The Tri-City Americans’ 2024/25 season has come to a close, ending with a first-round exit after losing to the Victoria Royals in five games. The season can best be described as a rollercoaster ride. While it concluded with a playoff berth, reflecting progress compared to last season, the ending was quite different from what many anticipated in early December when the Americans were nearly atop the standings after returning from an Eastern Conference road trip.
Tri-City finished the regular season with a record of 32-29-6-1 (71 points), placing them seventh in the Western Conference. They will have the ninth overall pick in the upcoming WHL Bantam Draft.
Hot Start
Tri-City struggled in their first five games, starting the season with a 1-3-1 record. However, something shifted, and the Americans went on a remarkable twelve-game winning streak, with ten of those victories coming at home. The streak began on Saturday, October 12th, against the Kamloops Blazers and ended with a 3-5 loss to the Prince Albert Raiders on the first game of the Eastern Conference Road trip on Friday, November 15th.
During the twelve-game run, Tri-City showcased some impressive comebacks, securing five of those wins in overtime. Notable comebacks included erasing a 4-1 deficit against the Kelowna Rockets to win 6-5 in regulation and overcoming a 4-2 deficit against the Edmonton Oil Kings, concluding with a Terrell Goldsmith overtime winner, also 6-5. The last victory in the winning streak saw the Americans trail 4-2 after the first period but rallied to win 6-5 in overtime, with defenseman Ismail Abogouche netting his first career WHL goal to help spark the comeback.
Throughout this twelve-game stretch, Tri-City consistently scored four or more goals in each game. However, this scoring pace could not be maintained throughout the season, particularly due to the number of goals conceded and struggles on the power play.
Steep Fall
From early December to the end of the regular season, Tri-City was among the poorest-performing teams in the WHL.
In December alone, the Americans recorded a dismal 1-5-1-1 record, suffering five consecutive regulation losses to close out the month. January saw a slight improvement with a record of 4-8-2, but a stark 10-2 loss at home against Wenatchee at the start of the month was a significant blow. The team’s performance had sharply declined, with goal scoring diminishing and unnecessary penalties increasing.
General Manager Bob Tory attempted to bolster the defense by acquiring Charlie Elick from the Brandon Wheat Kings near the trade deadline in early January. However, the removal of Jordan Gavin, the team’s second-best playmaker outside of Max Curran, drastically impacted goal scoring the rest of the season.
February provided a rebound with a 7-4 record, and the team appeared to be regaining its form.
Unfortunately, March saw the Americans revert to earlier struggles with a record of 2-6-2. The loss of Terrell Goldsmith for the rest of the season in mid-March following an unfortunate incident further weakened the team heading into the playoffs. Had the Americans performed better in March, they could have secured the fifth seed, instead of facing Victoria, who proved to be the toughest opponent the Americans encountered among the Western Conference this season.
Top Forwards
Tri-City scored twenty-eight more goals than the previous season, largely driven by the contributions from younger players like Gavin Garland in the first half and Savin Virk in the second half, alongside Colorado Avalanche prospect Max Curran.
Max Curran had his first full season after missing the entire second half of his rookie campaign due to injury. Curran finished as the team’s leading scorer with 74 points, doubling his previous season’s total of 32 points. Curran improved his two-way game during the offseason, and it showed this season. Not only did Curran develop his two-way play that would be crucial for him in the pro game, but Curran also increased his total from five goals as a rookie to twenty-two in his second season, showcasing his scoring talent that he had in Czechia. Curran is poised to be the team’s standout forward next year, barring any return to Czechia.
Gavin Garland, an eighteen-year-old rookie who came to the Americans from the Calgary Canucks of the AJHL, had a solid debut season, recording 42 points in 54 games. However, his performance could have been even better. Garland was among the top contributors in many forward categories for the Americans in the first half of the season, but his production slowed significantly in the second half.
He is ranked as the 201st best North American skater by NHL Central Scouting heading into the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. Garland showcased some lightning-quick speed and playmaking ability throughout the season. If Garland can work on his physical game throughout the offseason, he will be an even bigger force to be reckoned with next season.
