U-S-Play! U-S-Play!

When the Portland Winterhawks take on the Tri-City Americans in Kennewick Thursday night it marks more than a year since the last game played in the Western Hockey League's U.S. Division. The wait, seemingly endless for young players hoping to impress NHL scouts, will end for the U.S. teams by the end of next weekend.
After pushing back numerous targeted start dates, the WHL gained approval in February from state authorities to begin play. Since then, ice has been installed, blades sharpened and all five American teams are skating and preparing.

The season will look different as the U.S. teams - consisting of the Winterhawks, Americans, Everett Silvertips, Seattle Thunderbirds and Spokane Chiefs - will play 24 games within the division rather than busing up to play Canadian rivals as well. The WHL's Eastern and Central divisions have already begun play in Canada, while the B.C. Division is slated to open play in two weeks.
One of the preeminent developmental leagues in the world, the WHL wanted to make sure to stage games this season to further the growth, progress and exposure of its players. The league features many players eligible for the 2021 NHL Draft, which includes the Kraken for the first time. Getting those prospects on the ice and in front of NHL scouts is a vital step.

The top-rated prospect in the WHL overall is Edmonton Oil Kings winger Dylan Guenther. But the U.S. Division has its share of talent, including potential NHL first-rounder Conner Roulette of the Seattle Thunderbirds.
Unfortunately, spectators will not be allowed to attend games this season. All of the action is available online through CHL.TV streaming on local television. Many clubs have made sure their games will be seen in their region, including JoeTV in Seattle.
The hockey will feature explosive stars like Portland's Seth Jarvis (Carolina Hurricanes 2020 first-round pick), Spokane's Adam Beckman (Minnesota Wild 2019 third-round pick) and Everett's Gage Goncalves (Tampa Bay Lightning 2020 second-round pick), who are back to further improve their already impressive skills and hockey intelligence.
Here's is a look at the WHL's U.S. teams (in order of last season's division finish), plus players to watch as the Pacific Northwest clubs get back in action.

Portland Winterhawks

The defending division champs are led by Jarvis, who was second in the WHL scoring race last year with 42 goals and 98 points. He's hard to miss on the ice, always dangerous and is coming off an AHL stint to start the season during which he led the league with 11 points in nine games. He's not the only drafted player in the Winterhawks attack. Jaydon Dureau (Tampa Bay, 2020) and Reece Newkirk (New York Islanders, 2019) will give opposing defenders fits.
Portland pushes the pace and will look to goalie Dante Giannuzzi to replace Joel Hofer, who has moved on to the St. Louis Blues organization. Head coach Mike Johnston likes quick transition hockey and is not afraid of high-scoring games. It all makes the Winterhawks worth the watch.
2021 NHL Draft Watch: Center Tyson Kozak received a "C" ranking from NHL Central Scouting's watchlist and is coming off an impressive rookie year with 13 goals and 29 points. An "A" rating from league's Central Scouting organization indicates the player is a projected first-round. The "B" rating equates to a second- or third-round draft slot and a "C" grade indicates a 4th/5th/6th round candidate. Another C-rated Portland teammate, Swiss import Simon Knak, played for his home country in the World Junior Championships this winter. Knak is a right wing and gives the Winterhawks one more weapon up front.

Everett Silvertips

Despite having one more win than Portland, the Silvertips missed winning their fourth straight division title by one standings point. It's a short season but Everett should be the favorites to get back on top this spring.
All conversation about Everett starts in net with returning CHL Goalie of the Year Dustin Wolf (Calgary, 2019), who is returning for his final season in the WHL. Goncalves returns after a breakout 33-goal season to lead the Silvertips as their top center. He'll have help as Everett features high-scoring Cole Fonstad (Montreal, 2018) and the depth to roll multiple lines.
Wolf in net will be supported by defenseman Gianni Fairbrother (Montreal, 2019) and Ronan Seeley (Carolina, 2020). The Silvertips are well-coached by Dennis Williams and play a tight, consistent system that requires you to play a nearly perfect game against them.
2021 NHL Draft Watch: Everett has produced a string of NHL-drafted defensemen over the past decade and Olen Zellweger will be the next one. He is a 'C' prospect and could have a big year after a rookie season playing behind former teammates who are playing in pro leagues.

Spokane Chiefs

When the WHL shut down last March, the Spokane Chiefs were left to wonder what its 10-game win streak when the regular season halted would have meant for their playoff chances. They'll look to keep the W's coming and will again lean on Beckman for scoring punch. Coming off a 107-point year, Beckman possesses speed and skill and is now a year older. That could spell trouble for the rest of the division. Huge-and by huge we mean 6-foot-5, 223-pounds-center Jack Finley (Tampa Bay, 2020) returns to help support Beckman in the Chiefs attack.
Spokane will have to overcome the loss of defenseman Ty Smith to the New Jersey Devils and top players Luke Toporowski (undrafted), Bear Hughes (Washington, 2020), and goalie Lukas Parik (Los Angeles, 2019) to the USHL for the season. Spokane will no doubt score, but will need Campbell Arnold to be stellar in goal to compete for the division.
2021 NHL Draft Watch: Defenseman Graham Sward is back for his second season and should get more time with the departure of Smith. He recorded 17 points as a rookie last year, which earned him a 'C' from Central Scouting.

Seattle Thunderbirds

Youth is the name of the game for the Thunderbirds. They do return NHL drafted center Henrik Rybinski (Florida, 2019), defenseman Tyrel Bauer (Winnipeg, 2020) and 6-foot-8 center Matthew Rempe (New York Rangers, 2020) to the fold along with a number of 2020 draft eligible players.
That bunch is highlighted by the A-rated Roulette. The Winnipeg native is a creative scorer who finds ways to put the puck in the net - something he did 19 times last year. There is excitement with the Thunderbirds around the trio of 16-year-old rookies Jordan Gustafson, Kevin Korchinski and Alaskan Gabe Ludwig. Seattle has speed and talent but needs the experience that comes with age. This will be learning season, but good times appear to be on the horizon.
2021 NHL Draft Watch: Along with Roulette, Seattle has a pair of C-rated prospects in center Kai Uchacz and power forward Lucas Ciona. The pair return for their second year and will benefit with more ice time and time on the power play. Rookie goalie Thomas Milic is on the radar after receiving a summer invite to Team Canada's Hlinka-Gretzky camp for top prospects.

Tri-City Americans

Like Seattle, the Americans jumped into a rebuild with young players last season. That doesn't mean the cupboard is bare. They will see Sasha Mutala (Colorado, 2019) return for another season. He led the Americans with 28 goals and will be leaned on this season. Edge Lambert and Connor Bouchard will need to chip in among the forward group for Tri-City to improve.
The Americans have intriguing 16-year-old rookies on the roster this year, including Rhett Meylnk, a big scorer in minor hockey. Center Jake Sloan is another incoming first-year player who has a strong track record and should get plenty of ice time this season. It might be a tough year for Tri-City again, but the young guys will gain valuable experience that should pay off in future seasons.
2021 NHL Draft Watch: A part of the youth movement are two players who showed up on the NHL's watchlist with 'C' rankings. Defenseman Marc Lajoie already is NHL-sized and despite being green, had an impressive showing last year with 13 points. Goalie Talyn Boyko has size of his own - he comes in at 6-foot-6 - and was scrambling last year behind a young team. His numbers suffered but he showed flashes that caught scout's eyes.