Tri-City Americans 2026-27 Season Preview

The Tri-City Americans have finished their preseason and are now reducing their roster for next Saturday’s season opener at home against the Spokane Chiefs. This is the first time since the 2021/22 season that they will start their season at home.

Tri-City missed the playoffs last season, finishing with a 26-36-5-1 record after a nightmare second half in which they won just one game across February and March. Now, the Americans will look to put that disappointing finish behind them and get back into the postseason picture.

A common theme for Tri-City this decade has been missing the playoffs one year and making them the next. We’ll see if that trend continues this season.

This season, perhaps more than any other in recent memory, is going to be as unpredictable as it gets.

With the amount of roster movement across the league following the NCAA agreement, more East Coast players are making their way to the WHL, while players who may never have played in the league previously are now deciding to come play in it.

The most extreme example may be the Swift Current Broncos, who brought more than 100 players to camp. Right now, it’s difficult to know which teams will emerge as legitimate contenders.

It will likely take around 20 games before we can make any real predictions about potential championship contenders or even playoff teams. With so many new players across the league, it is simply too difficult to know what each team will be capable of right away.

Tri-City has made a few changes of its own, both on the roster and in management.

Staff

Tri-City will bring back all three coaches from last season. If you’re a Tri-City fan, you’re already familiar with the first two.

Head coach Jody Hull returns for his second season behind the bench. Overall, this will be Hull’s 21st season coaching in junior hockey. As a player, Hull appeared in more than 830 NHL games with six different teams.

Hull took over after Tri-City Americans legend Stu Barnes spent five years behind the bench as head coach. Up until February, Hull had done a solid job with the team in front of him. With an improved roster this season, he’ll look to take another step forward with the group while learning from the difficult finish to last season.

Not all of the blame can be placed on Hull, though, for the second half meltdown that took place.

The team seemed to snowball after losing its most energetic player, Cash Koch, and a major leader on the blue line, Carter Savage. It tested the resiliency of a young group, and the players simply weren’t able to pass the test.

Aiding Hull will be associate coach T.J. Millar. Millar has been around Tri-City for quite some time and will begin his fifth year in that role with the team. Millar is a former product of the Toronto Maple Leafs Coaching Development Program.

In his second year with the team will be assistant coach Ben Assad. Assad is still early in his coaching career. Before coming to Tri-City, he spent two seasons as an assistant coach with the Canmore Eagles of the Alberta Junior Hockey League.

Upstairs, however, Tri-City has a new assistant general manager who should excite fans.

For the past seven years, Roy Stasiuk served as Tri-City’s assistant general manager and head scout. Following the 2025/26 season, Stasiuk stepped down from those roles.

In his place, Tri-City hired Cal Filson. Filson most recently worked as a scout for the Chicago Blackhawks for three seasons. Before that, he spent 14 years with the Seattle Thunderbirds, serving as director of player personnel for eight of those seasons.

Filson was heavily involved with the Seattle teams that won WHL Championships in 2017 and 2023.

Simply put, Filson has been around the game for a very long time. He knows what it takes to build a winning team and has a strong track record of doing exactly that. His addition should be considered a major upgrade for the Americans.

Bob Tory, the general manager, is back again to round out the management group. The two-time Executive of the Year is now entering his 27th year with the organization.

Tory has been a WHL general manager since 1994/95 and is one of the most accomplished executives in league history. During his tenure, he has won two WHL Championships, while his scouting career dates all the way back to 1982/83.

Departures

With the new landscape of junior hockey, there is more player movement than ever before. Tri-City has lost several quality players this summer to the NCAA, professional hockey, and trades.

Here’s a look at the most notable players who will not be returning for the 2026/27 season.

Charlie Elick

Elick, the headlining defenseman on Tri-City’s roster last season, is one of the team’s biggest departures.

Elick is signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets and will likely spend the season with the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL.

During his time in Tri-City, the Americans tried just about everything they could to tap into Elick’s offensive potential. For the most part, though, that production never fully translated to the scoresheet.

Tri-City acquired Elick at the 2025 trade deadline in exchange for Jordan Gavin. When you look at how both players produced following the trade, it was a fairly even swap, as both teams got what they wanted out of the deal.

