The Spokane Chiefs are coming off a playoff birth last season, going 30-32-5-1 and being eliminated in the first round by the Prince George Cougars. With loads of players returning from last season after rookie seasons, including star Berkly Catton, Spokane looks like a top-half team in the Western Conference that will challenge the U.S. Division title.
Spokane opens its season in Prince George’s with a doubleheader on Friday, September 20th, and Saturday, September 21st. On Saturday, September 28th, the Chiefs will play their home opener against their top rival, the Tri-City Americans.
Hockey Staff
GM Matt Bardsley will be back for his third year as General Manager in Spokane, and he will begin his 25th year in the WHL.
Head Coach Ryan Smith was released from his duties at the end of last season after two seasons at the helm in Spokane. Spokane has since wiped the floor and brought in a new coaching staff.
Brad Lauer, a seasoned NHL Assistant Coach with a successful track record in the WHL, is stepping into the head coach role with the Chiefs. Lauer’s experience, including leading the Oil Kings to top-three finishes every year and winning the Ed Chyrnoweth Cup, is proof of his coaching talent.
Brian Pellerin also joins the staff. Pellerin is entering his fourteenth season as an assistant coach in the WHL. Most recently, Pellerin spent three seasons as an assistant coach for the Portland Winterhawks.
To round out the coaching staff is former Chiefs player Jake Toporowski, brother of Luke Toporowski. Jake will join the coaching staff as he enters his first year as an assistant coach at the WHL level. Jake spent last season as an assistant coach for the Des Moines Buccaneers of the USHL.
Offseason Moves
Asanali Sarkenov
The Chiefs did make one signing this offseason and made a few trades. This involved the signing of Kazakhstan forward Asanali Sarkenov.
The 2006-born forward Sarkenov was drafted 20th overall in the 2024 CHL Import Draft and signed with the Chiefs in early September.
Layton Feist
Layton Feist only spent one year with the Chiefs; however, with six twenty-year-olds that were listed on the roster and only three permitted back, GM Matt Bardsley had to move on from multiple players.
Feist was sent to Kamloops for a 2025 third-round pick; the former 17th overall pick in the 2019 WHL Bantam Draft has played four seasons in the WHL, three with the Regina Pats and one with the Chiefs.
The Preseason Trades
Spokane also made two trades following trade preseason play.
The first trade made following preseason was acquiring nineteen-year-old forward Matty Edwards from Vancouver. Spokane sent a fifth-round 2025 draft pick to Vancouver in exchange for the veteran entering his third full season in the WHL. Edwards led the Vancouver Giants in penalties last season with 107.
The second trade following preseason was to make room for the new import signing, Asanali Sarkenov. The Chiefs still had three import players on the roster, with the limit being two. Czech Import Lukas Kral was traded to Prince Albert in return for a 2025 seventh-round pick.
Departures
Although Spokane is slated to be a top-half team in the Western Conference this season, here’s a look at the big names who won’t be back.
Conner Roulette
The first is forward Conner Roulette. Roulette aged out this past season and will be the biggest name not returning to Spokane.
Roulette was only played in one season for the Chiefs; however, it was a big year for Roulette. Roulette finished second on the Chiefs in points with 108 total and sixth most in the WHL last season, nearly double his previous career best of 63 points. Roulette was a 2021 fourth-round pick of the Dallas Stars in the NHL Draft.
Chase Bertholet
Forward Chase Bertholet is another player who aged out for Spokane and was a crucial part of the lineup for a few seasons.
Bertholet spent two-and-a-half seasons in a Chiefs uniform after being traded to Spokane just under halfway through the 2021/22 season from Winnipeg Ice, the now Wenatchee Wild. He played in 178 games for the Chiefs and had 181 total points. Bertholet peaked in his overage season with a career-high 71 points. Bertholet is slated to begin his professional hockey career, playing for the Fort Wayne Komets of the ECHL.
Ty Cheveldayoff
Longtime Chief forward and Alternative Captain Ty Cheveldayoff also ages out after spending four seasons with the club.
Cheveldayoff played in 194 games for the Chiefs and finished with 99 career points in the WHL. Chief fans loved him for his power-forward playstyle. In his final year, although a down year, Cheveldayoff had 35 points in 57 games and 108 PIM, the most by a Chief last season.
Cheveldayoff will now begin his pro hockey career playing in the ECHL for the Maine Mariners. Following the end of the Chiefs season, Cheveldayoff played in a handful of games for the club and was signed to a full-time contract in July.
Ben Bonni
The last big player that won’t be back for Spokane is Winnipeg native Ben Bonni, who was let go by the Chiefs to cut down on overagers.
