With a week to go before the start of training camp, once again the situation ramps up in a hurry. Overall, though, it’s been one of the Portland Winterhawks’ most aggressive offseasons in years. Countless player adjustments and other news posted both on the website and Facebook pages have kept the team in everyone’s mind during a typically quiet period following the NHL Draft.
Tickets have gone on sale for the training camp Neely Cup events, plus the preseason game versus Tri-City on August 30. Each night is a separate ticketed event. Among the players in goal will be returning Chase Cruz, Ondrej Stebetak and Blake Clark, three who vied for time during the season before Clark was sent down. He is still youthful at just 16, while the other two are 19 going into this year. Sergio Davidson, who played in a couple of games at the start of the campaign, is not listed for camp.
Overall, 81 players are set for this year, with 45 forwards, 28 defencemen and eight goaltenders listed for camp. With many young players, cuts at the start are usually fairly simple due to age. It will be interesting to see what the Hawks ice for the preseason game.
Speaking of tickets, the Hawks thought the one event was so good, they are doing it twice. The annual Teddy Bear Toss is now a two-night affair. The Sunday, December 13 game versus Seattle is almost sold out, and with a game the night prior, it seemed fitting that this could be a doubleheader. The Hawks are the first WHL franchise to host two Teddy Bear Tosses in one season, and the weekend will be wild. Last year’s final count of 14,558 is sure to be broken.
The Hawks also seemed to decide on their returning overage players by placing Carsyn Dyck and Carter Matthews on waivers. Both cleared. Carter had planned on joining a university hockey team in New York, and while nothing has been said about Carsyn, it seems that the NCAA is calling for the overage players, so expect him somewhere soon. There has been a great deal of chatter regarding older players, and in particular overage ones. The NCAA seems to be scooping them up quickly, and some have seen a younger CHL in the offing. However, there seems to be a number of players who are staying put, either to get a shot in the pros or gain the necessary experience to get there, which they feel isn’t offered at the collegiate level.
The Neely Cup results were posted on the website last year, owing to there being limited webcasting, and for those who did offer it, it was far more expensive. No word as to how this year will go at camp.
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