Portland Winterhawks
This week: 7:35 p.m. Friday at Seattle; 7 p.m. Saturday vs. Seattle (Veterans Memorial Coliseum); 7 p.m. Tuesday vs. Everett (Veterans Memorial Coliseum).
Last week: Lost 5-4 at Edmonton (shootout); beat Red Deer 5-4; lost at Calgary 4-1.
Where they stand: At 22-6-2-2, the Winterhawks have 48 points, second most in the Western Hockey League behind Kelowna with 50 points. Portland is fourth in this week’s top-10 for all three CHL junior hockey leagues as voted by NHL scouts.
Defenseman acquired: The Winterhawks potentially added a real difference maker on the blue line this week. In a trade that sent forward Presten Kopeck to Red Deer, Portland general manager and coach Mike Johnston acquired the rights to Minnesota Wild defenseman Matt Dumba who was the seventh overall pick in the 2012 NHL Draft.
Dumba (6-0, 183) is a Regina, Saskatchewan native who has played in 13 games this season for the Wild, recording a goal and an assist. As a 19-year-old, he will come to the Winterhawks if the Wild decide not to keep him in the NHL for the full season. Dumba is currently participating in the selection camp for Canada’s junior national team. He was the last player cut from Team Canada the previous two years but is expected to be leader for the team that will play in the IIHF World Juniors Championships Dec. 26 through Jan. 5 in Sweden.
Hawks with national teams: Taylor Leier, Nic Petan and Derrick Pouliot are among the 25 players at Canada’s junior national team selection camp. Also on international duty are Oliver Bjorkstrand (Denmark) and Layne Viveiros (Austria) who beginning on Sunday will be play in Division I (Group A) of the World Junior Championship in Poland.
Teddy Bear game sold out: Saturday is the annual Teddy Bear toss game when the Winterhawks host Seattle. A sellout crowd of more than 10,000 will be able to throw stuffed animals onto the ice after the Hawks’ first goal. The stuffed animals will be distributed to children in need. Fans are alerted that the Rose Quarter will be busy as the Oregon Ducks play a basketball game at the Moda Center at 6 p.m. Saturday.
Fort Vancouver Vipers
This week: 7:35 p.m. on Friday and Saturday at Mountain View Ice Arena against Bellingham (18-5).
Last week: Idle.
Where they stand: At 0-17, the Vipers are last in the five-team NPHL.
