Last week the Portland Winterhawks held their annual Neely Cup tournament which also serves as training camp for the organization. After a couple of years with the format altered, the 2022 iteration brought a return to normalcy for Mike Johnston, vice president, general manager, and head coach, along with Mike Coflin, assistant to the general manager and director of scouting.
Portland employees over 13 part-time or full-time scouts and all were able to make the trip to the Pacific Northwest.
“These scouts are the lifeline of our organization,” Johnston said. “They represent our organization all the way from Winnipeg to Victoria and then in the U.S. as well. They work hard all year, and it is a little bit of a reward for them to come to training camp. It is also an opportunity for them to promote the players we drafted and tracked from their region.”
Coflin agreed, “We are thrilled to be returning to our normal tradition of bringing all of our scouts in. They get some professional development, provide input on all of our players, and it is unique this year since we have two draft classes entering Portland for the first time this year. We are doubling up on the fun with our scouts.”
Since the WHL held the last two Bantam and U.S. Drafts later than usual, both the 2006 and 2007 born players got the opportunity to experience the Rose City for the first time. Normally the drafts occur in May and players come to camp in August – a short three months later. Some players have had to wait approximately 18 months for their opportunity to showcase their talents.
Just as the players were excited to get on the ice, it was equally important for the coaching staff to see them in person.
“A lot of coaches haven’t seen these players since they were coaching during the regular season. Now they get the opportunity to see them live and get to know them in person just like the scouts,” Coflin said.
Johnston runs his training camp differently compared to some of the other WHL teams who split the rookies and veterans into different groups. Instead, all players are combined into four teams who practice and scrimmage one another over the course of four days.
“I want these young guys to come in and meet our veterans. We spread out our veterans across the teams and get them connected with the young guys. I tell them, ‘You want to treat these young kids how you want to be treated when you go to a NHL camp. When you go into a new team, don’t know anyone, are a long way from home, you want to feel comfortable. Therefore, make them feel comfortable and understand the standards and expectations.’ We do this because we want to give the young kids a feel for how our players play the game. It is a good learning opportunity for both groups,” Johnston said.
Since the 2021-2022 WHL season was extended all training camps were pushed back a week. The delay caused some of Portland’s prospects to miss training camp. Starting training camp in September compared to August meant many Americans or players connected to Canadian Junior A teams were unable to attend.
“Speaking frankly, I think we are doing a disservice with a September 1st start,” Coflin said with some frustration. “If one of our pushes as a league is to get better at recruiting the US player, we should have training camp dates that accommodate that. We need to allow them to come, showcase them, and at least have a chance to recruit them.”
Training camps have started as early as August 20 in the past which is before school starts in the United States and training camps begin for Junior A.
“With the late start we are running in exact conflict with other programs,” Coflin continued. “We therefore don’t have all our players here and it is the same for all teams. It could be corrected pretty easily. Some (WHL) teams don’t want to start their camp until later for various reasons which is fine, but I don’t think we should penalize those, especially the (WHL) teams in the states, who would like to start a week earlier.”
Two prime examples the Winterhawks brass did not get to see in person are recent first round draft picks. Graham Jones, 2022 WHL Bantam Draft 1st Round selection, and Gavin Kor, 2022 U.S. Prospects Draft 1st round pick, were both unable to attend due to commitments with Shattuck St. Marry’s.
Johnston echoed the disappointment saying, “There are players that weren’t necessarily going to play in Portland this year but are on our radar for the future who would have come, but the teams they are going to play for this year didn’t want them to leave. They sometimes say, ’If you are going to play here this year we need you at our training camp.’ In all fairness, it is so they can compete against the kids they are going to play with. However, we would have liked them to come to our camp so we can evaluate them and then send them back.”
Coflin understands the situation but hopes 2023 will yield different scheduling. “These players their first commitment is to those programs who they will play with all winter. We understand that and can’t do anything about that. It is unfortunate that the message from those programs is, ‘You have to be here or you have no chance to play.’ So in that situation, those players are reluctant to take five days away and come be with us in Portland. It is tricky timing, and I hope it is corrected going forward.”
Evaluation Process
With 13 scouts, three full-time coaches, and many other supporting staff watching, the number of eyes on the 70 plus prospects is extensive.
