WHL days running down, Spokane Chiefs’ Jayden Sittler plays well in loss to Portland

Jayden Sittler’s final season in the Western Hockey League with the Spokane Chiefs didn’t go like he planned.

The Spokane Chiefs’ 4-2 loss to Portland on Friday at the Arena was, in many ways, a microcosm of that. The 20-year-old goaltender stopped 45 shots, but the Winterhawks’ buzzing offense was opportunistic enough to put three goals past him – Portland’s fourth goal was on an empty net.

“Sits (Sitler) played well tonight,” Chiefs head coach Don Nachbaur said. “He kept us in the game. You look at the shots, they had the territorial advantage, but he gave us a chance to win tonight.

“You can’t fault him on the goals. He made the saves when we needed it.”

The 45 saves are tied for the second-highest single-game total in his career. His best came in 2015, when he made 52 saves against Prince George while he was with Lethbridge.

As the timer on his WHL career continues to tick, with Spokane eliminated from the playoffs with six games remaining in the regular season, it’s hard not for Sittler to sit back and be disappointed with his season.

The 20-year-old goaltender, who was traded from Lethbridge during the WHL Bantam Draft last May, was enthusiastic about playing in a competitive division for a usually competitive team and in front of crazy fans.

But Sittler failed to grasp onto the starting goaltender spot for which he was brought in, posting a .885 save percentage, and the Chiefs missed the playoffs for the first time since the 2015-16 season.

Is it disheartening? Definitely, Sittler said. But he’s not one for mailing it in.

“For myself and my team, I think we missed the boat on a lot of things,” Sittler said. “You have to look at yourself in the mirror, and there are some regrets there, but again, you can’t lose sleep over it. You have to play hard for these last three games no matter what.”

There’s a reason Sittler is so grateful for the opportunity. The Red Deer, Alberta, native grew up loving the WHL. His family had season tickets for their hometown Rebels and hosted goaltender Darcy Kuemper, who plays for the Minnesota Wild.

Playing in the WHL was always his dream.

But when the WHL Bantam Draft rolled around in 2011, he wasn’t selected. He ended up being listed with Kootenay, but the Ice released him after he played one game.

Sittler tried to convert that feeling of rejection as motivation.

“They didn’t want me there, so I took that as I needed to work harder and fueled me,” Sittler said. “I knew I could play in this league. And I guess the rest is history.”

Lethbridge acquired him from Victoria after he had a brief stint with the Royals in 2014-15. He played in 61 games for the Hurricanes, including a 1.76 goals-allowed average and a .940 save percentage in two playoff games.

Sittler believes he proved his naysayers wrong by making it this far in his career.

“I had a lot of doubters growing up when I was younger, and I was able to prove them wrong,” Sittler said. “I think earning my spot as a ‘20’ in the summer kind of solidified that I was a No. 1 guy in this league. And if you doubted that, than that’s too bad for you.”

Sittler, along with the Chiefs’ two other 20-year-olds, Keanu Yamamoto and Alex Mowbray, will play their last WHL games on March 19 in Portland.

Especially after all he’s been through, Sittler will always look back fondly at his WHL career.

“It sucks for sure that it’s my last kick of the can in this league,” Sittler said. “It sucks and you have to grow up know and figure out what you want to do with the rest of your life. But I owe a lot to this league. I’m grateful for it.”