Savin Virk, the Michigan State commit who signed with Tri-City, in mid-November following the CHL and NCAA Agreement, made an instant impact on the team with a breakout year.
The Surrey native had twenty-two goals, putting him fourth on the Americans in fifty games, and twenty-four assists for forty-six total points as just a seventeen-year-old rookie. Virk is a very sneaky forward whose best perk is how he positions himself and will only be even more dangerous next season. Virk always seems to slip by opposing Defenders to get in a spot for a good look and always has a few chances every game, bringing consistency to the offensive side. The former third-round pick of Tri-City back in 2023 is now ranked as the 121st best North American skater by NHL Central Scouting in the upcoming NHL Draft.
Captain Jake Sloan left it all out on the ice in his last season as an American. In his fifth year with Tri-City, Sloan put up a new career high point total with seventy-three, three more than last season. During the season, Sloan committed to play at Bowling Green in the NCAA along with fellow overage forward Brandon Whynott.
Sloan, a big forward who had his say in board battles and was hard to box out net-front, made him a dangerous forward at this level. He never seemed to tap into his skating ability over his WHL Career, which held him back. Sloan was an excellent leader on the ice and had a great impact off the ice as well and will be missed in Tri-City.
Top Defenseman
Tri-City arguably had one of the best group of defensemen in the WHL post-trade deadline, but injuries held the group back from all playing together for the majority of that second half. The group was full of large, physical defenseman who were not afraid at all of physicality.
Jackson Smith was easily the best defenseman on the Americans and player without a doubt, and one of the top in the WHL. He is the soul of this team, leading the charge as the quarterback on the power play and getting plenty of touches and all the minutes. Jackson Smith had a career year with fifty-four points in his second year in the WHL. He is a very mobile and excellent skater, along with great size, he flashes a superb shot, and if Smith has the puck, anything is possible, along with some spurts of physicality.
Smith defensively does a good job of keeping skaters to the outside, but that is still the biggest part of his game that he must work on simply. He is easily the best prospect to come out of Tri-City since goaltender Carey Price. Currently, Smith is ranked 13th among North American Skaters by NHL Central Scouting in his first draft-eligible year and is an absolute treat to watch.
If Smith does return next season, he will be arguably the top defenseman in the WHL.
Next up is Terrell Goldsmith, a very hard-nosed defenseman who is always looking for contact and is easily the most physical player in the league. Goldsmith had a great first year in Tri-City and even signed his ELC with the Utah Hockey Club, now Utah Mammoth of the NHL, in mid-October. Nobody in the WHL would want to look up and see Terrell Goldsmith defending with his bone-crushing hits and physicality. Goldsmith had his best year yet, only improving by a point in his season total with sixteen while playing ten fewer games. Goldsmith did finish with the best +/- among defenseman on the team with an eight.
An injury late in the year forced Goldsmith out for the rest of the year, and it is questionable if Utah will send him to the pros or return him to Tri-City for another year as an overager.
Charlie Elick was a trade deadline acquisition from the Brandon Wheat Kings, but his time with Tri-City did stand out. Elick throughout the second half of the season was a great watch as his confidence slowly gained after a very weak first half with the Brandon Wheat Kings. He is a very large defenseman at 6’4, who is extremely mobile and is physical as well, and just a great defenseman in front of the net.
Charlie Elick in 33 games with Tri-City had only eight points, but it felt like he could have had a lot more, as he did a lot of good things with the puck and had some power-play minutes. Elick will be a vital part of the defense next season, much like how he was this year.
Special Teams
One thing Tri-City did not improve upon at all this year was the power play. Stu Barnes is still scratching his head on how this power play can get back to the way it was in 2022/23 when the Americans possessed one of the best power plays at home.
During small spurts in the second half, it would look like the power play would be coming together, just for it to fall apart again. Tri-City finished with the worst power play in the Western Conference and third worst in the league at 17.4%. That is down 1.6% from last season and just under 10% from two seasons ago. Tri-City certainly has the players to house a good power play with the likes of Jackson Smith, Savin Virk, Jake Sloan, Max Curran, and others. Unfortunately, things just did not click on the ice as it seemed like the Americans struggled to gain opposing teams’ zones and take higher quality shots.
