Portland Winterhawks 2023-24 Schedule

[Monika]

Overview

This is the 2023-24 Regular Season schedule for the Portland Winterhawks.

The Winterhawks are entering their 48th Season as members of the Western Hockey League. Portland plays in the U.S. Division of the WHL's Western Conference. The U.S. Division features the 5 teams from the United States and, in addition to Portland, consists of the Everett Silvertips, Spokane Chiefs, Seattle Thunderbirds, and Tri-City Americans.

Portland is coming off a 2022-23 campaign in which they earned the third seed in the playoffs. The Winterhawks won 40 games and lost 20. They had five overtime losses and two shootout losses. They scored 48 points on the season, contributing to their end-of-season ranking in the standings. They scored 244 goals on the season and allowed 218. The 'Hawks defeated the sixth-seeded Everett Silvertips in the Western Conference Quarterfinals, setting up a semifinals series against the second-seeded Kamloops Blazers in the Semifinals. They didn't have the same success in the previous round, however, as they were swept by the Silvertips, 4-0, and eliminated from the playoffs. Click for Winterhawks 2023 Playoffs Schedule & Results.

Mike Johnston returns as the head coach and general manager of the Winterhawks for his 14th season (non-consecutive). He also serves in the capacity of general manager.. The roster consists primarily of players from the United States and Canada, as well as a number of players from Europe. The roster includes 16 rookies.

The monthly home and away breakdown is as follows:

September - 0 home, 3 away
October - 5 home, 4 away
November - 5 home, 6 away
December - 8 home, 4 away
January - 5 home, 6 away
February - 6 home, 5 away
March - 5 home, 6 away

The pre-season consists of five games against three opponents from the state of Washington, including three against the Chiefs. The other two games come against the Americans and the Thunderbirds. The pre-season schedule lasts from September 9 through September 16.

Portland's regulars season begins with three straight on the road to close out the month of September before hosting five straight at home. The Winterhawks then have nine straight on the road, including the last eight of those against Canadian opponents. The next streak is four straight home games from December 2 to 9. In January, the 'Hawks are on the road January 17 through 27 for a five-game road trip. They close out the regular season with a back-to-back against the Thunderbirds March 23 and 24.

The schedule is chock full of promotions; not the least of which is the annual highly anticipated Teddy Bear Toss. Below is a list of key promo nights:

October 6 - Opening Night, 7 p.m.
October 7 - Hawkey For All Night & Fan Fest, 6 p.m.
October 13 - Keep Portland Fear’d Night (pres. by Portland Gear), 7 p.m.
October 15 - Hawktoberfest Tasting Night, 5 p.m.
November 17 - Hometown Heroes Night, 7 p.m.
November 19 - Hawks Fight Hunger Night (pres. by Fred Meyer), 5 p.m.
December 2 - Toy Drive (pres. by Fox12/KPTV), 6 p.m.
December 3 - Women of the Rose City Night, 5 p.m.
December 9 - Teddy Bear Toss (pres. by Les Schwab), 6 p.m. (Portland's CW)
December 16 - Holiday Sweater Night, 6 p.m. (Portland's CW)
December 31 - New Year’s Eve, 5 p.m.
January 6 - Where’s Waldo Night, 6 p.m.
January 13 - Pride Night, 6 p.m. (Portland's CW)
January 15 - Kids’ Day, 2 p.m.
February 4 - Hawks Fight Cancer, 5 p.m.
February 10 - Black Hockey History Night, 6 p.m. (Portland's CW)
February 17 - Mascot Night, 6 p.m.
March 1 - Art Night 7, p.m.
March 2 - Glass Palace Night (pres. by Jack in the Box), 6 p.m.
March 9 - Oregon Hockey History Night, 6 p.m.
March 15 - Fan Appreciation Night, 7 p.m.
March 23 - Jersey Off Their Backs Night, 6 p.m. (Portland's CW)

Portland plays its home games at Veteran's Memorial Coliseum. All games will be available to be viewed by downloading the Portland Winterhawks app and the 10 games which are available on Portland's CW Network affiliate are noted in the schedule below (eight vs. Seattle and two vs Spokane). Check local listings/services for where to watch. Dates and/or times of games may be subject to change. The pre-season and regular season schedules are listed below with the home arenas of Winterhawks' opponents teams being listed at the bottom of this page. Home games are noted in bold red. All times are pacific time.

