THE CANADIAN PRESS
PORTLAND, Ore. — Even without a pair of departed superstars, the Portland Winterhawks are once again rising in the Western Hockey League standings.
After a run to the league final last season, spurred heavily by current NHLers Ryan Johansen and Nino Niederreiter, the Winterhawks have stayed in the WHL’s upper tier on the backs of veterans like 19-year-old forward Brad Ross.
With 17 goals through his first 30 games this season, Ross is the only player in the top 20 in the WHL in scoring (35 points) and penalty minutes (82).
Ross, the 43rd overall pick in the 2010 NHL draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs, has gained a reputation as bit of a talented misfit — an offensive threat who spends too much time in the penalty box. But while he still spends a lot of time in the sin bin, he’s become smarter about his decisions on the ice. The evolution of his game has earned him an invite to Canada’s world junior camp, which starts Saturday.
"Brad has grown really grown and matured as a person," said fourth-year Winterhawks head coach and general manager Mike Johnston, who has coached Ross since coming to Portland.
Ross led the league in penalty minutes with 203 in 2009-10, but still found a way to rack up 27 goals and 68 points. Despite scoring 31 times last season, he still struggled with taking unnecessary penalties.
"I’ve been working on having a more complete game on both ends of the ice," said Ross. "I’m playing with more discipline, but I’m still going to stick up for my teammates."
In the past, Ross says he’d let his emotions get the best of him, but off-season work with a sports psychologist provided by the Maple Leafs allowed him to develop a more mature approach to his game.
"If I get into frustrating situations, I just try to let it go and get back to the bench and take a couple of deep breaths to get refocused," he said.
Johnston is pleased that Ross has become "less reckless," but doesn’t want him to lose the edge that has made him a fan favourite in Portland — and a loathed enemy in most other WHL cities.
"What makes him great is the emotion, intensity and passion he plays with," Johnston said. "You don’t want to kill that in a player. Opponents are always looking over their shoulder when he’s on the ice."
Ross hasn’t lost his edge, but says he’s being smarter about when to get in the middle of a scrum and when to leave it alone. He knows that opposing teams are looking to get under his skin and bait him into taking bad penalties.
"The game’s changing where everyone is more concerned about hits resulting in concussions, and players like Brad are monitored more closely," said Johnston. "He’s adapted and recognizes how to avoid those dangerous situations."
Ross was suspended for seven games for two separate incidents in last year’s playoffs, and when he did play he was rarely a factor. After getting four goals in a first-round sweep of Everett, he notched just one point over the next three series.
Ross has been quite productive the last two seasons – with 58 goals and 137 points in 138 regular-season games. But he’s struggled to make a big mark on the scoring sheet in the post-season, with just six goals and 15 points in 29 games.
Ross is trying to prove that his offensive success the last two seasons wasn’t solely because of his linemates. Ross spent the vast majority of that time on a line with Johansen and Niederreiter — both of whom are playing in the NHL as 19-year-olds. With those two gone, Ross has actually increased his scoring pace.
"Nino and Ryan and I complemented each other really well the last two years, but I think I’ve proved this year that I don’t need those guys to get points and be a factor."
Ross came to the Winterhawks as a 16-year-old rookie in the 2008-09 season, during a time in which the once-proud franchise was mired in a horrible slump and facing financial ruin.
Calgary businessman Bill Gallacher purchased the team about a month through that season and brought in Johnston and ex-NHLer Travis Green to run the team. Ross is one of a handful of Winterhawks left over from that team, which won 19 of 72 games.
"Brad didn’t come in under the greatest of circumstances," said Johnston. "When I came in, he was one of our top four forwards. That was good in the sense that he got a lot of playing time, but bad in the sense that he didn’t have a lot of examples to follow."
.Ross cites then-Portland captain Travis Ehrhardt as a role model for him as a rookie, but mostly he’s leaned on his brother, Nick, who was a first-round pick of the Phoenix Coyotes in 2007 and now plays in the AHL.
"Having a brother who’s been through this league was a big help," Brad Ross said. "Still, leaving home at 16 is scary, but you’re in the same boat as 22 other guys and they become your family."
Ross knew the Winterhawks were going through a rough time when he was drafted by the team in 2006, but says he knew Portland was the right place for him to go.
Ken Hodge, Portland’s general manager who drafted Ross, travelled to Ross’s hometown of Lethbridge, Alta., with then-Portland coach Mike Williamson (who now coaches the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen).
"Ken and Mike took me out to a nice dinner in Lethbridge, and it was a very special experience," said Ross. "I signed the contract there. It turned out to be a good decision."
