The Portland Winterhawks are 21 games into their season and are currently tied for first place in the U.S. Division.
A big portion of their success has been the play of their two 2019 CHL Import Draft selections, Simon Knak and Jonas Brøndberg.
Portland selected Knak with the 40th overall selection and Brøndberg in the second round (100th overall). Both players have made an impact right away.
Simon has missed the last few games with an injury but registered five goals and nine assists in his 14 games played. Jonas has played in all 21 games so far with seven points to his name — two goals and five assists.
While both players are having a productive start to the season, head coach and general manager Mike Johnston feels the true evaluation does not start until after the holiday break. “They start training camp. They want to make a good impression. Then all of a sudden, the season starts, then everything is new. For them, a lot of times, the evaluation of their game really starts after Christmas once they had three or four months in North America and getting to play their game. I like both of their willingness to learn, willingness to get better, really coachable kids, better people, great teammates, which is as important as anything.”
Both Knak and Brøndberg were standouts with their national teams before being selected by Portland.
“I liked that Simon was playing as an underage at the U18,” Johnston said when asked about drafting Knak. “I think anytime a kid plays for their country like (Oliver) Bjorkstrand did with Denmark as an underage at the World Junior and Simon in the Hlinka Gretzky tournament, I think that is a good sign. If you are one of the top players in your country, and you are an underage, that is a positive. Switzerland has a lot of good hockey players. That was the first thing that impressed me. I like his size, his ability to play a combination game, which I feel transitions well to North America.”
What stood out to Johnston about Brøndberg was his “puck possession, puck poise, and puck patience. His leadership — he was captain of Denmark in different international events, and that impressed me. We want our defensemen to be smart with the puck, and that is exactly what Jonas is.”
Both players talked about getting the opportunity to represent their countries at the different international tournaments. Knak said, “It is very special. When you wear a letter on your chest, you are a leader. You just help the team in bad situations, which is the biggest change.” Jonas described the feeling as “pretty amazing. Personally, in Denmark, it is a really small group. All the guys you are with is always the same guys. It is almost like playing with your best friends in that group, so wearing a letter with them is so amazing. Representing your country is a big deal no matter where you are from. It is a pride thing; you are just so proud.”
Import draft and coming to America
Being drafted by the Winterhawks was a special moment — one neither will forget.
“I heard that Portland was the best organization in the WHL,” Knak said. “I think when I heard they did school and sports combined, for me, that was really important. I’m not only focusing on hockey, but also I get a little bit of school to help me learn English next to hockey. That, for me, is important — think about my life outside of hockey too. I’m so happy in Portland — one of the best decisions I’ve made.”
On draft day, Knak had school in the morning and was then in training with the men’s pro team with whom he had a contract. “Some of the guys asked me, ‘Are you going to get drafted today?’” Simon recalled. “I told them, ‘No, I don’t know. I never talked to a team or stuff like that.’ I went home and a good friend of mine was at home with us. We were looking on our iPads and were hoping no other team was going to pick me. My dad was walking around. He was nervous. It was funny to look how he was doing it. For me, it was clear that Portland would pick me, but my dad wasn’t sure if anybody else would pick me before them.”
Sure enough, Portland selected Simon with their first pick. “My dad was so happy and came and gave me a hug. He helped me a lot because, before I came to Portland, I didn’t have an agent. My dad was my agent. He organized all the stuff. I think he did a really good job there.”
Brøndberg had a similar feeling that Portland was a strong candidate to draft him. “I played in Sweden for two years, and I wanted to go to the next step. We played the U18 championship in the B Group, and Portland sent a guy there to see me. My agent contacted and talked to Mike (Johnston) a bit. Mike then called me and we had some good talks. They drafted me, which was a big moment for me. I was at an outdoor swimming area with my friends (on draft day). They kept saying, ‘your mom has called us like 1,000 times.’ I called her back and she said, ‘look at the draft, you got picked.’ Then I found out, and I was so happy.”
Both players mentioned that the hardest aspect of making it across the Atlantic Ocean was getting their visas.
“I stood in queue for like four hours to get mine,” Knak recounted. “That was a tough part for me, but I was happy to do it so I could come to Portland.”
