The opportunity for a title for the Winterhawks is now, before the NHL plucks all their stars.
The National Hockey League's reach is never far for junior teams, and it's closing in on the Portland Winterhawks.
The Winterhawks are in the midst of what could become the swan song for a team that may soon be regarded as one of the best feeders to the NHL in recent years. And yet, bigger brother is calling -- soon about to ravage any semblance of this star-studded junior roster, but not before it competes for a championship.
"We have some special players and we don't always lose sight of that," said Mike Johnston, the team's architect as its head coach and general manager. "There are certain practices we step back and we look at our group and we say, 'Boy, that's a really good group with what we can do with them.'"
NHL scouts are thinking the same thing.
One year after producing the fourth- and fifth-overall picks in the draft, the Winterhawks could be even better represented in Minnesota this summer. Forwards Sven Bartschi and Ty Rattie along with defenceman Joe Morrow could all become first-rounders and franchise building blocks for NHL teams.
But before the group of Winterhawks moves on to potential stardom in the NHL, they have the unique opportunity to bring their franchise back to glory. It may just be their only shot.
"I think our team sensed from the beginning of the year that we had a special group and if we got (Ryan) Johansen and (Nino) Niederreiter back this year, we had a chance to do something," Johnston said.
While Johnston fully expected Johansen, the fourth pick in the draft by Columbus, would return, he was less sure about the fifth-overall pick, Niederreiter. The New York Islanders (for once) chose not to expedite a prospect's development by keeping him in the NHL and sent him back to Portland for what is sure to be his final season in junior.
Now Niederreiter and Johansen are teaming up for what is undoubtedly a final time in the Western Hockey League championship series. They're going up against the Kootenay Ice, but in many ways, they're also going up against time.
For this young team that's so good, so soon, there's no time to waste. It's perhaps that mantra that allowed them to nearly pull off a comeback for the ages in Game 2 of the WHL final on Saturday.
With the Winterhawks down 6-1 and the game seemingly out of reach late in the second period, one of the top prospects whom NHL scouts are following closely lifted the team back up. Bartschi scored a shorthanded goal in the final minute of the period and again six minutes into the third to spark Portland's comeback bid.
Although the Winterhawks got to within one goal but ultimately lost 7-5, there are more positives than negatives that can be taken from their effort.
"Sometimes you can let your guard down and slip into a lack of work ethic, but I thought our guys really dug in and they picked it up and they were determined," Johnston said. "They still had a chance to come back in the game. That's a great sign."
The late surge was hardly surprising for a team known for its dynamic offence and quick-strike ability. The Winterhawks' offence is among the most potent of any junior team the last half decade and easily the best in the WHL this season.
Johnston receives production from every line, including defencemen like Morrow and Colorado prospect Troy Rutkowski.
But since his team is so dynamically-gifted offensively, he doesn't restrain them and allows his group to do what it does best in the offensive zone.
"We try and make sure the guys are responsible both ways," he said. "We don't play a loose game offensively. We try and allow our guys to be more creative once they hit the offensive blue line. But from the offensive blue line back, we really have a lot of structure in our game."
The structure of the team, however, will be changing in the coming months. Although the NHL is about to decimate the Winterhawks' roster, the players are focusing on the here and now.
"Although we didn't talk about it very much, I think they knew that our goal was to win the Western Hockey League and go to the Memorial Cup," Johnston said. "They've been focused on that and we're close."
Almost as close as the NHL is to cherry-picking this roster.
For the Portland Winterhawks, there really is no tomorrow.
