Winterhawks Post Deadline Update: A conversation with Mike Johnston

The last two weeks have been eventful for the Portland Winterhawks. After defeating the Seattle Thunderbirds in their annual New Year’s Eve game, the Winterhawks departed the next morning for Lethbridge, Alberta.

The first of January marked the beginning of the bi-annual swing through the East Division. To help minimize the amount of time at once on the bus, the team stopped for the night in Lethbridge.

On Sunday I spoke with head coach and general manager Mike Johnston, “It is always a difficult swing because it is about a 21-hour bus ride to get there. So you are always worried about the players in the first couple of games getting their legs under them. With the travel we try to make sure whenever we stop we give a little of an activity for the players to get the blood circulating; with two days off the ice [make sure] they are not rusty.”

Mike Johnston (photo-Dayna Fjord)

After finishing the swing 5-1, Johnston was pleased with the trip. “I thought overall I was quite happy with how we played. I thought our consistency was good. There were a couple of games where we were weren’t as sharp as we should have been, but we got the two points.”

Portland started with wins against Swift Current, Moose Jaw, Brandon, and Regina before Thursday’s trade deadline arrived. More to come on the deadline later.

The Winterhawks faced off against the CHL’s top ranked Prince Albert Raiders on Friday evening. The Raiders ended the winning streak for the Winterhawks with a 4-2 victory.

Despite the loss Johnston was proud of his team’s effort. “We played Prince Albert head-to-head, straight up, it was a close game. Scoring chances were identical at the end of the game. They are a top team, and you can see why they are a top team. They are deep and experienced, but I really complimented our group after the game with how well they played. Especially how the young guys handled a pressure situation in playing an elite team on the road.”

Portland bounced back earning a hard-fought victory in Saskatoon on Saturday night. Mason Mannek netted the winner with under five minutes to play.

Trade deadline approach changes

The deadline of January 10th to make trades saw activity across the league. However, the number of trades was nowhere near the level of a season ago. The new trade restrictions possibly played a role in the decrease in transactions. Signed 15 and 16-year-olds may no longer be traded. Also, a signed 17-year-old may only be traded if they request a trade or agree to be traded.

This leaves teams’ hands tied when looking to improve their team as draft choices became the new form of currency.

Johnston commented this year’s approach was not the same as a year ago. “It was a little bit of a different deadline for us this year. Our intent at the deadline was if we were going to make moves. [If so] then we were going to make moves for the long term. None of the moves that we would make would be for the short term. In other years we have made short term, three-month acquisitions of players that we knew would be leaving at the end of the season.”

By the 2:00 Pacific deadline the Winterhawks completed two blockbuster trades. Joel Hofer was announced on Wednesday and Josh Paterson on Thursday. Johnston mentioned, “We felt that the acquisitions can help our team now, but also in the future with our young group.”

Joel Hofer

On Wednesday the Winterhawks traded with Swift Current for 18-year-old, St. Louis Blues drafted, goalie Joel Hofer. Portland sent six draft selections to the Broncos in the exchange.

Last season the Winterhawks completed a similar blockbuster trade bringing in Dennis Cholowski from the Prince George Cougars. Acquiring Cholowski, a 19-year-old defenseman, cost the Winterhawks two prospects (Ilijah Colina and Connor Bowie) and four draft choices.

Joel Hofer (Photo: Robert Murray/WHL)

I asked Johnston about the price he paid for Hofer. “I think last year we gave up four picks for Cholowski for about a three-month player. Dennis Cholowski was great for us, but at the same time when you can have a player for two-and-half years, who is NHL drafted, at a key position like goaltender, you are going to overpay by a little bit. I was really happy we didn’t have to include any of our young players in that deal. I really like our group going forward; the young guys we have we’ve invested a lot of time and energy in them. They are really starting to play well now.”

The Swift Current were looking to acquire assets after winning the WHL a season ago. Many considered Hofer to be the best available goalie on the trade market.

