The Portland Winterhawks practiced on Tuesday in advance of three games in five nights. Wednesday the Calgary Hitmen (8-13-2-0) make their bi-annual visit to the Rose City. Calgary’s offense is led by 19-year-old Mark Kastelic (19-11–30) and James Malm (11-13–24). Malm scored a goal against Portland with Vancouver prior to his trade to Calgary. The Hitmen’s leading scorer on defense is 18-year-old Russian import Egor Zamula (3-12-15).
This weekend, the rivalries with the Everett Silvertips (17-7-1-0) and Seattle Thunderbirds (8-9-3-0) continue after the teams played last Wednesday and Saturday respectively. The Winterhawks defeated the Silvertips at home 5-2 but fell on the road to the Thunderbirds 6-4. Both games brought a lot of energy and competitive edge out of the players.
Seth Jarvis spoke after practice about facing Seattle again just a week later, “I think another high scoring game, hopefully we can come out with the two points this time. I think it will be another heated game. There were a couple of penalties in that one too so I don’t expect anything less. Maybe a couple of fights, who knows? As long as we come out with the two points that is all that matters.
Evaluation 20 games into season
Throughout the season I’ve spoken with head coach Mike Johnston about his opinion on the team. He wanted to get beyond the 20-game mark of the season before making any full assessments. Portland is 22 games into their 68 game season and Johnston offered, “my evaluation of where we fit into the league is our conference is really close.”
Entering Tuesday night, nine points separated the top seven teams in the Western Conference. Johnston continued, “We have played everybody on the other side [B.C. Division] with the exception of Prince George and everybody on our side. We can play with anybody on any given night.” The Winterhawks have proven this beating top teams like Vancouver, Victoria, and Everett. However, they have also struggled against some of the teams near the bottom of the conference.
Johnston said, “Are we better than anybody? I don’t think anyone in our conference has separated themselves to say ‘well, every team is chasing that team or that team’ like they are in the east.” As of Tuesday Prince Albert has only lost one game and are 21-1. 16 points separate the top seven teams in the Eastern Conference.
For Johnston, “I think on our side it is going to be really tight. It may come down to which teams may make moves at Christmas.” I followed up asking him if he has thought of any moves, but was politely told “no, way too early” with a smile on his face.
Defense rotation among rookies
The Winterhawks have been using a defensive rotation among three of their rookie defensemen, Nick Cicek, Kade Nolan, and Nick Perna. Nolan and Perna are 17-year-old rookies while Cicek is in his 18-year-old season.
Johnston feels, “I think they are all growing. They have only had maybe ten games or so. For guys like Perna, Nolan, or Cicek, they haven’t had a lot of volume of games in this league. They are still feeling their way; it is a tough league to play in.” Perna and Nolan have played ten games while Cicek has been in the lineup for 11.
Associate coach Kyle Gustafson spoke about the rookie defensemen, “They have been really dependable. I like the way they practice, the way they prepare, and then I like how that is translating to the game.” At practice today, these three guys were on the ice for an extended period of time after the coaches left the ice. Gustafson elaborated, “Everyone brings a sense of a veteran feel. They are accustomed to it, and I think that speaks volumes to their preparation. Being a little bit older helps too.” The rookies are currently rotating in and out of the lineup.
Gustafson spoke about the rotation, “I’m sure it is a little bit tough for them because there is a bit of rotation we are having with our guys to see how things sort out.” The decision for who makes it into the lineup is “mostly game by game,” Gustafson said. “I think we know what to expect on who is going to come in which night.”
Gustafson and Johnston also play seven defensemen in certain situations. Gustafson said this is a way of “trying to get them in more often than not. It isn’t our goal to sit players out, but right now we feel everyone brings an unique background and situation. We are just trying to get a feel of what we want to do there.”
Tyson Kozak skating with team
16-year-old forward Tyson Kozak is skating with the team, but is not officially on the roster. Johnston confirmed he is skating in preparation for when Cody Glass is away at World Juniors. Kozak is adjusting to the speed should he step up in late December.
The Souris, Manitoba native is currently in his second season with the Southwest Cougars team in the Manitoba AAA Midget Hockey League. In 16 games Kozak has scored 10 goals and 17 assists for 27 points.
Portland selected Tyson in the 6th round of the 2017 bantam draft. Kozak signed with Portland in late August.
De Jong injury update
Last Friday Brendan De Jong suffered an injury and missed the game on Saturday against Seattle. Johnston described the injury, “he got a little whiplash with his neck there. It is more of a neck injury.”
Portland’s defense played an increased role as “some guys had to play heavier minutes and some had to step into specialty teams,” Gustafson mentioned. “With Brendan gone it was a little bit of next man up.”
Clay Hanus was called upon to be a player who stepped into the specialty teams, Hanus replaced De Jong on the penalty kill as well as the second power play unit. Hanus not only rose to the occasion with his role, but also netted his second goal of the season.
The timeline for De Jong to return could be as early as Wednesday or even Saturday. Gustafson said, “I like to say he’s going to be back” when I asked him about returning this weekend. Kyle continued, “I think it was probably, if Brendan wanted to play last game he could have pushed through and done that, but we wanted to make sure he took time to heal.”
Reece Newkirk “C” skater prospect
Recently, Winterhawks’ 17-year-old forward received a “C” rating by NHL Central Scouting for the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. “C” rated prospects are projected to be selected in the fourth through sixth round. Newkirk didn’t receive a rating in the first rankings published earlier this year. Reece’s strong play early this season caught the eyes of scouts. His above point-per-game scoring (13-12-25) also contributes to his raise up the draft charts.
Assistant coach Don Hay feels, “Newkirk is a type of player teams are looking for. A competitive guy, plays with fire, he has a lot of life in his game. He competes at both ends of the ice. That is what makes him an interesting player.”
Reece told me about seeing his name on the Players to Watch List, “I’m happy with it. It is a goal I’ve been striving for. Growing up as a kid everyone dreams of playing in the NHL. Right now though, I’m just focused on the game tomorrow and the rest of the season.”
Puck management with Portland’s forwards an emphasis in practice
The forwards spent a portion of practice on Tuesday working on puck management. Johnston and Hay have stressed the importance of maintaining puck possession. Hay commented, “We really want to be a team that plays with the puck more than without the puck.”
Part of what Johnston and Hay are instilling in the forwards is, “we want them to be able to make plays first and foremost,” Hay said. “We want them to have the confidence to make plays. There are different situations where you have to make the right play and managing the puck is very important.”
After the game in Seattle, Johnston told the team their attention to puck management was not strong enough, “We made some mistakes handling the puck, and it resulted in some goals against. You take away those three miscues and the game is probably in our favor.”
Hay feels a team with good puck management succeeds through, “hard work, positioning, and determination. To strip pucks is very important for us to create transition and score goals.”
Don stressed though, “There are different situations where you have to make the right play and managing the puck is very important. We want to have them use their skill level, their hockey sense, to hit the blue line with speed and then be creative. If you do the right things enough times you get rewarded.”
