The Winterhawks completed training camp, with another player added just before the start. Just a day or so prior, the Winterhawks put Jan Spunar on the roster, and he played for the third-place Team Ponich in the Neely Cup.
The Cup, won by Team Bjorkstrand, was a battle with Team Mahon 5 to 4 after Bjorkstrand’s team led the second frame. Team Mahon led 2-1 after the first game and came back strong in the second after falling behind 3-1 early in the second with four straight goals. Josh Zakreski, expected to be a strong leader for the Winterhawks this year, scored twice and assisted in the pair of mini-games.
Both goaltenders, Luke Bruen and Marek Schlenker, did not dress in the tournament.
The roster was then pared to 34 players and 4 goaltenders, of which both Bruen and Schlenker are rostered, as is Spiunar. Ondrej Stebetek, one of the two import draft players, is also on the roster. This will be interesting as Spunar is an overage player, and with the team not likely to be a deep contender in the playoffs due to their heavily laden player roster last year, we may see Spunar look to pro either in the NHL or Europe. As the team has to decide on the roster in early October, time is pressured on the Hawks to determine what way they will go. If Spunar is released, he would have to go through waivers and could be plucked by a team needing an experienced netminder. The same can be said for Ondrej Stebetek, who cannot be reassigned while not as experienced as he has been part of the import draft. It will be a very closely watched few weeks.
They are also taking 10 defencemen and 18 forwards to the preseason tournaments. On the defensive side, four players, Tyson Jugnauth, Ryder Thompson, Carter Sotheran, and Alex Thompson, will be the only Hawks from the past. Jugnauth was drafted by the Seattle Kraken in the 4th round in 2022 and played an ATO with the farm team Coachella Firebirds following the completion of the Hawks season last year. With Ryder and Tyson being both overage players, the chances of both being retained by the club are unlikely. Expect Jugnauth to land in the farm system of the Firebirds of the AHL.
The forwards only see one player, Kyle Chyzowski, as an overage player. Others from last season are Kyle McDonough, Ryan Miller, Josh Zakreski, Hudson Darby, Tyson Yaremko, and Diego Buttazoni, who still have time left in their junior careers. Braeden Jockins, who bounced back and forth with the Hawks, is back this season looking for a permanent spot.
With most teams carrying eight defensemen, two goaltenders, and 12 to 14 forwards, the Hawks will welcome up to five new defencemen and five to seven new forwards. Overall, the roster will have some breathing room in age groups manning the front line.
The Memorial Cup hosted by the WHL is still two years away, but teams are lining up to host the Cup. 5 teams have put their name in the hat, and it will be a dogfight for all of them. Out east, Brandon Wheat Kings announced their intentions. One of the smaller arenas in the WHL, the Kings, have been middle of the pack in the standings and were swept in the first round by the eventual WHL-placed team in the Memorial Cup in the Moose Jaw Warriors. Out west, the Kelowna Rockets have once again entered the fray. They were to host in 2020, but the COVID-shortened season and cancelation of the playoffs scuttled their chances. The Rockets survived the first round by dethroning the Wenatchee Wild but fell into a buzzsaw of the Prince George Cougars in the second round. The Rockets would be a favorite to host. Two teams in the Central Division, Medicine Hat Tigers and Lethbridge Hurricanes, have announced their intentions. Both were ousted in the first round of last year’s playoffs, the Hurricanes in 4 straight to the Swift Current Broncos and Tigers in 5 to the Red Deer Rebels. The Tigers and Hurricanes are looking to load up over the next few years to make their entrant stand out.
A US entrant has entered the mix. On the heels of both a successful run by the Saginaw Spirit last year, who fell in the Cup final, and having hosted before in 1998, where the Hawks won the Memorial Cup for the second time. After failing to make the postseason last year, the Spokane Chiefs are looking to field a stronger team. The Chiefs also have a larger arena of 10,000 plus, which, in the eyes of the strong US dollar, is mighty tempting, whereas the Canadian dollar is 1/3 of the greenback.
The announcement will likely come either late this season or during the playoffs and will be interesting to watch. CHAT news from Medicine Hat has stated that the Medicine Hat council will put up 2 million dollars, with $655,555 as in-kind donations and 1.25 million in cash. The Hurricanes are 1.25 million cash and $250,000 in-kind contributions. Kelowna has offered 3.7 million to upgrade the arena and $350,000 in-kind donations.
Neither Spokane nor Brandon have announced financial plans, but the Wheat Kings were the first to announce their intentions.
With formal bids not due until the end of the month, it will be all eyes on the five teams competing for the rights. CHAT also stated that the cup saw Kamloops gain 16.2 million dollars in economic runoff, so there is an incentive for sure with these teams.
As the Hawks head for a pair of games in Everett, word comes that a fifth preseason game will be played Thursday, September 12, at 5 p.m. in Cheney, WA. Portland plays Spokane in the first game of the Everett tournament, and depending on how many players attend NHL training camps, it may field a different team on the 12th.
Please consider revising this article to correct multiple misspellings of surnames.