Again, with an eye beyond this season, Mike Johnston said Hofer “can play two-and-half years with us.”

Josh Paterson

The Winterhawks made one deadline day trade that was perhaps the biggest move of the day. Portland and Saskatoon agreed to swap 19-year-old forwards. The Winterhawks received Josh Paterson while the Blades acquired Ryan Hughes.

Johnston was quick to point out, “acquiring Paterson, he can still play an overage year with us [next year].”

I asked Johnston how the deal came about, “Basically a lot of these things happen by casual conversations with the teams over time. ‘What are you looking for?’ What are you trying to get?’ ‘What are your needs?’ They [Saskatoon] seemed to feel they needed to find a real skilled guy to go with Kirby Dach who is a high-end player for them. He will be an early first round [NHL] draft pick.”

As conversations picked up it became clear to Johnston, “They were looking for a skill guy who can make play with Dach. We were looking for a little bit of size if we were going to add anything. So in the end, it came down to the talk of the two players in more of a hockey deal.”

Ryan Hughes (photo-Dayna Fjord)

Trading Ryan Hughes was not an easy decision for Johnston, “It is really difficult; those moves are no fun for a general manager because you are attached to the player and as a coach as well. Hughes has been with the organization for a long time and has done a good job. He was one of our captains, a point producer, skill guy, plays our game, those are certainly difficult moves to make.”

As our conversation continued Johnston again mentioned, “I just felt like I didn’t really want to move Ryan. I really liked the way he was playing and what he was doing for our team. I wasn’t that interested in moving him, but when it came to getting a second round pick next year, which is Swift Current’s second round pick, which could be an early one, I felt that I had to do that move for us.”

Worth noting, the second round pick Johnston acquired originally belonged to Swift Current. If the 2020 draft order was decided on Sunday, this pick would be 23rd overall. If Portland still maintained their first round pick they included in the Hofer trade, they would possess the 19th overall selection.

The 2020 draft order will not be finalized until after next season. However, it is worth keeping an eye on as Swift Current begins their rebuild. As of now, the pick is expected to be near the top.

Johnston made one final remark regarding the pieces included in the trade, “We felt in return we were getting a little bit different player than Ryan who can help us. We also acquired two great draft picks which helps get a couple picks back from the Hofer deal.”

Josh Paterson (Andy Devlin/Edmonton Oil Kings)

Josh Paterson and Ryan Hughes faced their former teams just two days after the trade. The Blades provided a thank you tribute to Paterson during a first period stoppage.

In both the Prince Albert and Saskatoon games, Paterson was utilized in a variety of different facets; something Johnston values. “Josh is a top-six player for sure. The good thing about Josh is that he can play center, right or left side, so you add versatility. If we want to use him in the middle we have some big centers with [Cody] Glass, [Jake] Gricius, Josh, and then [Lane] Gilliss. He has been really good on the power play, got a couple [Saturday] night, really good at the net, stick in position at the net, a strong two-way player.”

As the regular season begins to wind down Johnston feels, “down the middle of the ice we are really strong which I think is so important when you are heading into the playoff stretch run that your center is strong down the middle with experience, size, and skill.”

Goalie roster updates

During the trip, the Winterhawks announced they had recalled 17-year-old goalie Evan Fradette from the St. Albert Raiders who joined the team during the trip. Fradette was given time as a backup as well. However, with Hofer being acquired, Fradette was reassigned back to the Raiders.

When I asked Johnston about the Fradette call up he mentioned, “We were sending [Dante] Giannuzzi back, so we needed another goalie up with the team.”

Dante Giannuzzi (photo-Portland Winterhawks/Ben Ludeman)

Giannuzzi spent over half the season serving as Shane Farkas’ backup. I asked Johnston about the situation and decision to return Dante to Winnipeg. “We talked to both him and his family earlier in the year when he made the team as a 16-year-old, and deservedly so. He had a really good camp and we would keep him with our group. He would practice, play, and see how much ice time we could give him including how many minutes. Then, at Christmas, we would reevaluate: ‘Was he getting in enough games?’ ‘How was his development?’”

