March 19, 2022
accesso ShoWare Center, Kent, Washington: In this 4-1 road win for the Winterhawks we focused on Portland’s 2022 NHL Draft eligible players and their impact on the game.
| Marek Alscher | Portland Winterhawks | WHL | L | D | 6’3″ | 198 | Portland Winterhawks | 2021 | Kladno, CZE | 2004 | 2021-2022: C+ |
WHL: Portland Winterhawks vs Seattle Thunderbirds, March 19, 2022: In the 4-1 win over the Thunderbirds Alscher earned 16:45 in total ice time, including 2:42 while shorthanded. He did not play on the power play. Statistically he finished with 0 points, a plus / minus of 0 , 0 shots on goal (0PP), 0 grade “A” scoring opportunity, 0 minor penalties, he had 1 hit, had 1 shot blocked and had 4 giveaways versus 4 takeaways. Alscher is a big body who moves well and really doesn’t do much to get noticed, and we view that as a good thing. In the neutral zone he recognized the breakout patterns of the opposing forwards and did a good job of maintaining tight gaps or resetting his feet so he did not get caught crossing over or flat footed. We like that he has the ability to switch back and forth from the left or right side with ease. In this game we feel he was most impactful as a penalty killer where his ability to hold the defensive blueline forced offsides and poor decisions. While shorthanded he used his reach to force bobbled pucks to continue moving along the wall which eventually lead to 200′ clears and timely changes. He also showed the athleticsm to drop to a knee when blocking a shot without getting caught leaning or ending up off balance.
| Marcus Nguyen | Portland Winterhawks | WHL | R | RW | 5’10” | 172 | Portland Winterhawks | 2020 | Calgary, AB | 2004 | 2021-2022: C |
WHL: Portland Winterhawks vs Seattle Thunderbirds, March 19, 2022: In the 4-1 win over the Thunderbirds Nguyen earned 13:46 in total ice time, including 0:26 while shorthanded. He did not play on the power play. Statistically he finished with 1 goal, a plus / minus of +1, 1 shot on goal (0PP), 1 grade “A” scoring opportunity, 0 minor penalties, 1 hit had, 1 shot blocked, 1 hit and had 7 giveaways versus 2 takeaways. There is little doubt that speed is Nguyen’s biggest asset and he seems to know that. From his first shift he was a disruptive force on the forecheck where he took direct routes and used an active stick to knock down sauce passes and force turnovers in general. In the defensive zone he played with his head on a swivel and his quick stick lead to a Seattle turnover that eventually turned into his goal. On his goal he won a foot race to a loose puck in the neutral zone showing the core strength to initiate contact and then the power to pull away for a quick breakaway. Although not counted on to play a lot of minutes in this one, we see Nguyen as a player who will be a key player as his junior career progresses with the skating ability to play professionally.
| James Stefan | Portland Winterhawks | WHL | L | RW | 5’11” | 181 | Portland Winterhawks | 2018 | Laguna Beach, CA | 2021-2022: B- |
WHL: Portland Winterhawks vs Seattle Thunderbirds, March 19, 2022: In the 4-1 win over the Thunderbirds Stefan earned 16:31 in total ice time, including 3:41 while on the power play and 0:09 while shorthanded. Statistically he finished with 1 assist, a plus / minus rating of +1, 4 shots on goal (2PP), 3 grade “A” scoring opportunities, 1 minor penalty, had 2 shots blocked and had 4 giveaways versus 3 takeaways. Stefan had a beautiful power play primary assist on the Winterhawk’s first goal as he was positioned on the left goal line and feathered a beautiful one touch pass through the royal road to Jaydon Dureau. We liked his ability to shoot the puck through traffic and his willingness to sacrifice buzzing a shot high and wide so he could generate a secondary scoring opportunity for his linemates. In all three zone he played with his eyes up looking for and counting his opponents so he was not caught off guard when he received a pass. During neutral zone transition he showed a smooth first touch on both his forehand and backhand.
