Sunday, September 25, 2016

Hawks score second straight touchdown, beat Americans 7-3


The Portland Winterhawks proved that their seven-spot on Saturday night vs. division rival was no fluke Sunday. They did this be scoring seven more goals and taking down another division rival in Tri-City; 7-3. Along the way, Portland scored two goals thanks to new rules, that would not have been possible before this year. Yet another reason that this season is feeling much different for Portland and their fans.

Cody Glass and Ty Kolle each had three assists and four other Hawks had two points. A night after 13 Hawks factored into the scoring, 10 got at least one point.

Portland stormed out to a 3-0 lead after the first period, taking advantage of a slow-starting Americans squad. Henri Jokiharju started the scoring with his first career WHL goal, just over five minutes into the game. The Finnish defenseman fired a low shot that appeared to have deflected off of Tri-City center Tyler Sandhu and past goalie Beck Warm. Then after Portland's other rookie import Joachim Blichfeld drew a cross-checking penalty on Jeff Rayman, Portland doubled their lead. Keoni Texeira appeared to sense a lull in the defense, while on the power play and pounced on the opportunity. He went from behind his own net all the way up the left wing, dipping around a couple defenders, before beating Warm on the near post. The Americans did not appear to be set up for the rush after changing lines and Portland's 19-year-old d-man had the speed to make them pay. Skyler McKenzie made the lead 3-0, just 29 seconds later after Alex Overhardt made an extremely smart play. At the end of his shift, it would have been easy for Overhardt to dump the puck after gaining the red line in and reset, but he instead patiently waited and found a rushing McKenzie in the neutral zone. McKenzie eventually ended up receiving a cross-crease pass from 16-year-old rookie Ty Kolle and he then beat Warm in tight.

The Americans played a more inspired game in the second period and made Portland pay for a taking a penalty. Juuso Valimaki fired a soft shot from the point that Michael Rasmussen expertly topped over Portland goalie Cole Kehler's shoulder. The goal was Rasmussen's fifth in just over four periods of hockey. The Americans then cut the Portland lead to just one with a little unintentional help from Texeira. Sandhu had found Kyle Olson on the rush, setting up a mini two-on-one rush. Olson tried a back door pass to a waiting Morgan Geekie, but Texeira accidentally deflected the puck past Kehler and into his own net. Just like the previous night, Portland responded to adversity by scoring a big goal moments later. 19-year-old winger Colton Veloso made a breakout pass from along his own half-boards, springing Blichfeld and activated d-man Brendan De Jong. Blichfeld fired for Warm's far pad and the puck ended up going right to De Jong. The lanky d-man clearly kicked the puck in, but due to the new rule that allows a distinct kicking motion, as long as it occurs outside of the crease, the goal was allowed. The goal was De Jong's second in as many games.

Skyler McKenzie gave Portland another three goal lead early in the third; scoring from a difficult angle. McKenzie had rushed up the left wing with the puck, finding an activated Jokiharju on his inner lane. The Finn backhanded a quick shot off the pad of a down-on-the-ice Warm and the rebound was left laying there. McKenzie smartly got to the puck and flipped a shot off of the goalie's back and into the net. Early in the season, the small winger is tied for second in goals in the WHL with three. Tyler Sandhu helped Tri-City respond  just over two minutes later. While on the power play, he spun around a defender, while in the slot with the puck and found an open Valimaki. The d-man fired a low shot that Sandhu deflected home. The teams traded chances for the next 10-plus minutes of action, before the dynamic duo of Evan Weinger and Ryan Hughes helped give Portland much needed insurance. Weinger corralled the puck behind the net and used great skate-edge work to spin away from Nolan Yaremko and Dylan Coghlan. With all eyes on him, he found an onrushing Ryan Hughes all alone in the slot. Hughes put his shot over Warm's right shoulder for the 6-3 lead. Tri-City pulled Warm with over five minutes left and put a lot of pressure on Kehler, but the Hawk's goalie made several big saves under duress. The game was then further put on ice when Ryan Hughes outraced Coghlan to the puck thanks to the new hybrid-icing rule. He then found Evan Weinger all alone in front and the Californian scored the easy empty-netter to close out the scoring.

