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WHL Portland Winterhawks

Winterhawks Announce Front Office Promotions

October 12, 2023 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Portland Winterhawks News Release


The Portland Winterhawks Hockey Club today announced changes to its front office. Effective immediately, Mike Johnston has been promoted to President, Head Coach, and General Manager of the Winterhawks, and Jeff McGillis will serve as Chief Operating Officer.

Previously serving as senior vice president, general manager and head coach, Johnston began his tenure with the Winterhawks ahead of the 2008-09 campaign after spending the previous eight seasons in the National Hockey League. Johnston quickly developed a winning culture in Portland and guided the Winterhawks to over 200 wins in his first six seasons. Johnston led the Winterhawks to four straight Western Conference Championships, including the 2013 WHL Championship, before accepting the head coaching position with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Dartmouth, Nova Scotia native returned to Portland in 2016 after two years with the Penguins and has led the Winterhawks to the playoffs every year since. On October 6, Johnston earned his 500th win with the Winterhawks, becoming the 11th head coach in WHL history to reach 500 career wins.

"Congratulations to Mike on this incredible accomplishment. Coaching the Winterhawks to 500 wins puts him in a very elite group of coaches within the sport of hockey. As an organization, we could not be more proud of him," said Winterhawks Owner & Managing Partner Michael Kramer following Johnston's 500th win. "Very few people in hockey have had similar on-ice success, not to mention the positive impact he has had on the professional and personal development of the hundreds of young men that he has coached. His talents and character are unmatched - it is accomplishments like this that only reinforce my view that the Winterhawks and the City of Portland are truly blessed to have the best coach in the sport."

McGillis accepted a marketing role with the Winterhawks ahead of the 2021-22 season following 20 years with Adidas. He worked in various roles at Adidas from product marketing, merchandising, sports marketing and brand marketing. Most recently, McGillis served as Adidas' Vice President of U.S. Sports, managing the hockey, football, baseball, lacrosse, and Olympic sports businesses. He was a part of the team that created the NHL Reverse Retro collection, Patrick Mahomes' signature collection, and product collaborations with Pharrell and Snoop Dogg.

During his time with the Winterhawks, McGillis has played a pivotal part in implementing the new V.I.P. and social areas inside Veterans Memorial Coliseum, launching the new Winterhawks podcast, increasing the number of televised games on Portland's CW, and leading the Winterhawks through the highest percentage growth of ticket sales among WHL teams last season. Additionally, McGillis revamped the team's merchandising, working with local business Portland Gear, to give fans more merch on game days and launching an online team store.

- Tickets for the 2023-24 season are on sale NOW! With single-game seats, season tickets, flex packs, group tickets and more, there's an option for every fan. Join us this Sunday for Hawktoberfest and enjoy free beer and cider samples on the concourse from some of your favorite Portland-area breweries!

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The Winterhawks trust Riverside Payments for all of their credit card processing as the team's official credit card processors.

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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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