Few people thought the trigger would be pulled by General Manager and Coach Jamie Kompon when it came to trades, but the Winterhawks have made two deals with a couple days left to go. The biggest move was that of goaltender Brendan Burke. Thought to be untouchable as Burke has been with the team for nearly four seasons, confidence and the ability to get more than just a player for a 19 year old played heavily in this tough decision.
Burke was traded to the Calgary Hitmen for Evan Johnson and a 4th Round draft pick in 2016. Johnson was drafted by the Hitmen from Winnipeg, Manitoba in 2012 and played in 15 games this season with a 5-3-1-1 record 2.84 goals against average and .894 save percentage. Burke leaves the Winterhawks after appearing in 118 games over the past four seasons. Burke was only the number one goaltender this season after sitting in the shadows of Mac Carruth for two seasons. Burke was hoping to move up to the top spot when the NHL strike hit and teams with returning players, among them Carruth who led the team to a run to the Memorial Cup. Burke then positioned himself to the top spot the following year only to see the Hawks trade for Corbin Boes at trade deadline. Boes assumed the top spot when Burke was injured and never really relinquished the spot as the Hawks went as far as the WHL Finals.
Brendan was drafted in the sixth round in the 2014 draft by the Arizona Coyotes, a team which his father, legendary goaltender Sean is the Assistant General Manager and Goaltending Coach for the team.
This season, with new coaching staff, many new players and the weight of the team on his shoulders, Burke did his best to weather the storm, but things fell apart early. With a 1-7 start to the season, the Hawks detractors blamed goaltending and defence as the sticking points and you could tell the weight was becoming too much to bear. Though the team rebounded in its record, there was belief from fans and media that Burke was not getting support from the team the same way backup goaltender Adin Hill was. Then there was the recent stellar goaltending of the18 year old Hill. Two shutout games and Canadian Hockey League Goaltender of The Week honors made Hill the choice as the go to guy. Burke took it well though, sitting on the bench, waiting for his chance to reclaim number one. It just wasn’t to be as just a day later, Burke was traded to the Calgary Hitmen.
The Hawks also made another deal, this one with the Sasaktoon Blades for 20 year old Adam Henry. Henry, who had started his career with the Lethbridge Hurricanes in 2009, was part of a multi-player trade with the Seattle Thunderbirds in 2013. His career in Seattle lasted just one season as he was dealt to Saskatoon early this season. With Saskatoon falling in the standings and looking to once again rebuild, it decided to shed a veteran player for a second round draft pick in 2017. Though the Hawks are weak in draft picks through the 2017 season owing to sanctions imposed during former coach Mike Johnston’s era, the price for Henry is worthwhile. Henry has played nearly 200 games in the WHL and brings some depth to the backend which is currently loaded with younger talent.
Without much time to devote to practice, the Portland Winterhawks headed to Spokane and dropped a 4-1 decision to the Spokane Chiefs in the first of a double header. Nic Petan, who just won gold as part of Team Canada at the World Juniors sat on the sidelines due to illness and will miss both Spokane games. Oliver Bjorkstrand who helped Denmark stave off relegation in World Juniors, played in the first Spokane game.
Following the Spokane game will be a long trip to Portland to face the Vancouver Giants. The team won’t have much time after that to relax as they head to Kamloops and then to Prince George. Accompanying the team to Prince George to face the Cougars next week will be the Booster Club. There has been a great deal of buzz in Prince George surrounding the arrival of both entities and the Cougars are expecting two very large crowds.
Ice Chips: The Booster Club has one more trip planned this season, a day trip to Seattle to face the Thunderbirds and has a few seats remaining. The Winterhawks have been scheduled for three appearances out of eight on ROOT Sports this year. Portland versus Seattle will highlight two of the dates on February 6 in Seattle and Portland on March 6. Portland will also be in Spokane on March 13. The other games will start January 16 and air every Friday through March 20. Among the matchups will be, Tri City vs Vancouver, Everett vs Kelowna, Tri City vs Everett, Spokane vs Tri City and Everett vs Victoria. Games that are played in Canada will appear on ROOT Sports through the SHAW broadcasting feed.
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