Americans' goalie Warm struggled in net, stopping only 28 of the 34 shots he faced (just like Rylan Toth did the night before). Cole Kehler turned away 26 of the 29 shots he faced for his first WHL win since October 22nd, 2014.

Portland was one-for-two on the power play and is now three-for-six on the season for 50 percent. Tri-City was one-for-three and is now three-for-eight for 37.5 percent.

Game Notes:
-Hughes-Colina-Weinger has been an electric line so for during the 2016-17 campaign. Each player has done a great job of accepting their role on the line. Hughes is the primary puck-carrier, while Weinger uses his speed to set up odd-man rushes and Colina is more responsible defensively. The three of them have combined for 11 points through two games.
-Another unit that I really like is Lane Gilliss-Jake Gricius-Bronson Sharp. They have only factored into one of Portland's 14 goals thus far, but it's only a matter of time before they have a bigger impact on the scoreboard. Gricius and Gilliss have been great together on the cycle as they seem to know where each other will be without needing to look. Sharp, meanwhile has created a lot of rushes for the line with his speed.
-Portland was still missing Keegan Iverson (Minnesota), Rodrigo Abols (Vancouver) and Caleb Jones (Edmonton) as they are all away at NHL camps.
-Tri-City got Dylan Coghlan back from Detroit Red Wings' camp, but are still without Maxwell James (N.Y. Islanders), Evan Sarthou (Arizona), Jordan Topping (Dallas) and Parker Wotherspoon (N.Y. Islanders).
-Coghlan had a terrible game and was not doubt feeling the effect of traveling back from Detroit. He did not seem to be skating as quickly as he usually does and was caught flat-footed on a couple of Portland's goals.
-Ty Kolle drew in for Brad Ginnell and made his case for more ice-time. He had three assists in his WHL debut, a night after Ginnell scored in his first WHL game. Between Ginnell, Kolle and Colina, the future is looking bright for Portland's 2000-born forwards.
-The biggest difference in how Portland is playing this season is how quickly they are getting the puck through the neutral zone. They are quickly moving the puck into their opponent's zone to someone with speed, creating odd-man rushes and great scoring looks.
-De Jong has been given the green light to activate whenever he sees the chance and it has paid off twice in two games now. It did backfire for a goal the other way Saturday, as well, but coach Mike Johnston and Portland will continue to trust the 18-year-old d-man.
-Portland hosts the 2-0 Everett Silvertips Friday night, before going on an eight-game road trip that will take them through the WHL's east division.

Saturday, September 24, 2016

Winterhawks start second Johnston era off with bang: 7-3 over Seattle


The Mike Johnston teams of 2008-2014 were known for scoring goals in bunches. Those teams, though were loaded with future NHL players like Ryan Johansen, Nino Niederreiter, Ty Rattie, Sven Bartschi and Seth Jones among others. Tonight the Winterhawks' top returning scorer had only 11 goals and they looked to be a team that would struggle to emulate that scoring. Not having a go-to scorer means that this team would have to get production from a lot of different players to succeed.

Saturday night at the Moda Center, Johnston got seven goals from seven different players and his team took down the defending Western Conference champion Seattle Thunderbirds 7-3.  Leading the way with three points apiece for Portland were Evan Weinger (three assists) and Ryan Hughes (one goal and two assists). Those two were part of a line with 16-year-old center Ilijah Colina that had a lot of scoring production in the preseason. That chemistry appears to have carried over to the regular season.

Portland started off the scoring late in the first period, while on the power play. Ryan Hughes drove the zone and went all the way around the net, looking off Seattle defeners, before finding a wide open Keoni Texeira at the blue line. The 19-year-old d-man forced a slap shot over Seattle goalie Rylan Toth's right shoulder for the 1-0 lead.

