The 1985–86 WHL season was the 20th season of the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior hocke ...

(WHL). It featured fourteen teams and a 72-game regular season. The

Medicine Hat Tigers The Medicine Hat Tigers are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League (WHL) based in Medicine Hat, Alberta. Established in 1970, the team is tied with the Kamloops Blazers for the most Ed Chynoweth Cups as league cha ...

captured their first Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy for the best regular season record, while the

Kamloops Blazers The Kamloops Blazers are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team based in Kamloops, British Columbia. The team plays in the B.C. Division of the Western Hockey League's Western Conference and plays its home games at the Sandman Centre. The Blaze ...

won their second President's Cup as playoff champions. The season was the first for the

Spokane Chiefs The Spokane Chiefs are an American major junior ice hockey team based in Spokane, Washington. The Chiefs play in the U.S. Division of the Western Hockey League's Western Conference, playing home games at Spokane Arena. The Chiefs are two-time M ...

, with the Kelowna Wings relocating to

Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the most populous city in eastern Washington and the county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It lies along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south o ...

prior to the season. The Chiefs became the third American-based WHL team. In addition, the

Seattle Breakers Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the coun ...

were renamed the Thunderbirds.

Team changes

*The Kelowna Wings relocated to

, becoming the

. *The

are renamed the

Seattle Thunderbirds The Seattle Thunderbirds are a major junior ice hockey team based in the city of Kent, Washington. They are part of the U.S. Division of the Western Conference in the Western Hockey League. Founded in 1971 as the Vancouver Nats, the team arrive ...

Regular season

Final standings

Scoring leaders

''Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalties in minutes''

1986 WHL Playoffs

First round

The East division played a round robin format amongst the top six teams: *Prince Albert (9–1) advanced *Medicine Hat (8–2) advanced *Saskatoon (7–3) advanced *Moose Jaw (4–6) advanced *Lethbridge (1–9) eliminated *Regina (1–9) eliminated

Division semi-finals

*Medicine Hat defeated Moose Jaw 3 games to 0 *Prince Albert defeated Saskatoon 3 games to 0 *Kamloops defeated Seattle 5 games to 0 *Portland defeated Spokane 5 games to 4

Division finals

*Medicine Hat defeated Prince Albert 4 games to 3 *Kamloops defeated Portland 5 games to 1

WHL Championship

*Kamloops defeated Medicine Hat 4 games to 1

All-Star games

On January 20, the Portland Winter Hawks defeated the West All-Stars 4–3 in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

before a crowd of 3,106. On January 21, the East All-Stars defeated the

Prince Albert Raiders The Prince Albert Raiders are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team based in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. Founded in 1971 as a member of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, the Raiders have been members of the Western Hockey League since 198 ...

6–3 in

Prince Albert, Saskatchewan Prince Albert is the third-largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada, after Saskatoon and Regina, Saskatchewan, Regina. It is situated near the centre of the province on the banks of the North Saskatchewan River. The city is known as the "Gateway ...

before a crowd of 1,475.

WHL awards

*Note: In some cases, the WHL handed out separate awards for the East and West divisions.

All-Star Teams

References

* 2005–06 WHL Guide {{DEFAULTSORT:1985-86 Whl Season Western Hockey League seasons WHL WHL