In 101 games with Tri-City, Elick recorded 30 total points. His best season with the Americans was 20 points, and he was unable to surpass the career-high 27 points he recorded with Brandon during his draft year in 2023/24.

Still, Elick was a top-line defenseman who could be found everywhere on the ice, regardless of the situation. His physical tools were impressive. He was a very mobile defenseman with excellent size.

Savin Virk

Virk was one of two players known to have requested a trade this summer.

His move came in August, when he was sent to Victoria in a blockbuster deal that saw Tri-City acquire Eli McKamey, a first-round import pick in 2027, and a 2030 third-round bantam draft pick.

Virk was originally selected by Tri-City in the third round of the 2022 Bantam Draft.

Ever since signing with Tri-City early in the 2024/25 season, Virk had been the Americans’ most lethal goal scorer. Across 121 games, including the playoffs, he scored 50 goals.

In his final season with Tri-City, Virk played 66 games and led the team with 65 points. He is committed to Michigan State and is entering his final season of junior hockey on a loaded Victoria Royals team.

Although he went undrafted in the NHL Draft, Virk will be one of the premier goal scorers in the league this season and will be greatly missed by Tri-City.

The Americans desperately tried to improve their forward group this summer after finishing second-to-last in the WHL in goal scoring last season. Losing Virk through trade certainly doesn’t make that task any easier.

Gavin Garland

Another top-end forward for Tri-City will not return.

Garland spent two seasons with the Americans and, in his most recent campaign, finished third on the team in scoring. In 127 games with Tri-City, he recorded 89 total points.

Garland was always a solid playmaker and appeared on NHL draft boards as a potential seventh-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft but ultimately went undrafted.

Garland has decided to make the jump to the NCAA and will join Ferris State for the upcoming season. Although his production could be inconsistent at times, he would have been a valuable player to have around as an overage player.

Cash Koch

The third forward I’ll discuss is Cash Koch.

Koch was easily the most intense and energetic player Tri-City has had this decade. He brought his best effort every shift and quickly became a fan favorite.

Koch was another player who requested a trade. You never want to keep a player around who isn’t completely committed to being there, so Tri-City dealt him to Vancouver in exchange for a first-round pick.

Away from the puck, Koch was outstanding, but his offensive production never matched the impact he had on the game. His best season came as a 16-year-old, when he recorded 23 points in 68 games. This past season, he was limited to just 16 points in 41 games after being shut down following an injury in late January.

Getting a first-round pick for that level of statistical production is a great return, but Koch will be a difficult player to play against now that he’s in Vancouver. He was already a constant nuisance for opposing teams in Tri-City.

Koch is also likely entering his final year of junior hockey, as he is committed to the University of New Hampshire.

Carter Savage

The final key defenseman not returning is former alternate captain Carter Savage.

A longtime member of the Americans, Savage played 226 games over five seasons with Tri-City. He was originally selected by the team in the sixth round of the 2020 Bantam Draft.

Savage’s overage season came to an abrupt end late in the year after a nasty injury along the boards. Despite that, he still posted career-best numbers with 14 points in 49 games.

Savage was the definition of a defensive defenseman. He was a reliable presence throughout all five years with the organization. You always knew what you were getting from him, and that consistency made him a valuable player to this team.

He was also an important leader in the room and will be missed on the blue line this season.

Connor Dale

Arguably the biggest surprise of the 2025/26 Tri-City Americans was waiver pickup Connor Dale, a journeyman who was joining his fifth team in the WHL.

After injuries to start the year, a young and struggling Tri-City team needed an older forward to step in, and Dale did exactly that.

He provided electric speed and routinely used it to dust defenders and create a plethora of offensive chances. Breakaways and two-on-ones became a regular part of his game.

Before joining Tri-City, Dale’s best season was 17 points in 49 games. During his overage season, he played 60 games for the Americans and exploded for 55 points.

That’s more than three times his previous career high.

Dale finished second on the team in scoring and is now headed to Merrimack for college hockey.

Forwards

The forward room took a significant hit with the departures of Gavin Garland, Savin Virk, Cash Koch, and Connor Dale.

