Kamloops were six-game winners over the Giants last spring, making this playoff series the second in consecutive years. Kamloops did well against Vancouver during the regular season, racking a record of 6-1-0-1. Kamloops secured points in the past seven meetings with Vancouver, who earned both victories over Kamloops in Langley before the holiday break. Vancouver does have playoff resiliency from last season and a strong belief in the lower mainland that history can repeat itself.

Pressure and stress are often brought up in sporting conversations, and it’s easy to assume that all of it is on the Blazers. Players age out of the league each season, and the 2002-born players are up against the clock this year. Vancouver has a 20-year-old player in each position this year. Captain Ty Thorpe (C) and Jesper Vikman (G) played significant roles in Vancouver’s postseason run last spring, while Carson Haynes (D) finished his first season with Vancouver but is out for the season due to a wrist injury. It’s a privilege to play in the playoffs, and Thorpe and Vikman get to keep their WHL playing career going while other 2002-born players pack up their bags for the final time.

It’s a cliché that gets used a lot, but the truth is that anything is possible if you believe. Last year’s team built belief as the playoffs went on, and this new group will enter the series with an advantage if they can do that from the beginning. 

Thirteen players on Vancouver’s roster were with the club last year, and none have the spotlight on them more than Ty Thorpe and Jesper Vikman. Thorpe led Vancouver in scoring during the regular season with 37 goals and 71 points and became the Captain of the Giants when Ottawa Senators prospect Zack Ostapchuk was dealt to the Winnipeg ICE in January. The right-shot forward had three game-winning goals during the regular season and has found the back of the net in 12 of the 16 playoff games he has participated in. He also finished the regular season with a 58.8% face-off percentage, third-best in the WHL among centremen with 650 or more face-off attempts.
Thorpe is accompanied up front by the ninth-ranked North American Skater by NHL Central Scouting in Slovak import Samuel Honzek. Honzek spent a good chunk of the season on the sidelines due to injury but still managed an impressive offensive campaign with 56 points in 43 games. 
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Vancouver only has one player drafted by an NHL franchise, and he’s pretty good. Jesper Vikman is the go-to guy in Vancouver’s crease. If Vancouver manages to find success in the postseason, it will be in large part to their goaltender Jesper Vikman. Vikman was brilliant during the 2022 WHL Playoffs for the Giants, and the Vegas Golden Knights prospect enters the post-season having been named to the B.C. Division First All-Star Team earlier this week. He had two shutouts, matched last season’s .903 SV%, and had a 3.29 GAA in 45 games.

The Giants want to take advantage of the opportunity and are ready for a new challenge.