Portland Winterhawks Named Winner of WHL Business Award for 2025-26
WHL Portland Winterhawks

Portland Winterhawks Named Winner of WHL Business Award for 2025-26

Published on April 21, 2026 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Portland Winterhawks News Release


Portland, Ore. - The Western Hockey League announced today the Portland Winterhawks as the winner of the WHL Business Award for the 2025-26 WHL Regular Season.

The WHL Business Award is presented annually to the WHL Club that best exemplifies giving back to the community and producing an electrifying game-day experience for fans.

"This is a tremendous honor for our organization," Chief Operating Officer Jeff McGillis said. "Our staff is passionate about delivering a professional and memorable hockey experience for Portland and the surrounding community every year. This award recognizes the hard work, creativity, and dedication of our entire team. From the business staff, hockey operations, and our players, everyone has a hand in bringing our vision to life. We also view this as a direct reflection of the incredible support we receive from our fans and sponsors. Their passion and loyalty allow us to create the special atmosphere at the Glass Palace."

The Winterhawks have been nominated for the WHL Business Award for three consecutive seasons; this marks the second time in franchise history Portland has been named the winner, having been last recognized in 1993-94.

In 2025-26, the Portland Winterhawks commemorated their 50th Anniversary season in the Western Hockey League. This included a partnership with the City of Portland and Rip City Management to execute a $50 million renovation of the Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

The Winterhawks became the first WHL organization to add 360 LED dashboards to improve the game-day experience and increase sponsorship revenue.

Over 175,000 fans attended a Winterhawks game this season, an increase over previous seasons and including two sellouts. Premium ticketing experiences were offered, including suites between the lower and upper bowls, VIP tables along the glass, and a beer garden. In addition, a renovated VIP lounge with food and beverage options was provided.

Throughout the season, Portland unveiled its Top 50 Winterhawks Players of All Time with six unique promotion nights. Opening Night unveiled the Top 50 players in alphabetical order. Then, once a month for five months, ten players were unveiled, culminating in the Top Ten on March 7. That evening, the Winterhawks retired the number one Winterhawk of all time, Ken Yaremchuk's jersey. The ceremony featured current Winterhawks forward Sam Spehar presenting his number 15 jersey to Yaremchuk and debuting his new number seven jersey.

Through player-involved community initiatives led by Kyle McDonough, Jordan Duguay, and Nathan Brown, Portland honored different communities throughout the year. On Hawks Fight Cancer Night, Brown raised funds for cancer research with a post-game haircut immediately after the game, while still in his equipment. Over $10,000 was received in donations directly benefiting Doernbecher Children's Hospital.

Additional cultural celebration promotion nights in the series included Hispanic Heritage Night, Pacific Islander Night, Pride Night, and Chinese Lunar New Year Night.

The Winterhawks rose to number two overall in the WHL in total followers on social media and is the only WHL team to rank in the top five followers in all four social media platforms.

Portland partnered with Victory+ to deliver a high-quality, unique fan-viewing experience, resulting in the fifth-highest unique average viewership, the second-highest average watch time, and over 5 hours of team-specific content on the team's Victory+ Hub platform.

The Winterhawks partnered with a digital marketing agency to drive ticket sales and elevate social media, Victory+, and website content. This fueled an increase in ticket revenue and created multiple team media days, promo videos, a recruiting video for prospects, and an individual media-day photo shoot for key prospects.

Post-game press conferences were opened to the public to increase the fan experience, provide media training, and drive social media content.

Check out the Portland Winterhawks Statistics

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Western Hockey League Stories from April 21, 2026


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