The regular season began with teams chomping at the bit following a long summer for some and major tweaking following several that put all their chips and either didn’t go all the way to the Memorial Cup or bowed out early in the playoff race.
The Winterhawks made it to the WHL Finals, where they ultimately fell to the Moose Jaw Warriors in the WHL Finals.
Several players had already been on the chopping block as the season ended. Two were traded as Marcus Nguyen headed to Brandon, and Josh Mori went to Edmonton as the Hawks pared down their 20-year-olds.
The fate of goaltending was left to decide. Luke Brunen was part of the group last season and still has an abundance of youth. Markus Schlenker and the import draft pick are the same age at 18. Jan Spunar, at 20, had an invite to the Florida Panthers camp, joining Marek Alscher, who was drafted and signed by them. Spunar wasn’t listed at the outset of the Hawks training camp but was listed at the last moment and played in the initial Everett Holiday Tournament.
They have the three overage players past that point: two on defense and one forward.
The Hawks solved their goaltending issue as Jan Spunar was in Florida camp. After clearing CHL waivers, the 20-year-old goaltender is now part of the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the USHL. This leaves the Hawks with Luke Brunen and an import draft selection.
The preseason saw the Hawks go 2-3, which in no way indicates how they would do this season. Preseason is about looking at potential line combinations, goaltender work, and the team’s ethics. In the first three games, the Hawks went 1-2, but the decisions were by a goal and low scoring. The final two contests saw much more open skating, a higher number of goals, and work towards finalizing their lineup.
With the Veterans Memorial Coliseum under renovations internally, the season’s first three games were on the road. In the past, Mike Johnston always seemed to have the first games on the road, allowing them to gel better and create intensity for when they came home.
The first two contests were in the Kootenay area, where Kamloops and Kelowna held court.
The first game against the Blazers saw the Hawks a bit more tentative. With Josh Zakreski forward and Carter Southern’s defense still at NHL camps, the youth of the Hawks had to shine through. While the first period was scoreless, the second period went Kamloops’ way with two goals and a 25-21 shot advantage. The Hawks settled down in the third, firing five straight goals, including an empty netter that got Kyle Chykowski a hat trick, with the Hawks prevailing 5-2. Ondrej Stebetak, who came to the Hawks as an import draft, stopped 32 of 34 shots in the win. Both teams couldn’t convert on the powerplay with Portland’s three chances and Kamloops four. The shots also favored Kamloops 34-29
A day later, Kelowna was playing host. The Rockets had put their bid in for hosting the Memorial Cup as the WHL hosts in 2026 and are one of five teams vying for that honor. Stebetak was in net again for the Hawks this time with Marek Schlenker backing him up, The Hawks struck early in the 1st on a Reed Brown marker and followed that with Carsyn Dyck with a shorthanded tally midway through the period. The Hawks increased the lead when Tyson Yaremko scored very early in the second period. All that work went for naught, with three straight Kelowna goals in just over three minutes. The game remained tied until the third when the Hawks’ Diego Buttazzoni scored within seconds of puck drop to regain the lead. Tyson Yaremko scored his second of the night just over two minutes later. The defense shut down the Rockets the rest of the way, and they won 5-3. Portland 1-3 on the powerplay, Kelowna at 2-4. Kelowna outshot Portland 39-34
Portland would have one more road game versus the Everett Silvertips. The big ace for the Tips was Landon DuPont, granted exceptional status by the WHL as he plays at 15. With the Hawks at a full roster with the return of Tyson Juggnauth, Carter Southern, and Josh Zakreski to the fold, the Hawks would play one game during the week before they came home.
Although the Hawks weren’t badly outshot 40-33, they surrendered eight goals in an ugly 8-2 defeat. The silver lining was the pair of goals scored by Kyle Chykowski, those coming after Everett was already up 5-0 and 7-1, respectively. Stebetak started again for the Hawks but was pulled after Everett’s fifth goal before the midpoint of the second period. Luke Brunen finished the game. Portland went 1-8 on the powerplay, with Everettt 1-4 on theirs.
The Hawks will play a pair on the weekend against unbeaten Victoria and Prince George. Both the Hawks and Cougars will leave right after the game. They have a pair in Prince George just three days later, with Kelowna and Seattle on their way down. The Hawks will then play a pair in Portland. The Hawks are sixth in the conference, tied with Wenatchee, Everett, and Vancouver early in the season.
As expected, Swift Current, who made a massive trade last season, is at the bottom in the East, with Moose Jaw hanging on in a bottleneck with a single win. Because the season is so early, no real trends can be seriously considered now.
The Hawks are set to hold a fan fest on Saturday before the game outside the VMC, and the weather should be decent for that.
In a new marketing move, the Portland Winterhawks solidified their sponsorship with Toyota by announcing a multiyear partnership with the car manufacturer. The Hawks announced they were the first-ever team patch partner to have Toyota, which had just come down the wire. The logo will be part of the uniform in the future.
Portland also announced a partnership with DSP Connections, which deals with sensory issues. The Dwyer Room at the Coliseum, on the first floor, will house the new sensory room. The new “sensory room” will allow sensory-impaired individuals to have sunglasses, protective earplugs, fidget toys, and activity books. These kits will be available at the Guest Services location at Entry CC of the Coliseum at no charge.
The Hawks also announced their team captain, 20-year-old Kyle Chykowski. Tyson Jugnauth, Carter Sotheran, Josh Zakreski, and Ryan Miller will alternate as assistant captains during the season.
There will be more events for fans shortly, so get ready for home hockey!
