A look at Portland's roster and possible lineup

All begins tomorrow 🌹#year2

— Cody Glass (@Cody12Glass) September 23, 2016

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

Winterhawks' News: Caller traded and Winterhawks at training camps

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

I'd like to thank the @pdxwinterhawks organization, coaching staff, teammates and billets. Excited to get things going with @BladesHockey !

— Jackson Caller (@Jackson_Caller5) September 20, 2016

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.

I'd like to thank the @pdxwinterhawks organization, coaching staff, teammates and billets. Excited to get things going with @BladesHockey !

— Jackson Caller (@Jackson_Caller5) September 20, 2016

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.

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:

.@EdmontonOilers D-man Andrew Ference knows his hockey days are over https://t.co/98GL6DVGt8 pic.twitter.com/kYRW9XNCjc

— Edmonton Journal (@edmontonjournal) September 14, 2016

Give a honk for the Goose!

Congrats to Paul Gaustad on a great @NHL career. Enjoy your retirement. pic.twitter.com/EiSpq9UDMM

— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) September 9, 2016

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

Winterhawks hold on for win in preseason opener 4-3 over Tri-City

Mike Johnston was back behind Portland's bench this morning and the impact was immediate. Portland jumped on Tri-City early, leaping out to a 4-0 lead. Then the Americans woke up and made the game tight before falling 4-3.

As this is the preseason, it's less about the game and more about how the players and system looks, so I'll jump right into my takeaways.

-Evan Weinger and Ryan Hughes playing on opposite wings with center Ilijah Colina looks like a perfect fit. Weinger's speed and power fit well with Hughes' quickness and creativity. Colina picked his spots and played more of a supportive role. All three players had a goal in the game.
-Weinger looks to be the one impacted the most by Johnston's return. He showed potential before and after the coach left, but has yet to really put it all together. He was extremely noticeable today. What often goes unnoticed with him, is how quick his cuts are. He got into a one-on-one battle with a young T.C. defender and cut quickly to his left while carrying the puck, leaving them in the dust.
-Hughes also seems more natural as a wing. Too often last year, he got caught up worrying about his defensive responsibility. As a wing, he will be more free to use his best assets to use. He put up a boatload of points in midget hockey and has a natural touch around the net.
-Michael Bullion's day was a story of three different periods. He looked shaky in the first, giving up a number of juicy rebounds. Then, he looked solid in the second, highlighted by a very athletic right pad, kick save. Lastly, in the third, he sank back in his net too much and was out of position on a couple of the goals. A shut out would've been a big boost for his confidence, but I think there's enough positive in this game for him to build on.
-Skyler McKenzie and Keegan Iverson also played on opposing wings for most of the game, with Iverson seeing some time as a center. They both had great looks but couldn't quite find the twine. Iverson should be this team's next captain, as you can see the younger players look to him to lead the way.
-Cole Kehler was constantly talking on the bench. He is in a position where he knows it's Bullion's job and as a 19-year-old, he's vulnerable to getting cut. He has to, not only, be solid in net, he has to be the perfect teammate. Ethan Middendorf is a 17-year-old and the backup spot is his to earn as the preseason goes. That leaves Kehler out, unless he has the perfect preseason on the ice and off of it.
-Jackson Caller does so many little things on the ice, that belie how young he really is (hockey 17).
-As prime for a breakout as Weinger appears, Brendan De Jong might be even more so. Combined with how easily he played in both ends during the Neely Cup, his first preseason game has to have fans excited. He has a long stride and surprising speed. During one sequence, his d-partner lost the puck near his own blue line and there looked to be a breakaway about to occur. From across the ice, he closed and took away the scoring chance. With his speed and size, he should be getting on NHL scout's radars this season after being passed over in June. He also seems a lot more confident jumping up into the play and creating both off the cycle and the rush.
-De Jong and Weinger are examples of players Johnston has circled for developing into the best players they can be. Both are filled with natural skills and already seem to be taking advantage of his coaching.
-Lastly, overall the Johnston system is in full effect in it's return to Portland. The ease with how fast Portland gets the puck out of the zone, through the neutral zone and on net is striking. Under former coach Jamie Kompon, the team struggled with doing this. In his first preseason game, Kompon was screaming at his players to "turn! turn!", encouraging them to move the puck quickly. Meanwhile, in his return, the most emotion we got out of Johnston was a few subtle gestures. These are a lot of the same players, so it's really quite incredible that they are already playing his system to a "T" in the very first preseason game.
-I might not be able to catch more Portland preseason games, but will bring more updates on the roster moves as they happen.

Looking at the Winterhawks' Preseason Roster/Prospect List

I've received some requests for an updated version of Portland's prospect list with stats and information on who has signed.

Here it is.


Of note: the team has not officially announced the signings of Connor Bowie, Ty Kolle and Easton Easterson, but they were late additions to the preseason roster posted Thursday night. I will have more on them when it's official.

Portland plays Tri-City at 11:30am on Friday, September 2nd to start off the Everett preseason tourney and I will be in attendance.

The team is currently listing 19 forwards, nine d-men and three goalies for 31 players total. Rodrigo Abols is off playing for the Latvian national team at olympic qualifying and then heading to Vancouver Canucks camp. Keegan Iverson is going to the Traverse City tournament with the Minnesota Wild from 9/16-9/20. That leaves the team with plenty of time to slowly pare down the forward group. If Iverson is brought to main camp with the Wild, they could have a roster of, as many as, 16-17 forwards on opening night.

On defense, the team could end up carrying eight of the nine to opening night, as Caleb Jones will be away at Edmonton Oilers' camp.

One thing is for certain, the Everett tournament will help coach Mike Johnston to decide whom among the group will stay and whom will go. It will be exciting to get to watch the team in action for the first time vs. an opponent since being swept by Everett last March.