“He gives us that much-needed depth down the middle of the ice, but more importantly, is just a tremendous young kid,” Portland Winterhawks President, General Manager, and Head Coach Mike Johnston said about rookie standout Kyle McDonough.
Portland’s veteran lineup this year includes 14 players who are 19 or 20 years old. However, the two 16-year-old rookies, Ryan Miller and McDonough are showing why the next wave of Winterhawks has much to be excited about.
For McDonough he came into the Western Hockey League after playing in the Okotoks Oilers program for three years back home in Alberta.
Hailing from Langdon, Alberta, McDonough prepared for his WHL Draft-eligible season by playing with the Okotoks U15 AAA team, where he served as captain. In his 31 games, McDonough scored 36 goals and added 26 assists to lead his team. However, the season was not 100% smooth sailing.
“At the start of the season, I remember feeling a lot of pressure as I was thinking I was a top player who could go in the top two rounds of the draft,” McDonough said. “I kind of put a lot of pressure on myself and wasn’t seeing the results I would have liked. I then took some pressure off myself and just played the game. It was at that point that I started to rack up the points, play a fun brand of hockey again, and support my teammates, which included a 15-game win streak that got us all the way to provincials.”
Following his 14-year-old season, McDonough was camping with his family when the 2022 WHL Bantam Draft commenced.
Portland was one of the teams the 5-foot-9 center thought he could see himself being selected by, but he wasn’t 100% confident despite hoping the Rose City would be his destination.
Sure enough, the Winterhawks selected McDonough, and as he predicted before the season, it came in the second round and 40th overall.
“My brother and I were playing a video game in the trailer at the time,” McDonough said while recalling his draft day experience. “My brother looked over and went, ‘LOOK!’ I then, of course, looked and said, ‘Oh, s***!’ We both were so pumped. I don’t remember if we finished our game or not.”
McDonough’s phone began sending notification after notification as people who supported him offered their congratulations on the tremendous accomplishment.
Being drafted was only the launching point for what was to come next.
“I remember having the draft and the Top 80 for Alberta. I had a great tournament there, and made that team. It is a huge confidence boost to experience those two things and will be the rest of my career as I have those to reflect back on. I got so focused on working hard so I can get signed. That is what I wanted badly, more than anything else,” McDonough said.
In the fall of 2022, McDonough went to the Veterans Memorial Coliseum for his first experience at the Neely Cup, Portland’s version of training camp. Every member of the Hockey Operations department, including all the coaches, kept a close eye on the prospects and how they performed during the week-long activities.
Historically, Portland prefers to wait to sign its draft picks until after Neely Cup, so the week’s pressure mounted. Perhaps his worst critic, McDonough, was quite concerned when the week was over.
“My Neely Cup wasn’t great, and I thought my play at Neely Cup wouldn’t afford me the contract right away and that I would need to keep working,” McDonough shared, thinking back a few years. “To be honest, when they said they wanted to offer me a contract, I was pretty shocked. Apparently, my concerns were for naught; I was speechless for a moment.”
McDonough quickly found the words, though, “Yes! For sure! Give me that paper!”
Jokingly, he said he wanted to sign the contract before Portland changed their minds.
With a contract in hand and a smile on his face, Kyle and his family departed Portland and went back to Alberta to prepare for his 15-year-old season with Okotoks.
“Being able to play on their U18 team with all the friends I grew up with was special. I also got to billet because I was going to school and practicing. I was billeted with my best friend, Conner Radke, who now plays for the Kamloops Blazers, so it was a great experience to be able to live with him while we figured out the next chapter of our lives,” McDonough said. “It was a top year for me because it was with all my buddies of two years playing together. We had just an alright team. Our team wasn’t very skilled, but we had some workers and a great top six. We made it to the second round but then lost out. It was a good run for sure and helped prepare me for the WHL next.”
Welcome to the WHL, rookie
Coming off a 16-goal, 21-assist 2022-2023 campaign, McDonough showed up at the 2023 Neely Cup with something to prove. His goal was to make the Winterhawks as a 16-year-old.
Everything was going according to his plan until the third Portland preseason game, where he dislocated his shoulder.
“Those first couple of days were the hardest,” McDonough said. “I was thinking, ‘Why now?’ and ‘Really! Now? I worked so hard all offseason!’ I was pretty dejected.”
However, those justified yet negative feelings did not last long for him as his mental toughness took over.
“I told myself I couldn’t think like that and learned that pretty quick,” McDonough shared.
Ryan Miller was also going through his own injury, so the two young forwards worked together, pushed one another, and got through their first injuries together.
“Ryan was a huge boost for me in my training and getting me back,” McDonough said. “We’ve been friends since we were six years old. It has been really fun with him by my side. We have good chemistry together on and off the ice.”
Another setback occurred, though. Just days before he was able to resume practicing, McDonough suffered a ‘big bruise on my butt from biking every day.’
The negative thoughts crept back in, but for an even shorter length this time.
“I got pretty sad there because I was so close to being back on the ice, but again, enough with that line of thinking! Richy (Rich Campbell, Winterhawks head athletic trainer, and strength and conditioning coach) was so great to me. He kept me engaged, kept me part of the team, and all the other things behind the scenes,” McDonough shared.
Marcus Nguyen and Gabe Klassen, who live at the same billet household as McDonough also kept Kyle’s spirits up as they checked in on him multiple times a day and helped him feel included.