Brøndberg said, “First, (Portland) sent us all the different contracts and all the things we have to sign. Then, you sign it, and then you have to get the visa. The visa is the tough part because it took so long to get it, and such a hard phase. You are nervous — ‘Am I going to miss camp? Am I going to make it over? Are they going to give me the visa?’ When you receive the visa, you are just so happy. They could then order the plane tickets and we could fly over. That visa process kills you though. That was tough.”
Brøndberg came over on his own, but Knak had some company. “I came over with my family. They were here for a week, then they flew back to see my brother because he had school. I think it helped me a lot to come here with my family. That was a good choice. They got to see my billets which was very important for them. I like my billets. They are really nice and they do everything for me. I appreciate it.”
Simon and Jonas have helped each other with the transition to living in the United States but have also had help from several of their teammates. Knak said, “The first time, I was picked up from Jake (Gricius) and Johnny (Ludvig). I think they helped me a lot to get into the team. The first couple of times, I was a little bit shy because I don’t know the guys here. Now, I feel like I have a really good relationship with everybody.”
Brøndberg talked about how having Knak helped him. “I think Simon has played a big factor because we come from like the same place, with the same culture, and we think the same. We have been helping each other a lot.”
Jonas also mentioned two teammates who took him under their wing. “All of the guys have been so nice, but (Mason) Mannek and Kisahun (Gervais), wow. I live with Kishaun and Mason picks me up. They have been so good to me. Coming here and having some guys who can help you out, find stuff, and help you with the language is so nice. All the boys have been so nice and really welcoming to us.”
Difference between Switzerland, Denmark, and Portland
For many Europeans who come to the WHL, and CHL, many can have a hard time making the transition both on and off the ice. Both Simon and Jonas feel they have a second home in Portland.
“I’m from a small village close to the city of Zurich, probably 20 minutes away,” Knak mentioned. “It is a small village. I don’t know how many people are living there, but we have schools and some shopping centers. It is like where I live now, probably pretty much the same. I think where I live now it is about 20 minutes from downtown Portland too. I feel like I’m at home here, and I like it so far.”
Brøndberg lived in “one of the bigger cities in Denmark, but not as big as Portland though — maybe 200,000 people in and around Aalborg. I like the big cities with a lot of stuff to do. I’m used to it, and I just like being here in Portland.”
The travel with Portland for their road trips is a lot different than what Simon and Jonas were used to overseas.
Knak said, “In Switzerland it is like 3.5 hours max without traffic. I think Seattle is the closest drive for us in this league.” However, he doesn’t mind the longer bus rides. “It is a family on the bus. I feel like I’m in a big family. Everybody supports each other.”
Brøndberg agreed. “To sit in a bus for 15 hours is a huge change for us, but it is nice to be with the boys on the bus trips. You really get close to the other guys on the team. You know them a lot better after a trip like that.”
The music is different in the United States as well, and Portland’s two newest import players have been learning to listen to what their teammates enjoy.
“I like Danish music, like Danish rap. It is really popular right now, pop too. I’ve tried to play it in the locker room, but they lock it down,” Brøndberg said laughing. “No Danish music in the looker room.”
Knak agreed. “I like Swiss music, but only the Swiss guys are listening to it, so it is difficult to listen to it in the locker room. They did like one of the songs, but it is more like party music.”
Simon’s preference is “disco music, Swiss music, and some older songs my dad showed me.” Jonas has been introduced to country music courtesy of Mason Mannek. “After meetings, it is country music as Mason is a big country fan. I’m a country music fan now too because it is the only thing he listens to. He’s got me into that category now too. Thank you, Mason.”
Both players speak English really well, which is often a challenge for the import players.
“In Denmark, we start learning English in school when we are eight or nine,” Brøndberg explained. “We start learning it in small, baby steps. Usually when we get older, maybe ninth grade, which is the last year in school, then you have English as much as Danish. We use a lot of English in school because Denmark knows if you want to do anything internationally, you have to know English because it is the first- or second-most spoken language besides maybe Spanish.”
Knak said he was “10 years old when I started to learn English.” However, he can speak four different languages per assistant coach Don Hay. “When I was 12 years old, French was coming too. For me, it is a little bit harder because we always speak Swiss-German in Switzerland. At school, there is no Swiss-German; there is only German, French, and English. The Swiss-German is mostly the same as German, but there is no grammar in Swiss-German — only German. I think English is important. Since I’ve been here, I’ve improved a lot. It helps me a lot to go to the college classes, do the homework, and read some papers.”