Pre-Season

SEPTEMBER
Sat., September 9 - at Spokane (L 2-3)
Sun., September 10 - Seattle (W 3-2)
Thr., September 14 - at Spokane (W 7-6 OT)
Fri., September 15 - at Tri-City (W 5-2)
Sat., September 16 - Spokane (W 6-2)

Regular Season

SEPTEMBER
Fri., September 22 - at Wenatchee (L 5-6)
Sat., September 23 - at Kelowna (W 6-5 OT)
Sat., September 30 - at Seattle (W 6-1)

OCTOBER
Fri., October 6 - Everett (W 4-1)
Sat., October 7 - Vancouver (W 6-2)
Fri., October 13 - Kamloops (W 4-1)
Sun., October 15 - Tri-City (W 7-0)
Wed., October 18 - Brandon (W 11-1)
Sat., October 21 - at Everett (W 5-1)
Fri., October 27 - at Red Deer (L 1-2)
Sat., October 28 - at Edmonton (L 4-5)
Sun, October 29 - at Calgary (L 4-7)

NOVEMBER
Wed., November 1 - at Medicine Hat (W 6-3)
Fri., November 3 - at Swift Current (L 3-4 SO)
Sat., November 4 - at Lethbridge (W 3-1)
Wed., November 8 - at Kamloops (W 7-3)
Fri., November 10 - at Vancouver (W 5-1)
Fri., November 17 - Prince Albert (L 1-2)
Sun., November 19 - Everett (W 6-4)
Wed., November 22 - Victoria (W 4-3 SO)
Fri., November 24 - at Everett (L 3-6)
Sat., November 25 - Saskatoon (W 5-4 OT)
Sun., November 26 - Spokane (L 2-5)

DECEMBER
Fri., December 1 - at Wenatchee (L 3-8)
Sat., December 2 - Wenatchee (L 5-6 OT)
Sun., December 3 - Prince George (L 0-4)
Fri., December 8 - Spokane (W 8-5)
Sat., December 9 - Seattle (W 7-2)
Sun., December 10 - at Everett (W 6-3)
Wed., December 13 - Wenatchee (W 7-2)
Fri., December 15 - at Spokane (W 6-5 OT)
Sat., December 16 - Spokane (L 1-3)
Wed., December 27 - at Tri-City (W 6-5 OT)
Thu., December 28 - Seattle (W 8-5)
Sun., December 31 - Vancouver (W 3-0)

JANUARY
Fri., January 5 - Everett (W 5-4 SO)
Sat., January 6 - Prince George (W 4-3)
Fri., January 12 - at Seattle (L 4-5 OT)
Sat., January 13 - Seattle, 6 p.m. - POSTPONED (inclement weather)
Mon., January 15 - Kamloops (W 7-1)
Wed., January 17 - at Kelowna (W 5-4)
Fri., January 19 - at Prince George (L 2-3)
Sat., January 20 - at Prince George (W 2-1)
Fri., January 26 - at Tri-City (W 3-2)
Sat., January 27 - at Spokane (W 5-4)
Sun., January 28 - Seattle (W 4-1) - MAKE UP FROM JAN. 13
Wed., January 31 - Kelowna (L 3-4)

FEBRUARY
Fri., February 2 - Kelowna (W 11-1)
Sat., February 3 - at Seattle (W 7-1)
Sun., February 4 - Tri-City (W 5-2)
Sat., February 10 - Seattle (W 4-1)
Tue., February 13 - Everett (W 10-2)
Fri., February 16 - at Vancouver (L 1-3)
Sat., February 17 - Vancouver (W 8-3)
Sun., February 18 - at Everett (L 0-4)
Fri., February 23 - at Victoria (W 6-2)
Sat., February 24 - at Victoria (W 5-2)
Wed., February 28 - Moose Jaw (L 1-2)

MARCH
Fri., March 1 - Regina (W 3-0)
Sat., March 2 - Victoria (W 5-4 OT)
Wed., March 6 - at Kamloops (W 6-4)
Sat., March 9 - Wenatchee (W 7-1)
Tue., March 12 - at Spokane (W 3-2)
Fri., March 15 - Tri-City (W 11-1)
Sat., March 16 - at Wenatchee (W 5-3)
Sun., March 17 - at Seattle (L 4-5 OT)
Fri., March 22 - at Tri-City (L 3-4 OT)
Sat. March 23 - Seattle (W 7-4)
Sun., March 24 - at Seattle (W 4-3 SO)

Playoffs

Click for our complete Winterhawks 2024 Playoff Schedule.

