Letter to New GM/Coach Mike Johnston · 30 October, 17:48

Welcome aboard!

It is great to have new leadership at the top. You do have solid qualifications with strong ownership backing. Your summary at the press conference was accurate: years dropped in scouting, drafting, recruiting and signing players; with many high-end players choosing to not play for the Winter Hawks.

I know it is just your first week on the job but let me tell you what I think needs to be done right now. Why now? There are many hockey-loving season ticket holders like myself that have been thrown under the bus for the last 3 years. You might say that we have been in the life boat watching the Titanic go down and yes there are some bodies left in the water that need to be saved. This is my third year of record breaking losing. When I start thinking about it, I start sweating and become anxious and depressed, not because of the last three years but for the rest of this year.

You have a good group of young kids coming up the pipe, but as of today you are not going to win many games, in fact I don’t think collectively you are any better than your last year’s 11 win season.

Desperate times need desperate acts. I know you need time to evaluate players and make your decisions. Here are some suggestions:

Bring Maxim Trunev the Hawks number one pick in the CHL Import draft to Portland. As the story goes, his agents/representatives gave conflicting messages to the Hawks. One agent told the Hawks he wanted his client to play in the WHL. The other wants Maxim to come after “special compensation.” Hawk management is not sure which one to believe. Special compensation was the sticking point, may be new management could respond to his request.

The Montreal Canadian’s have nothing but positive comments about their 5th round pick Maxim Trunev.

“I think Maxim Trunev will prove to be the steal of this draft,” predicted Timmins about his fifth-round pick. “I see him taking the same route as Sergei Kostitsyn. Even though no Canadian Junior team has acquired Maxim’s rights yet, it won’t be long before teams starting fighting over him.”

Get some overaged scoring talent. The story is that former Tri-City Americans forward Blair Macaulay, who was the odd man out at the overage deadline Oct. 16, opted not to report to the Portland Winter Hawks, because he would rather play with his younger brother Scott for the Winnipeg Saints. Did anyone talk to Macaulay before they drafted him? Maybe Macaulay is really only peeved at Tri-City for dropping him and that this is the perfect time for him to step up and to make a statement to his previous team.

And yes you have picked the potential leaders of the team Kurtis Mucha and Travis Ehrhardt. As a 16 year Mucha was a fantastic prospect, but as 19 year old it is looking more and more like the team’s long term losing has affected his psyche (bad for goalies). I hate to even think about trading Mucha, but if he has been damaged, see what you can get.

Travis Ehrhardt is a skilled offensive minded defenceman that has showed at time some real fire and toughness. These two have to play at a high-level for us to succeed. I hope you can motivate them.

I hope these suggestions are helpful. The mess is going to take awhile to clean up. The fans will back you 100%.

Let’s take “another rebuilding year” out of our vocabulary

Thanks Again.

— S. Blanchard

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US Divisional News · 18 January, 16:48

— S. Blanchard

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