However, Tri-City made plenty of additions this summer to offset those losses, and the forward group now looks more talented than any other group the Americans have had this decade. They do have a young group, though, and that will be the biggest question mark heading into the season.

Here are the players who could make the biggest impact up front.

David Huk

Leading the way has to be David Huk, the 12th overall selection in the CHL Import Draft.

Huk is already being projected as a potential late first-round pick in several NHL mock drafts for the upcoming draft. He should have an immediate impact in Tri-City and has the potential to be all over the scoreboard.

After watching him throughout preseason and camp, Huk looks like he could be worth the price of admission on his own.

Last season, Huk played in a difficult Swedish Junior Hockey League, one of the better junior leagues in Europe. As a 17-year-old, he recorded 15 points in 27 games with Linköping HC. He also spent some time with the U18 team.

Huk has plenty of international experience as well. He represented Czechia at the Youth Olympic Games and, most recently, played at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, widely regarded as the premier U18 tournament in the world.

Tri-City fans should be excited to have a player of his caliber this season. His playmaking ability should give the Americans another dangerous offensive weapon.

The only question is how quickly he adapts to the North American style of play. Given his skill set, however, he should have little trouble making the adjustment. He has already shown that in camp, although camp is much different than the regular season.

Eli McKamey

McKamey, a North Dakota commit mentioned earlier, came to Tri-City in the Savin Virk trade and will look to take the next step in his development.

At the time of the 2024 WHL Draft, McKamey was considered the second-best player available behind Landon DuPont, but fell to the second round because of his desire to pursue the NCAA route.

Although he did not receive exceptional status in the WHL, McKamey became the first player in BCHL history to receive exceptional status. As a 15-year-old in the BCHL, he was spectacular, recording 31 points in 52 games.

With the CHL/NCAA agreement, McKamey made the jump to the WHL as a 16-year-old. For the first time in his career, though, he struggled.

McKamey was coming off an injury and didn’t begin playing until late November. Without preseason games and with teams already in the rhythm of the regular season, he was behind from the start. He was also just 16 years old.

With Victoria, McKamey appeared in 48 games and recorded 17 points.

In Tri-City, McKamey should have every opportunity to make an impact with top-line minutes and time on the power play. He has the talent to become a premier player in this league.

The question is whether he can finally take that next step. He will certainly have every opportunity to do so in Tri-City.

Cruz Pavao

Pavao enters his third season as a Tri-City American. The former 13th overall pick of the 2023 WHL Draft has improved in each season he has been in the league, and I expect that trend to continue as he enters his second draft-eligible season.

Pavao went from scoring 10 goals as a rookie to 21 goals in his 17-year-old season, while also recording 43 points in 64 games.

The Merrimack commit has always been a goal scorer at heart. You could see that from the beginning, when he joined Tri-City as a 15-year-old affiliate player during the 2023/24 season and scored five goals in just eight games.

Pavao is a high-compete forward who has shown impressive growth throughout his time in the WHL. It’s reasonable to expect him to challenge for the team lead in goals this season.

He finished third on the team with 21 goals last season, and it isn’t a stretch to believe he could score the most on the team this year and push into the high 20s.

David Krcal

The Tri-City Americans will be counting on their imports to play a major role this season, and the import that has the most to prove out of the three is David Krcal.

Selected 37th overall by the Americans in the 2025 CHL Import Draft, Krcal arrived in North America with plenty of offensive expectations. The Czech forward had been brought in with the hope that he could immediately provide scoring depth and become an important piece of Tri-City’s attack.

Instead, his first season in the WHL proved to be a difficult adjustment.

Krcal ended his first season with only 17 points in 66 games, which was below expectations for a player picked 37th overall in the import draft. Moving from European hockey to North American hockey can be difficult due to differences in speed, physicality, ice size, and playing style.

For Krcal, that adjustment period appeared to take its toll throughout the season.

Now entering his second year in North America, Krcal has an opportunity to put that experience behind him and show why the Americans invested a 37th-overall selection in him.

Unfortunately, his second season hasn’t gotten off to an ideal start.

During day one of Tri-City’s main camp, Krcal suffered a shoulder injury after an altercation with Ben Oliverio during a scrimmage.