One of the other differences between Portland and where Knak and Brøndberg played previously is how loud the crowd is in the Rose City. They played in front of 8,000+ fans in the Moda Center a couple of weeks ago — a very new experience for both of them.
“I’ve never had that crowd before,” Knak commented. “I got a good crowd at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup when we played in Edmonton against Canada in the tournament opener. The fans were cheering for Canada though, and we were losing 10-0. It was a little bit hard because hearing ten times the goal horn from Canada was pretty hard. I’ve never had a big crowd like that cheering for my team. You get a lot of energy from them. If you have a bad shift, you hear the crowd and they are making noise. It is pretty cool. It really picks you up.”
Simon continued, “In Switzerland there are maybe 100 people watching in the junior leagues. I played three games with the men’s pro team where we got 4,000 or 5,000. That is a little different because they sing songs the whole game.”
Brøndberg was impressed by the fans in the Moda Center. “I just want to say wow. In Sweden and Denmark, it is usually maybe 100 or so people, mostly friends and family. They are also not drunk, so the atmosphere isn’t as good. That Saturday game was a good, intense game. We got the crowd loud, a good Kisahun fight, it was insane in there.”
Jonas is more used to a soccer-type atmosphere where there is “a lot of chants, playing of drums, whistling. It is a another atmosphere here. Every time there is someone making a good play, the crowd is standing up. Every time there is a big chance, the crowd is cheering so loud. In Europe, they just sing songs all game. Sure, if a goal is scored, they scream, but that’s it.”
One of Knak’s favorite aspects of playing in front of the Portland fans: “For sure, ‘TNT’ as a song. It is pretty loud on the ice when you score a goal at home. It is amazing.”
Adjusting to the North American style of hockey
From a hockey perspective, their biggest adjustment is the size of the ice. In Europe, the ice is wider by about 13 or 14 feet.
Neither Brøndberg nor Knak had a ton of experience on the smaller ice surface before joining the Winterhawks.
“I played at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, which I think was the first time I played on smaller ice,” Knak articulated. “I guess before at a peewee tournament, but there I was really small — 13 years old — where I didn’t realize it. At the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, I realized how much quicker, harder, and faster it is. You have to think better and look forward to the plays that are coming.”
Brøndberg’s experience was “maybe, maybe one game on smaller ice. I didn’t know how it was going to be. I got some tips from Joachim (Blichfeld) who played here last year. He said it is so much faster. You have to think a step (ahead) if you want to do something with the puck instead of just throwing it away.”
Portland’s coaching staff feels the ice size is the biggest factor in Knak and Brøndberg making a successful transition to the WHL.
Kyle Gustafson, Winterhawks associate coach and assistant general manager who coaches the defensemen and the power play, mentioned how some of Brøndberg’s biggest strengths are also an area of opportunity for the 18-year-old. “He sees plays, makes them, knows when to hang on to the puck. There is no panic in his game. Sometimes it is to the extreme where we have to push him a little bit to move pucks faster because things happen a little bit quicker. I think the first ten games or so is about getting used to the smaller ice. Getting him used to the demographics of being on the ice, things close quicker, you don’t have a lot of time in the corners to make plays.”
Assistant coach Don Hay, who coaches the forwards and the penalty kill, mentioned Knak’s adjustment. “He has brought a real good skill set. He is learning to play the North American game, and I think with that comes good days and bad days. I think he is having a great start to the season. He is learning a lot everyday by practicing. It is a different game here, it is a little quicker. His big challenge right now is protecting the puck and playing in smaller areas. I think he is doing a great job, and I see him getting better and better. Typically, European players and young players come back after Christmas and really find a way to show improvement. When you take away the extra space from Europe, you are putting him in tight areas. He will keep improving in the corners and in front of the net. Those things aren’t stressed as much in Europe as they are here.”
Knak is also used on Portland’s power play, and Gustafson sees a bright future ahead for the 17-year-old winger. “It is a learning process for Simon. He is a big-body guy who can play a lot of different positions (on the power play). I envision him being able to play all the positions by the end of his career, whether it is at the net, little bit as a bumper in the flank, and with that comes some areas we have to work with skill, deflecting pucks if you are a net-front guy, shooting on the pass if you are a flank guy. He is really a jack of all trades. At the end of it, I think he can play all sorts of positions for us.”
