The Portland Winterhawks head toward the Christmas break at exactly the halfway point of their season in second place in the US Division. With a 19-14-0-3 record, the team has to be generally pleased after the 1-7 start and seems to be going in the right direction. As is always a hiccup at this time of year, the Hawks will be without some firepower with Oliver Bjorkstrand, Nic Petan and Chase De Leo off at the World Junior Tournaments. Adding to the roster will be Cody Glass, the number one selection for the Winterhawks in this past year’s draft. At 15, Cody will only be available for up to five games and he’ll be pressed into action right away. The three at World Juniors are not expected back until nearly the second week of January.
The quirky schedule also has over sixty percent of the remaining games against US Division opponents. With so many games left against them, every point will matter as the team tries to get towards league leading Kelowna Rockets for the overall lead. What seemed insurmountable at the end of October could be a much more real situation of at least coming close. Currently, there are 18 points separating Portland from that coveted top spot and with the momentum shifting, anything is possible.
Adding to the roster adjustments will be Paul Bittner who has been tapped for the Top Prospects game in St. Catherine’s, Ontario on January 22. The players in this tournament are among those poised to be top selections in the NHL draft in June. Bittner, who has been regarded as an “A” list player, meaning he is expected to be drafted in the first round, has been quietly padding his stats for the Winterhawks and makes a good case for being highly ranked. Keoni Texiera, a defenseman for Portland, is expected to be picked up somewhere in the third round. As always, the drafts can provide some interesting moments and surprises and nothing is set in stone until the draft happens.
Portland will have a heavy schedule coming out of Christmas with a road game on December 27 against Seattle and then two including the annual Battle with Seattle on New Year’s Eve. The Hawks have a game virtually every second day in January and then ease off in February which is where the majority of teams Portland has a disadvantage in games will catch up.
Ice Chips: The Portland Winterhawks Booster Club smashed its record on Christmas Ornament sales this season selling nearly $2,500 worth of the prized globes in an auction. Alex Schonenborn led the way, but several players saw feverish bids as the ornament auction closed. Nest up for the club is the trek to Prince George, which sold out and will be the first group to the CN Centre in Prince George this season. A long 18 hour drive will await the crew, but weather hasn’t been a factor thus far.
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