Hanas leaves no doubt
Portland Winterhawks signed prospect Cross Hanas had a strong USA Hockey Select 16 development camp prior to Friday morning in Amherst, New York. He led the camp with 10 points in five games and was named to the roster for All-Star White.
Then in the All Star Game, Hanas scored twice and added an assist for three more points. His 13 points in the six games, led the entire camp.
After the game he was named to USA Hockey’s U17 team for the Five Nations Tournament which takes place in Piestany, Slovakia from August 15-19. Hanas and the other 19 2002-born players will trying to win the fourth straight title for the U.S.
Since 2007, the U.S. has captured first place seven times overall.
20 players who participated at the Boys Select 16 #USAHPDC have been named to the U.S. U17 Men's Select Team for the 2018 #FiveNations Tournament → https://t.co/RYo8YEeHZk pic.twitter.com/eeB5WHsZyH
— USA Hockey (@usahockey) July 13, 2018
Since the tournament ends on August 19th and the usual start time for Portland’s training camp is usually on the second-to-last Wednesday in August (the 22nd this year), Hanas may be given a delayed start in order to rest after playing halfway across the world. This has yet to be confirmed however.
With Skyler McKenzie signing a professional contract, the Winterhawks got leaner in their forward group. As it stands currently, this is how I have their projected depth chart. It seems unlikely that Conor MacEachern and Connor Barley will be back as overage players, though Portland currently only has defensemen Jared Freadrich and Brendan De Jong as other overage options on the roster.
| LW | Center | RW |
| Ryan Hughes (99) | Cody Glass (99) | Mason Mannek (00) |
| Ty Kolle (00) | Jake Gricius (99) | Lane Gilliss (99) |
| Lukus MacKenzie (99) | Reece Newkirk (01) | Jaydon Dureau (01) |
| Cross Hanas (02)* | Seth Jarvis (02) | Conor MacEachern (98)^ |
| Gabe Klassen (03)* | Connor Barley (98)^ |
Portland also has a couple import options but can only sign one if Henri Jokiharju returns. Klassen can only play five games as a 15-year-old this coming season.
Here’s how all 12 WHL-linked players did at the S16 camp.
| Player | WHL Team | USHDC Team | Points at S16 Camp | NCAA? | WHL? |
| Cross Hanas | Portland – draft | Red | 10 | No | Signed |
| Joe Miller | Portland-list | Royal | 6 | Minnesota | No |
| Cameron Berg | Seattle-draft | Royal | 4 | Nebraska-Omaha | No |
| Hunter Hastings | Spokane-draft | Forest | 4 | No | No |
| Aidan Thompson | Portland-draft | Royal | 4 | Denver | No |
| Andrew Ramsey | Victoria-draft | White | 4 | No | No |
| Matthew Knies | Portland-list | Gold | 3 | No | No |
| Carter Loney | Victoria-draft | Columbia | 3 | No | No |
| Riley Stuart | Tri-City-draft | Black | 3 | No | No |
| Tritan Rand | Tri-City-draft | Kelly | 2 | No | No |
| Zach Michaelis | Prince George-draft | Orange | 2 | Nebraska-Omaha | No |
| Jackson Nieuwendyk | Portland-draft | Columbia | 1 | No | No |
Links and notes:
-Sean Tschigerl was named Hockey Now Minor Hockey Player of the Year in Alberta. He was a Calgary Hitmen first round pick in 2018. He has already signed with Calgary.
-Jake Chiasson was named their Player of the Year in B.C. Chiasson was a first round pick by the Brandon Wheat Kings and has already signed with them.
-Many eyes will be on Portland Winterhawks defenseman Henri Jokiharju at Chicago Blackhawks development camp, which starts on July 16th. He has the possibility of impressing enough for the Blackhawks to start seriously considering him for a roster spot as a 19-year-old.
-Spokane Chiefs defenseman Ty Smith came in confident to his first development camp with the New Jersey Devils.
-Brett Connolly will be bringing the Stanley Cup to the city of Prince George. The Washington Capitals forward plied his trade with the Cougars before moving on to the pro ranks.
-John Wilson, a local businessman has joined the Victoria Royals to help them with their bid for the 2020 Memorial Cup.
-As is often the case with teams that win titles, there are now a lot of vacancies with the Swift Current Broncos. Eric James talked with Head Coach/General Manager Dean Brockman about one of the big vacancies that occurred when Jamie Porter left the organization.
-Ryan Smith also stepped down from his Associate Coach position with the Broncos.
