With Spunar back in goal, Winterhawks a WHL favorite

Spunar leads the WHL in goals-against average and saves percentage (courtesy Winterhawks)

The Winterhawks were pretty good, anyway.

And now the meal ticket is back.

Jan Spunar has returned to action after missing nine weeks following foot surgery, and the 19-year-old goaltender from the Czech Republic didn’t skip a beat.

Spunar was in goal for Portland’s 11-1 shellacking of Kelowna on Friday at Memorial Coliseum and for a 7-1 trouncing of the Thunderbirds in Seattle on Saturday. He made 52 saves on 54 shots on goal.

“First two games back, he was so calm, so poised, so relaxed,” Portland coach Mike Johnston said after the Hawks 5-2 victory over Tri-City on Sunday before a crowd of 5,693 at the MC. “He makes a save when you need one. If you’re going to have a top team, your goaltender has to win a game or two for you. He has that ability.”

Spunar got the night off Sunday, rookie Luke Brunen making 27 saves as the Hawks (34-12-2-1) made it three wins in three days. Portland jumped out to a 5-0 lead through two periods before tired legs became evident over the final 20 minutes.

Last weekend, the Hawks also went 3-0 in back-to-back-to-back games. They played seven games in a 10-day span — “A hard schedule,” Johnston admitted.

“The key (in the third game in three days) is you have to get out early,” he said. “You have to make sure you jump on the other team fast. In the second period, we weren’t very good tonight, and we made some mistakes in the third. A lot of those were fatigue mistakes. We were excellent the first two games. Tonight it was hit and miss. At times, we looked like we were tired.”

Well, yeah.

“We’ve had a crazy schedule, but we did a good job coming out with a good start tonight,” said Portland center Gabe Klassen, who had a goal and an assist against the Americans. “That was super important to keep it going and hold onto momentum throughout the game.”

Portland still outshot Tri-City (18-28-2-1) 39-29 on a night when defensemen Luca Cagnoni, Marek Alscher and Tyson Jugnauth each contributed a goal. In the win at Seattle, the Hawks launched 60 shots on goal. In the three weekend victories, they outscored the opposition 23-4.

Since Christmas, Portland is 12-2-2-1. Now the Hawks lead the tight Western Conference race with 71 points, just ahead of Everett (69) and Prince George (68). Portland has four games in hand on the Silvertips and one game in hand on the Cougars.

Since late November, the Hawks have done it without the services of Spunar, the WHL goaltender of the month for September and October. The 6-3, 200-pound Spunar leads the WHL in goals-against average (1.73) and saves percentage (.933) but has played in only 18 games this season.

“I’m glad to be back,” said Spunar, 19, whom the Hawks selected in the first round of the 2022 import draft. “It was a long time to be out, but I got to go home (to Czech Republic) for two weeks. Got an extra week, so that was nice. The foot’s still a little sore, but it’s OK now. Really, I feel perfect.”

Jan Spunar of the Czech Republic was Portland’s first pick in the 2022 CHL import draft (courtesy Winterhawks)

When Spunar was introduced prior to Friday night’s game, “everyone cheers and yells my name,” he said with a smile. No, the fans weren’t booing. They were chanting “Spoon!”

Spunar came on as the regular goalie late last season and in the playoffs, sporting a 2.61 GAA in 31 regular-season game and 3.57 in nine playoff contests. And now he’s back with the gang, presumably better than ever.

“It’s a huge boost for our group,” said Klassen, the Hawks’ captain for the second straight season. “It’s always like that when you have a guy injured, no matter the position, but especially in goal. Jan (pronounced “Yawn”) did a phenomenal job this weekend. I would say he is the best goalie in the league. From what we have seen this year, it’s definitely hard to say there’s someone better out there.”

Johnston has had some standout goalies in his 14 years with the Hawks, including 2023 Stanley Cup champion Adin Hill with the Las Vegas Golden Knights and Joel Hofer of the St. Louis Blues. There was also Mac Carruth, in goal for three of Portland’s four straight seasons (2010-14) in the WHL finals.

“Mac led us to the championship (in 2013),” Johnston said. “So we’ve had a few good ones. But Jan is the first goaltender we have drafted. We like that we were able to find a European goaltender who has really fit with our team the last two years. Spunar is at another level for our league.”

Spunar went undrafted last year, though he attended Montreal’s training camp last fall as a free agent invitee. He could go in the NHL draft this year, but even if he does, he could still return to Portland for an overage season in 2024-25.

Spunar returned to action Friday for the Hawks after missing nine weeks following foot surgery (courtesy Winterhawks)

But the Hawks are focusing on the now. This is a veteran team, with four solid lines and four defensemen who have been drafted by NHL teams — Alscher (third round, Florida, 2022), Jugnauth (fourth round, Seattle, 2022), Cagnoni (fourth round, San Jose, 2023) and Carter Sotheran (fifth round, Philadelphia, 2023).

The 5-10, 180-pound Klassen, the WHL Player of the Month for November, ranks third in the WHL in scoring (25 goals, 56 assists, 81 points). Linemate James Stefan, a 6-foot, 185-pound right wing, is fourth in goals (34) and ninth in scoring (70 points). Both of them are overage players this season.

Josh Davies, a 5-10, 200-pound center who was acquired in an offseason trade with Swift Current, has 31 goals and 24 assists in 40 games. Davies has missed the last five games with a lower-leg injury; Johnston expects him to be out a couple of more weeks.

Johnston is also high on Nate Danielson, a 6-2, 190-pound center picked up in a deal with Brandon before the trade deadline. Danielson, the ninth pick overall by Detroit in the 2023 draft, is a member of the Canada Junior World team. Danielson has three goals and eight assists in nine games with the Hawks.

“Nate has been one of the top players in our league,” Johnston said. “He is a two-way center who can do a little bit of everything. He’s a really good all-around player.”

Portland hasn’t won a WHL championship since 2013. The Hawks haven’t claimed the Western Conference championship since 2014. This team would seem to have the potential for both. Portland has the league’s second-best record, behind only Eastern Conference leader Saskatoon (36-9-2-3, 77 points).

“Looking at what we’ve done so far, I like our chances against pretty much everyone,” Klassen said. “We are a super deep team with tons of experience. A lot of us have been together for three or four years. We have a special group here. It will be exciting to see what we can do coming down the stretch.”

“As any team enters a stretch run, it is about getting health and gaining momentum as you enter the playoffs,” Johnson said. “We have a lot of respect for quite a few of the teams in our league. Our division is really tough. Anything can happen.   

“We are always a team that’s right there. We’d like to win our conference this year. That would really help us with playoff seeding. That’s going to be very important.”

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