2025 Neely Cup Preview
WHL Portland Winterhawks

2025 Neely Cup Preview

Published on August 28, 2025 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Portland Winterhawks News Release


Portland, Ore. - The 2025 Neely Cup officially got underway yesterday as 76 Winterhawks prospects and veterans descended upon Sherwood, Oregon, for the 50th annual training camp.

Players checked in, learned their team assignment, had their headshots taken, were measured and weighed, and received equipment before making their way across town to the kick-off meeting, led by President and General Manager Mike Johnston. Head Coach Kyle Gustafson and Assistant to the General Manager & Director of U.S. Scouting Greg Sampson also spoke to the players and their families.

From there, the players took a brief walk to the Sherwood Fieldhouse for fitness testing led by Head Athletic Trainer and Strength & Conditioning Coach Rich Campbell. Following a quick warm-up led by several veterans, everyone dispersed to the various testing stations. The challenging shuttle run concluded the day's festivities.

Campbell was impressed with what he saw on Wednesday. "They carried themselves like professionals. I think a lot of these guys came in great shape. I really feel they leaned up, got muscle mass, and they are looking eager and ready to go," he said.

Due to ongoing renovations inside the Glass Palace, the Winterhawks are once again hosting training camp at Winterhawks ICE Center - Sherwood. Due to capacity limitations at the Ice Center, the 2025 Neely Cup is closed to the public. We are pleased to provide streaming of this year's Neely Cup games on LiveBarn. If you have a LiveBarn account (subscription required), you can simply search Winterhawks Ice Center - Sherwood and enter the game code: 5333 to follow along online.

If you are unable to stream the action live, stay up-to-date on training camp throughout the week by tuning in to Winterhawks.com and our social media channels. There will be plenty of content coming your way!

Thursday marks the start of the on-ice portion of training camp with individual team practices in the morning. Then, in the afternoon, the first Neely Cup games begin. Each game is broken down into three segments, each worth two points in the standings. Two 25-minute five-on-five halves - with a resurfacing of the ice in between - are followed by a ten-minute three-on-three competition. Therefore, each game has six points up for grabs. Updated standings will be posted at the conclusion of each day.

The competition will be fierce regardless of whether the player is already signed, listed, or has received a camp invite. The rookies will push the veterans, and the veterans will set the standard for the younger guys.

While Portland's top four point producers from last year's Western Conference Final squad have moved on, numbers five through eleven on the list are all eligible to return in 2025-26!

20-year-old, and recently drafted by the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2025 NHL Draft, Alex Weiermair took the WHL by storm after departing the NCAA last season, and is the Hawks' top-returning point producer. The California native racked up 46 points (21 goals and 25 assists) in just 41 regular-season games.

Fellow overager Carter Sotheran looks to carry a strong 2025 WHL Playoffs into the 2025-26 campaign. Jordan Duguay, who received the team's Rookie of the Year Award last season, is poised for his draft year. 18-year-old Ryan Miller also heard his name called during the 2025 NHL Draft, as the Pittsburgh Penguins selected him 130th overall. Tyson Yaremko (who will not skate in any of the games), Kyle McDonough, and Carsyn Dyck are primed to take the next step in their development.

Since March 12, the Winterhawks have signed eight prospects, and they all are expected to make their on-ice debuts on Thursday. The list includes forwards: Nathan Brown, Alessandro Domenichelli, Nathan Free, Jake Gustafson, Finn Spehar, Sam Spehar, defenseman Luke Christopherson, and goaltender Sergio Davidson.

The majority of Portland's 2025 WHL Draft class will be represented this week as Gavin Godbout, Trevor Toyne, Crewe Schimnowski, Kohen Ruedig (the younger brother of current Winterhawks defenseman Kayd Ruedig), Jaxon Jaffray (who will not skate in any of the games), Cooper Dryden, Alan Han, Kane Tomsic, and Cam Young-Thompson are all in the Rose City!

With previous draft classes, listed prospects, and several well-deserved camp invites, the Winterhawks are proud to welcome players from all four Western Canadian provinces (British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba), eight U.S. states (Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Minnesota, North Dakota, Oregon, and Texas), as well as Switzerland (Domenichelli). Czechia would have been represented, but Max Pšenička and Ondřej Štěbeták are not in attendance this week, but are expected to return to Portland prior to the regular season.

To refresh yourself on which team your favorite player or prospect is on this week, the most up-to-date rosters are located here.

Looking for more specific player info? Winterhawks.com has compiled a cheat sheet for easy reference on heights, weights, previous team, handiness, team status, and how each player was acquired!

Check out the Portland Winterhawks Statistics

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Western Hockey League Stories from August 28, 2025


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