Having been a moment, it’s time to see what the Winterhawks are up to.
The schedule was released for both the preseason and regular season. The Hawks will play a pair of games in the Everett Tournament and a pair in the Tri-City Tournament. What catches the eye, though, is the announcement of a fifth game.
The past few years have seen the Hawks travel to Spokane to play the Chiefs on their way to Tri-Cities. That game is off the schedule, and it’s been replaced.
For the first time in decades, the Hawks will actually host a preseason game, this one a special 2 p.m. game Sunday, August 30, against the Tri-City Americans. This game appears to be at the tail end of training camp, which last year ended on a Saturday, and would allow players on the bubble, so to speak, to get into game action ahead of the tournaments. The Hawks will not play Tri-Cities in either tournament, so this will be a great chance to see the two against each other.
In the regular schedule, it appears that the calendar is fairly balanced, with 11-12 games per month. The Eastern schedule runs November 11-21 and starts, as usual, in Brandon before ending in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan.
Normally, you’d end closer to home, which would be Swift Current, but the schedule has them in Swift Current midway through the trek. They will head to Saskatoon, then Prince Albert, before the long drive to Moose Jaw and then home.
The Hawks will also entertain Prince George twice within three days at the end of January. However, according to the schedule, the Hawks do not head to Prince George.
The WHL also allows teams that wish to fly on one of their long trips. It will be interesting to see which teams use this option.
The league has also extended the regular season by a week in March. As a result, the playoffs will be shortened to five games in the first round, and the schedule can vary by team in several different formats to reduce travel.
For the Hawks, they play twice in September, with one of those games starting a four-game homestand. The Hawks have a road trip right after for 12 days and six games, followed by five straight at home. Unlike previous swings, they don’t play a road game during their travel to the swing. The road game they play following the swing will not be en route home, but appears to be an up-and-back trip to Everett.
There are also a couple of new promotional nights. In addition to the regular Toy Drive on December 3, Teddy Bear Toss on December 13, New Year’s on December 31, and Mascot Night on January 18, they are doing Grunge Night, Hispanic Heritage Night, College Night, Yacht Rock Night, and Hosers vs. 5-0, a Fire vs. Police battle.
Missing this year are Where’s Waldo Night, Black Players Night, and Women in Hockey. Altogether, of the 34 games at home, 21 have some sort of theme associated with them.
Two housekeeping events took place, with Sven Baertschi moving up to Associate Coach from Assistant Coach and the hiring of Ryan Donald, head coach of the Cranbrook Bucks of the BCHL, to be the second Associate Coach. They will allow Kyle Gustafson to attend other functions with little concern for the operations of the team.
Baertschi was a standout for the Hawks during his playing time here and had a healthy NHL run. Donald was the recipient of the 2022-23 Coach of the Year award in the BCHL and brings experience with youth in hockey, as BCHL players are the same age as WHL squads.
The Hawks could be losing a solid defenceman, as Max Psenicka has signed a three-year entry-level deal with the Utah Mammoth of the NHL. There was some hope he might play next year, but that will remain in doubt until the Mammoth return him to the fold.
The Hawks are posting that they expect him back. However, his being taken in the second round is a bit concerning if he performs well at NHL camp. At 19, he is eligible to be sent to the AHL as an import.
Speaking of NHL drafts, three Hawks were called in later rounds of the draft. Will McLaughlin, Luke Wiffley, and Jake Gustafson were drafted 152-154 and will attend their respective NHL camps. McLaughlin goes to the Vegas Golden Knights, Luke Wiffley to the New Jersey Devils, and Gustafson to the San Jose Sharks. All should be back for the regular season.
The Hawks will also have to pare down the 20-year-old players, as they currently have five on the roster.
There will also be a decision on goaltending. They have pegged Ondrej Stebetak as the No. 1, and Chase Cruz is the same age, with both being 19-year-old players. Blake Clark is back as a 16-year-old, as well as a couple who were cut from the team at the tail end of training camp.
It will be interesting if they use Stebetak as a mentor for Clark, moving Chase and perhaps adding another young netminder to the fold.
It will also be interesting to see how this team shapes out, with a couple of players headed to college, strategies involving aging players, and more. Camp is expected Thursday through Saturday, August 27-29, with that one preseason game on the same weekend.
Get ready. Training camp will be very exciting to see unfold!
The OHL has a shorter preseason schedule but has a couple of interesting wrinkles. From August 28 through September 10, teams will play preseason games, and two, Sudbury and Saginaw, will play interleague games with the QMJHL.
The London Knights are going cross-country as they play the Victoria Royals on September 4 and 5. Also, several teams will play in neutral arenas as the league takes to the road, showcasing teams in areas that don’t have a team, as well as playing a couple of tournaments.
The QMJHL sees John Moreland as the new owner of the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada, a team he says will remain where it is. The Armada, which started in 2011, has not won a championship but has been in the playoffs several times, and the new owner is looking to create more excitement for the team.
Preseason for the league is long, starting on August 15 and concluding September 12, with the regular season getting underway on September 18.
A trial that started last season to great success was the interleague play between the OHL and QMJHL. Games will be on the preseason docket, with the Sudbury Wolves hosting the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies and the Saginaw Spirit heading to Newfoundland to face the Regiment for a pair of games.
The regular season will run September 18 through March 20.
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