Penguins forward prospect Lukas Svejkovsky and his Seattle Thunderbirds eliminated Penguins goaltending prospect Taylor Gauthier, defense prospect Ryan McCleary, and the Portland Winterhawks in Game 7 of the second round of the WHL playoffs on Tuesday night.
The Thunderbirds erased a 3-1 series deficit and won Game 7 on the road by a score of 6-3. Svejkovsky, the Penguins' fourth-round pick in 2020, scored Seattle's fifth goal of the game in the win:
McCleary, the Penguins' seventh-round pick in 2021, was scoreless for Portland in Game 7. Gauthier, an undrafted free agent signing this season, stopped 24 of 29 shots in the loss.
Both Svejkovsky and Gauthier were the standouts for their respective teams in this series.
Svejkovsky led the Thunderbirds in scoring in the series with three goals and six assists in seven games. Gauthier recorded a save percentage of .921 and a 2.44 goals-against average.
McCleary went scoreless in 11 playoff games through both rounds, recording six shots on goal and a combined plus-1 rating. Gauthier started all 11 of his team's games, and posted a .937 save percentage, 1.92 goals-against average and one shutout. Portland swept the Prince George Cougars in four games in their first-round series.
Game 7 marks the end of Gauthier's junior career. As an overage player this season, he will turn pro next year and be playing somewhere in the Penguins' minor-league system. McCleary still has another two years of junior hockey to play.
Svejkovsky and the Thunderbirds will move on to the Western Conference Final, where they will face the Kamloops Blazers. After eliminating the Kelowna Rockets in five games in the first round and Portland in seven games in the second round, Svejkovsky has recorded a total of seven goals and seven assists in 12 games.
Svejkovsky is the Penguins' last prospect still currently playing in the WHL playoffs. The Penguins' lone OHL prospect, forward Jordan Frasca, was eliminated with his Kingston Frontenacs in five games in the second round of the OHL playoffs. The Penguins' two QMJHL prospects' seasons aren't over yet. Defenseman Isaac Belliveau and the Gatineau Olympiques are currently down 2-0 in their second-round series against the Shawinigan Cataractes. Forward Raivis Ansons and the Saint John Sea Dogs were eliminated by the Rimouski Oceanic in five games in the best-of-five first round, but as the host city for the Memorial Cup, they receive an automatic bid to the tournament to face the winners of the OHL, WHL, and QMJHL. The Memorial Cup will be held from June 20-29.