However, the penalty kill was another story.
Tri-City, following the first half of the season, had one of the top penalty kills in the league. But in the second half, unnecessary penalties started to rise, which led to more penalty kills and more goals allowed, and the Penalty Kill took a slight dip as a result. On the year, Tri-City finished 77.4% on the Penalty Kill, which is up 6% from last season. Adding Charlie Elick, Terrell Goldsmith, and Jaxen Adam can be linked to this team’s penalty kill success.
Prospect Outlook
Overall, this was a very positive year for the Americans, and the outlook is even brighter when considering some prospects who are likely to join the team next season.
Defenseman Aden Bouchard, surprisingly selected third overall in the 2024 WHL Bantam Draft, will be joining the Americans for his first eligible season next year and will add to the already strong blue line in Tri-City.
Bouchard participated in one regular season game and one playoff game for Tri-City, but did not record any points. Bouchard spent most of the year with the Calgary IHA U18 Prep team, where he had an impressive year, recording thirty-three points in thirty-three games, including seven points in three playoff games, all at just fifteen years old.
Another defenseman prospect likely to join the team next season is David Byrne. He spent his sixteen-year-old season with the Calgary Canucks of the AJHL, who recently won the 2025 Inter Pipeline Cup for the second consecutive year. In forty games, Byrne contributed thirteen points, and in the playoffs, he played ten games, recording two points. Byrne played a few games for the Americans at the end of the 2023/24 season; he is a mobile defenseman who could provide additional depth to the Americans’ blue line next year.
One last defenseman who will likely join the team is seventeen-year-old Dylan LeBret. LeBret signed with Tri-City on May 13th, and his rights were acquired from the Regina Pats in January. Dylan is the former third overall selection in the 2023 WHL US Prospects Draft. He spent last year with the Shattuck St. Mary’s U18 team, who are widely recognized as one of the best Prep Hockey schools in the United States. LeBret played in 72 games for Shattuck St. Mary and recorded 45 total points as a Defenseman. LeBret is also committed to playing at the University of Maine following his Junior Career.
Carter Kingerski, a sixteen-year-old forward, is expected to join the Americans for his WHL rookie season this fall. Kingerski played for the Winnipeg Freeze of the MJHL as a sixteen-year-old this season, which is considered Junior A hockey, and tallied thirty points in forty-six games. Kingerski made his WHL debut with Tri-City during the second game of the season against the Victoria Royals, though he did not record any points in that appearance.
Mason Mykichuk, a native of East St. Paul, Manitoba, played three games for the Americans during the season as a sixteen-year-old. He primarily played for the Winnipeg Thrashers at the U18 level, where he appeared in thirty-three games and recorded a remarkable sixty points. Mykichuk possesses a great shot at a young age, making him a player to watch in the coming years in the WHL.
Crew Martinson is another forward prospect that Tri-City fans will likely come to admire over the next few years. The twenty-fourth overall selection in the 2024 WHL Bantam Draft, Martinson turned sixteen at the end of last April and is expected to join the team full-time next season after playing three affiliate games for the Americans during the 2024/25 season. There is a lot to like about Martinson; even in his affiliate games, he displayed a strong 200-foot game and an impressive work ethic.
The Americans will be a younger team next year in terms of forwards, unless trades are made, but they possess a lot of potential. With two import slots open after the departure of Matecha, and with CHL teams now allowed to carry three import players instead of two, the Americans may look to add an older import forward in the upcoming CHL Import Draft and potentially make some trades.
Departures
Tri-City will lose a bundle of players, as they do every year. However, the four players guaranteed not to return to the Toyota Center following the end of this season were very impactful.
First on the list is Team MVP and goaltender Lukas Matecha.
