WHL Portland Winterhawks

Exit Interview: What's Next

Published on May 3, 2023 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Portland Winterhawks News Release


We're four months away from Neely Cup Training Camp, but there's still plenty going on in the meantime.

Next week, the Portland Winterhawks and the 21 other WHL member clubs will add to their prospect lists by selecting players in the U.S. Priority and WHL Prospects Drafts which take place on Wednesday, May 10 and Thursday, May 11, respectively. The 2008-born players that Portland drafts will skate on the VMC ice for their first time at the Neely Cup this fall.

Following the two league drafts in May, the attention will shift to the NHL Draft in June. Three Winterhawks were named on the NHL Central Scouting Final Rankings and they will look to continue Portland's history of success at the NHL Draft.

Draft-eligible defensemen Luca Cagnoni and Carter Sotheran have both been invited to participate at the NHL Combine in Buffalo, N.Y. from June 4 to June 10 and will have an extended opportunity to showcase their on- and off-ice talents in front of NHL scouts. The NHL invites top prospects from around the world to the combine, which involves interviews, medical screenings, and fitness tests.

"I think I need to translate (my game this year) right into the combine," Cagnoni said. "Heading into the summer, you have to do a lot of things so that you can get better than what you did this year. When you get that chance of hopefully hearing your name called (at the NHL Draft), you're ready to go to development camp and show them what you really got."

Last summer, the Winterhawks sent ten current players to NHL Development Camps. Cagnoni, this year's Winterhawks' co-Most Valuable Player, looks to follow in his teammates' footsteps.

As for Cagnoni's defensive partner?

"I didn't expect (to get invited to the NHL Combine)," Sotheran said. "That was a little bit of an awakening, but it should be fun and a good challenge so I'm looking forward to it."

The 6-foot-4, 201-pound defenseman from Sanford, Man. enjoyed a productive rookie year in Portland and will bring back a wealth of knowledge to the team next season.

"I think we worked hard these two playoff series," Sotheran said, reflecting on the 2022-23 season. "I think we showed that we can compete with anyone. Even if we don't have a stacked line-up. (Kamloops) stacked up a lot and we didn't do too much so I think just showing that we can play with anyone no matter how skilled they are, we always had that compete in us. I think that's kind of the biggest thing I took away. You know, we always have to battle no matter who you're playing."

Soon, he'll have another opportunity to battle in front of NHL scouts and executives and give them more reasons to announce his name at this summer's NHL Draft, set for June 28 and 29 in Nashville, Tenn.

Sotheran, Cagnoni, and goaltender Jan Špunar will look to be the next Winterhawks to achieve their lifelong dreams of being selected at the NHL Draft. Through all the internal pressure, they are just trying to focus on what they can control.

"I'm kind of putting that aside and just focusing on my training. I'm sure that when we get closer to the date, I'll start to worry about it a little more," Cagnoni said with a subtle laugh.

The Winterhawks have a chance to return four NHL-drafted defensemen, joining Marek Alscher (Florida) and Ryan McCleary (Pittsburgh), and potentially an NHL-drafted goaltender to next year's team. If the age-old saying 'defense wins championships' remains true, then consider the Winterhawks a contender once again in 2023.

Marek Alscher, 19, recently wrapped up his second year in Portland and he heads home to Czechia as a signed prospect of the Florida Panthers. He'll look to make the most of his summer workouts and prepare himself for another busy slate of camps with his NHL club.

"That's a huge goal," Alscher reflected on signing his first pro contract during the team's exit interviews with media. "My (next) goal is probably just to be the best I can, not to set some goal that if I don't achieve I'll be disappointed. I just want to be the best that I can be and do the most work in the offseason, then show them what I got and we'll see how it's going to turn out. I'll see."

In addition to hockey, Alscher will need to stay focused on his upcoming graduation test. After completing his fourth year of high school, Czechia requires its students to take a final exam, the Maturita examination, to complete their secondary education. It's similar to the SAT/ACT here in the States as it is a prerequisite for university studies or tertiary professional school.

When he does find some downtime between studying and hockey, Alscher will be enjoying his newfound freedom.

"I'll finally have my driver's license because in Czechia, you can't drive until you're 18. I'll do a lot of traveling. I'm going to probably visit my friend in Italy that I met in Finland when I was playing there. I'll try to visit him, and I talked to my friends in Czech that maybe we can do some trips and get to like Germany or Austria," Alscher said.

"Then I'm going to hang out with Špoony (Jan Špunar) because before we came to Portland, we knew each other, but we were not that close. Now we got a few plans. We want to go to an MMA tournament so I'll see how much we're going to hang out in the summer because we live pretty far apart, but I think we'll both try our best."

They live just over three hours, or half the country, apart. But in their second homes in Portland, they're closer than ever.

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Thank you to our passionate fans and partners for another terrific season of Winterhawks hockey! We can't wait to see you again this fall. Season tickets are now available for the 2023-24 season!

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