Seattle still has a quick strike offense, despite missing the likes of Matt Barzal, Keegan Kolesar and Ethan Bear at NHL training camps. They demonstrated this by scoring goals 37 seconds or less into the start of both the second and third periods. In the second, it was Seattle captain Scott Eansor taking advantage of a poor Brendan De Jong pinch; sending Donovan Neuls in alone. Portland goalie Michael Bullion made a great left pad save on the initial shot, but Neuls stomped on the brakes and smartly poked home his own rebound. The 1-1 tie would only last for a few minutes as Alex Overhardt won a board battle and set up Carter Czaikowski with a good look from the point. The official score sheet reflects that Alex Overhardt tipped it home, but it certainly appeared to me that Czaikwski's shot went off of Seattle d-man Anthony Bishop's stick. The goal should have been given to Czaikowski. This would have been (and still might be) the 18-year-old defenseman's first WHL goal. Seattle's Luke Ormsby tied the game again for Seattle as he got in behind both Jake Hobson and Keoni Texeira. He was stopped initially by Bullion, but put home his own rebound. While this switch in momentum could break a lot of teams, it did not do so to Portland tonight. They responded with another goal late in the period to take a 3-2 lead. The goal was scored when Ryan Hughes came off the bench on a change and was found alone in the slot by a beautiful backhand pass from behind the net, by Cody Glass. Hughes made a great adjustment after receiving the pass to battle off a stick check from Seattle's Elijah Brown in order to get his shot off.

Seattle, once again, struck quickly as Henri Jokiharju failed to get the puck out of his zone under pressure and the very skilled Donovan Neuls took advantage. He came out of the left corner with the puck and went to the net, getting all the way to the right side of the net. He waited out Bullion, before sneaking a shot in on the right post. The game opened up a bit after Neuls' second goal of the night, but Toth and Bullion stood tall under pressure. That was until after the mid-period break. In a goal very similar to Hughes' earlier one, Evan Weinger swooped around the net with speed and found Cody Glass alone in the slot. The 17-year-old center had just come off the bench on a line change. He snuck his shot through Toth's arm for the 4-3 lead and eventual game-winning-goal. Portland got some insurance just over two minutes later on the power play, when Weinger came across the blue line with speed and drove the net, passing the puck to Ryan Hughes. Hughes tried a toe drag but lost the puck and Brendan De Jong happened to be right there. The lanky d-man fired a quick shot that Toth was not prepared for. The Winterhawks added two late goals, one of which was an empty-netter, to make the game look more lopsided than it really was. Skyler McKenzie notched his team's sixth goal into a vacant net, after his line-mates Alex Overhardt and Joachim Blichfeld created the turnover. Then on a delayed penalty, Brad Ginnell spun around Seattle's Reece Harsch to receive a pass in the slot and flipped a nifty backhand into the top corner past Toth.

Seattle's Toth struggle in his first game since coming over from Red Deer in a preseason trade. He stopped just 28 of the 34 shots he faced. Bullion had a strong season debut in the other net, facing 30 shots and notching 27 saves.

Portland was two-for-four on the power play, while Seattle was oh-for-one.

