There are more changes for the Portland Winterhawks team. Having had success with Joel Hofer from Swift Current a couple of years back as Hofer had been drafted by St. Louis and signed already, the Hawks appear to be going to the well again. With Dante Giannuzzi .coming in at 19, there is a potential need for a new netminder. The Hawks brought in Brock Gould, who could head back to his WHL team with the pandemic slowly curtailing, meaning the Hawks would need a replacement. The deal for Wallstedt is a cheap possibility. Portland has had a great track record in getting players who only had “rights” when drafted and then didn’t wish to go to their respective drafted team.
Winterhawks Acquire Rights to Jesper Wallstedt from Moose Jaw
Portland, Ore. – The Portland Winterhawks, proud member club of the Western Hockey League, announced today that the club has acquired the rights to goaltender Jesper Wallstedt from the Moose Jaw Warriors.
Wallstedt, 18, is projected to be a first round selection in this year’s 2021 NHL Draft, ranked #1 among all European eligible goalies. The native of Västerås, Sweden played in the top professional league in his home country this year, playing 23 games for Luleå HF. He also represented Sweden as an underage player in the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) U20 World Junior Championship in January.
Standing at 6-foot-3, 214-lbs, Wallstedt was selected 46th overall by Moose Jaw in the 2019 CHL Import Draft and in exchange for his rights the Winterhawks traded a sixth round pick in the 2023 WHL Draft.
On another goaltender note which has been posted on winterhawks.com
Adin Hill Wins IIHF Gold with Team Canada
@HockeyCanada / Twitter
Portland, Ore. – The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championship tournament reached its conclusion Sunday, finishing with Winterhawks alumni Adin Hill capturing gold as a member of Team Canada.
Hill, who spent 2013-16 on the Portland roster, appeared in three games for his country over the two-week stretch, posting a 1-1-0 record with a .909 save percentage in net.
Canada defeated Finland in overtime by a score of 3-2 to capture the title, the first gold for them since doing so back-to-back in 2015 & 2016.
The 6’6″ native of Comox, British Columbia has a busy summer ahead, currently a restricted free agent after his fifth season in the Arizona Coyotes organization.
Hill was a top-rated player on the Hawks with the fans and has gone onto great success in Arizona as a member of the Coyotes.