After missing the first eight games of the year, McDonough finally saw his name on the lineup card on October 21.
McDonough was cleared to play!
“You go through rehab for your injury, and they do such a good job here in Portland of helping you out. I found out that I came back stronger than when I left with my injury,” he said.
However, it was not his WHL debut since he appeared in six games with Portland as a 15-year-old.
“Those games helped prepare me for what to expect as a full-time player. I’m very thankful to have had that experience to lean on,” McDonough said.
As the season progressed, his first WHL goal alluded him longer than he would have preferred.
“I was in a bit of a slump, and I couldn’t quite get that first one to go. I probably had 10, 11, 12, or more Grade-A chances. I finally got it to go, and that got me in the groove of things,” McDonough said.
On February 2, the Winterhawks were coming off a frustrating loss the night before. The entire team, including McDonough, was on a mission that night.
42 seconds after the game’s midway point, and his team already out to a 6-0 lead, McDonough scored his first career goal.
“It was a dream come true for me! I didn’t even care that it was 7-0, I was just so happy,” he said with a smile from ear-to-ear when asked to describe his first goal. “I didn’t really know what to do for my celly, but I remember it well and didn’t black out. I was in the moment; it was great to celebrate with my teammates. The entire bench was happy on the flyby, too. After the game, I heard from people that I grew up with saying congrats or other things that were special to me. In a way, it was a way for me to prove to people that I could play. It was a great feeling and one I will never forget,”
The next night in Seattle, McDonough scored two more goals.
He can play all right.
As the season progresses and the playoffs are right around the corner, Johnston is impressed with the strides McDonough has made in his rookie season.
“I know it is hard for 16-year-olds to sometimes feel like they are contributing the way they want to; it does take time. I just think Kyle has very good speed, good awareness on the ice, really good puck skills, gotten a lot more competitive over the course of the year,” he said.
Johnston preaches patience with his younger players.
“You have to remember with a kid like Kyle, he’s been an offensive player most of his life. Now, he’s gone through a year where he hasn’t produced as much as he probably wanted to but has produced in line with most 16-year-olds. I’ve been really happy with his game, and you’re starting to see him play with more confidence. The puck is starting to fall for him, the points will come, but in the meantime, he’s contributing in ways that don’t show up on the scoresheet,” Johnston said.
Under the helmet of number 18
McDonough is wise beyond his years, and anyone who talks with him for more than 45 seconds will quickly agree with that statement. His approach to injury at a young age is just one example.
While hockey is his passion, McDonough enjoys spending time outdoors. He grew up riding dirt bikes, wake surfing behind a boat, casting a fishing line on a calm lake, or just getting fresh air with his buddies.
When indoors, McDonough explores his creative side. He has drawn countless pictures of superheroes or other movie characters, many of which should be in an art gallery.
“I’m also a huge movie guy, and everyone knows me here as a Spiderman fan,” he said.
The Pixar movie Cars holds a special place in his heart as well. McDonough considered wearing jersey 95 instead of 18 to have the same number as Lightning McQueen. His goal song is “Life is a Highway,” which is also from the movie and was his late Papa’s favorite song.
The talents continue for McDonough as he has a long history of building Lego sets.
“It started when I was a kid, as I would build with Legos every day,” he explained. “Then, with my buddies growing up, we would buy sets together and build them. Now, Gabe (Klassen) loves Legos, too, so we get set after set. I think we’ve built three or four big ones together. At my house back in Langdon, I’m building the Spiderman final battle scene, which is over 900 pieces. Gabe and I finished building an Indiana Jones set that was over 2,500 pieces. We also built some Star Wars ships together. It is good for killing time and takes your mind off the game of hockey a bit, too.”
McDonough is a guy people flock to and respect already at a young age.
For countless reasons, he has the phrase “future captain” attached to his name by many within the organization and hockey community.
When asked if he sees himself as a future captain, he calmly said, “Right now, I’m pretty focused on this year as we have a chance at winning the league and the Memorial Cup. As far as the future, it looks pretty good. We will have a lot of guys turning over next year, but we have a good young group. I would be honored to follow in Gabe’s footsteps eventually as a captain. Gabe is the top guy I’ve looked up to in hockey. I’ve seen how he is on the ice, but also off the ice and how he treats everyone he comes across. Gabe is a perfect example of the type of person I want to be when I’m 20.”
What stands out the most about McDonough is not his play on the ice, his talent to draw spectacular photos, or his ability to complete complicated Lego sets. Instead, it is the size of his heart and passion for others.
“The one thing that most people don’t know about me is that I take care of special needs people,” McDonough said at the conclusion of the interview. “I really enjoy doing that, and it brings a lot of joy to my life and theirs. I have an aunt who has special needs, and she comes and stays the weekend twice a month. I get to take her to school and see everybody there. I just love how happy they are. It makes me happy to be around them, and I love that. I love every second of that. A huge portion of my heart goes to them, and I want to be involved with it for sure when I’m done playing.”
McDonough’s desire to meet others where they are is second to none.
“I enjoy one-on-one time if I can. So when I’m at school, I will seek out a guy to spend time with him if he has Down Syndrome or Autism. I want to make them feel happy. As a role model and hockey player, I think it is super important for me to be kind to everyone,” he concluded.
Simply, Kyle McDonough is a tremendous young kid.