Matecha played two full seasons with the Tri-City Americans after being selected 99th overall in the 2023 CHL Import Draft. He certainly did not disappoint for where he was chosen. Throughout his time with the Americans, he participated in 84 regular-season games, achieving a record of 39 wins, 35 losses, 4 overtime losses, and 2 shootout losses. Matechas statistics included a 3.50 goals-against average (GAA) and a .900 save percentage. Matecha proved to be a reliable goaltender, often facing the highest number of shots per game among WHL goaltenders, and he consistently gave his all in every start.
Matecha has officially signed to play for HC Dynamo Pardubice’s B Team in the Czech second division next season, where he will begin his pro career at the age of 20. It was certainly some big shoes for Matecha to fill after Czechia World Junior Star Tomas Suchanek departed Tri-City a few seasons ago. But Lukas Matecha was ready for the challenge and always gave the Americans their best chance to win whenever he was in net and proved to be a steal in the import draft a few years ago.
Next is Captain Jake Sloan who, as stated, completed his last year of Junior hockey eligibility and spent all five seasons with the Tri-City Americans after being a former third-round pick of Tri-City in 2019.
Sloan was the embodiment of what it meant to be an American. Sloan was an excellent leader on and off the ice. He played five seasons with the Americans and played in 277 Games across the Regular season and Postseason. Sloan accumulated 247 Career Points over that time frame. Jake is now committed to play at Bowling Green this fall.
The next forward that will be departing as mentioned a few times is Brandon Whynott.
Whynott joined the club in early August of 2023 after being traded to Tri-City from Calgary in exchange for a 2024 fifth-round pick. Brandon played in 135 games for the Americans and had a total of 95 points across two seasons, including the playoffs. Whynott is a bigger forward who has a gritty play style. He wasn’t afraid of laying a hit and had some solid speed, along with a very nice shot. Whynott has also committed to play hockey at Bowling Green of the NCAA with Jake Sloan.
One final player that will be sent packing is Carter MacAdams.
MacAdams spent a little over a season and a half in Tri-City, as Tri-City would be his last destination and third team that MacAdams played for in the WHL. MacAdams played for the Prince George Cougars and Calgary Hitmen before joining the Americans. In his time with the Americans, MacAdams proved to be one of the more intelligent players on the ice for the Americans, along with showcasing some excellent playmaking skills. In 112 games with the Americans, MacAdams put up 71 total points. MacAdams is committed to playing Hockey at Northern Michigan University in the NCAA now that he has aged out of the WHL.
Overview
Tri-City had a great year considering everything and you can’t take that away from them after the disaster of a 2023/24 season. Although the Americans did not finish where many thought they would in late November, the team’s outlook still looks great heading into next season. The Americans got some valuable playoff experience as there was next to none on this year’s squad, which will prove important for next season.
Offensively, Tri-City will return seven of the top ten points finishers on the team, along with Max Curran notably who had the most points on the team. Cash Koch, and Cruz Pavao will likely take large steps next season. Savin Virk, who is perhaps the most dangerous shooter on the Americans, will be back as well. Tri-City will only look even better offensively with the young prospects joining the squad as well, who looked great in their limited time with the team this season.
With the premier defenseman on the team, Jackson Smith, Austin Zemlak, and Charlie Elick likely to come back, the Americans will hold arguably the top defense in the WHL. Along with some very talented prospects on the blue line in Aden Bouchard and Dylan LeBret. Terrell Goldsmith returning is still up in the air, but if he does, it will only be the cherry on top for Tri-City.
In net, Ryan Grout is the only confirmed Goaltender to be back, whose numbers were very deceiving this year with a 4.42 GAA, a .874 save percentage in twelve appearances, and 2-7-2 record. Grout played exceptionally well for the situations he was put in as a rookie netminder at only seventeen, and this first year of experience will only help him even more as he begins his first full season with the Americans next year. More than likely, Tri-City will add a second goalie from the import draft coming up on July 2nd.
The Americans will take another step forward next season; however, the significance of that step is unclear. With the players that are more than likely to return, Tri-City could and should be one of the better teams in the Western Conference next year, with the premier defense, and exciting young offense and goaltending to look forward to.
While the season may be over for the Americans, keep it tuned in on Area 51 for offseason news.
