Winterhawks Add 11 Players During 2025 WHL Prospects and U.S. Priority Drafts

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WHL Portland Winterhawks

Winterhawks Add 11 Players During 2025 WHL Prospects and U.S. Priority Drafts

May 8, 2025 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Portland Winterhawks News Release


Portland, Ore. - The Portland Winterhawks made 11 selections today during the 2025 WHL Prospects and U.S. Priority Drafts, including seven forwards, three defensemen, and one goaltender.

President and General Manager Mike Johnston praised his scouting department for their hard-work and dedication, saying, "Heading into the draft, the first thing I'll mention is all the hard work our scouts do throughout the year. It's really amazing when you look at their scouting reports that most of our guys go to 80 to 100 games in their own province or state. So they've done a phenomenal job leading up to the draft, and it makes the draft really easy for Greg Sampson, Matt (Davidson), and myself to make those selections because we have a lot of confidence in our scouts and what they do."

Players eligible for the 2025 WHL U.S. Priority Draft were 2010-born players residing in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

Players eligible for the 2025 WHL Prospects Draft were 2010-born players residing in Alberta, B.C., Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories, Yukon, and any players from the same states who were not selected previously.

"It's quite an honor to be selected in the Western Hockey League. I hope that they and their families had a great day enjoying being in the limelight and the recognition of their hard work," Johnston said.

U.S. Priority Draft

The Portland Winterhawks selected two Minnesotans in the U.S. Priority Draft: Maverick McKinnon in the first round (18th overall) and Gavin Godbout in the second round (30th overall)

U.S. regional scout Jeff Pilacinski commented on McKinnon, saying, "We're overjoyed by the fact that Maverick was available to select with our first pick in the US Draft. From what I've seen during the past season, he's a first-round talent - highly skilled both as a finisher and a playmaker. He's showcased high character and leadership qualities as a young player, and comes to us from a great family."

Pilacinski also had multiple viewings of Portland's second-round selection and commented, "Gavin (Godbout) is a smart defender who processes the game efficiently and effectively. He's an excellent skater - mobile in all directions - and when his mind and feet are working in tandem, he's a truly special player who fits the Portland style of play well."

Portland has recent success with landing high-profile talent from Minnesota. Forward Finn Spehar and defenseman Luke Christopherson both signed their WHL Scholarship and Development Agreement with the club.

WHL Prospects Draft

Round 3, Pick 49 - Trevor Toyne, F

The Winterhawks made their first selection of the Prospects Draft in the third round and selected Trevor Toyne, who notched 87 points (30G, 57A) in 32 games with the Winnipeg Bruins U15 AAA Gold last season. The Winnipeg, Manitoba, native was third on his team in regular-season scoring. Then, in the playoffs, en route to his team winning the provincial championship, Toyne added another 27 points (13G, 14A) in 12 postseason contests.

In 2023-24, he produced seven goals and 17 assists in 32 games in the Winnipeg AAA U15 league.

"What fans are going to see is a typical Winterhawks forward with speed, pace, tempo, and a highly intelligent player," Johnston said.

Round 3, Pick 66 - Crewe Schimnowski, F

Portland's second selection of the WHL Prospects Draft went right back to the Winnipeg Bruins U15 AAA Gold to select Toyne's teammate, Schimnowski. He led the Winnipeg AAA U15 league in both goals (57) and points (111) in 29 games, with another 27 (14G, 13A) in the playoffs.

Last season, he also produced offensively with 46 points (30G, 16A) before becoming team captain in 2024-25.

Head Coach Kyle Gustafson was excited to have Schimnowski added to the organization, saying, "Portland fans are going to love his scoring knack and someone who is a shooter first. We love players who have captain qualities."

Round 4, Pick 81 - Kohen Ruedig, D

The Winterhawks selected a familiar last name with their fourth-round pick. Kohen Ruedig is the younger brother of current Portland defenseman Kayd, who finished his rookie season in the Rose City.

A 5-foot-7, 150-pound defenseman himself, Kohen was over a point-per-game player with his Humboldt Broncos U15 AA team with 19 goals and 21 assists in 29 games.

"Cohen has excellent mobility on the ice, he loves to get up the ice, and he has a heavy shot and he loves to score from the back end," Director of Player Personnel Matt Davidson said.

Round 5, Pick 104 - Jaxon Jaffray, F

Portland once again drafted a team captain and provincial championship winner when it selected Jaxon Jaffray from the Red Deer U15 AAA Rebels. A 5-foot-7 prospect from Olds, Alberta, Jaffray finished the 2024-25 season with 23 goals and 34 assists, which placed him second on his team in scoring.

"Jaxon is a natural leader," Davidson said. "He has a very extremely high IQ, sees the game really well, makes his teammates better, and really kind of fits exactly what we want as a Portland Winterhawk."

Round 6, Pick 130 - Cooper Dryden, G

The Winterhawks added one goalie to their organization on Thursday by drafting Cooper Dryden in the sixth round. With the Brandon Wheat Kings U15 this season he won 15 games while posting a 2.14 goals-against-average and .927 save percentage in 21 games.

This year, the 6-foot-2 netminder from Brandon, Manitoba, was billet brothers with former Portland forward Marcus Nguyen.

"Excellent mobility, reads the game really well, an extremely hard worker, someone who we are excited to add to our group," Davidson said of Dryden.

Round 8, Pick 173 - Alan Han, F

After not having a selection in the seventh round, Portland was back on the clock in the eighth round and pounced at the opportunity to select Regina Aces captain Alan Han, the third prospect who wore the 'C' during his draft-eligible campaign.

At 5-foot-7, 150-pounds, Han averaged two points per game with 27 goals and 17 assists in 22 contests in the Saskatchewan AA Hockey U15 League.

"Hawks fans are going to love this kid. He's really skilled, smart, and reads the game extremely well," Davidson said.

Round 9, Pick 196 - Kane Tomsic, D

Portland continued to bolster its blue line, and the fourth player from Manitoba, with the selection of Kane Tomsic. A right-shot defender with 24 points (7G, 17A) for the Winnipeg Bruins AAA Black this season, Tomsic plays an up-tempo brand of hockey, which fits the style the Winterhawks like to play.

"We like what he brings to the table in terms of his willingness to get up in the rush, is a skilled defenseman, and without question, has a bright future here," Gustafson said.

Round 10, Pick 219 - Stellan Gasseau, F

The third American-born skater selected by the Winterhawks today came in the tenth round when Stellan Gasseau heard his name called. He joins Maverick McKinnon and Gavin Godbout, who were selected earlier in the day via the U.S. Priority Draft.

A native of Long Beach, California, Gasseau played his 2024-25 season with the Chicago Reapers 14U team and had seven goals and seven assists.

"For a smaller player, I thought he played without fear," Assistant to the General Manager and Director of U.S. Scouting Greg Sampson said of Gasseau. "He has some dynamic elements to his skating and puck handling. We look forward to watching him grow into a play-making forward."

Round 11, Pick 242 - Cam Young-Thompson, F

Portland concluded its 2025 draft class by selecting Victoria, British Columbia, native Cam Young-Thompson with its 11th-round pick. In his WHL draft-eligible season, the 5-foot-8 winger was both a shooter and a set-up man with 16 goals and 16 assists in 36 games for Pacific Coast Academy U15 Prep.

"We love his hockey sense and the way this guy thinks the game. He moves pucks, he creates offense, and he's an extremely hard worker," Davidson said.

Keep an eye on Winterhawks social platforms and winterhawks.com for more draft coverage over the coming days!

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Western Hockey League Stories from May 8, 2025


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