Portland Winterhawks Make Bold Draft Moves As Overage Questions Loom

The Ontario Hockey League’s Barrie Colts have been fined $15,000 for comments made by head coach Dylan Smoskowitz following their win and series-clinching victory against the Brantford Bulldogs. The comments made postgame were deemed detrimental to the public perception of the league. The situation involved the host of the postgame show and another journalist.

The coach addressed the situation following a 5-2 loss to the Kitchener Rangers, a game in which Barrie was coming off just one day of rest between games. He apologized to both individuals on camera, with both the host and journalist accepting the apology. The specifics of what was said have not been made public.

The Portland Winterhawks dipped into the trade pool, sending a second-round selection in the 2026 import draft in exchange for a sixth-round selection in the Prospects Draft. The trade with the Swift Current Broncos all but assures the Hawks are banking on returns from defenseman Max Psenicka and goaltender Ondrej Stebetak, both of whom would return for their 19-year-old seasons.

Chase Cruz, who came to the Hawks through a trade last season, is also 19 and may be on the bubble if the Hawks aren’t looking at a run. Last year, Blake Carl picked up several games during the season and would return as a 17-year-old. The Hawks are also facing a numbers game, with six players entering their overage year. Two are defensemen, two are centers, and there is one left wing and one right wing.

Portland also acquired a fifth-round selection from the Spokane Chiefs in exchange for a fourth-round pick in 2028. There was a flurry of trades by the majority of teams, with many dealing picks this year for selections in future drafts.

The Hawks selected nine players in total at the draft, with only the Kelowna Rockets going as far as Round 13 with their selections. After selecting Cullen Stephenson yesterday, Portland selected defenseman Adam Potash in the second round and forward Arnju Magandu in the third round. In the fourth round, they selected forward Emmett Abel.

With two picks in the fifth round, the Hawks selected a pair of forwards in Easton Scott and Kacy Turberfield. In the sixth round, they acquired defenseman Nathan Johnson before waiting until Round 9 to select goaltender Cohen Spencer, marking the fourth time a netminder has been drafted by the Hawks in the past three years. With their final selection, the Winterhawks drafted forward James Butterwick to close out their draft.