Portland Winterhawks forward Paul Bittner scored a goal on Thursday in the BMO CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game played at St. Catharines, Ont.
Bittner tallied the final goal of the game as Team Orr defeated Team Cherry 6-0.
Winterhawks coach Jamie Kompon said he expects Bittner to play on Friday when the Winterhawks host Spokane at the Moda Center.
This is the sixth consecutive year the Winterhawks have had at least one player in the Top Prospects Game, which brings together 40 players who are eligible for this year’s National Hockey League Draft. Players from the Western Hockey League, the Ontario Hockey League and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League participate in the game.
Kompon said that getting selected for the prospects game is “a big feather in the cap of the organization, and the recruiting and the scouting side of it. But it’s also a credit to the player himself and his dedication and how hard he works to achieve his goal. Paul is very deserving.”
Around the rink
This week: Host Spokane, 7 p.m. on Friday (Moda Center); at Seattle, 7:05 p.m. Saturday; host Tri-City, 5 p.m. Sunday (Moda Center); host Victoria, 7 p.m. Wednesday (Moda Center); host Kamloops, 7 p.m. Jan. 30 (Moda Center).
Last week: Won 4-3 in a shootout and won 8-2, sweeping a pair of games at Prince George.
Where they stand: At 25-19-0-3, the Winterhawks have 53 points from 47 games and are second in the U.S. Division, 11 points behind first-place Everett. Portland is three points up on Spokane and four ahead of Seattle, but those teams have played three fewer games.
Hawks rated by Central Scouting: Bittner, goalie Adin Hill and forward Alex Overhardt were named in the NHL Central Scouting midseason report. Bittner is the 19th-rated North American skater, Hill is the ninth-rated North American goalie, and Overhardt is 184th among North American skaters.
A sweet sweep: On their final trip into Canada in the regular season, the Winterhawks produced one dramatic win and one dominating victory.
Goalie Adin Hill got his first career shootout win in the first game, as he and his team rallied after giving up three power-play goals in the first period last Friday.
“I didn’t have my best first period. At intermission Jamie told me to relax and find my game. I felt great the rest of the game. When we went into the shootout I was pretty confident we’d get the win. We have some pretty skilled forwards. That win felt great to come back like that.”
Saturday’s 8-2 win featured a season-high in goals, two goals and two assists for Oliver Bjorkstrand, three assists from Nic Petan and the first career goal for 16-year-old defenseman Brendan De Jong.
All-Star Games: Former Winterhawk Ryan Johansen will be a hometown favorite as the Columbus Blue Jackets host the NHL All-Star Game at 2 p.m. on Sunday (TV on NBCSN). In his fourth NHL season, Johansen has 17 goals and 26 assists in 45 games.
The Winterhawks will be well represented at the American Hockey League All-Star Game, to be played on Monday at Utica, N.Y. That game will be shown Tuesday at noon on the NHL Network.
Derrick Pouliot (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton) is on the Eastern Conference team. Ty Rattie (Chicago Wolves) and Matt Dumba (Iowa) are on the Western Conference team, which will be coached by Travis Green. Green was the acting head coach when the Winterhawks won the 2013 WHL championship. He is in his second season as Utica’s head coach. Rattie is tied for fourth in the AHL with 17 goals this season.
Surgery for Heid: Rookie defenseman Nick Heid will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing successful shoulder surgery on Wednesday.
“Nick is a big part of our future and this surgery will help ensure he’s healthy for training camp in August,” Kompon said.
Heid, 17, played in 17 games this season.
