WHL Portland Winterhawks

Hawks Prepare for WHL U.S. Priority and Prospects Drafts Next Week

Published on May 3, 2024 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Portland Winterhawks News Release


While the Portland Winterhawks are still competing in the 2024 WHL Playoffs, the U.S. Division Champions will add to their talent pool next week.

With the U.S. Priority and WHL Prospects Drafts taking place Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, the Winterhawks are expected to select upwards of a dozen players from the 2009-born class to add to their protected list. The Hawks will begin selecting at #20 in both drafts.

The Winterhawks will add two American-born players to their prospect pool during the Wednesday, May 8th draft. The U.S. Priority Draft is a two-round selection process that enables clubs to secure the WHL playing rights of Americans from Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

Notable Americans like Seth Jones, Caleb Jones, Keiffer Bellows, Cross Hanas, James Stefan, and Jack O'Brien have all called Portland home, and there's a wealth of talent in this year's U.S. crop that could make an immediate impact in the Rose City.

Thursday brings the WHL Prospects Draft, which adds players from Western Canada to the pool of eligible talent, alongside any American players from WHL territories who were not selected on Wednesday. With the Winterhawks currently owning four picks in the first four rounds of the WHL Prospects Draft, the team will select a handful of high-octane players to join the organization. Portland has had success with their first-round picks in recent drafts, selecting defenseman Griffin Darby in last year's draft (2023, 17th overall), current captain Gabe Klassen (2018, 19th overall) and recent NHL talents Seth Jarvis (2017, 11th overall) and Cody Glass (2014, 19th overall), and they will look to add to that resume when they select a player with the 20th overall pick Thursday.

These drafts are important building blocks for a team's future. The 2023-24 Winterhawks featured 13 players selected by the team in previous drafts. Portland has found plenty of production from players selected later in the draft, including Ryder Thompson, Carter Sotheran, Marcus Nguyen, Josh Zakreski, and Hudson Darby who were all selected in the fifth round or later.

Some can even make an immediate impact. Kyle McDonough and Ryan Miller were each selected in the first 70 picks two summers ago and are now completing their first full season of WHL competition. Plus, the Winterhawks have already signed their first three drafted players from the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft - Griffin Darby (2023, 1st round), Jordan Duguay (2023, 2nd round), and Owen Chapman (2023, 3rd round) and the three skilled skaters eagerly await their WHL debuts in the near future.

Players selected in the drafts will have their first opportunity to skate with the Hawks at the Neely Cup.

Enjoy the drafts next week and join us in welcoming the next wave of Winterhawks to the family!

Check out the Portland Winterhawks Statistics

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Western Hockey League Stories from May 3, 2024


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