| Ryder Thompson | Portland Winterhawks | WHL | L | D | 5’11” | 176 | Portland Winterhawks | 2019 | Russell, MB | 2004 | 2021-2022: B- |
WHL: Portland Winterhawks vs Seattle Thunderbirds, March 19, 2022: In the 4-1 win over the Thunderbirds Thompson earned19:51 in total ice time, including 0:04 while on the power play and 3:22 while shorthanded. Statistically he finished with 1 assist, a plus / minus of +1, 1 shot on goal (0PP), 0 grade “A” scoring opportunities, 0 minor penalties, had 1 hit, had 2 shots blocked and had 5 giveaways versus 9 takeaways. We liked that the left shot defender looked very comfortable playing on the right side and showed very nice four way mobility. Thompson retrieved pucks with pace while looking over his shoulders and we liked the confidence he showed when a forechecker was on his back. Meaning that he did not just fire the puck around the wall to make his trouble someone else’s. He would draw the F1 forechecker to him and create deception by looking in a direction for an extended second to make sure the opposing F2 and F3 would be drawn in that direction too before making a quick pass to his intended passing target. In transition he worked well his partner and his indirect or “D to D” below the goal line were on the tape. He had a secondary assist that began in the defensive zone after he shut down the Thunderbird’s cycle and poked the puck towards his strongside winger. Thompson was not flashy, but he was a player who consistently made the correct decision and had a positive impact on the overall tempo of the game.
| Josh Mori | Portland Winterhawks | WHL | L | D | 5’11” | 170 | Portland Winterhawks | 2019 | Richmond, BC | 2004 | 2021-2022: C |
Did not play
| Kyle Chyzowski | Portland Winterhawks | WHL | L | C | 5’10” | 157 | Portland Winterhawks | 2019 | Surrey, BC | 2004 | 2021-2022: C |
WHL: Portland Winterhawks vs Seattle Thunderbirds, March 19, 2022: In the 4-1 win over the Thunderbirds Chyzowski earned 12:12 in total ice time, including 0:04 while on the power play and 1:38 while shorthanded. Statistically he finished with 1 assist, a plus / minus of +1, 0 shots on goal (0PP), 0 grade “A” scoring opportunity, 1 minor penalty, won 2 of 4 face-offs, had 1 hit, had 2 shots blocked and had 5 giveaways versus 5 takeaways. As a center he played a high energy 200′ game. In the defensive zone he played with an extended stick looking to be disruptive without leaning so far out over his toes that he got caught off balance. We like his skating and he showed a very quick first step when coming out of a stop and start. As he continues to add strength and power we feel he will be come a consistently impactful offensive player for the Winterhawks.
| Gabe Klassen | Portland Winterhawks | WHL | L | C | 5’10” | 176 | Portland Winterhawks | 2018 | Prince Albert, SK | 2003 | 2021-2022: C |
WHL: Portland Winterhawks vs Seattle Thunderbirds, March 19, 2022: In the 4-1 win over the Thunderbirds Klassen earned 17:59 in total ice time, including 1:48 while on the power play and 3:13 while shorthanded. Statistically he finished with 0 points, a plus / minus of 0, 4 shots on goal (0PP), 2 grade “A” scoring opportunity, 0 minor penalties, won 10 of 16 face-offs, had 1 shot blocked and had 4 giveaways versus 2 takeaways. We liked Klassen’s ability to get the puck to the net. While cycling he showed the edgework and strength to roll off of contact to attack the net and once he was there he did not back down from digging for the rebound. Klassen also showed good hand strength while battling on face-offs as well as showing the core strength to hold defenders off with while controlling the puck with one hand on his stick.
| Luke Schelter | Portland Winterhawks | WHL | R | F | 6’3″ | 194 | Portland Winterhawks | 2019 | Centennial, CO | 2004 | 2021-2022: C |
WHL: Portland Winterhawks vs Seattle Thunderbirds, March 19, 2022: In the 4-1 win over the Thunderbirds Schelter earned 6:15 in total ice time, including 0:04 while on the power play. He did not paly shorthanded. Statistically he finished with 0 points, a plus / minus of 0, 0shots on goal (0PP), 0 grade “A” scoring opportunity, 0 minor penalty, had 1 hit, 0 shots blocked and had 2 giveaways versus 1 takeaway. Schelter is still adjusting to his first year in the WHL, but at 6’3″ 195 pounds he is a player who we were interested in paying close attention to. There were times in the defensive zone when he appeared to be puck watching, yet there were other times that you could see him processing the coaching he’s receiving and using it to shut down passing lanes or seams. We like his skating base as well as the angles he took while in pursuit while forechecking in the neutral or offensive zones. During defensive transition he stopped on pucks and we liked how he tracked through the middle while backchecking. Schelter is a big raw right wing who is averaging around 9 minutes per-game for the Winterhawks, but has put up 8 goals, 15 assists for 23 points as a Western League rookie. We feel he is a long shot to be drafted this year, but with continued high level coaching and a commitment to his attention to detail he has the framework of a professional.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images