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WHL Portland Winterhawks

Game Day Hub: January 17 at Kelowna

January 17, 2024 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Portland Winterhawks News Release


Portland Winterhawks at Kelowna Rockets

The Winterhawks take a seven-game point streak on the road to Kelowna for the first of three in B.C. this week.

Puck Drop: 7:05 P.M.

Venue: Prospera Place - Kelowna, B.C.

Uniforms: White

2023-24 Season Series: Portland is 1-0-0-0 against Kelowna

Portland 6 @ Kelowna 5 (Sep 23 2023) OT

Listen Live: Winterhawks Radio Network and on the Winterhawks App

Watch Live: WHL Live on CHL TV

Game Notes: Winterhawks Game Notes

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Upcoming Promo Games:

Friday, February 2 - Pride Night - BUY TICKETS

Sunday, February 4 - Hawks Fight Cancer Night - BUY TICKETS

Saturday, February 10 - Black Hockey History Night - BUY TICKETS

Saturday, February 17 - Mascot Night - BUY TICKETS

FOLLOW ALONG: Box Score

Hitting The Highway

After returning from the holiday break with five of seven games on home ice, the Winterhawks are back on the road for five straight, including three in B.C. this week. The roadie kicks off tonight in Kelowna for the first of three meetings with the Rockets in just over a two-and-a-half-week span.

Portland took the first battle between these two clubs back in September in the second game of the season, a 6-5 OT thriller that saw rookie goaltender Luke Brunen earn his first win with a primary assist on Marcus Nguyen's game-winner.

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Both teams will look a bit different this time around, having returned several players who were attending NHL training camps at the time, including Portland's Luca Cagnoni, Marek Alscher, Carter Sotheran and Josh Davies, and Kelowna's Andrew Cristall and Caden Price. Tonight also marks former Winterhawk Luke Schelter's first game against his old club after being dealt to the Rockets back in December.

These two clubs went to overtime in two of their four contests last year and have already done it in the lone matchup thus far in 2023-24 - are we destined for more free hockey tonight?

Top Prospects

The NHL Draft is still six months away, but this year's crop of hopefuls are already turning heads. Tonight's matchup features four players listed on last week's NHL Central Scouting mid-term rankings - Kelowna's Tij Iginla (#11 among North American skaters) and Hiroki Gojsic (#94 among North American skaters), as well as Portland's Diego Buttazzoni (#114 among North American skaters) and Josh Zakreski (#118 among North American skaters). Winterhawks goaltender Jan Špunar was also ranked #21 on the list of North American goalies.

Iginla, son of NHL legend Jarome, has thrilled his hometown with 49 points in 38 games, and his 27 goals rank tied for fifth in the WHL. Gojsic has produced 21 points through 40 games, leading all Rockets rookies. Buttazzoni and Zakreski both sit just shy of a point-per-game pace in their second seasons, with 31 points apiece in 38 and 39 games, respectively. Both have blown past career highs in goals, assists and points this season and continue to thrive in all situations for the Hawks.

Keep an eye on these matchups throughout the game as these four NHL Draft-hopefuls seem set to go head-to-head at Prospera Place.

Lineup Shuffle

With the news of Jack O'Brien's week-to-week upper-body injury come new opportunities for younger players in Portland's lineup. O'Brien plays key minutes at a premium position, and younger aspiring centermen like Kyle McDonough and Hudson Darby will be leaned on to fill the void. Ryan Miller could also see some minutes down the middle after a sterling three-point performance on Monday, but he seems to have found a perfect home on Kyle Chyzowski's wing for the time being.

Not to mention, newcomer Nate Danielson is expected to join the team on this road trip and make his debut this week. The 2023 9th-overall selection of the Detroit Red Wings was acquired via trade last week and brings a reliable 200-foot game with a lethal scoring touch and sound hockey IQ. His arrival could significantly lessen the blow of losing O'Brien as the Hawks look to pick up steam in the Western Conference title race.

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Western Hockey League Stories from January 17, 2024


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