Johnston continued, “at Christmas we felt that we would have liked him to be in a spot where he could play a little bit more of the second half or bring him back for the playoffs as a third guy. So we were either going to go with Fradette, or we were going to acquire a goalie for the second half, and then bring Dante back for the playoffs.”

I asked about Dante returning to Winnipeg and his plans, Johnston said, “He is still sorting that out this week; he is still sorting that out.”

Once the playoffs begin, Dante will be back with Portland. He will serve as a black ace, a player not on the  roster but practices with the team. 

With Giannuzzi and Fradette not currently with the team, the Winterhawks have Hofer and Farkas as the two remaining goalies on roster.

Goalie rotation

The first start with Hofer and Farkas as the team’s goalies went to Joel as he previously faced Prince Albert as a member of the Broncos. “Certainly want to get him in the net a little bit. It was a good way to throw him into the fire right away against Prince Albert” Mike Johnston said. “He had played them before, actually beat them. I thought he had a good night too.”

The following night in Saskatoon Farkas earned the start as Johnston said, “He had a good trip, and I wanted to reward him for having a good trip by giving him the Saskatoon game.”

Going forward “we are going to take a look at [the rotation] this week and plot out our expected starts” Johnston said. “We will probably take it every three or four games and reevaluate it; take a look at if from there.”

Tyson Kozak reassigned

Tyson Kozak (Portland Winterhawks/Ben Ludeman)

In his first stint with Portland, the 16-year-old Souris, MB native appeared in five games before being reassigned to the Southwest Cougars. 

Johnston thought Kozak “got more and more comfortable with every game he played.”

Against Swift Current, Kozak “had his best game with us. He was really good in that game,” Johnston said. Tyson’s performance included winning five-of-eight faceoffs.

Kozak appears to be another future black ace as Johnston said, “For a player who just turned 16 at Christmas, I think he has a bright future with us. He will definitely be a depth call up for the playoffs.”

Brendan De Jong progressing

During the road trip Brendan De Jong returned to practice wearing a full-contact jersey. After being listed as questionable vs. Prince Albert, the overage defenseman was ultimately scratched.

When I asked Johnston for an update on De Jong, he mentioned how “this will be a real good week for him. He hadn’t really had a full physical practice. [Brendan] had one practice on the road which was half our team, and then he had a couple of game-day skates. He was close [to returning], but with a concussion like that, we wanted to take every precaution we can. We want to make sure he’s gotten full contact practices in and then make the decision if he’s ready for the weekend.”

Based upon how De Jong fares in practice this week will determine if he is able to return to the lineup in time for the next game on Saturday.

The week ahead

After a long bus ride the Winterhawks will return home. Their next five home games are at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The team is also able to resume practicing again.

“The one thing about being on the road like we were is we didn’t have much practice time” Johnston said. “We had two practices on the road. We need the practice time over the next couple of weeks.”

Johnston was clear, “this is not just from a coaching point of view, but for the players; for them to get sharp again. You can get sharp playing games, but you lose a little bit when you don’t practice regularly. We need to get those practices in; that is our biggest focus as a coaching staff this week.”

(photo-Portland Winterhawks/Ben Ludeman)

The Winterhawks trail the Silvertips by 11 points and have an opportunity to close the gap on Saturday. For Johnston, he is aware “we have Everett and Tri-City; we will be ready for those two teams this weekend. We though want to make sure we can use every practice we can get in leading up to the playoffs and to start to try and improve our team.”

Ultimately “I really like where our group is at and the key thing we talked about earlier in the year is how much of our development can we get in our younger guys” Johnston said. “How fast can they progress, how quickly can we get them ready for playoff type action? We had a couple of playoff-like games on the road trip. I thought the one in Prince Albert, the one in Moose Jaw were playoff atmospheres. I thought those were great experiences for our players.”