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WHL Portland Winterhawks

Winterhawks Add Pair of Americans in 2024 WHL U.S. Priority Draft

May 8, 2024 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Portland Winterhawks News Release


Portland, Ore. - The 2024 Western Conference Champion Portland Winterhawks are proud to announce the selections of goaltender Tyler DiCarlo and forward Finn Spehar during today's 2024 WHL U.S. Priority Draft.

"Today we were able to select two very talented players from the 2009-born class, building our goaltending prospect depth with Tyler DiCarlo and adding a talented, exciting center in Finn Spehar," said Winterhawks Assistant to the GM & Director of Scouting Mike Coflin. "We're excited to add these future Winterhawks and fans will enjoy watching them at Neely Cup Training Camp later this summer."

Players eligible for the 2024 WHL U.S. Priority Draft were 2009-born players who reside 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.

With the 20th overall pick, the Winterhawks selected DiCarlo, a 5-foot-11, 141-pound netminder from Anchorage, Alaska. The 2009-born backstop is coming off of a strong season with Team Alaska 14U, posting a .912 sv% and 1.92 GAA en route to a 13-8-1-1 record throughout the campaign.

"Tyler is an athletic, technically sound goaltender who plays an efficient stand-up style," said Winterhawks Director of Hockey Operations & U.S. Scouting Greg Sampson. "We are thrilled to welcome the DiCarlos to the Winterhawks family and we're very excited about where Tyler's game is going to go from here."

With the Club's second selection, the Winterhawks selected Finn Spehar of the Minnetonka Skippers 14U program. With 37 goals, 36 assists and 73 points in 48 games played this season, Spehar projects as a dynamic attacking threat as he continues to develop on the ice.

"Finn has elite vision, skill and scoring touch and executes plays with pace," said Sampson. "He makes the players around him better, and his dynamic skill set aligns very well with our style of play in Portland. He's a high-character athlete and we're proud to welcome Finn to the Winterhawks family."

The Winterhawks will continue to add to their prospect group during the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft, which takes place tomorrow (Thursday) beginning at 9:00 A.M. PT. Fans can watch the draft live online starting at 8:30 A.M. and follow the action online.

Players eligible for the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft are 2009-born players who reside in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories, Yukon, 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 from U.S. states listed above who were not selected in today's U.S. Priority Draft are eligible for tomorrow's Prospects Draft. Players not selected in the Prospects Draft will remain eligible to be listed by WHL Clubs at any time thereafter.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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