How does Johnston and Coflin sort through everything? The answer is long days in the rink, conversations with the entire staff, and a consistent rating system.
Wednesday was fitness testing and an opportunity for players to showcase what they can do on dry land and in the weight room.
Thursday and Friday included a 45-minute practice session in the morning for each team followed by three scrimmages in the evening. Needless to say, the players are on the ice for an extended period of time and their conditioning is put to the test.
Some fans may think all of the evaluations occur during the scrimmages opened to the public. However, the practice sessions were equally important for the Winterhawks hockey operations department.
“There are elements of a player’s game that you can better evaluate in practice through drills compared to a game,” Coflin said. “For instance, if they are a defenseman, we look at their mobility one-on-one. In a drill you really isolate them where in a game you might get that situation once or twice. So having that isolation, easier to find, and somewhat controlled situation allows us to see certain elements. On the other end, you won’t get an idea for a player’s hockey sense in practice whereas in a game you’ll really see that start to show.”
Johnston shared how his entire staff uses a set criteria and a number rating system to evaluate all of the players. He asked all of his scouts to come to the post-scrimmages meeting on Thursday with a rating on every player in camp. From there, the discussion began.
One can imagine getting over fifteen individuals to agree on a player’s ability is not an easy task, but the exercise is something Johnston feels is critical to the organization’s long-term success.
“Sure there are heated discussions during these meetings, but that is healthy,” Johnston said. “A lot of our scouts have been with us for ten years. Even the newer guys though, there is respect in the room. They are a great group and with healthy debate and conversations that is how you really sort out players. We always encourage our scouts to speak their mind during those meetings so we can hear from everybody. Sometimes there is a player out there that only one guy in the room saw or liked. Every other scout may say, ‘He made a good point, I have to watch him the next day. We then have a dedicated list of guys we want to watch on Friday.”
Coflin’s perspective on the evaluations is similar. One area of emphasis for him is how the players have developed since they were last seen on the ice. Given the offseason and summer training, a player could have some different traits to his game.
“We want to ask the local scout what they saw all year compared to now. Is what you saw consistent, better, worse, has he grown, has he changed, are we disappointed, do you love his development? With all that asked, we all need to take the information forward and watch the next day’s worth of activities and come back to the evaluations. We want to see how the player develops over the course of the day, week, and months as we keep watching their development,” Coflin said.
On Friday evening the scouts’ meeting was centered primarily around players who did not play in Portland in 2021. The focus was to have a firm idea of where those players ranked among their peers and who needed to be watched with a more thorough eye on the last two days of camp.
“We had some guys where after the discussions (scouts) wanted to watch them closer,” Johnston said. “We’ve had all the conversations but we needed more information. What we are looking to come out of the camp with is are there players that we want to sign? Are there players we would like to list, say guys who came in on the camp invites? Are there players who should be dropped so we can add another player to our (protected) list. In the end, there are also a group of players we need to track at the beginning of the season. We chunk it out so we get some good work done by Sunday and everyone is slotted into one of those four categories.”
Saturday evening for the scouting staff had minimal, formal discussions, but was rather focused on a team event. The scouts went out for a dinner and build camaraderie. Naturally, hockey was a central point of conversation around the table.
It’s great to have our scouts together again! Talented hard working group pic.twitter.com/8ckcB7723b
— Mike Johnston (@MikeJohnstonHC) September 4, 2022
With the conclusion of the 3rd Place and Championship games on Sunday, exit meetings happened with the players and parents. Each player sat down with a member of the hockey operations department to learn where they stand within the organization, and for some, an opportunity to sign a contract.
Coflin mentioned how the team’s 50-man protected list will change by four or five players compared to the list before camp began. “You’ve got a short window that you have the rights to list anyone (add to the protected list) who came to your training camp. If they come to your camp, your reward is you have the first right to list them. You can’t hold them up, but you do get priority over the other teams. If you decide to pass, that’s when the other teams can then get involved.”
The date for the exclusive window runs at least through the end of the first week of preseason.
Three new Winterhawks signed
In the days following the Neely Cup, the majority of players return to their hometown to prepare for their upcoming season. However, there are a few guys who stick around for an extended look.
