Matias Vanhanen has been a force for the Everett Silvertips this season.
The 5-foot-10 winger was selected 31st overall in the 2025 Canadian Hockey League Import Draft, joining Everett from Finland to play in the Western Hockey League.
Vanhanen took full advantage of the opportunity, leading the Silvertips in scoring during the regular season with 21 goals and 87 points. He helped lead his team to the best record in the WHL a 57-8-3 record.
“It’s always kind of been my dream [to play junior hockey in North America], Vanhanen told TSN prior to the start of the WHL Championship Series. “I watched the CHL and NCAA a lot [in Finland] and a lot of U.S. and Canadian hockey. I spoke to Everett [after the import draft] and it was an easy decision for me.”
This season is an important one for Vanhanen with him being eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft in Buffalo. Showcasing his skills on the CHL stage is something he wanted to do in order to help him adjust to the North American game and see how he stacked up against other top players in his age group.
He admits there was a bit of a learning curve early in the season, but he believes he adjusted fast enough to raise some eyebrows.
“The ice is smaller here, so the game is a lot faster,” said Vanhanen. “You don’t have that much time. There are so many good players here, like the best juniors in the world, so it’s totally different from Finland.
“The first couple of games, I was just getting to know how the system works. But I think I got into the game quickly after that.”
Vanhanen grew up watching the Chicago Blackhawks and admired Patrick Kane for his skilled play on the ice. As he continues to develop his game he likes to watch star players like Utah Mammoth centre Logan Cooley, who just led the Mammoth to their first-ever playoff appearance.
On the ice, Vanhanen sees himself as a playmaker and those types of players inspire him to add new tricks up his sleeve.
“I like watching the players who have a lot of skill,” said Vanhanen. I’ll [sometimes] be in my basement and try to do something like they have done. I’ll watch how they play and try to improve the game.”
Vanhanen has not cooled down since the playoffs began sitting tied for third in the WHL in playoff scoring with 11 goals and 22 points. He just sits behind teammate Julius Miettinen and Prince Albert Raiders defenceman Daxon Rudolph for the league lead.
The Silvertips cruised through the Western Conference, defeating Portland Winterhawks, Kelowna Rockets, and Penticton Vees, respectively, needing only 13 games to do so. Their lone loss game during the second round in a 4-3 overtime defeat to the Rockets.
In the WHL final, they are up against Prince Albert team that finished just behind Everett in the regular season standings with a 52-10-6 record.
Like the Silvertips, the Raiders cruised past the first two rounds, defeating the Red Deer Rebels in five games in the first round and sweeping the Saskatoon Blades in Round 2.
However, they ran into a powerful Medicine Hat Tigers team in the Eastern Conference Final, who were looking to defend their Ed Chynoweth Cup title.
After splitting the first two games of the series, the Raiders were able to step up to win Games 5 and 6 to advance to the final.
The Raiders have proven themselves to be battle tested, but the Silvertips hold a 2-1 series lead after registering a narrow 3-2 victory in Game 3 in Prince Albert on Tuesday.
“We’re both good teams,” said Vanhanen. “ We just need to focus on our game and our team because we have everything we need. If we play our game and don’t focus on them too much, we’re going to handle it. We have lots of talent on our team and we’re good team, but so are they. We got to play good hockey and play hard.
“I think we’re going to beat them”
The Nokia, Finland, native hasn’t been in Everett for a long time, but he has felt the love since joining the team at the beginning of the year.
He credits the Silvertips organization and the community to help him feel comfortable in his new surroundings, being so far from home.
Vanhanen now wants to give back to the community, hopefully in the form of a championship.
“The team has helped me get better as a person and helped me by introducing me to people, learn the language, and the U.S. culture,” said Vanhanen. “I’ve been growing as a person since I’ve been away from my family. I’ve been learning a new language and making new friends. I’ve been enjoying seeing all the new places and taking part of all the new experiences a lot.
“We have such a good relationship with the fans, and we have the best fans in the league. I think they want [to win] as bad as the players do.”
The 18-year-old winger was ranked at No. 55 on TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button’s March draft list with room to grow with a strong performance in the CHL playoffs.
To go along with his stellar performance during the WHL’s regular season, Vanhanen competed for Finland at the 2026 World Juniors in a fourth-place finish, recording six assists in seven games.
Vanhanen isn’t sweating the extra attention than an NHL draft year comes with. He just wants to be himself and just show what he’s capable of.
“I’ve talked to a few guys who’ve been drafted in Finland, but they’ve just told me to be myself and not to focus too much on outside opinions,” said Vanhanen. It’s not really pressure. I know scouts are watching me and there are some extra things [that I have to do], but I just try to be myself and show them what I can do.
“I’m just trying to improve every day but I’m not doing anything special.”