The incident occurred after Krcal had scored a goal and Ben Oliverio hawked him down after the faceoff and jumped him. As a result, Krcal is expected to miss time at the beginning of the season as he recovers from what appears to be some sort of shoulder injury.

Krcal still possesses the offensive ability that made him an attractive selection in the first place, and a full season of adjustment should give him a better foundation to build from. If he can return healthy and regain his confidence, there is reason to believe his production could take a significant step forward.

The Americans will need that improvement.

With Tri-City looking to get meaningful contributions from its import players, Krcal has the potential to become one of the team’s more dangerous offensive weapons. His rookie season may not have gone according to plan, but Year 2 offers him a chance to reset the narrative.

When Krcal eventually returns to the lineup, all eyes will be on whether the lessons from his difficult rookie season translate into production. If they do, the Americans could have a much more impactful player on their hands.

Defense

Defensively, Tri-City returns five of its seven defensemen from last season, which is a major plus as defense will remain a strength of this team heading into 2026/27.

Jakub Vanecek

Vanecek headlined the Tri-City blue line alongside Charlie Elick last season. With Elick moving on, Vanecek enters 2026/27 as the premier defenseman on the roster.

The Dallas Stars selected Vanecek in the second round of this past summer’s NHL Draft, and his impact was felt in all situations last season. He became a key piece of Tri-City’s power play and five-on-five units, scoring four power-play goals, tied for second-most on the team and the most among Tri-City defensemen.

Vanecek’s first season in North America was a success. After arriving from Czechia, he played in 59 games and scored 35 points, demonstrating solid two-way skills. His ability to transition the puck was clear, as he often showed the confidence and skating skills to carry the puck up the ice and generate offense.

His play earned him a spot at the World Juniors, where he was the youngest player on Team Czechia’s roster.

After looking comfortable from the moment he arrived in North America, Vanecek should be one of the biggest players to watch on this year’s Americans team.

Vanecek is committed to Western Michigan University following his junior career.

Dylan LeBret

The Mead, Washington, native made an immediate impact last season, scoring Tri-City’s first goal of the season. From there, LeBret remained one of the most dependable defensemen on the roster throughout the entire season.

LeBret was arguably Tri-City’s most consistent defenseman in 2025/26, appearing in all 68 games.

He finished the season with 19 points, but his value went well beyond the scoresheet. His consistency and reliability were reminiscent of Carter Savage’s game, only with a little more offensive ability.

Now entering his 19-year-old season, the University of Maine commit should have an opportunity to play alongside Vanecek on Tri-City’s top pairing.

The Americans acquired his rights from Regina in January 2025 for a 2027 fourth-round pick and a 2027 ninth-round pick. Considering the role he has developed into, that price now looks like a bargain.

Aden Bouchard

Bouchard is one of the biggest question marks entering this season after the former third overall pick struggled during his rookie year, but you can’t deny that the talent is there.

Confidence appeared to be one of Bouchard’s biggest challenges last season. If he can overcome mental roadblocks, he has the potential to become the kind of player Tri-City thought they were getting when they selected him third overall in the 2024 WHL Draft.

If Bouchard can gain confidence with the puck, become more effective in transition, and add that extra bit of aggressiveness to his game, he can take a significant step forward in his development.

The talent is there for him to become a good defenseman, but it will come down to whether he can put everything together.

Last season, Bouchard recorded just five points in 56 games and finished with a staggering -25 +/-.

There were signs of improvement in the second half of the season, as Bouchard appeared to become more comfortable as the year went on. That’s an encouraging sign heading into this season, and if he can build off that confidence, he has a chance to make bigger contributions.

I don’t expect Bouchard to suddenly score a lot this season, but I do think his performance will improve from last year. For him, this season is more about demonstrating he can play consistently at the talent level that got him picked third overall.

Goaltending

For the second straight year, Tri-City will have Ryan Grout and Xavier Wendt as its goaltending tandem, and it could arguably be one of the best tandems in the league if Grout can figure things out.

Last season, Wendt, as a rookie, stole the starting job from Grout and posted some of the best numbers in the league through the first half of the season. He cooled off somewhat in the second half, but the team in front of him certainly didn’t give him the best chance to succeed on many nights.