All of the signed Portland players begin practicing at the Winterhawks Skating Center in Beaverton. Johnston, Coflin, and the rest of the staff will extend the invitation to a few other players to join them.
Based upon their development, along with their showing at the Neely Cup, three young men got the opportunity to sign a WHL Standard Player Agreement with the Winterhawks. Signing the contract also makes the players eligible to play in any of Portland’s five preseason games.
2006-born, and highly rated defenseman, Alex Thompson was the first player to sign his contract. A fourth-round selection in the 2021 WHL Bantam Draft, Thompson is eligible to play the full 2022-2023 season in Portland.
“I play more like a quicker defenseman like Quinn Hughes or Luca Cagnoni. I watched him a lot through the playoffs and try to compare myself to him. My quick decisions getting the puck up the ice fast is the best aspect of my game. I’m still trying to build up my strength, but it is there,” Thompson said.
2007-born forwards and 2022 WHL Draft selections Kyle McDonough, second round, and Ryan Miller, third round, also inked deals with Portland.
McDonough felt he was able to get better every day at the Neely Cup and learned what it takes to play at the WHL level after getting guidance from several veteran players. “Aidan (Litke), Josh Mori, and Robbie (Fromm-Delorme) all took me under their wing and made sure I was comfortable,” he said. “I learned about the style of play and how strong everyone is. I also learned how to pick up hard passes with speed.”
In speaking with scouts, McDonough is described as “future captain material.” When asked about his leadership Kyle said, “For the people that look up to me, I really try to make everyone feel comfortable and that we are all the same. No one person is better than the other based upon where they stand. Some people may be shy to show their abilities, and I want people to feel confident to be who they are. I tried to bring that out with my team and make sure everyone got along.”
Throughout camp, the majority of comments about McDonough were centered around how hard he was competing and his ability to get the puck to the front of the net. A focus for him over the next year when he’s eligible to be a full-time WHL player in 2023 is his stride and skating.
Miller was a standout all four days on the ice and had many in attendance looking at their roster to see who was wearing 13 in gray. He got rewarded with a contract following camp, and like McDonough, will compete for a full-time roster spot next season. Both players are eligible to play in six WHL games this year as a call-up.
Hailing from Medicine Hat, Alberta, Miller says he is a two-way forward who is a playmaker who can also score. “I learned a lot from camp and got more and more comfortable after the first day. It helped to have some vets, especially Marcus (Nguyen) and Gabe (Klassen), show me around and what to expect,” he said.
Throughout the tournament, Miller played on a line with Nguyen and the recently acquired Diego Buttazzoni. The trio was easily the most dynamic forward line in camp and had everyone on the edge of their seats.
The arrival of Diego Buttazzoni
On August 22, Portland completed a trade with the Medicine Hat Tigers for the 37th overall selection in the 2021 WHL Bantam, Diego Buttazzoni.
Portland had the opportunity to draft Buttazzoni itself, but instead kept a close eye on his development and status with the Tigers.
“Diego we knew really well,” Johnston said. “I watched him in the WHL Cup and was very familiar with him. When we were looking at our team for this year, looking at potential 16 year olds who could play for our team, I noticed Medicine Hat hadn’t signed him but they had signed others.”
Medicine Hat selected eighth overall in the 2021 draft and three times in the top 23 selections in 2022 – which included the first overall pick.
“Sometimes when a team drafts from one position you can get boxed in and you can’t fit them all in. So I inquired with Medicine Hat if Diego would play for them at 16,” Johnston continued. “Knowing the players going into the draft, some of those players that are good players may go the college route if they don’t play in the WHL at 16. He was probably going to be one of those players.”
Johnston knew he had an opening for a 16-year-old forward on his 2022-2023 roster and continued discussions with Tigers general manager and head coach Willie Desjardins.
“We indicated to the family and player that we could fit him into our roster and would like to have him at 16 and if he would come this route instead. There were a lot of conditions on the trade, but the number one thing was if he didn’t sign here he would be retained by Medicine Hat and we wouldn’t have sent picks. It is a situation where it is probably good for both teams because now Medicine Hat can make a move for a defenseman and it gave us another 16-year-old forward,” Johnston explained.