Game Notes;
-Portland went with lines of Brad Ginnell-Cody Glass-Colton Veloso, Ryan Hughes-Ilijah Colina-Evan Weinger, Joachim Blichfeld-Alex Overhardt-Skyler McKenzie and Bronson Sharp-Jake Gricius-Lane Gilliss. Ty Kolle was the lone healthy and present forward scratched. Caleb Jones, Keegan Iverson and Rodrigo Abols are all away at NHL training camps.
-The Hawks started with pairings of Keoni Texeira-Jake Hobson, Brendan De Jong-Henri Jokiharju and Carter Czaikowski-Conor MacEachern, but rotated Jokiharju up with Texeira as the game reached the second period. Matt Quigley was the lone healthy and present d-man scratched.
-Gilliss, Gricius and Sharp were a cycling machine throughout the game. They carried a lot of the possession while they were on the ice and created a lot of good scoring looks. None of the three notched a point, but they all had solid games. Gricius used his size well along the boards, making it hard on defensemen to get the puck away from him. This helped Portland's future shifts as they wore down Seattle's defense.
-Speed is the name of the game this year for Portland. Hughes and Weinger both used theirs to create goals from behind the goal line. The Winterhawks failed to generate a lot of scoring chances from behind the goal last year and often just turned the puck over, creating odd-man chances the other way. This year they are generating good looks and that was abundantly clear tonight.
-It appears Johnston and co. are using the Overhardt line as their shut down unit and it was very effective tonight. Blichfeld demonstrated impressive instincts and took chances on intercepting passes, often guessing correctly. McKenzie and Overhardt are also buying into their roles fully and it showed as they protected the lead late in the third.
-Hughes, Glass and Sharp all seem to have taken large strides in their development. This is something you hear often about second-year 17-year-old players. Glass' backhand pass on Hughes' goal demonstrated how comfortable he is with Portland now and the green light he has been given to make a relatively risky play.
-How defensively responsible is 16-year-old rookie Ilijah Colina? He constantly back-checked away good scoring chances and even tied up a Seattle stick, when Bullion was struggling to cover a loose puck in the crease. He seems to have fully grasped his role on a line with two speedy offensively minded wingers.
-One negative that I saw was how much MacEachern and Czaikowski struggled when under pressure. Johnston's system calls for risky passes out of the zone, up the middle. These two turned the puck over quite a bit and didn't react quickly enough when they did. There is definitely room for improvement in this area for them.
-Johnston is already trusting Jokiharju to protect a late lead. As he gets used to the WHL, where he now has played just one career game, he will get a lot better. Sometimes his positioning was awful, as he let forwards get behind him with enough time to get shots off. Other times though, he showed great instincts breaking up passes and shutting down forwards in one-on-ones.
-Portland takes their fresh 1-0 record into a game Sunday evening with Tri-City.

Friday, September 23, 2016

A look at Portland's roster and possible lineup



With opening night only a day away, I thought it would be fun to play around with the roster and guess who will play where. Four guys will miss the first two games, while at NHL camps or because of suspension, leaving some ice time for a lot of rookies. They could have as many as eight rookies lacing up their skates over the two weekend games.
It would be fair to expect this young team to struggle in the early going. 


Left Wing
Center
Right Wing
Ryan Hughes
Ilijah Colina
Evan Weinger
Skyler McKenzie
Alex Overhardt
Colton Veloso
Bronson Sharp
Cody Glass
Joachim Blichfeld
Lane Gilliss
Jake Gricius
Brad Ginnell/Ty Kolle
Out: Keegan Iverson (Minnesota Wild camp) and Rodrigo Abols (Vancouver Canucks camp). Brett Clayton (suspension).
-Clayton will serve the fifth and sixth of his six-game suspension this weekend. He will not be eligible to play until Portland takes on Everett next Friday. I would expect Portland to rotate Ginnell and Kolle as their last, dressed forward.
-Mike Johnston has already confirmed that Hughes-Colina-Weinger will be one of their lines, at least to start. The rest are just guesses on my part.
-I like the idea of McKenzie-Overhardt-Veloso as the checking line that M.J. usually likes to put together. They did have some success in the preseason, especially in the final game vs. Kootenay. Also, Glass playing with the speedy Sharp and sniper Blichfeld would be a fun line to watch, though Gilliss would be a good option on one of his wings as well. Despite missing all of the preseason, M.J. assured intrepid journalist Scott Sepich that Glass is healthy and ready to go.



Left Defense
Right Defense
Brendan De Jong
Keoni Texeira
Conor MacEachern
Henri Jokiharju
Carter Czaikowski
Jake Hobson
Matt Quigley

Out:Caleb Jones (Edmonton Oilers camp).

-With how well De Jong played at the Neely Cup, I would expect him to start out in the top pairing. This is a put up year for Czaikowski and since he didn't really stand out too much at the Neely Cup or the preseason, he needs to in the regular season. If he does not, when Jones comes back, he could find himself released. It is no secret that the coaching staff is fond of Quigley and Hobson is a year younger, so it would make more sense for Czaikowski to be pushed out. We have seen flashes of Czaikowski's play-making ability, but we have not really seen it in a game. At five-foot-eight, he needs this to be his calling card, or the team will just go with someone older.


