Looking for New Help in Portland

On the heels of a rather disappointing finish to this season, followed by an noncompetitive playoff run that concluded with a sweep at the hands of Everett, the Portland Winterhawks have decided to end the Jamie Kompon era today. In two seasons as head coach and general manager, Kompon managed a 77-54-8-5 record, taking the Winterhawks to the Conference finals two seasons ago. However, he was unable to replace either Oliver Bjorkstrand or Nic Petan, and the result was an offense that more often than not struggled to score. The defense that was also an issue that first year continued to be so despite the additions of Jack Dougherty and Caleb Jones prior to this season.  The biggest issue reared its ugly head late in the season, when the Winterhawks struggled to make the playoffs, basically backing into a spot and then showing no signs of life in the playoffs against an Everett squad that was missing Carter Hart for most of the four games in the series.

To say that the Portland Winterhawks are trying to pick up the pieces is an understatement, particularly since the ramifications of the Mike Johnston recruitment violations of 2013 are still being felt, though like many teams trying to rebuild, finding replacements and the right coaching fit is a task onto itself. The next guy coming in is likely going to have less pressure than Kompon, but it may be a time before the Winterhawks return to playoff prominence (read: Conference Finals, minimum).