Bonni played a significant role on the Chief’s defense last year and was known as a reliable defenseman. With a 15 plus/minus, Bonni tied for the second-highest plus/minus on the team. Bonni was also coming off of a career-high 24-point season, triple his previous career best of 7 points. He played in 148 games for the Chiefs over three years and had 32 career points. Bonni is still not signed to play for any team this upcoming season.
Lukas Kral
As noted previously, Czech Import Lukas Kral will not return to the Chiefs this season.
Kral was a former sixth overall pick in the 2023 CHL Import Draft to the Spokane Chiefs. He played one year for the Chiefs, and 43 games total for his rookie year in North America. Kral had a total of 16 points in those games. The now Eighteen-year-old will have another opportunity to play in the WHL and develop with Prince Albert.
Key Forwards
Spokane brings back plenty of forwards, seven of whom were rookies last season and now have a year of WHL experience under their belt.
Berkly Catton
The top forward back is none other than the star of the show and eighth overall pick at the 2024 NHL Draft to the Seattle Kraken, Berkly Catton.
Catton, sometimes called the wizard for his magical plays, was the first overall pick in the 2021 WHL Bantam Draft to Spokane. Last season, Catton doubled his previous-best point output of 55, having 116 total points, including 54 goals in 68 games, which was fourth-best in the WHL. Catton terrorized WHL teams all last year with his slick dangles and speed and is arguably the best player in the WHL this upcoming season.
Shea Van Olm
Shea Van Olm will head back to Spokane as an overager. Van Olm was shipped to Spokane halfway through last season from Kamloops, as Kamloops is currently rebuilding and were big sellers last season.
Van Olm had 64 points in 70 games last season, split between the Kamloops Blazers and Spokane Chiefs. This is nearly triple his previous career best of 22 points. Van Olm has excellent size and a nice offensive skill set. Along with entering his fifth full year in the WHL, Van Olm will be a significant part of the Chiefs lineup this year, given the experience he brings to a still young and talented lineup.
Rasmus Ekstrom
Swedish Import Rasmus Ekstrom, who signed with the Chiefs during the second half of last season, will be back as an overager.
Ekstrom was very impressive during the second half of the season, having 29 points in 37 games for the Chiefs in his first year in North America. He also brings some pro experience to the lineup, having played a handful of professional games in Sweden over the past few years. Ekstrom adds a healthy offensive skillset and speed to the lineup as he gears up for his first full season in North America.
Key Defenseman
The Chiefs bring back a talented physical defensive group, which is highlighted by two NHL Draft picks and one player currently signed to an NHL team.
Saige Weinstein
Saige Weinstein, the top defenseman from last season and a Colorado Avalanche signee following an excellent development camp with the Avalanche last year, returns for his fourth year in a Chiefs uniform.
Weinstein brings tons of physicality to the blue line, is very reliable defensively, and has some solid breakout skills. He led the Chiefs in plus/minus last season with +18. Weinstein also had a career-best 25 points last season, which was fourth-best among Chiefs defensemen in 63 games played for the club. Weinstein will be a top defenseman in the WHL this season.
Nathan Mayes
Nathan Mayes will return to Spokane after an impressive rookie season. Mayes is entering his second full season in the WHL.
Mayes had an impressive rookie season in the WHL as a seventeen-year-old. He is a very aggressive, strong, and physical defenseman, standing at an imposing 6’4″. Although Mayes isn’t much of an offensive threat, he had 16 points in 68 games. The Toronto Maple Leafs selected Mayes as the Mr. Irrelevant pick in the NHL draft, going 225th overall in his first draft-eligible season, as Mayes does have plenty of upside in his game.
William McIsaac
The other NHL Draft pick who will be back is William McIsaac. McIsaac scored the goal that clinched the Chiefs a playoff birth last season with 13 seconds left against Tri-City on March 16th.
McIsaac is entering his third full season with the Spokane Chiefs after a standout performance as a seventeen-year-old, which led to him getting drafted by the St. Louis Blues in the 5th round of the 2024 NHL Draft. McIsaac had 27 points in 67 games during his last season and achieved a +15 plus/minus. He embodies an extremely physical defensive defenseman role, which is what the Chiefs are looking for. McIsaac will be a massive piece to the Chiefs’ defense this season.
Braydon Crampton
One more key defenseman who will make some noise for Spokane this season is overager Braydon Crampton.
