The Spokane Chiefs have qualified for the 2020 WHL Playoffs.

With a 6-3 win against the Lethbridge Hurricanes Wednesday, the Chiefs have a 33-18-4-1 record, giving them 71 points. The Prince George Cougars can only achieve a maximum of 69 points by the end of the 2019-20 WHL Regular Season, meaning the Chiefs will secure a Wild Card spot at the very least.

Looking to stay competitive in the WHL’s U.S. Division, the Chiefs have thrived this year thanks to key contributors at each position. Their best run of the regular season to date saw them win six games in a row twice this season, doing so in early-to-mid December and again earlier this month.

With two WHL Championships to their team name already, they’ll be in the hunt to add another this season. Regardless of their championship aspirations, the Chiefs will also be looking to make it as far as the Western Conference Championship, which they accomplished last season.

Minnesota Wild prospect Adam Beckman has taken a leap forward from an impressive rookie season, posting 97 points (43G-54A) in 55 games as he looks to become the WHL’s first player to reach 100 points this season. Wednesday, Beckman tied a season high with his third five-point game of the campaign to best the Hurricanes.

Eli Zummack posted an assist in Wednesday’s win to set a new career-high point total with 69 points (21G-48A) and has provided another solid leading scoring option for the U.S. Division club. Similarly, Luke Toporowski and 2020 NHL Draft prospect Jack Finley have each posted 50-point seasons to aid in the team’s offensive game.

On defence, the team has continued to be powered by the duo of Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Filip Kral and New Jersey Devils prospect Ty Smith. Kral has posted 47 points (12G-35A) in 51 games as an overager while Smith has tallied 40 points (11G-29A) across 38 games as the team’s captain.

The 2019-20 campaign has been a successful one for Smith so far, with the Lloydminster, Alta. product and reigning WHL and CHL Defenceman of the Year also claiming a gold medal with Canada at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship.

In net, the team’s backbone has become the duo of Los Angeles Kings prospect Lukáš Pařík and James Porter Jr. The former has been limited to 26 games this season due to injury and international commitments, but has still posted a respectable 16-7-2-0 record, 3.03 goals-against average, and a 0.909 save percentage.

Also performing well in net for the Chiefs has been Porter Jr. In eight games, he’s posted a 6-2-0-0 record, 1.94 GAA, 0.923 SV%, and two shutouts.

Up next for the Chiefs is a trip to the Innovation Credit Union I-Plex to take on the Swift Current Broncos on Friday, February 21 (7 p.m. CT).