Goalie
Michael Bullion
Cole Kehler
Ethan Middendorf

Thursday, September 22, 2016

Winterhawks' News: Caller traded and Winterhawks at training camps

Let's catch up on yet some more Winterhawks related news.

Caller traded to Saskatoon:
-Jackson Caller was one of four 1999-born d-men on the roster and something had to give. Jokiharju was the biggest lock of the quartet as a potential first-round NHL draft pick. Matt Quigley has been getting rave reviews from the coaching staff since getting signed off the protected list last year and they did not want to move him. That left a choice between Caller and Jake Hobson. In my opinion, Caller looked better at the Neely Cup and in the preseason game I saw, but as a right-shot d-man may've been determined to be more valuable.

Caller gets the benefit of joining a team with fewer 1999-born d-man and gives himself the chance to cement his spot in their present and future.

Coming back the other way for Caller is a fourth round bantam draft pick in 2018. Not a huge return, but then again Caller has only played in eight WHL games and thus hasn't proven himself that much.

This leaves eight d-men in camp for Portland and that number should stay the same, at least until Caleb Jones is returned from Edmonton Oilers camp.

Keegan Iverson with Minnesota Wild:
-The overage, Minnesota native was invited to Minnesota's development camp this summer and back again to represent them at the Traverse City tournament.  It had to be a little awkward when he played against the N.Y. Rangers, the team he represented the previous two years at the same tournament. The Wild went 0-3 in the main tournament, but saved face with a 3-2 win over Chicago to take seventh in the eight team tourney.

Iverson was impressive enough to be one of 60 players invited to the main Wild camp. This begins Thursday and first cuts are not expected to be made until early next week. That would mean he will miss Saturdays' home opener vs. Seattle and Sunday's match vs. Tri-City.

Joachim Blichfeld invited to main San Jose camp;
-Also assuredly out for this weekend's games is new import forward Joachim Blichfeld. The Dane was taken in the seventh round by San Jose in June and the Sharks are taking a long, hard look at him. He recently played in the Inaugural Rookie Showcase event in Westminster, Colorado for San Jose against prospects from Anaheim and Colorado. Blichfeld played on the fourth line with Kamloops' Jermaine Loewen and former Erie Otters' center Jake Marchment and was impressive. 

I would expect him to be sent home early next week.

Caleb Jones on top-pairing for Oilers' prospects:
-Caleb Jones was mostly paired with new-signee for the Oilers: Matt Benning at the Young Stars Classic in Penticton. The Oilers went 3-0 in the tournament, with Jones playing in the first two games. He had one assist, which when he made a nifty play to set up an empty-netter. He then got back on the ice Wednesday for the Oilers' annual exhibition vs. the University of Alberta.  They won that one too: 6-3. Jones now joins the Oilers' main camp and could end up seeing some preseason action as a signed prospect. Their first preseason game is Monday vs. Calgary.

Rodrigo Abols with the Vancouver Canucks:
-Abols also played in his team's first two games at the young Stars Classic and nearly had a goal several times. The Canucks went 2-1 overall at the tournament. Abols is not currently among those listed on the roster on Vancouver's website, but that does not necessarily mean he won't see some training camp time.

Winterhawks' News: Caller traded and Winterhawks at training camps

Let's catch up on yet some more Winterhawks related news.

Caller traded to Saskatoon:
-Jackson Caller was one of four 1999-born d-men on the roster and something had to give. Jokiharju was the biggest lock of the quartet as a potential first-round NHL draft pick. Matt Quigley has been getting rave reviews from the coaching staff since getting signed off the protected list last year and they did not want to move him. That left a choice between Caller and Jake Hobson. In my opinion, Caller looked better at the Neely Cup and in the preseason game I saw, but as a right-shot d-man may've been determined to be more valuable.

