The Portland Winterhawks are awaiting the release of the 2016-17 season schedule, but have already released their pre-season schedule. The Hawks will take part in the annual tournaments in Everett and Tri-City, but will not attempt to host a pre-season game at home this season. The issue is simply the costs associated with such an undertaking. The Winterhawks Skating Center, which can house about 150 to 200 people, is obviously too small and costs of rentals for the Moda Center and Veterans Memorial Coliseum, plus the having to build an ice surface weeks ahead of normal schedule, would make it impossible without heavy ticket sales and sponsorship help.
The annual Everett Labor Day Holiday Tournament will feature three games per day for three days ending with a Portland versus Everett Silvertips clash on Sunday, September 4th. Portland starts with an early game on Friday the 2nd versus the Tri-City Americans and an early game on Saturday versus the Spokane Chiefs. After those games, many players who are NHL drafted of invitees to NHL camps will begin departing and what is leftover will head to Tri-City for the following weekend.
In the last several years, Portland has had a weak team heading to Tri-City owing to so many NHL attendees. However, the team should be much better equipped in most positions with fewer high draft choices expected this season.
Portland will play early games in Tri-City against Prince George Cougars and Kootenay Ice on Friday and Saturday, but will open on Thursday against Everett. The matchups with Everett will be interesting as the Hawks were run out of the post season by the Tips in four games in the first round.
Within the next two weeks, the Canadian Hockey League will run its annual Import Draft. Each team is allowed up to two players from outside North America. The Hawks had two players last season with Carl Ericson and Rodrigo Abols.. Ericson was injured out of the starting gate with a season ending injury. Due to the injury, the Hawks released him and made a deal with Brandon Wheat Kings to acquire 20 year old Rihards Bukarts. Bukarts was known as a “two-spotter” on the roster, as he was both an overaged player and an import which took up two roster spots. With Bukarts now aged out in the league, the next of interest will be Abols. He, too, would be eligible as a “two-spotter”, but the Winterhawks might also to drafting two players that are younger to help develop a roster for the upcoming season.
Mike Johnston, General Manager and Head Coach as well as Vice President of the Winterhawks, has often gone against the grain when it comes to the import draft and finding nuggets that have exploded out of the gate for the Winterhawks. His biggest to date was Nino Niederreiter, who became a top five NHL draft selection and has had a strong career thus far as a pro. Sven Baertschi is another Swiss import who has just signed a two year deal with the Vancouver Canucks. It will be interesting to see what direction Johnston will go as the overall team will be slightly younger overall. This is also the last year of the WHL imposed sanctions that have crippled the Hawks on draft selections since 2013.
The Winterhawks added another member to the coaching staff, one that adds a bit of strength both on the bench and quite possibly on the recruiting scene. Oliver David joined the Hawks from the Dubuque Fighting Saints where he was an Associate Coach and Assistant General Manager. Under his watch, Dubuque posted a 108-61-11 record, two trips to the Conference Final and an appearance in the Clark Cup Final, which is awarded to the top team in the United States Hockey league (USHL) This hire is potentially the final piece that the Hawks need when it comes to recruiting players who may be looking to the NCAA or college route. The USHL has been one of the strongholds in that they have taken many a player that looked to be destined for the CHL.
Mike Johnston has been a strong force when it comes to recruiting and along with Assistant General Manager Matt Bardsley, they have worked wonders when in came to bringing in top players to Portland. Oliver David’s arrival with his experiences with recruiting and also community relations which is another of Mike Johnston’s strong interests.
The Winterhawks will open training camp in the last week of August and look to start the regular season on Friday September 23rd.
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