Crampton is entering his fourth year in the WHL and with the Chiefs after going undrafted in the WHL Bantam Draft. He has come a long way since his bantam draft days and led the Chiefs defenseman in points last season with 57 points in 64 games, which included an impressive 48 assists. Crampton offers excellent intelligence in the transition and has solid vision on the ice. Crampton is that offensive spark on the blue line that the Chiefs need and will likely be one of the best point-producing defensemen in the U.S. Division this season.
Goaltending
The Chiefs bring back the same goalie tandem from last season and will have one of the best tandems in the Western Conference.
Dawson Cowan
First is the Chiefs’ starting goalie, 2005-born Dawson Cowan. Cowan went undrafted but participated in the 2023 Kubota CHL Top Prospects Game and is gearing up for his third full WHL season.
He was ranked 5th among North American Goaltenders this past NHL Draft by NHL Central Scouting Services. Cowan became the starter last year during the second half of the season and led the Chiefs to the postseason after the Chiefs missed out on the playoffs in 2022/23. Cowan often makes highlight reel saves and is very agile and quick around the crease. He appeared in 43 games for Spokane last year, posting an 18-20-2-1 record with a .899 save percentage and 3.59 GAA. Cowan will be a big part of Spokane if they want to compete as a top-end team in the Western Conference.
Cooper Michaluk
Next up is now backup goalie Cooper Michaluk.
2005-born Michaluk will be the most reliable backup in the U.S. Division this year. If Cowan has a bad stretch of games, Michaluk can be relied on to get in a game and put up solid numbers. Michaluk shares a similar playstyle to Cowan and appeared in 28 games for the Chiefs last season. Michaluk went 12-12-3 with a .871 save percentage and a 4.49 GAA.
Carter Esler
Not every day is a goalie selected in the first round of the WHL Bantam Draft, but Carter Esler joined that club after being the last pick of the first round in the 2023 WHL Bantam Draft.
The Okotoks, Alberta native is only 5’9″ in the net, another rarity as a goalie. However, in this year’s preseason, the sixteen-year-old excelled and had a .938 Save Percentage and 2.18 GAA in three games.
Last season, as a fifteen-year-old, Esler played a few years up at the U18 level, playing 23 games for the AEHL’s Okotoks Oilers U18 AAA squad. Esler went 9-11-2 with a .911 save percentage and 3.57 GAA. If Esler continues his development trajectory, he will quickly become a premier goalie in the WHL and an NHL prospect in no time. Esler will likely compete with Cooper Michaluk for some games as the backup goalie this season.
Key Rookies
Spokane has some intriguing Rookies this season who could take the league by storm and immediately impact the lineup.
Mathis Preston
First up is the 2023 WHL Bantam Draft 3rd overall selection and high-flying forward Mathis Preston.
Preston appeared in five games for the Chiefs last year as an affiliate player and scored four goals, nearly a goal per game as a fifteen-year-old. He is an elite goal scorer with a quick release, a great shot, has really nice hands, and is an elite skater. Preston will immediately make waves in the Chiefs lineup. He also was the CSSHL U15 Player of the Year in his bantam draft year.
Preston spent most of last season as a fifteen-year-old with the CSSHL U18 Okanogan Hockey Academy. In 23 games, Preston had 51 total points, which included an impressive 31 goals. As Preston gears up for his rookie season in the WHL, he is a favorite to win the WHL rookie of the year.
Asanali Sarkenov
As stated earlier, Asanali Sarkenov is another rookie who just signed with the Chiefs out of Kazakhstan and went 20th overall in the 2024 CHL Import Draft.
Sarkenov, who stands at 6’4 “, is a very intimidating player and quick on the ice. Last season, Sarkenov played in Russia’s Junior Hockey League, the MHL, and posted 8 points in 42 games. The eighteen-year-old will be a valuable piece of depth to the forward group this season as he begins his first year in North America.
Brody Gillespie
Center Brody Gillespie, a Portland, Oregon native who went first overall in the 2023 WHL U.S. Prospects Draft, will join the Chiefs after a strong preseason and is a solid addition to this forward group.
Gillespie played three affiliate games for the Chiefs last season, not recording any points. He mainly played with Rink Hockey Academy Kelowna’s U18 squad in the CSSHL, where he recorded 33 points in 29 games. Gillespie brings strong skating skills and solid game sense to the lineup. In five preseason games, having three total points.
Overview
The Chiefs will take a step forward this season. Although Spokane has lost some big players, they are still replaced by prosperous, young, talented players who should enjoy breakout seasons. While also being led by one of the best current WHL players, Berkly Catton, and a formidable defensive core with three players with NHL rights. Paired with elite coaching in Braud Lauer, the Chiefs are a team on the rise in the WHL.
Make sure you stay locked on Area 51’s Blogs section for all the junior hockey coverage.
