2022-23 Spokane Chiefs Schedule

[David]

This is the 2022-23 Regular Season schedule for the Spokane Chiefs.

The Chiefs are entering their 38th Season as members of the Western Hockey League. Spokane plays in the U.S. Division of the WHL's Western Conference. The U.S. Division features the 5 teams from the United States and, in addition to Spokane, consists of the Everett Silvertips, Portland Winterhawks, Seattle Thunderbirds, and Tri-City Americans.

Spokane is coming off a 2021-22 campaign in which they clinched the seventh in the playoffs. The Chiefs overcame a horrendous 9-17-2-1 start to the season, bouncing back in the second half to finish 4th in the U.S. Division with a 24-39-4-1 record. Spokane accumulated 53 points on the season. Offense and defense were on complete opposites, as Spokane scored 188 goals on the season and allowed 289. The Chiefs managed to clinch a playoff berth, but were swept the second-seeded Kamloops Blazers, 4-0, where Spokane only accumulated 3 goals but allowed 23.

The 2022-23 season will consist of a 68-game season (34 home/34 away). For the first time since the 2018-19 season, Spokane will play opponents from the Eastern Conference. Spokane will hit the road in mid-December, braving the Canadian winter for games against the East Division, starting in Manitoba against Winnipeg Ice and Brandon Wheat Kings, then moving Westward for stops in Saskatchewan against the Moose Jaw Warriors, Regina Pats, Saskatoon Blades, and Prince Albert Raiders. On the Homefront, Spokane will host the Central Division throughout the season, including the WHL Champion Edmonton Oil Kings, Calgary Hitmen, Medicine Hat Tigers, Lethbridge Hurricanes, Swift Current Broncos, and Red Deer Rebels.

Ryan Smith will return to the Spokane Chiefs officially as the team's head coach. Smith, an assistant coach on the team last season, was tagged interim head coach after Adam Maglio was fired in February. Maglio, hired before the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season, was 12-26-3-1 when he was fired on February 10, 2022. Under Smith, Spokane went 12-13-1-0 and climbed back into the playoff race.

The Chiefs open their 2022-23 campaign on the road with back-to-back games against the Victoria Royals Fri., September 23-Sat., September 24th. Spokane will return home the following week, opening at home against the Kamloops Blazers on Saturday, October 1st on Bud Light Opening Night. This season, Spokane will host 29 weekend home games, made up of 13 Friday games, 13 Saturday games and 3 Sunday games. Also sprinkled in will be one Tuesday game and four Wednesday games.

Popular promotions of past years will be return once again this season, including the annual Leinenkugel's Hocktoberfest event, the annual Teddy Bear Toss. Coca-Cola Bobblehead Night, Numerica Piggy Bank Night, Military Appreciation Night, and Chiefs Fight Cancer Night.

The annual Teddy Bear Toss, presented by the Spokesman-Review Christmas Fund, will take place on December 3 against Lethbridge. Fans are encouraged to bring a teddy bear to throw on the ice after the Chiefs score their first goal. All bears and stuff animals will then be donated to the Spokesman-Review's Christmas Fund.

Home games are noted in bold blue. All times are PST.

September
Fri., September 23 - at Victoria (W 7-5)
Sat., September 24 - at Victoria (W 5-4)

October
Sat., October 1 - Kamloops (L 2-4)
Fri., October 7 - Edmonton (L 1-3)
Sun., October 9 - Portland (L 2-5)
Fri., October 14 - Medicine Hat (W 6-3)
Sat., October 15 - Tri-City (L 1-4)
Sun., October 16 - at Everett (L 3-7)
Sat., October 22 - at Seattle (L 3-8)
Fri., October 28 - at Kamloops (L 1-5)
Sat., October 29 - Kamloops (L 1-7)

November
Fri., November 4 - Prince George (L 2-7)
Sat., November 5 - Prince George (L 3-5)
Sun., November 6 - at Portland (L 7-8) (SO)
Fri., November 11 - Seattle (L 2-7)
Sat., November 12 - Tri-City (W 7-3)
Fri., November 18 - at Kelowna (L 3-10)
Sat., November 19 - Calgary (L 2-6)
Wed., November 23 - Vancouver (L 4-6)
Sat., November 26 - at Tri-City (L 2-4)
Sun., November 27 - Everett (L 3-8)