Caller gets the benefit of joining a team with fewer 1999-born d-man and gives himself the chance to cement his spot in their present and future.

Coming back the other way for Caller is a fourth round bantam draft pick in 2018. Not a huge return, but then again Caller has only played in eight WHL games and thus hasn't proven himself that much.

This leaves eight d-men in camp for Portland and that number should stay the same, at least until Caleb Jones is returned from Edmonton Oilers camp.

Keegan Iverson with Minnesota Wild:
-The overage, Minnesota native was invited to Minnesota's development camp this summer and back again to represent them at the Traverse City tournament.  It had to be a little awkward when he played against the N.Y. Rangers, the team he represented the previous two years at the same tournament. The Wild went 0-3 in the main tournament, but saved face with a 3-2 win over Chicago to take seventh in the eight team tourney.

Iverson was impressive enough to be one of 60 players invited the main Wild camp. This begins Thursday and first cuts are not expected to be made until early next week. That would mean he will miss Saturdays' home opener vs. Seattle and Sunday's match vs. Tri-City.

Joachim Blichfeld invited to main San Jose camp;
-Also assuredly out for this weekend's games is new import forward Joachim Blichfeld. The Dane was taken in the seventh round by San Jose in June and the Sharks are taking a long, hard look at him. He recently played in the Inaugural Rookie Showcase vent in Westminster, Colorado for San Jose against prospects from Anaheim and Colorado. Blichfeld played on the fourth line with Kamloops' Jermaine Loewen and former Erie Otters' center Jake Marchment and was impressive. 

I would expect him to be sent home early next week.

Caleb Jones on top-pairing for Oilers' prospects:
-Caleb Jones was mostly paired with new-signee for the Oilers: Matt Benning at the Young Stars Classic in Penticton. The Oilers went 3-0 in the tournament, with Jones playing in the first two. He had one assist, which was when he made a nifty play to set up the empty-netter. He then got back on the ice Wednesday for the Oilers' annual exhibition vs. the University of Alberta.  They won that won too: 6-3. Jones now joins the Oilers' main camp and could end up seeing some preseason action as a signed prospect. Their first preseason game is Monday vs. Calgary.

Rodrigo Abols with the Vancouver Canucks:
-Abols also played in his team's first two games at the young Stars Classic and nearly had a goal several times. The Canucks went 2-1 overall at the tournament. Abols is not currently among those listed on the roster on Vancouver's website, but that does not necessarily mean he won't seem some training camp time.

Friday, September 16, 2016

Getting up-to-date on preseason news

So it's been a little while since I posted on here and a lot has happened. Let's take a look at some fo the preseason goings-on in Portland.

5-0-0-1 record in preseason:
The team followed a 3-0 record at the Everett tourney by winning to of three at the Tri-City one. The lone blemish on the record was a 5-4 shootout loss to Everett. 

Stats:
Skaters
Player
Position
Birth Year
GP
Goals
Assists
Points
Ryan Hughes
LW
1999
5
4
3
7
Colton Veloso
RW
1997
5
2
5
7
Evan Weinger
RW
1997
5
3
3
6
Alex Overhardt
Centre
1997
5
3
2
5
Brendan De Jong
Defence
1998
5
0
4
4
Ilijah Colina
Centre
2000
5
2
1
3
Lane Gilliss
LW
1999
5
1
2
3
Jake Hobson
Defence
1999
5
0
3
3
Skyler McKenzie
LW
1998
5
0
3
3
Keoni Texeira
Defence
1997
5
0
3
3
Bronson Sharp
LW
1999
6
2
0
2
Joachim Blichfeld
RW
1998
2
2
0
2
Ty Kolle
Centre
2000
6
1
0
1
Brad Ginnell
Centre
2000
4
1
0
1
Matthew Quigley
Defence
1999
4
1
0
1
Caleb Jones
Defence
1997
2
1
0
1
Jake Gricius
Centre
1999
5
0
1
1
Carter Czaikowski
Defence
1998
4
0
1
1
Rodrigo Abols
Centre
1996
2
0
1
1
Goalies


