Add Jugnauth to the list of high-octane Winterhawk D-men
Jugnauth is third in the WHL in assists and leads defensemen in scoring (courtesy Keith Dwiggins/Winterhawks)
Through their 49-year history, the Winterhawks have had a plethora of excellent offensive defensemen. Among them: Keith Brown (1976-79), David Babych (1977-80), Jim Benning (1978-81), Glen Wesley (1983-87), Brandon Smith (1989-94), Andrew Ference (1994-99), Troy Rutkowski (2008-13), Derrick Pouliot (2009-14) and Luca Cagnoni (2020-24). All except Rutkowski and Cagnoni — the latter currently in his first pro season in the American Hockey League — played in the NHL.
Tyson Jugnauth has etched himself a place on the list. Portland’s overage alternate captain — he turns 21 on April 17 — is the highest-scoring defenseman in the WHL by a wide margin with 77 points (12 goals, 65 assists) in 54 games, well ahead of Prince Albert’s Lukas Dragicevic (14-49-63). Jugnauth ranks third among all players in assists and is second on the Winterhawks in scoring behind center Kyle Chyzowski (37-53-90).
“I pride myself on being an offensive guy,” the 5-10, 170-pound Jugnauth says. “I want to show that I am able to do that every night. With guys like Chyz and Alex (Weiermair), it is pretty easy for me to give them the puck and have them put it in the net.”
Jugnauth makes it look easy with his extraordinary talents on the ice.
“Tyson is one of those special players you watch in a game and marvel at some of the things he does with the puck, with his skating, with his decision-making,” says Mike Johnston, the Hawks’ president and general manager. “Whether you are a hockey enthusiast or just a general fan, he is an entertaining player to watch.”
“The guy is special,” says Kyle Gustafson, Portland’s first-year head coach. “He sees the game so well. He is super creative. His edge control, the way he can skate … he is a new-age defender. He can play a lot of minutes. I love the way he sees the ice and how he impacts the game in his own special way.”
Johnston first laid eyes on Jugnauth when he was 14, “a little guy after the (WHL’s) Bantam draft,” he says. Johnston liked him and followed him through two seasons with the West Kelowna Warriors, for whom he was a B.C. Hockey League first-team All-Star and voted its top defenseman in 2021-22.
But Jugnauth chose to go the college route, signing with Wisconsin. His parents, Anand and Eleonara, were a major influence in that decision.
“They are both doctors,” Tyson says. “It was pretty important to them for me to go to college.”
Jugnauth had a solid freshman season for the Badgers, scoring five goals with 10 assists in 32 games.
“He had a good season and I assumed he was going to stay in college,” Johnston says. “But (the Badgers) let their coaching staff go at the end of the year, and they brought in some new defensemen. The second year, he wasn’t playing much.”
Johnston learned Jugnauth was amenable to a shift to the WHL. Kamloops owned his rights, and in December 2023, Johnston traded several draft picks to the Blazers for him. Jugnauth stepped into a regular shift immediately, contributing seven goals and 34 assists in 41 games and helping the Hawks reach the WHL Finals. This season, his performance has been even better.
“Tyson has had a special year,” Gustafson says. “We had him only that half-season last year, and he didn’t have a training camp with us. This year, he has been a leader. He does things on the ice that his teammates look up to. They respect him. He has had an instant rub-off to guys on our team. He fits in not just with his play, but he is a great character guy for our locker room.”
“I loved my time at Wisconsin,” Jugnauth says. “It was awesome. But it didn’t work out, and I’m happy I made the switch. I have loved every minute of being here. I have made some best friends for life on this team. I don’t regret the decision one bit.”
Seattle selected Jugnauth in the fourth round of the 2022 NHL draft. Earlier this season, Jeff Tambellini, the Kraken’s director of player development, told reporters that Jugnauth “has been outstanding. He has been putting on a show. He is playing the game with such ease and setting up goals that are just really impressive.”
With a dozen regular-season games remaining, Portland (31-22-2-1) stands in fifth place in the Western Conference and is in third in the U.S. Division behind Everett and Spokane. The Hawks are in a tight battle with Prince George, Vancouver and Tri-City for fourth in the conference, which would guarantee home ice in the first round of the playoffs.
“It has been a good year for our whole team,” Jugnauth says. “Our younger guys are growing into the league. Guys like Griffin Darby and Kayd Ruedig are stepping up in big ways since the start of the year. That is going to help us big down the stretch. Our big guys like Chyz and Alex (Weiermair), we are going to need them to come up big in the playoffs.”
Jugnauth knows he won’t be back in Portland next season, but his immediate future is uncertain. He is unsigned by the Kraken and has committed to play at Michigan State next season.
“I am pretty set on going there, but I will take it step by step,” he says. “I wouldn’t be shocked if I’m not there next season.”
That would mean, of course, that he signs with the Kraken.
“We’ll see what happens,” Jugnauth says. “I am not going to say one way or the other what is going to happen, but right now I am going to Michigan State.”
If Jugnauth winds up playing for the Spartans, his NHL rights would remain the property of Seattle for one more year.
Jugnauth is unsure whether he will play at Michigan State next season or sign with the NHL’s Seattle Kraken (courtesy Keith Dwiggins/Winterhawks)
Winterhawk personnel consider Jugnauth a comparable of Cagnoni, who scored 90 points (18 goals, 72 assists) for the Hawks in the regular season in 2023-24. The 5-9, 180-pound Cagnoni is of similar size and was also a fourth-round NHL draft pick, by the San Jose Sharks. Cagnoni has 13 goals and 23 assists in 47 games for the Sharks’ AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda, this season.
“Tyson is like Cagnoni was last year for us — the way he skates, the way he moves the puck as a defenseman, the way he gets out of the zone really quick,” Johnston says. “It is hard to find those type of players.”
“Tyson has a long-term career ahead of him,” Gustafson says. “It is easy for us to gauge that because of what Luca is doing. They are very similar in what they do and how they impact the game, with their DNA as hockey players. Luca has had a tremendous first pro season. Tyson will fit in just fine, too.”
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