Wendt appeared in 43 games, posting a 3.25 GAA, a .905 save percentage, and an 18-20-3 record. He might not be the tallest goaltender, but he makes up for it in just about every other area of his game.

Wendt possesses excellent positioning and a high hockey IQ. He consistently makes strong reads, tracks the puck well, and has impressive edge work that allows him to get into position quickly.

He was one of the goaltenders I was most surprised to see go undrafted in the 2026 NHL Draft. If he takes another step forward this season, Wendt should put himself firmly in the conversation for the NHL Draft.

Following training camp in Tri-City, Wendt was invited to the Pittsburgh Penguin’s prospect tournament and also attended the Penguin’s summer development camp.

Wendt also made some history last season, becoming just the 11th goaltender in WHL history to score a goal. He also recorded his first career shutout in the process with a 4-0 victory over the dead-last Swift Current Broncos.

Wendt was the first Tri-City Americans goaltender to score a goal since NHL legend Olaf Kolzig did it for Tri-City all the way back in 1989.

I expect Wendt to get a majority of the games, as he enters the season as the clear-cut number one goalie.

The other goaltender who will be called upon is Ryan Grout, who enters his second full season in the WHL after joining Tri-City during the 2024/25 season.

Grout has struggled in the WHL, something he had not done at any other level of hockey before arriving in Tri-City.

In the BCHL, across his 16-year-old season and the beginning of his 17-year-old season before joining the Americans, Grout went 19-7-2 with a 2.30 GAA and a .920 save percentage. To put it simply, he dominated.

Before the BCHL, Grout played in the CSSHL, where he never posted a save percentage below .920. From 2021/22 through 2022/23, he lost just two games across two seasons.

The WHL, however, has been a completely different story.

Grout enters this season with a career 10-23-5 record, a 4.11 GAA, and a .877 save percentage. He will hopefully be saving his best for last, as this is likely his final season of junior hockey before he heads off to the NCAA.

Whether Grout has made significant strides in his game remains to be seen, but his WHL tenure has been disappointing to this point.

There is, however, an argument that Grout simply hasn’t been given enough consistent opportunities. According to Elite Prospects, last season’s 30 appearances were the most he had played in a single season across his CSSHL, BCHL, and WHL career.

Maybe Grout simply needs more time to settle in and establish himself with consistent playing time. But goaltending is different from developing a young defenseman or forward. You can’t afford to struggle for an extended period of time while you figure things out. At some point, a team has to turn to the goaltender who gives them the best chance to win.

A 10-23-5 record, 4.11 GAA, and .877 save percentage simply isn’t good enough.

That makes this season particularly important for Grout. Not just for his career, but also because a strong second goaltender would give Tri-City one of the more reliable tandems in the WHL if Wendt goes through a rough stretch.

Promising Rookies

Quite a few promising rookies are joining the club this year, as Tri-City is very young up front. I mainly wanted to focus on the 16- and 17-year-old rookies who I believe could become big contributors to this team in the years to come.

There are quite a few young rookie forwards from Minnesota who I think will contribute, but I selected these three as my favorite rookies to watch this season.

Ben Oliverio

Oliverio is an ultra-competitive forward who could become a new fan favorite in the same way Cash Koch was, as he has a very similar style of play.

Oliverio was taken ninth overall by Tri-City in the 2025 WHL Draft, and throughout camp and the preseason, he has looked great.

Ben has a high motor, is quick, physical, and can score. To put it simply, he is not going to be a fun player to play against, especially as he gets older and stronger.

Last season, Oliverio played 36 games with the Calgary Northstars U18 AAA team and recorded 47 points, including 23 goals. He also had an eye-opening 114 penalty minutes. In the playoffs, he turned it up another notch, recording 14 points in 12 games.

Oliverio will hopefully turn out to be a top forward for the next few years for this club, and I expect him to help this team out quite a bit in his rookie campaign.

Lukasz McIsaac

The brother of former longtime Spokane Chiefs defenseman Will McIsaac, Lukasz begins his first full season in the WHL at 17 years old. He will still carry the rookie tag this season despite beginning last year with the team.

McIsaac appeared in four games for Tri-City last season, recording no points and a minus-1 rating before being sent back down to Calgary IHA’s U18 Prep team. In Calgary, he recorded seven points in 23 games.

