Misha Volotovskii, Ethan Mittelsteadt and Kelton Pyne see their combined 15-year run in WHL end with Giants’ final regular season games this weekend<\/p>\n
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Published Mar 18, 2026 \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 Last updated 3\u00a0minutes ago \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 4 minute read<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n You can save this article by registering for free here<\/a>. Or sign-in<\/a> if you have an account.<\/p>\n The Vancouver Giants\u2019 trio of Misha Volotovskii, Ethan Mittelsteadt and Kelton Pyne have played a combined 681 regular season games in the WHL. They can add just six more to that total, at best.<\/p>\n Advertisement 2<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. 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Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events.Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account.The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.<\/p>\n REGISTER \/ SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.<\/p>\n THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an Account<\/p>\n or<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Volotovskii, Mittelsteadt and Pyne are Vancouver\u2019s three 20 year olds, and they will graduate out of junior hockey after this weekend. The Giants visit the Kamloops Blazers Friday and then host the Kamloops Saturday at the Langley Events Centre in their regular season finale.<\/a><\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Vancouver (25-38-1-2) had high hopes coming into this campaign but they\u2019ve underperformed for some stretches and been side-swiped by injuries for others. They were eliminated from playoff contention earlier this month. It\u2019s the first time they\u2019ve missed the post-season since 2016-17,<\/a> but they also haven\u2019t won a playoff series since their upset of the Everett Silvertips in 2021-22.<\/p>\n That\u2019s left Volotovskii, Mittelsteadt and Pyne with just a few more days of junior hockey following five years apiece in the WHL. It\u2019s common practice for 20 year olds to talk about how their time in the circuit has rocketed by. The trio were in line with that in conversation on Tuesday.<\/p>\n \u201cThe 20 year olds always seemed so much older than me,\u201d said Volotovskii, a centre born in Russia but raised largely in Calgary who goes into this week with 284 regular season games on his resume. \u201cYou never think \u2018that\u2019s going to be me in a two or three years.\u2019 All of the sudden it is you, and you\u2019re the guy who\u2019s so much older.<\/p>\n Canucks Report<\/p>\n Thanks for signing up!<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Advertisement 3<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s clich\u00e9, but it does fly by. You really have to enjoy every moment.\u201d<\/p>\n All three players were trade additions with Vancouver. Rearguard Mittelsteadt arrived in November 2024 from the Kelowna Rockets in exchange for a pair of WHL Draft selections. Goaltender Pyne joined the team this past October in a deal that sent a draft pick to the Regina Pats.<\/p>\n Vancouver added Volotovskii at the Jan. 8 trade deadline from the Medicine Hat Tigers in return for a pair of picks. Medicine Hat looks every bit a title contender this year, and in early January the Calgary Flames aided their chances by reassigning winger Andrew Basha back to Tigers from their AHL Calgary Wranglers affiliate.<\/p>\n That put Medicine Hat one over the league\u2019s three 20-year-old maximum. Someone had to go. That someone was Volotovskii, even though he had been a key contributor during the Tigers\u2019 run to the WHL crown last season.<\/p>\n You would understand him being bitter moving off a team hovering at the top of the standings to one languishing near the bottom in his final year. He instead Tuesday applauded Medicine Hat general manager\/coach Willie Desjardins for how he handled it all.<\/p>\n Advertisement 4<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u201cHe was upfront and honest about it,\u201d said Volotovskii, who has 17 goals and 34 points in 60 games this season. \u201cI have the upmost respect for Willie. He\u2019s a terrific coach. Everyone says it. You can see why. He loves the players so much. He believes in his players. You can see why he\u2019s so successful.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s hockey. Sometimes guys get traded. It\u2019s part of the game.\u201d<\/p>\n It was easy to wonder if Pyne might get traded out of Vancouver at some point after they found some traction early in the season, since they already had an NHL drafted netminder in New York Islanders prospect Burke Hood, 18.\u00a0<\/p>\n Pyne and Hood split duties all season instead. They\u2019ll likely share starts again this weekend. Pyne\u2019s got into 32 games with Vancouver so far, compared to 41 for Hood. Pyne has a 7-19-0-1 record with a 3.74 goals against average and an .898 save percentage.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s tough to trade 20 year olds in this league. If you\u2019re going somewhere you\u2019re probably going there to stay,\u201d reasoned Pyne, a White City, Sask., product who has 136 WHL regular season games to his credit.<\/p>\n Advertisement 5<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Pyne is aiming to play collegiately next year, at either a U Sports school or at an NCAA one. That American route became available last year when the NCAA changed its scholarship rules regarding players from Major Junior leagues like the WHL.<\/p>\n Volotovskii is going NCAA, joining the UMass Lowell River Hawks next fall. Mittelsteadt is taking advantage of the new option as well, headed to the Princeton Tigers.<\/p>\n \u2018U Sports is still awesome. It\u2019s a great league with good schools,\u201d Mittelsteadt, a Victoria native who has 261 regular season games played in the WHL to date. \u201cBut it\u2019s awesome that this has opened up and given a guy like me a chance to do something like this.\u201d<\/p>\n Volotovskii, Mittelsteadt and Pyne all spoke about being disappointed that Vancouver isn\u2019t advancing to the playoffs. There\u2019s a silver lining in this for them, though, since things end so abruptly when you lose a post-season series. You\u2019re full speed ahead for days on end, you lose your fourth game of a series and the players head their separate ways almost immediately.<\/p>\n Advertisement 6<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Mittelsteadt explained it perfectly with: \u201cYou go from 100 miles per hour to zero in a blink of an eye.\u201d<\/p>\n Vancouver being on the outside looking in already has given all three a chance to lean into this being their final few days at this level.<\/p>\n \u201cYou obviously want to be in the playoffs,\u201d said Mittelsteadt, who has three goals and 13 points in 59 games this season so far. \u201cIf you\u2019re not, you want to enjoy the last couple of weeks of the season and I think we have. We\u2019ve been playing better hockey lately and winning some games. We\u2019re all competitive guys. It may be two games that don\u2019t mean anything in the standings but we\u2019re going to try to sweep the weekend and put on a show.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Misha](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/r52_3259_302136560.jpg\")
Misha Volotovskii, a centre who’s one of three 20 year olds on the Vancouver Giants. He’s in the last week of his junior hockey career. Photo by Rob WiltonArticle content<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/20.8.1\/websites\/images\/identity\/logo-identity-vp.svg\"){kind=logo}
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<\/p>\n![\"Vancouver](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/eos50289_302136826.jpg\")
Vancouver Giants goalie Kelton Pyne, who\u2019s one of three 20 year olds on the team. Photo by Rob Wilton<\/p>\n![\"Vancouver](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/26-02-06-spo-00034_original_302136466.jpg\")
Vancouver Giants defenceman Ethan Mittelsteadt. He\u2019s one of three 20 year olds on the team Photo by Rob Wilton<\/p>\n