A look at four players who stepped up their game and guided their teams to series wins in the second round.

The second round of the 2024 WHL Playoffs is complete, with the Saskatoon Blades and Moose Jaw Warriors advancing to the Eastern Conference Final. The Blades swept the Red Deer Rebels in the second round, while Moose Jaw took care of business against the Swift Current Broncos in five. Here is a look at four players who played key roles in their team's second-round victories. 

Denton Mateychuk- Moose Jaw Warriors

Denton Mateychuk had a series to remember against Swift Current. The Warriors captain and Columbus Blue Jackets prospect had 12 points in five games against the Broncos, which included a six-point night in Game 2. During the series, he was credited with two game-winning goals and enters the third round as the WHL's playoff point leader with 19 points in nine games. He is having a historic postseason and, based on his performance in the second round, should have no problem finding the score sheet in the Eastern Conference Final. 

Jagger Firkus- Moose Jaw Warriors

Jagger Frikus was a goal-scoring machine in the second round. The Seattle Kraken prospect had seven goals and 11 points in five games, which included scoring a hat trick in Game 5. He also had 25 shots during the series and went 2-0 in the faceoff dot against Swift Current. His goal-scoring and playmaking abilities will be crucial if Moose Jaw has their sights on defeating Saskatoon and moving on to the WHL Final. 

Egor Sidorov- Saskatoon Blades

After a slow start to the series, Egor Sidorov stepped up in a big way, scoring back-to-back hat tricks in Games 3 and 4. The Anaheim Ducks' prospect. Sidorov also finished the series with 28 shots, with 13 of them coming in Game 2. A shooting threat every time the puck is on his stick, he enters the Eastern Conference Final with a ton of momentum and could put up massive numbers against the Warriors.

Fraser Minten- Saskatoon Blades

Fraser Minten had a strong series, not just offensively but also in the faceoff dot. The Toronto Maple Leafs prospect finished with six points in five games while also going 51 for 76 or 67% in the faceoff dot. He has been everything that was advertised and more since being traded to the Blades and showed how valuable he is to the lineup during Saskatoon's second-round sweep.

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