The 1987–88 WHL season was the 22nd 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), featuring fourteen teams and a 72-game season. The

Saskatoon Blades The Saskatoon Blades are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Founded in 1964, the Blades were a charter team of the then-Western Canada Junior Hockey League in 1966, and are the only club that has played ev ...

won their third Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy for best regular season record. In the playoffs, 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 ...

won their second consecutive President's Cup, defeating 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 ...

in the championship series. The Tigers advanced to the 1988 Memorial Cup tournament, where they won their second straight

Memorial Cup The Memorial Cup () is the national championship of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), a consortium of three Junior ice hockey, major junior ice hockey leagues operating in Canada and parts of the United States. It is a four-team round-robin tou ...

title. The season was the first for the

Lethbridge Hurricanes The Lethbridge Hurricanes are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Lethbridge, Alberta. The Hurricanes play in the Central Division of the Western Hockey League's Eastern Conference, and play their home games at the VisitLethbridge.com Are ...

, after the Calgary Wranglers relocated to

Lethbridge Lethbridge ( ) is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada. With a population of 106,550 in the 2023 Alberta municipal censuses, 2023 municipal census, Lethbridge became the fourth Alberta city to surpass 100,000 people. The nearby Canadian ...

prior to the season. The Hurricanes brought WHL hockey back to the city after the Broncos returned to

Swift Current Swift Current is the sixth-largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It is situated along the Trans-Canada Highway west of Moose Jaw, and east of Medicine Hat, Alberta. As of 2024, Swift Current has an estimated population of ...

in 1986.

Team changes

*The Calgary Wranglers relocate to

Lethbridge, Alberta Lethbridge ( ) is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada. With a population of 106,550 in the 2023 Alberta municipal censuses, 2023 municipal census, Lethbridge became the fourth Alberta city to surpass 100,000 people. The nearby Canadian ...

, becoming the

Regular season

Final standings

Scoring leaders

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

1988 WHL Playoffs

First round

*Saskatoon earned a bye *Medicine Hat earned a bye *Prince Albert defeated Brandon 3 games to 1 *Swift Current defeated Regina 3 games to 1

Division semi-finals

*Saskatoon defeated Swift Current 4 games to 2 *Medicine Hat defeated Prince Albert 4 games to 2 *Kamloops defeated New Westminster 5 games to 0 *Spokane defeated Victoria 5 games to 3

Division finals

*Medicine Hat defeated Saskatoon 4 games to 0 *Kamloops defeated Spokane 5 games to 2

WHL Championship

*Medicine Hat defeated Kamloops 4 games to 2

All-Star game

On January 12, the East Division defeated the West Division 5–4 at

Kamloops, British Columbia Kamloops ( ) is a city in south-central British Columbia, Canada, at the confluence of the North and South Thompson Rivers, which join to become the Thompson River in Kamloops, and east of Kamloops Lake. The city is the administrative centre ...

before a crowd of 2,689.

WHL awards

All-Star Teams

References

* 2005–06 WHL Guide {{DEFAULTSORT:1987-88 Whl Season Western Hockey League seasons WHL WHL