Here is the list of Portland Winterhawks players set to go to NHL camps. Only Glass, Ludvig, Farkas and DeJong figured into the Hawks’ plans and for NHL camps, only DeJong is on the bubble as an overage player. Glass in nineteen and Ludvig is eighteen. What it means is that the Hawks will probably miss Glass the most for more games than the other two. Ludvig, as an invite, will be back before season starts unless he has an incredible camp, DeJpng has been once and back as the season started which should be similar again this year. Gricius will be back before the season begins as he is also an invite and like Ludwig, will have his first taste of the NHL.
Cody Glass (VGK) – 1999 – Drafted 2017 – Signed.
Jake Gricius (SJ) – 1999 – Invite.
Joachim Blichfeld (SJ) – 1998 – Drafted 2016 – Signed.
Henri Jokiharju (CHI) – 1999 – Drafted 2017 – Signed.
Skyler McKenzie (WPG) – 1998 – Drafted 2017 – Signed.
Dennis Cholowski (DET) – 1998 – Drafted 2016 – Signed.
John Ludvig (BOS) – 2000 – Invite.
Kieffer Bellows (NYI) – 1998 – Drafted 2016 – Signed.
Brendan De Jong (CAR) – 1998 – Drafted 2017.
The other players were not at regular Winterhawks camp this year except McKenzie, but he was asked to appear by Mike Johnston to work with the younger talent. McKenxie did play in the Neely cup, but did not participate in any tournament games in Everett or Tri City. Several players from other teams will be attending rookie camps and other NHL team duties and future for them is unknown. Unlike previous seasons, the Hawks did not have drafted players during the NHL draft this year which gives them more of a “team” which they didn’t have before. It will be interesting.
The Winterhawks also reassigned Gable Klassen and Lochlan Gordon today to Junior teams and also reassigned Tyson Kozak who was just signed this week. Klassen and Gordon were fifteen, so they would have been unable to make the team. Kozak was sixteen and normally Johnston wants players seventeen and older, an exception was Hanus last year who amazed many by being a defenseman on the Hawks at sixteen.
With Glass, Gricius, Luwig and DeJong and just invited Shane Farkus to Calgary, at camps in the NHL and the reassignments. seven players from thirty-four will not be in Tri City which shows about twenty-seven which was the expected number to attend the two-game set.
The Hawks had a coach’s nightmare with nineteen goals scored in a game as the Hawks won 11-8 over Tri City. The goals were the most since 1996 and the first time Hawks had scored eleven since a game against Seattle which they won 11-3. The Hawks lost the next game in a heartbreaker 4-3 in overtime to the Kootnay Ice. Other games saw Seattle defeat Kootenay 3-1 and the Spokane Chiefs drop a 3-2 loss to the Thunderbirds pick up a win 7-3 over Tri City.
Out east. Saskatoon has been busy stocking victories and as expected, Swift Current and Moose Jaw have had issues winning games. The Blades are hoping this year that they will see postseason action. They haven’t seen it since 2013 when they hosted the Memorial Cup. Unlike the US and BC Divisions, the East Division and Central Divisions will play up to the week before the regular season. The exception will be Kamloops and Prince George who will also play the week prior to the regular season but will not play the week prior. Most tournaments will end the week giving most teams a week and a half to assemble their teams. Expect the Hawks to field about 27 players to start the season and make final cuts when rosters are set in mid-October when they have a better idea who will be back in the fold from NHL camps.
Former Winterhawks Keegan Iverson, who played his career with Portland split his time with the AHL and ECHL last season, has committed to Mout Royal University for school. His going to Mount Royal brings a strong defense tone to the school and takes advantage of his tuition and books at a Canadian University for the next several years.
