The last several weeks have been extremely busy in Portland, and Wednesday was no different. In fact, perhaps the biggest news of the offseason was announced late in the day.
Associate Coach and Assistant General Manager Kyle Gustafson is leaving the organization after 18 years to become an Assistant / Special Assignment Coach with the Vancouver Canucks.
Mike Johnston, Vice President, General Manager, and Head Coach said, “He is going to a good organization with two former Winterhawks in Jim Benning and Travis Green. Like a player, or anybody else that gets an opportunity to move onto something they dreamed about is special.”
The move happened rather quickly according to Johnston. “Coaching staffs make some adjustments in their group at the end of every season and this came up. Travis (Green) approached him recently and talked to him about it,” he said.
For Gustafson, this is not the first opportunity he has been presented while in the Rose City.
Many consider him to be one of most sought after assistants in the league. He has turned down numerous job offers to remain a member of the Winterhawks organization. For him to leave, the position had to be just right.
“I think for Kyle when he decided not to go to Kamloops a couple of years ago as their head coach and decided to stay in Portland, he felt each year he was getting more and more responsibility which was the case. He was really growing as a coach and this is another step in his progression to continue to grow and try to be the best coach he can be,” Johnston said.
The search for Gustafson’s replacement has already begun.
Johnston is expecting there to be tremendous interest, especially since there were over 40 applicants for the vacated equipment manager position.
Mark “Peaches” Brennan held that title for the last nine years before announcing his retirement following the end of last season. Johnston shared he has hired a new equipment manager and will be making the announcement next week.
While Gustafson was assistant general manager, Johnston does not feel the need to have a dual role nor make a decision quickly. In fact, he has set the goal to have his new assistant in place by August 1.
“I have a good idea of what I’m looking for. This is all happening so quickly that I’ll just sit back for a week. I would ideally like somebody who can really coach, has great coaching skills, and can compliment what Don (Hay) and I offer the team. So we will fill Kyle’s role which ran the defense, ran the power play, and did a lot of teaching on the ice. We may rejig some of the people within our organization that scout to come into Portland and help us a little bit more on the management side,” he said.
Many have asked about the possibility of Matt Bardsley making a return to the organization after he resigned as the general manager of the Kamloops Blazers to be closer to family.
“I did reach out to Matt originally when it happened in Kamloops and just talked to him about if any openings came in our organization. At the present time, in the area Matt is and was, we already have staff in those positions. He has another exciting opportunity which he will be announcing in the next couple of weeks,” Johnston said.
Given many of the recent changes, some stability will remain on the Portland bench. Johnston confirmed Don Hay will return to the Winterhawks for a fourth season.
Doug Piper departs after 13 years with the Winterhawks
On Tuesday the Portland Winterhawks announced team president Doug Piper resigned from the organization. He has served as the president and governor for the team since 2008.
“Doug and I basically have worked together since day one with the exception of the few years I was away in Pittsburgh,” Johnston said. “If you look at when I first came in here, the fan interest and engagement was at a lull. He did a lot to revitalize the whole business side of the organization and took it to the same place we tried to take our team which is the top of the league.”
Johnston shared how Piper got the team through many challenges including the most recent COVID season as well as the ownership change from Bill Gallacher to Michael Kramer and Kerry Preete.
“He did a phenomenal job,” Johnston continued. “For him it is a chance to kind of go out on a high note and look at his next opportunity. He did a great job and is a really good person to work with, I couldn’t say enough about my time with Doug here.”
Owners Kramer and Preete will now serve as the governors for the league and represent the organization, but Johnston said their involvement in the day-to-day operations will be minimal. They may make an appearance every so often, but will not live in Portland.
Jesper Wallstedt trade and CHL Import Draft
On Monday the Winterhawks announced they had traded for the rights to Jesper Wallstedt, the top-ranked international goaltender for the upcoming NHL Entry Draft. Additional information about Wallstedt and how he fits into the organization can be read here.
While fans are excited about the news, Johnston wanted to level-set expectations.
