The firing of Coach Jamie Kompon following a lame fizzle of a playoff showing would have been an interesting enough postscript to what I have been calling the “Season of Misdirection.” But now, Portland Winterhawks fans have another shot of foreboding dread with the departure of starting goaltender Adin Hill. As of Tuesday, the 19-year-old has formally signed with the Arizona Coyotes, who picked him in the third round of the NHL draft last year.
While this is a sad moment for all of Hill’s supporters in Stumptown—of which I am a fervent one—it does represent the next step in a very promising career. Hill will likely be on track to suit up for Arizona’s AHL affiliate team, the Springfield Falcons, in Massachusetts. His summer will consist of rigorous training camps to prove his worth in a much larger pond, but Hawks fans can report that his bona fides are legitimate; despite the slump of a season for the team, Hill led the entire league in minutes and saves and maintained a .917 save percentage.
This is nothing new for Portland hockey. Every year, the best and brightest of players age out of the league and/or are called up by their NHL drafters. But in the case of Hill, it is a particular blow. The team still has no opportunity to replenish the ranks thanks to that draconian sanction from 2012 forbidding the organization from the first round of the Bantam draft through 2017. And though backup goalie Michael Bullion has shown some promise in his meager appearances, he has not demonstrated the ability to stop the bleeding without a defense the way Hill has.
Going beyond Hill’s versatility between the pipes and my own sentimental attachment to his place on the roster, there is a cold and calculating issue for the team as well. Hill would have been Portland’s only real bargaining chip for trades this next season. The rest of the team that remains is in varying stages of development that are not attractive enough to make a deal, and whichever brave soul takes Kompon’s seat as general manager and head coach is going to have both hands tied by the lack of wiggle room.
On the other hand, from a lofty and vague perspective this might be a blessing for the crop of promising young players who seemed to be overlooked by Kompon’s “star-maker” mentality. Cody Glass and Ryan Hughes were mentioned by Hill during his last talk with the press as “16-year-olds who are going to be unreal when they grow up.” He would know better than fans, because he’s likely seen more of them on the ice than any game has this season. Perhaps the next coach will capitalize on the blank slate left to him and have a chance to craft the mentality he wants, rather than fight against the spectre of his predecessor as Kompon did.
One thing is for certain: Even with Hill parting with Portland with fond memories and warm feelings, anyone would be relieved to move beyond the cacophony brewing within the organization. Good for him. I wish him the best of luck, but I hope the same luck is granted to his old stomping grounds.
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