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WHL Portland Winterhawks

2023 NHL Draft Preview: Winterhawks to Keep an Eye On

May 31, 2023 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Portland Winterhawks News Release


Portland, Ore - Bridgestone Arena, home of the Nashville Predators, is set to welcome hundreds of hockey's finest next month for the 2023 NHL Draft. Numerous top prospects and their family members will be in attendance on June 28 and 29 anxiously waiting to hear their names called by one of the 32 NHL clubs.

In total, 225 players aged 17 to 20 will be selected in the draft. However, there are multiple ways to achieve the dream of playing in the NHL and the NHL Draft process is merely the beginning of a player's journey to the professional ranks. National Hockey League teams will invite their prospects and some undrafted players to attend development camps this summer. Some players, like recent Winterhawks alumnus Taylor Gauthier, will not get selected in the NHL Draft but will earn an NHL contract before graduating from the Western Hockey League.

The Winterhawks take pride in helping players prepare for the next step in their hockey careers. Portland currently leads the Western Hockey League with 146 players drafted in the NHL and looks forward to adding to that total next month.

NHL CENTRAL SCOUTING RANKINGS

Three Winterhawks who played in Portland during the 2022-23 season were recognized by NHL Central Scouting this season.

Luca Cagnoni finished the year as the highest-ranked Winterhawk, owning the 35th spot on the list. The late 2004-born defenseman ranked among the CHL's best with a career-high with 17 goals and 64 points in 67 games, and was invited to participate in the NHL/CHL Top Prospects Game in January.

Carter Sotheran ranked 71st on Central Scouting's Final Rankings. Sotheran ranked second among first-year WHL defensemen with 23 points, and the 6-foot-4, 201-pound skater was the only Winterhawk to play in all 68 games.

Jan Špunar earned an end-of-season ranking of 10th among North American Goaltenders, earning a top-10 ranking from NHL Central Scouting for the second consecutive season. The Olomouc, Czechia native started eight of the Winterhawks' nine playoff games this year and owned a .908 save percentage during his first season in North America.

Luca Cagnoni ranks among the top draft-eligible CHL defensemen this year.

Other Winterhawks like Marcus Nguyen were also recognized by independent scouting services rankings as prospects who have a chance of being selected. With many Winterhawks on the radar, Portland is likely to see at least one player selected in what would be 14 of the last 15 drafts.

Additionally, three unsigned Portland prospects were recognized on Central Scouting's final ranking - forwards Jayden Perron and Alex Weiermaier and goaltender Carsen Musser.

WHAT TO WATCH BEFORE THE DRAFT

Over the coming weeks, Winterhawks.com will highlight its three players ranked by NHL Central Scouting with in-depth reports.

Winterhawks defensemen Luca Cagnoni and Carter Sotheran have also been invited to attend the NHL Scouting Combine which takes place from June 4-10 in Buffalo, N.Y.

The NHL Scouting Combine showcases the top draft-eligible prospects from North America and Europe ahead of the NHL Draft. The event consists of player interviews, medical assessments and a series of physical fitness tests. Each NHL team will also have the opportunity to conduct individual interviews with players in preparation for the draft.

HOW TO WATCH THE DRAFT

The first round is scheduled for Wednesday, June 28 at 4:00 p.m. PT and fans can watch live on ESPN or Sportsnet, or stream it live on ESPN+.

Rounds 2-7 will be held on Thursday, June 29 beginning at 8:00 a.m. PT on NHL Network and Sportsnet and US-based fans can once again stream draft coverage on ESPN+.

NHL DRAFT NOTABLES

A total of 40 Winterhawks have been selected over the last 15 NHL Drafts, including nine first-round picks and a trio of top-five picks in Ryan Johansen, Nino Niederreiter and Seth Jones.

At least one Winterhawk has been selected in 43 of the last 46 NHL drafts.

The Chicago Blackhawks have drafted the most Winterhawks all time with 12, while the Los Angeles Kings and Seattle Kraken are the only two NHL clubs to have never drafted a Winterhawk.

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The Winterhawks finished the 2022-23 regular season with 40 wins, their CHL-leading sixth consecutive 40+ win campaign. Regarded as one of the nation's elite junior hockey franchises, the Winterhawks are two-time Memorial Cup Champions and three-time WHL Champions.

The Portland Winterhawks take pride in developing their players and have produced the most NHL-drafted players among WHL teams and 132 alumni have played in the NHL, including Hockey Hall of Fame members Cam Neely and Marian Hossa and recent Winterhawks stars like Seth Jarvis, Cody Glass, Seth Jones, Nino Niederreiter, and Ryan Johansen.

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