Josh Davies has been on a tear for the Portland Winterhawks so far throughout this WHL season putting up 19 goals and 12 assists for 31 points in 22 games.
“I think I gotta credit my teammates a lot for that you know playing with Gabe Klassen and James Stefan, that really makes it easy out there for me,” Davies said. “Having just the guys all around support on the ice I think it’s you know, it’s gonna be a good year, I think it’s gone great so far and obviously there’s a couple hiccups here and there, but I think the boys are battling through and it’s been good.”
While they’ve had their fair share of struggles, this season’s team clearly knows that there’s no easy win and they grow through tough losses. It was also clear from Davies that they play best when they stick to what they know how to do.
“I think just kind of just sticking to our guns and knowing not knowing how we know how we play,” Davies said. “I think the biggest thing for us was kind of putting those little hiccups behind us because you know, we were on an eight-game winning streak and everything was going fine. I think to have those three tough losses in a row kind of made me made us realize that we have to come to play every single night. There’s no given night for an easy win, so I think those were those were kind of lessons we took out of that and that kind of made us come in stronger. We’re just we’re just happy with the way we’re playing right now.”
It’s Davies’ first season with Portland after coming over in a trade from the Swift Current Broncos, but he said that it feels like he’s been with them forever. During his time with Swift Current, Davies put up 20 goals and 14 assists for 34 points in 62 games. It’s clear that he’s grown his game and that his teammates are helping him put up points on his new team.
“I think, obviously this is my first year here but the guys have been together for four-plus years,” Davies said. “I think they’ve kind of created the chemistry in the room and then the rink and around the bus and all that in a way where it’s like they’re really close with each other and I think that really helps and coming into a new team like this and there was no awkward stage for me. I felt like I was with the team for four years like they already have and I think that kind of just helps along with creating chemistry and on the ice and creating those lifelong bonds. I think that’s what’s really separated us from other teams.”
The other fact of the matter with his time in Swift Current and why he didn’t do as well as he is with Portland is that they were in a rebuild, so they tended to be on the losing side of games. His transition to Portland has helped him grow with being on a successful team.
“I think just being on the other side of things and you know, my first couple of years with the Swift Current Broncos, we didn’t really have a very good team. So I was obviously on the losing side of things. Over here they’ve always they’ve had 40-plus wins the past three seasons. So I think kind of just having the other side and the other look of the spectrum with some losses and kind of just helping them push through those tough times and not getting down on each other and trying to stay positive. I think just bringing the veteran presence where they can go out there on the ice and feel safe out there because I’ll always have their back. So I kind of just bring enough protection in that and that’s the veteran voice.”
While the team obviously wants to win the WHL championship, Davies has goals for himself this season.
“I think the biggest thing for me is just kind of going out there and staying consistent and just overall working on my game,” Davies said.
Davies was drafted by the Florida Panthers in the sixth round, 186th overall of the 2022 NHL Draft. He signed his entry-level contract with the Panthers on Thursday, Dec. 7. Like all players that are drafted by NHL teams, he’s received feedback on what they want to see from him.
“They’re telling me to keep going and keep playing my game and things will work out so I think I just have to stick to it and kind of not deviate from my game plan, skill game and just trying to just keep an eye on the physical side of things,” Davies said.
Davies that the day he was drafted, he was out on the golf course in Banff Springs with his dad when he got the call. He said that it was a really stressful day and he was trying to keep his mind off of it.
“All of a sudden, all the texts and phone calls and emails started coming in,” Davies said. “It was kind of a whirlwind of a day and obviously, the next day I was on a flight to Florida at 5am to go down to Florida for dev camp. So it was a great experience. It’s a first-class organization and couldn’t have asked for a better outcome.”
With being one of the veterans now, Davies is looking to be a mentor and somebody the younger players can come to when they need.
“I know when I came to the league it was very tough,” Davies said. “It’s a long schedule and it’s a lot of days of hard work and I think just kind of being there for them to for their mental, their mental aspect and kind of just being there for them to talk to you and listen and just kind of be in there when they need help and helping them work on their game on the ice and off the ice and like I said overall being there for them and being a voice and some ears to talk to.”
But it’s also clear that they enjoy spending time together off the ice whether it going to movies, lunch, dinner or something else.
“We’re obviously a team that’s really close and we like to hang out with each other a lot,” Davies said. “So I think all the time we go to like team movies or we go for lunch or dinner together. We try and just be with each other 24/7 if we can, and I think that’s kind of what’s helped us a lot on days as well as just being that close off the ice and doing everything together because you want you only have five years of junior hockey you know think you know you gotta cherish those moments with the guys. I think that’s the number one thing with our team.”
Davies had high praise for the Winterhawks fan base as well.
“Probably the best fan base in the whole CHL I’d say I might be biased a little bit but they’re they’re a very good fan base,” Davies said. “They’re always into it. They obviously love big hits, fights and goals. They seem to come out and support us every single game, means the world to us and we couldn’t have asked for a better fan base.”
Northwest Sports Desk 