Keeping in touch with back home
“(Simon) might be a little bit homesick being away from home for the first time,” Hay mentioned. “He misses his young brother and his family, but I think he fits in really well with us. He doesn’t have to worry about adapting to the English language since he can speak four languages — a pretty knowledgeable guy.”
Technology is helping Jonas and Simon stay connected to their friends and family back in Denmark and Switzerland.
“I FaceTimed them on my brother’s birthday and got to watch them open presents,” Knak said. “With FaceTime, it is so much easier. I don’t want to live in the 1980s without a phone. It would be hard.”
Brøndberg said he was a little homesick as well, but “having FaceTime is so nice. I can call them and see their faces, which feels like I’m being with them. Usually a FaceTime call with them every week helps me not feel so homesick. The billets play a really big job in this, and my billets are amazing. They do everything for us, support us in every single way. They are a second family. That also makes it so we don’t feel as homesick as we would be if we were living on our own. Sometimes on special days, like birthdays, you miss (your family and friends) a little extra. If I miss any holidays, you miss them extra those days. Otherwise, the days go on, and if you are having fun, you don’t think about it as much.”
A little over a month from now, the holiday break will arrive where they might get an opportunity to go home for a short period of time.
Brøndberg will return home for a few days as well in early December, as he is expected to play with Denmark in the Division 1 World Juniors tournament.
When Jonas makes the team, he will leave Portland on December 1 for Denmark’s training camp back home before the tournament begins on December 9 in Belarus. Brøndberg and Denmark are looking to win Group A and rejoin the top division after being relegated in the 2019 tournament.
Switzerland is in the top division of the 2020 World Juniors held in the Czech Republic.
Knak is still waiting for the roster to see if he will make the team. “It is the decision of the Swiss National Team coach if he wants to pick me as an underager. I think it would be a great experience — it is one of the biggest tournaments. World Juniors is amazing — one of my goals this year. I can only help the decision of the coach when I play well in Portland. The Swiss 2000-borns are really good. I don’t know what he is going to do. In two or three weeks, I will know for sure. I would also like to go home for Christmas and see my parents, brother, and friends though.”
NHL Draft eligible prospects
Both Brøndberg and Knak are eligible for the 2020 NHL Draft and NHL Central Scouting has both players listed on their “Players to Watch” list. Simon is listed as a “B” ranked skater, meaning likely a second- or third-round selection. Jonas received a “C” rating, potentially a fourth-, fifth-, or sixth-round pick.
Both players touched on the goal of being drafted but also not letting it consume them.
“It is a goal and is something I’m aiming for, of course,” Brøndberg said. “I just keep pushing forward and not thinking about it too much. If it comes, it comes. If it doesn’t, you just have to move forward. All the coaches and staff say there is always a way if you want to play pro. You just have to move forward. Have it as a goal, but don’t think about it.
Knak also commented on the pressure being in your draft-eligible season can bring. “I always have it in the back of my head. I’m thinking about it after I played a game. It is hard. It can give you so much pressure if you are always thinking about it. It is still so far away, so many other good things you are going to do. It is one of the biggest goals in your hockey career to get drafted. It brings you a step closer to your goal. At the moment, I know I want to get drafted, but I think it is a goal of every hockey player. I just have to improve everyday and get better and better so you can be an NHL player.”
“They are level-headed kids,” Johnston mentioned. “We have a couple of players in our room that are rated. Like last year, the guys who were here last year saw how older players handled it. I think that is always good. Look at how (Reece) Newkirk and (Johnny) Ludvig handled it. How did those guys handle the interviews, the pressure? Just being around players that have done that before is always good for the group. The guys are more focused on if they are playing well and contributing rather than ‘where am I rated in the draft?’”
The Portland Winterhawks have a long history of sending players to the NHL — 30 during the Mike Johnston era.
Based upon the early impact by Jonas Brøndberg and Simon Knak, that list will surely grow by at least two in the coming years.
To hear the full conversation with Jonas and Simon. Click here to listen to the Pucklandia Podcast episode. Their portion of the show starts at 16:05.
