For most major junior teams, losing three of their top five scorers, their No. 1 goaltender, and four other NHL prospects is the writing on the wall for a rebuild.

GM-coach Mike Johnston's Portland Winterhawks don't fit the norm, though. Since Johnston came on board in 2008, Portland has become a powerhouse in the WHL. They have made it to the final the past two years and appear to be locked and loaded for a third straight run at the Ed Chynoweth Cup.

Portland's success on the ice can be credited to their impeccable track record at the bantam draft, import draft, and listing players that flew under the radar as 15-year-olds. The Oregon club's eye for talent has been second to none, producing the likes of New York Islanders first-rounder Nino Niederreiter, Calgary Flames first-rounder Sven Bartschi, Pittsburgh Penguins first-rounders Joe Morrow and Derrick Pouliot, Toronto Maple Leafs second-rounder Brad Ross, St. Louis Blues second-rounder Ty Rattie, and Flames second-rounder Tyler Wotherspoon, just to name a few.

"Myself, our assistant coach Travis Green, and all of our other coaches and scouts have worked really hard at finding the top talent around," says Johnston. "We try to build through the bantam draft, but we have also had a lot of success at listing players who were passed over. In the bantam draft, players are only 14 or 15, it is easy for some of them to slip between the cracks, especially if they haven't hit their growth spurt yet. We have listed a lot of players passed over (in the draft) that have and we feel will go on to become strong players for us."

"Being an American squad has also worked to our advantage. We have capitalized on non-traditional markets like Arizona, Denver, Texas, and L.A. Our scouts have done a great job of keeping an eye on the top young players in these areas. Since they're American players, our location in Portland also works to our advantage because they get to keep on living in the States."

2010 bantam draft paying dividends

The Winterhawks' season is only three games in, but it seems a pair of players selected in the 2010 bantam draft are poised to breakout into stars as sophomores. Nicolas Petan, 17, already has four goals and eight points on the season. Chase De Leo, 16, has potted three goals in as many games.

"We went into the 2010 draft targeting (Kootenay Ice star) Sam Reinhart and Nicolas Petan," says Johnston. "Reinhart went just ahead of our pick, so we went with Petan. We are very happy with his play so far. We gave him big minutes as a rookie last year to let him grow. I think he will breakout this year. He has what it takes to become a very good player."

"Chase De Leo was one of our later-rounder picks. He's originally from California, so he's one of our steals spotted in the States. Like Petan, he too looks a lot stronger and overall better this year. He should have a very strong second season with us.

Listed Paul Bittner could be a gem

Bittner could be a prime example of Portland's success at listing players passed over in their respective bantam draft. The 6-foot-4, 194-pounder has the makings of a future impact power forward. The Minnesota native has impressed in Portland thus far, even though he will not turn 16 until November.

"I've been really happy with the play of Bittner," says Johnston. "We spotted him in a tournament in Minnesota and listed him shortly after. He almost has a '97 birthdate, so he's really young. He has the potential to be a very good player for us. He has the size and the skill."

Danish Delight

The Winterhawks have been notorious for spotting elite talent in countries somewhat flying under the radar for developing tier-1 players. They spotted El Nino and Bartschi out of Switzerland. This year they didn't target another Swiss sensation in the CHL import draft, rather a Danish delight. Portland selected Denmark native Oliver Bjorkstrand 26th overall, who has netted an outstanding three goals and five points throughout his first three games. The 5-foot-11, 164-pound winger has been turning heads quickly in Portland.

"A lot of research goes into our rankings for the import draft," says Johnston. "We looked at players out of Switzerland, but we heard that a lot of their top players didn't want to come over here. So we decided to target Bjorkstrand out of Denmark because we liked how he played at the world juniors and we felt he would fit in nicely with our club."

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