The 2024 third-round pick of Tri-City is a hard-working defenseman. Although he doesn’t show up much on the scoresheet, when you watch him play, his defensive abilities stand out.

I expect McIsaac to see plenty of time on the third pairing this season and potentially establish himself as a reliable player.

In his short stint with Tri-City last season, I thought he held his own against both Everett and Spokane, which is an encouraging sign heading into this year.

Owen Kraft

Kraft is another young forward that Tri-City brought in after acquiring his rights from Wenatchee over the summer in exchange for two third-round picks.

The 16-year-old is quite small at 5-foot-6, but he has a superb shot and is an unbelievably skilled offensive player who could become a great scorer for Tri-City down the road.

Owen’s brother, Mason, played for the Wenatchee Wild and is likely headed to the NCAA this season.

There isn’t much information on Owen’s statistics online, but watching him in person, you can tell that he has a knack for scoring goals. He scored twice for Tri-City during the preseason in five games.

Although he might not be a major producer this season, I expect him to help the bottom six if he is playing and give Tri-City more balanced scoring throughout the lineup.

Much like the other young Minnesota forwards who have joined the team, such as Brock Cheslock and Evan Wanner, players like Kraft can take some of the pressure off the top-six forwards from having to do all the work offensively.

Uncertainty

The biggest question entering this season is simple: How will this offense do?

Tri-City lost four of its top five scorers from last season in terms of points, and on top of that, there are several players from last season up front who might not be back with the team.

The forward group is going to look completely revamped.

With that many new faces and rookies in one group, you simply don’t know what you’re going to get. That’s why the forwards are easily the biggest question mark entering the season.

That’s not to say there isn’t talent. In fact, I think this could be the most talented forward group Tri-City has had this decade. The question is whether they can build chemistry and produce together, or whether it will turn into another struggle like we saw last season.

How far this team goes in the standings will largely depend on the forwards. You have the defense and goaltending to compete. If this team can become strong offensively and finish in the top half of the league in scoring, I believe they can be a playoff team.

The forwards arguably have the most talent of the three position groups, but they are also the youngest, least experienced, and most unproven. If that talent comes together quickly, Tri-City could surprise some people. If it doesn’t, this team could find itself in another difficult season.

Where do they finish?

Take this prediction with a grain of salt. Right now, projecting where Tri-City finishes is just not ideal given how the league is this year and how junior hockey is overall, but this is my best guess.

Based on the overall feel of the roster and the movement around the league, I think a seventh-place finish in the Western Conference would be reasonable. That would represent a slight improvement over last year.

The goaltending should be among the best in the league, and I expect the defense to be good as well. If Tri-City can score, I believe the Americans can be a playoff team.

One thing is certain, though; whether they finish first or last, you’re watching the future of hockey and one of the more talented teams Tri-City has put on the ice in the past few years.

Tri-City is rising slowly, and this season should be another step toward becoming a top team in the Western Conference.

Projected Roster

Watching the main camp closely and preseason play, this is my projected roster for opening night. This is merely a prediction.

IL designates a player who will start the season on the injured list and won’t play right away.

R designates a player who is a rookie in the WHL.

(OA) designates a player as an overager.

Birth Year is to the left of the player.

Forwards

2006 – Grady Martin (OA)
2007 – David Krcal (IL)
2008 – Cruz Pavao
2008 – David Huk (R)
2008 – Brock Cheslock (R)
2009 – Ryan Sadovia (IL) (R)
2009 – Evan Wanner (R)
2009 – Eli McKamey
2009 – Seth Garofalo (R)
2009 – Crew Martinson
2009 – Alexander Laing
2009 – Trae Peterson(R)
2010 – Owen Kraft (R)
2010 – Ben Oliverio (R)
2010 – Justin Moon (R)

Defense

2007 – Jaxen Adam
2007 – Dylan LeBret
2008 – Jakub Vanecek
2008 – David Byrne
2009 – Carter Bylycia (R)
2009 – Lukasz McIsaac (R)
2009 – Aden Bouchard

Goaltending

2007 – Ryan Grout
2008 – Xavier Wendt