Opponents' Home Arenas

Calgary Hitmen - Scotiabank Saddledome; Calgary, Alberta
Edmonton Oil Kings - Rogers Place; Edmonton, Alberta
Everett Silvertips - Angel of the Winds Arena; Everett, Washington
Kamloops Blazers - Sandman Centre; Kamloops, British Columbia
Kelowna Rockets - Prospera Place; Kelowna, British Columbia
Lethbridge Hurricanes - ENMAX Centre; Lethbridge, Alberta
Medicine Hat Tigers - Co-op Place; Medicine Hat, Alberta
Prince George Cougars - CN Centre; Prince George, British Columbia
Red Deer Rebels - Peavey Mart Centrium; Red Deer, Alberta
Seattle Thunderbirds - accesso ShoWare Center; Kent, Washington
Spokane Chiefs - Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena; Spokane, Washington
Swift Current Broncos - Innovation Credit Union iPlex; Swift Current, Saskatchewan
Tri-City Americans - Toyota Center; Kennewick, Washington
Vancouver Giants - Langley Events Centre; Langley, British Columbia
Victoria Royals - Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre; Victoria, British Columbia
Wenatchee Wild - Town Toyota Center; Wenatchee, Washington


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[Monika]

A couple of fun facts about the Winterhawks' October 18 win over the Brandon Wheat Kings (11-1) at Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Both Kyle Chyzowski and Gabe Klassen recorded hat tricks, and Josh Davies scored two goals and had two assists. Josh Zakreski assisted on four of the team's 11 goals, and Marcus Nguyen and James Stefan each had two assists.

[Yeseeka]

MONTHLY UPDATE: After starting the season with a road loss to the Wenatchee Wild, the Winterhawks reeled off eight straight wins. Then, they embarked on a nine-game road trip to Canada. The 'Hawks have dropped their first three and end October with a mark of eight wins and four losses. That leaves them in third place in the Western Conference of the Western Hockey League with 16 points. They are four points back of the Prince George Cougars and just a single point behind the Wild.

Portland opens the month of November with a visit to the Medicine Hat Tigers. The 'Hawks then continue their trip with five more games through the 10th. They finish out November with five of six at home.

James Stefan has scored eight goals to go along with 10 assists. Kyle Chyzowski has tallied a team-high nine goals and has seven assists, and Diego Buttazzoni has eight goals and eight assists. Josh Zakreski and Gabe Klassen have assisted on 10 and nine goals, respectively. Jan Stunar has appeared in nine games as goalie and has 206 saves and just 14 goals allowed with one shutout win. Luke Brunan has been a part of four contests, tallying 64 saves and 12 goals allowed.
   

[Yeseeka]

MONTHLY UPDATE: The Winterhawks enjoyed a solid month in November. They went 7-4 during the month with one win coming in a shootout and another in overtime. Additionally, one loss came by way of a shootout. They went 4-1 on the tail end of a nine-game road trip to Canada. The 'Hawks finished the month 3-2 at home and 4-2 on the road, and are coming off a 5-2 loss to the Spokane Chiefs on November 26.

Gabe Klassen's 41 points lead all players as his 14 goals are second on the team and he is the co-leader with 27 assists. Josh Davies leads the team with 17 goals to go along with his 11 assists for 28 points. Luca Cagnoni's 30 points include a co-team leading 27 assists and three goals. Interestingly, Cagnoni is the team leader with 13 power play assists. James Stefan has found the end of the net 14 times and has 19 assists. Davies leads the team with 40 penalty minutes, while Marcus Nguyen and Carter Sotheran ended the month with 34 and 29, respectively. Jan Spuner is the lead goalie with 16 games played, 351 saves, 27 goals allowed for a record of 11-3.