December
Fri., December 2 - Kelowna (W 2-1)
Sat., December 3 - Lethbridge (L 0-3)
Tue., December 6 - Seattle (L 0-3)
Fri., December 9 - at Winnipeg (L 3-6)
Sat., December 10 - at Brandon (L 1-2)
Tue., December 13 - at Moose Jaw (W 5-2)
Wed., December 14 - at Regina (L 3-4) (SO)
Fri., December 16 - at Saskatoon (L 5-8)
Sat., December 17 - at Prince Albert (L 3-5)
Tue., December 27 - at Seattle (L 5-7) - (Climate Pledge Arena; Seattle, WA)
Wed., December 28 - Seattle (L 5-6)
Fri., December 30 - Tri-City (W 2-1)
Sat., December 31 - at Tri-City (L 6-7) (OT)

January
Fri., January 6 - Victoria (L 3-6)
Sat., January 7 - Vancouver (L 1-2)
Wed., January 11 - Everett (L 3-9)
Fri., January 13 - at Vancouver (W 4-2)
Sat., January 14 - at Kamloops (L 2-5)
Fri., January 20 - at Everett (L 2-5)
Sat., January 21 - Victoria (W 6-3)
Mon., January 23 - at Portland (L 1-6)
Fri., January 27 - Seattle (L 2-7)
Sat., January 28 - at Tri-City (L 2-6)
Sun., January 29 - at Portland (L 3-4) (OT)

February
Fri., February 3 - Swift Current (L 1-3)
Sat., February 4 - Red Deer (L 0-1) (SO)
Sun., February 5 - at Seattle (L 1-3)
Fri., February 10 - Everett (L 1-2)
Sat., February 11 - at Everett (L 1-2) (SO)
Wed., February 15 - Portland (W 6-2)
Fri., February 17 - at Everett (W 4-3) (SO)
Sat., February 18 - at Tri-City (L 0-3)
Mon., February 20 - at Vancouver (L 3-4) (OT)
Fri., February 24 - Portland (W 4-1)
Sat., February 25 - Tri-City (W 4-2)

March
Wed., March 1 - at Kelowna (L 4-7)
Fri., March 3 - at Prince George (L 2-5)
Sat., March 4 - at Prince George (W 5-4) (OT)
Fri., March 10 - Portland (L 2-5)
Sat., March 11 - Kelowna (L 4-5) (OT)
Sun., March 12 - at Everett (L 4-5) (SO)
Tue., March 14 - at Portland (L 2-6)
Fri., March 17 - Tri-City (L 1-3)
Sat., March 18 - at Tri-City (L 2-8)
Sun., March 19 - Everett (W 3-2)
Fri., March 24 - at Tri-City (L 4-7)
Sat., March 25 - Tri-City (L 1-2) (SO)


AWAY VENUES
Brandon Wheat Kings - Westoba Place, Brandon, Manitoba
Everett Silvertips - Angel of the Winds Arena; Everett, Washington
Kamloops Blazers - Sandman Centre; Kamloops, British Columbia
Kelowna Rockets - Prospera Place; Kelowna, British Columbia
Moose Jaw Warriors - Mosaic Place; Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan
Portland Winterhawks - Veteran's Memorial Coliseum; Portland, Oregon
Prince Albert Raiders - Art Hauser Centre; Prince Albert, Saskatchewan
Prince George Cougars - CN Centre; Prince George, British Columbia
Regina Pats - Brandt Centre, Regina, Saskatchewan
Saskatoon Blades - SaskTel Centre; Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Seattle Thunderbirds - accesso ShoWare Center; Kent, Washington
Tri-City Americans - Toyota Center; Kennewick, Washington
Vancouver Giants - Langley Events Centre; Langley, British Columbia
Victoria Royals - Save-On-Foods Memorial Arena; Victoria, British Columbia
Winnipeg Ice - Wayne Fleming Arena; Winnipeg, Manitoba



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[David]

Monthly Update: Halloween may be the scariest day of October, but the entire month of October was a nightmare for the Spokane Chiefs.

After a 2-0 start to the season with back-to-back wins in Victoria, the momentum did not carry over as the Chiefs would drop 4 out of 5 games in their first homestand of the season. It didn't get much better from there, as Spokane would lose 3 straight on the road, including home-and-home blowouts to the Kamloops Blazers to cap off the month. 

October was a drastically different month from September, as the Chiefs went 1-8 the entire month, and being vastly outscored in the team's final 4 games of the moth by a combined total of 31-9, including 12-2 at the hands of Kamloops.

Spokane has found itself in a deep hole in the Western Conference, ranking last in the U.S. Division with a 3-8-0-0 record (6 points). Their closest opponent in the standings, the Tri-City Americans, have twice as many wins and points at 6-6-0-0 (12 points).

They sit in the basement of the Western Conference, two points behind the Victoria Royals (3-10-2-0, 8 points).

Spokane, however, is not the worst team in the league -- that distinction belongs to the Edmonton Oil Kings, by far the league's worst team entering November at a 1-12-1-0 record (3 points), a far cry from the team that won thee WHL Championship and a Memorial Cup appearance.