Goalie
Birth Year
GP
Wins
GAA
Sv%
Michael Bullion
1997
4
2
3.16
.900
Cole Kehler
1997
4
3
1.43
.956
-Hughes and Weinger played a lot together in the preseason and could be part of one of Portland's top-two lines this year. Hughes seems like a much better fit creating from the wing and is a good fit with someone like Weinger, who is all about speed and finish in tight. Who plays between them though? Colina got a look, but could just be a placeholder until Cody Glass gets healthy and back in the lineup.
Speaking of Glass, it makes a lot of sense to sit him, but it would have been a good sign, if he had seen a shift or two at some point.
Henri Jokiharju was sent back to Finland after playing one 25 minute game at the Neely Cup. The reasoning given, was the fact that he had played hockey all summer and needed some time back home before the season. He did play at the National Junior Evaluation Camp with Finland and could play at the World Junior Championships for the U-20 team. If he does get drafted, as expected and Portland has another long run, it could be awhile before he sees Suomi again. Hopefully, this was the only reason he spent time away from Portland.
Bringing less clarity to the matter was Abols playing in the last two games in Kennewick. As an overage import, Abols would have to be dealt away, if Jokiahrju sticks with the plan and stays with Portland. With Prince George picking up Everett's Yan Khomenko, there is one less likely landing spot for the "two-spotter" Abols. The Latvian native had been off trying to help his country qualify for the 2018 olympics. He had a goal and two assists for three points in their tournament opening 8-1 in over Austria. He then failed to register a point the rest of the way, as Latvia fell short with a 3-2 loss to Germany. He seems committed to the WHL at this point, so we ill have to see if a deal is done.

Jones, Iverson, Abols and Blichfeld at NHL camps:
-Caleb Jones (drafted and signed by Edmonton) will play at the Young Stars class up in Penticton, B.C. from September 16th-19th before playing against the University of Alaska CIS team on the 21st. 
-Iverson was a free agent invitee for the Minnesota Wild. He will play for them at the Traverse City tournament in Michigan from September 16th-20th. He played the last two years at the tourney for the N.Y. Rangers, who drafted but did not sign him.
-Abols (seventh round pick to Vancouver) will be playing at the Young Stars Classic for the Canucks, for the second year in a row. Abols had a nice showing last year, culminating in a goal. He will look to build on that this year.
-Blichfeld (seventh round pick to San Jose) will be at the Sharks' rookie camp from the 15th-21st. He and the team's rookies in camp will play in a round-robin tournament with rookies from Anaheim and Colrado in Westminster, CO. 
If I were a betting man, Iverson and Blichfeld will make it back in time for the opener on September 24th vs. Seattle and Jones and Abols will not. Jones could end up staying with Edmonton throughout the entirety of their preseason schedule (ends October 8th). If he is indeed gone this long, he would miss as many as eight games.

Nagel traded to Lethbridge:
-It came across rather awkwardly, with Nagel tweeting out a message before either team said anything, but the end result is the same. The 18-year-old Nagel played 38 games with Portland last year, toiling away on the team's fourth line in a checking role.  He failed to register a point in the preseason and was not too noticeable in the Neely Cup action that I saw. The emergence of some other wingers in camp and the preseason, meant he was likely to start in a similar checking-role this year. 

In exchange for Nagel, Portland received the WHL rights to 1999-born goalie Shane Farkas. The net-minder was the fourth round pick of the 'Canes in the 2014 bantam draft and played last year with the BCHL and RBC cup champion West Kelowna Warriors.  He got into just two games with West Kelowna during their run though. He is a product of the Okanagan Hockey academy, where he he posted a 2.56 GAA and .922 save percentage in the 2014/15 campaign(thanks elite prospects). What this says about the health of fellow 1999-born goalie Ethan Middendorf remains to be seen. We will have to wait until Farkas actually signs a WHL standard player agreement, before we can jump to conclusions about the health  of Middendorf. 

Paul Gaustad and Andrew Ference retire:




-Anyways, this just about catches us up to date on Portland news. Back again later.