Steve Hamilton Leads Everett to 7-2 Memorial Cup WHL Title
The Everett Silvertips won the memorial cup race through the WHL by beating the Prince Albert Raiders 7-2 in Game 5 and taking the 2026 WHL Championship Series presented by Nutrien. The victory gave Everett the Ed Chynoweth Cup and the first WHL championship in franchise history.
Steve Hamilton and Shea Busch
Shea Busch scored three goals in the clinching game, giving Everett the finishing touch in a series that ended after five games. Steve Hamilton guided the Silvertips to the title in his first WHL championship as a head coach.
Hamilton had already won league championships as an assistant in 2012 and as an associate coach in 2014 with the Edmonton Oil Kings, and he added another with a team that arrived in the final after a short postseason path. Everett swept the Portland Winterhawks in four games in the opening round, then beat the 2026 Memorial Cup-host Kelowna Rockets in five games before sweeping the expansion Penticton Vees in the Western Conference Championship.
Everett’s 16-2 run
The Silvertips finished the playoffs 16-2, with an 8-1 mark at home and an 8-1 mark on the road. That run sat on top of a franchise-best 57-8-2-1 regular season and a second consecutive Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy.
Julius Miettinen led Everett with 27 points in 18 playoff games, while Landon DuPont finished with 23 points in 18 games. DuPont is 16 years old and from Calgary, Alta., and the roster also included five NHL drafted prospects: Miettinen, Carter Bear, Busch, Luke Vlooswyk and Tarin Smith.
Anders Miller’s playoff record
Anders Miller was the goalie of record in all 18 playoff games and went 16-2 with a 2.12 goals-against average, a.920 save percentage and four shutouts after joining Everett. Carter Bear finished the postseason with 22 points, Matias Vanhanen had 24, and Tarin Smith was knocked out of action after four playoff games.
Mike Fraser was a finalist for WHL Executive of the Year, giving Everett another recognized figure in a season that ended with the Ed Chynoweth Cup. For Prince Albert, the 7-2 loss left the Eastern Conference champion one step short of the title, while Everett took the final by turning a five-game triumph into the first championship banner in club history.