“You have to be cautious with some of these trades because we have acquired a player’s rights before when it was a player on another team’s (protected) list that was going to go (NCAA) like Bobby Brink,” he said. “We acquired his rights, then talked to them and tried to recruit him, but we didn’t get him. To be honest, if you look at most cases of these types of acquisitions around the league, the rights to a player, it doesn’t often materialize in the player being with your organization.”
That said, Johnston felt the risk was minimal and has the potential to be a positive should his future NHL team want him to play juniors.
“Prior to the NHL Draft, we will have conversations with Jesper and his family on Portland and what we are all about. We would love to have him here, but in order for that to happen he is going to have to be a first round pick, have his NHL team encourage him to come to Portland or be re-assigned to Portland,” Johnston said.
Johnston concluded his comments about Wallstedt saying, “There are a lot of factors that go into this. If you think back to Bobby Brink, yeah it is nice, exciting, and an interesting move, but it is a ways away from happening.”
An immediate impact though is the confirmation of Portland being able to select at least one player in the CHL Import Draft on June 30 due to Wallstedt being on a supplemental list granting the Winterhawks to temporarily have three imports protected (Wallstedt, Jonas Brøndberg, and Simon Knak).
Knak was one of the dominant players in the shortened 24 game season for Portland. Having him return for a third season in a Winterhawks uniform would bolster an already stacked forward group.
However, given his strong 2021 campaign, first on the team in goals and second in points, Knak may be a flight risk. Prior to joining Portland, he played pro for HC Davos in Switzerland’s top league. Knak played against men and professionals compared to the junior players in the WHL.
“It is probably 50/50 right now,” Johnston said about the possibility of Knak being on the roster in the fall. “We won’t know until the NHL team who drafts him and they indicate to Simon, ‘We are okay with you playing pro this year in Switzerland or we would rather you go back to Portland.’ Some NHL teams will get more involved and some won’t depending upon what round they take him in. So, we won’t know for a while if he will be back in Portland.”
There is a small chance Johnston may select two players in the CHL Import Draft. Doing so would require him to drop Knak’s rights, something Johnstson feels would need to be a “calculated risk”.
Two highly sought prospects choose United States National Development Team Program
Earlier this offseason the Winterhawks were in hot pursuit, and heavily recruiting, of two top American-born prospects.
Carsen Musser, a goalie and 11th round selection from Minnesota, is considered to be one of the top US goalies in the 2005 age group. Musser was strongly considering the Winterhawks and had he chosen Portland was likely to be the backup next season as a 16-year-old. Instead he accepted an invitation to join the U-17 team as one of three goalies. For more information about Musser you can read my profile of him here.
Second was forward Alex Weiermair, Portland’s first selection in last year’s inaugural U.S. Prospects Draft. A dynamic forward with exceptional skill, Weiermair would have fit perfectly in the Winterhawks high-octane system. He too accepted the invitation from USA Hockey to go to Plymouth, Michigan and join the U-17 national team.
“If you are an American-born player and you get the chance to play for your country, I understand that,” Johnston said. “There are situations like this every year where we are in a dog fight with the US National Team. They run a good program, but we feel we are as good of a program as they are, especially long term what we can offer a player. It was a recruiting battle and we didn’t win with Musser and Weirmaier, but in other cases we have won.”
Portland’s scouts continue to identify top American talent and are not afraid to take a big swing at a player. Not every situation works out, but when they do, players such as Kieffer Bellows or Seth Jones end up in a Winterhawks jersey.
2021-2022 Season
While the next season is still several months away, preparations are already in motion. For example, the Winterhawks announced all home games will be played in the Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
Another announcement expected shortly is the return of Portland’s training camp. Missed last season due to COVID, a modified version of the Neely Cup will occur prior to the season.
Johnston said the date of training camp and the first game of the season will be announced in the coming weeks.
The Neely Cup is critically important to Johnston and his staff as it allows the organization an opportunity to talk to prospects in person and see what they offer on the ice. Often times, decisions are made about which players to sign based upon the Neely Cup and their family having an opportunity to learn more about the Winterhawks.
While years past have featured four teams, this year Johnston is aiming to fill out three rosters in training camp. “We are looking at three this year so a little bit paired down, a little more focused on our key prospects,” he said.
A busy several weeks is only expected to continue. Stay tuned to PNW Hockey Talk for all the latest information.
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