Buttazzoni joins fellow signed 2006-born forwards Cole Cairns, Carsyn Dyck, and Hudson Darby.
While Johnston said all four will play regular season games with the Winterhawks this season, Buttazzoni is a lock for the opening night roster.
What began as a low-risk inquiry about an unsigned player is now a potential star in the making.
Here is the 3-on-3 goal @Db90_2006 scored yesterday.
I just talked with him and he said, "I liked (that goal) because it was like Jack Hughes goal against Chicago where he tossed his stick over the glass, but I didn’t toss my stick; just tried to copy him."
1/2 pic.twitter.com/bIa9qXFsZN
— Joshua Critzer (@jjcritzer) September 3, 2022
Buttazzoni was atop all of the scouts’ list as best player in training camp who was not in Portland in 2021. He scored highlight-reel goals, demonstrated his hockey IQ, and showed why he was worthy of acquiring.
Final Thoughts
Many fans have asked for an update on the status of where Cross Hanas, Tyson Kozak, and Chaz Lucius will play their 2022-2023 hockey.
Cross Hanas will be in Detroit’s system and likely with the Grand Rapids Griffins in the AHL. As a signed 2nd round NHL Draft selection and 20-year-old, Hanas will not be back in Portland.
Kozak signed his entry-level contract following an impressive development camp with Buffalo during the summer. When asked where he thinks he’ll play he said, “I’m not totally sure at this time. I’m just taking it day-by-day and seeing where the cards fall. I want to get myself ready to go to Buffalo’s training camp and show my best why I’m ready for pro hockey. Time flies in junior hockey and if it is over, I’ve had a good run.”
Johnston was more direct. “All indications to me are that (Buffalo) really likes him and want him to start in the American League.”
With Lucius, the Winnipeg Jets are in the driver’s seat and Johnston is fully prepared regardless of what happens with the talented 19 year old.
Portland selected Lucius in the fourth round of the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft. The Jets’ first rounder elected to go the NCAA path and played last season with the University of Minnesota before signing his NHL contract. With Portland holding his WHL rights, the Jets will make the decision whether Lucius plays in the NHL, AHL, ECHL, or WHL this season since he was drafted from high school/USNTDP.
Below is Johnston’s full answer when asked about Lucius’ potential of arriving in Portland:
“He is more of a Seth Jarvis type situation especially with him being able to play in the NHL or AHL. The Jets have a rookie tournament in Penticton first. Then, they will take a long look at him with both their NHL and AHL teams and figure out where he fits in within their organization. They’ll then make a determination what his path is and what he needs to do for this year. As I did with Jarvis, or anyone going to the NHL that looks like they are going to play as a signed player, I let them be. If they come to us, they come to us, if they don’t, they don’t and it’s great for them. I don’t get too caught up in that at the beginning of the year and don’t even keep in touch with those teams too much. I let them do their thing and they’ll let me know what’s going to happen. We have so much to do with our own guys who are here to make sure they are ready to start the year which comes up faster this year.”
Finally, Portland added a fifth preseason game, September 15, to its schedule after Johnston felt his team was short a game. Usually the Winterhawks play three games in Everett during the Silvertips’ preseason tournament. However, with Portland only playing on Friday and Sunday, it left a gap Johnston wanted filled.
“We have a lot more players able to play in preseason games this year. Matt Bardsley (Spokane Chiefs general manager) called me and thought we could play at Eastern Washington University which would be cool. We then go down to the Tri-City tournament the next day to play (the Chiefs) again. It works out for both teams to take an extra look at our younger guys. I think it is great to get the most amount of kids into preseason games. I don’t expect any of our NHL guys (seven players attending NHL camps) to play in any of the preseason games.”
After speaking with Mike Johnston this weekend, Portland will be sending 7 players to NHL Camps:
Alscher – Florida
Hanas – Detroit
Klassen – Colorado
Kozak – Buffalo
McCleary – Pittsburgh
Špunar – Edmonton
Stefan – Los AngelesNone are expected to play in WHL preseason games.
— Joshua Critzer (@jjcritzer) September 6, 2022
I will not be in attendance for any of the preseason games, but will cover the team as best as I can from Portland.
See you around the rink!
