The waiting game

If Mike Johnston made one mistake, it's that he did his job too well.

The head coach and general manager of the Portland Winterhawks could be on the verge of another championship-worthy season, but is in limbo where some of his biggest stars are concerned. Nino Niederreiter, Ryan Johansen and Joe Morrow have yet to return from National Hockey League camps, which would be a feather in his cap if not for the big skates those players leave to fill.

"You catch yourself every once in a while looking at the board," Johnston said. "If we had that group of players, this would be a special year. That is the nature of junior hockey and you look at organizations like the Kitchener Rangers … they're losing players all the time."

The Winterhawks certainly aren't alone in playing the NHL waiting game, but it's hard to argue any junior franchise could be influenced more by the decisions of NHL teams than the Winterhawks. The list also included Sven Baertschi until he was returned to junior on Monday. Baertschi's camp with the Calgary Flames left Johnston looking at that board wondering if he too would be missing in action.

"We were a little bit concerned because he was having a good camp that he may stay," said Johnston. "We weren't projecting that we would have three or four guys as under-agers stay this year. In our plans, we were probably banking on two would stay and we'd probably get the rest back."

Those two he isn't expecting back are Johansen, the fourth-overall pick by Columbus in 2010, and Niederreiter, the fifth-overall pick by the Islanders that same draft. Morrow, drafted 23rd overall by Pittsburgh last summer, is the only remaining player the Winterhawks anticipated in Portland this season. Since all are younger than 20 and haven't played four years in the Western Hockey League, their only other option is junior.

By producing so many players for the NHL, the Winterhawks are simply filling one of the team's mandates. Unfortunately, that mandate doesn't always coincide with what's most important: winning games.

"These young kids come to our program to try and work as hard as they can for three or four years to become a pro," he said. "Getting our players to NHL camps, having our players signed, having our players play as an underage -- those are all positive for our program.

"When you're losing a player like Johansen, we're getting excited about two or three of our younger players … you tend to almost look ahead and say, ‘Well, those guys are going to be gone. Now we have to have some replacements.' As long as you continue to replenish your team at the lower end with the 16 and 17-year-old kids, as an organization, you should be fine."

The Winterhawks will be fine this season. But the difference between getting Johansen and Niederreiter back could be the difference between being a top team or a generational team discussed decades later. Johnston knows his team can still compete for that elusive WHL championship and possibly the MasterCard Memorial Cup even without those two.

One of the bigger differences he noted is that his team won't score at the same propensity as it did a year earlier, but should be stronger along the backline. Among those players who will fill the skates of Johansen and Niederreiter are Baertschi and Ty Rattie.

Rattie, a second-rounder to St. Louis last June, arrived in Seattle just three hours before game-time on Saturday after playing an exhibition game against Colorado the night before. He proceeded to score twice and pick up one assist, the same totals he would also produce against Tri-City on Sunday, upon returning.

"I was a little bit tired," Rattie professed after playing second line and second power-play with St. Louis on Friday. "I think just being excited for the moment and all the adrenaline rushing through helped a lot."

Johnston is doing his best to stop the Johansen and Niederreiter watch from becoming a distraction for his players. His message has been to look within the room and focus on which players are in Portland right now.

"Obviously we know guys like Johansen and Nino are well on their way to the show," said Rattie, "but you can't help but think in the back of your mind, ‘What if they come back?'"

The Winterhawks' goal is the same as it was a year ago. Portland returned to the WHL final for the first time in 10 years, but bowed out to a veteran-laden team from Kootenay in five games. Rattie and his teammates set the bar last season and they know the target is on their back.

"We're the team to beat in the Western Conference now," he said. "Every team is coming for us."

Another run at a WHL title is within reach, even if their top two forwards don't return. But if this team is going to be remembered when lists of top teams are being compiled in the decades that follow, a championship is a must.

"It's a disappointment for every team if they don't win the WHL finals," Rattie explained. "Our goal from Day 1 is to win a WHL championship, so if we don't win, it is a disappointing season."