The 'Hawks have a busy December with a road-home back-to-back against the Wenatchee Wild on the first and second of the month. The latter of those games starts a four-game homestand which includes dates against Prince George Cougars, Chiefs and Seattle Thunderbirds. The contest against the Thunderbirds comes on Saturday, December 9 which features the fan favorite Teddy Bear Toss. After the first Winterhawks goal is scored, fans are invited to throw stuffed animals on to the ice. Those are then donated to charities which distribute them to disadvantaged children during the holidays. The 'Hawks close out the month with a home date against the Giants on December 31 before they ring in the new year later that evening. 

The 'Hawks game at home against the Thunderbirds on December 9 and the home game against the Chiefs on December 16 will be televised locally by Portland's CW. Viewers can check their local listings for channel information.

[Monika]

James Stefan's goal with 3:28 left in the first period against Seattle caused a storm of teddy bears and other stuffed animals tonight at Veteran's Memorial Coliseum (Stefan scored three goals last night against Spokane).

[Monika]

Dec 9, 2023 19:03:58 GMT -8 Monika said:

James Stefan's goal with 3:28 left in the first period against Seattle caused a storm of teddy bears and other stuffed animals tonight at Veteran's Memorial Coliseum (Stefan scored three goals last night against Spokane).

The final tally is in and 13,542 stuffed animals were collected last night. That's a great number, but still down form the 14,787 collected in 2022. To note, attendance at Veteran's Memorial Coliseum is just over 10,000 for hockey.

[Yeseeka]

MONTHLY UPDATE: The following information includes the Winterhawks' match on December 31, which is the first game of the second half of their season. After a rough start, the Winterhawks finished December winning nine of their last 10 games to finish 2023. Portland is in second place to the Wenatchee Wild with 48 points and a record of 23-10-1-1 (wins, losses, overtime losses, shootout losses). The Wild are just a point ahead with 49 points and have played two more games than the Winterhawks. The 'Hawks are just a point ahead of the Everett Silvertips, who find themselves in third. Their 48 points ties them for fourth with the Victoria Royals in the entirety of the Western Hockey League.

The 'Hawks went 9-4 overall in December, including a pair of overtime wins. One of their losses came in overtime as well. Their record includes a 6-2 mark at home and 3-1 record on the road. They won six straight from December 8 through December 15 with the starting and ending games coming against the Spokane Chiefs. They are currently riding a three-game winning streak.

Center Gabe Klassen leads the team with 63 overall points (18 goals and 45 assists). James Stefan is the co-leader in goals with 24 to go along with 51 points. Stefan also scored the first period goal during the Teddy Bear Toss game on December 9 which prompted fans to hurl stuffed animals on to the ice to be given to children's charities. Josh Davies is tied with Stefan with 24 goals and has 21 assists for a total of 45 points. Lucam Cacnoni is second with 34 assists to add to his seven goals for 41 points. Jan Spunar leads the team with a 92.9 percent save rate. He had 351 saves and an 11-3-1 record as starting goalie. Justin Maric filled in for the most part and had 247 saves (86.7 percent save rate) and a 4-3-1 record and Nick Avakyan has added 183 saves (90.1 percent) and a record of 5-1 in seven games on the season.

Of note, a another goalie began working out with the team over the holiday break. Morgan Stickney, who was selected by the team in the 10th round of the prospects draft last year, could become the first American female goalie to see action in a WHL game at just 15 years of age.

The season continues with a pair of home games against the Silvertips and Prince George Cougars. The second half of January features a five-game road trip to the Kelowna Rockets, two against the Cougars, and visits to the Tri-City Americans and the Chiefs. The 'Hawks close out the month at home against the Rockets on January 31.
    

[Yeseeka]

MONTHLY UPDATE: The Winterhawks enjoyed another solid month in January. They went 8-2 win-loss and suffered another loss via overtime. That includes a record of 4-1 at home and 4-1-1 on the road. Over the course of the month, they went through a stretch of six wins out of seven games. They're just two points behind the Everett Silvertips and one point back of the Prince George Cougars in the standings. Everett has played 50 games and Prince George 48, while the 'Hawks have taken the ice just 46 times. Portland's record is 31-12 with two overtime losses and one shootout loss. The 'Hawks are in third pace in the Western Conference of the Western Hockey League with 65 points and stand in fourth place overall in the WHL standings.

Gabe Klassen has been the go-to guy for the 'Hawks with his 76 points off of 24 goals and team high 52 assists. James Stefan has 20 goals and 35 assists for 55 points. Luca Cagnoni is second on the team with 49 assists to go along with 10 goals. Josh Davies leads the team in goals with 31 and adds 24 assists, and Marcus Nguyen has 16 goals and 21 assists. Nick Avakyan has stepped in as the primary goalkeeper and has a .876 save percentage with 13 wins an a shutout to his season credit.

The 'Hawks ended January with a 4-3 loss to the Kelowna Rockets at home on the 31st, but they get a change to avenge that loss on February 2 as they face the Rockets again at home. The month of February can be described as a month of familiar faces as Portland faces the Seattle Thunderbirds, Vancouver Giants and Victoria Royals two times apiece.

The Hawks' February 3 game at the Thunderbirds and their February 10 contest at home against the Thunderbirds will be televised locally on Portland's CW. Overall, the month consists of six home games and five away games. The 'Hawks close out the month at home against the Moose Jaw Warriors.
     

[Yeseeka]

MONTHLY UPDATE: The Winterhawks engineered a strong February which elevated them to the top spot in the United States Division heading into the final month of the regular season. They also have already clinched a playoff spot with three-and-a-half weeks to go. The 'Hawks went 8-3 overall, 5-1 at home and 3-2 on the road during the month, including a stretch where they started the month with five straight wins. Their only home loss came in the month's last game, 2-1 against the Moose Jaw Warriors.

Portland leads the U.S. Division with 81 points (33 wins, 15 losses, six WO and LO) and that puts them one point above the Everett Silvertips in the division. They are just two points behind the Prince George Cougars (83 points in the Western Conference (the Silvertips are third. The Eastern Conference is led by the Saskatoon Blades with 90 points.

Gabe Klassen continues to lead the way for the 'Hawks with 95 points with his 33 goals and team-leading 62 assists. James Stefan leads the team with 41 goals and is third with 45 assists, and Luca Cagnoni is third on the team with 73 points (13 goals and 60 assists). Jan Spunar leads the team with a .924 save percentage (550 saves), while Nick Avakyan is right behind with .895 (436 saves). Justen Maric has a save percentage of .866 (.264 goals).

The 'Hawks schedule in March features five home games and six games on the road. Action starts on March 1 at home against the Regina Pats and follow that up with a home meeting with the Victoria Royals on the second. From there, it's mostly on the road with three home contests springled in. Three contests against the Winterhawks' rival, the Seattle Thunderbirds, will be televised locally on Portland's CW (March 17 at Seattle, March 23 at home and March 24 at Seattle). The 'Hawks close out the season with that March 24 visit to the Thunderbirds.

[Yeseeka]

END OF REGULAR SEASON UPDATE: The Winterhawks finished the month of March with nine wins, two losses and two more overtime wins. It was another solid month in a series of solid months for the team. The month began with a win streak of seven games. After a two-game skid, they closed out a two-game sweep of the Seattle Thunderbirds. Included in that was a 4-3 shootout win over the Thunderbirds on March 24.

The Winterhawks earned a playoff spot back in February, and clinched the U.S. Division title with four games remaining in the season. They are the second seed in the Western Conference, just a point behind the Prince George Cougars. For the regular season, the 'Hawks finished with 101 points on a record of 48-15-4-1. As the second seed, they will open up the playoffs against the Victoria Royals beginning March 29.

Game 1 of the playoff series begins at home on March 29, followed by game 2 at home on March 30. The series moves to Victoria for games 3 and 4 on April 2 and 3. If necessary, game 5 would also be at Victoria on April 5. Should games 6 and/or 7 be necessary, they would be held in Portland on April 7 and 9. Click for SCtoC's complete Winterhawks 2024 Playoff Schedule. 

Gabe Klassen's 106 points led the 'Hawks during the regular season. He had 35 goals and was second with 71 assists. James Stefan led the team in goals with 50 and added 51 assists for 101 total points. Josh Davies was second on the team with 36 goals to go along with 25 assists (61 points). Luca Cagnoni led the team in assists with 73 and added 18 goals (91 points). Jan Spunar finished the season with a 26-6-2 record with a save percentage of .913. Spunar might have had more games under his belt if it had not been for injury which kept him out for several weeks. Nicholas Avakyan went 12-4-1 with a win percentage of .895.