Winterhawk Report: Gabe Klassen

Gabe Klassen is the captain of the Portland Winterhawks this season and it’s clear that it’s honor to him.

“Obviously it’s an honor to be a captain of the Portland Winterhawks organization,” Klassen said. “Just looking at the list there’s been a ton of amazing leaders come through here and so I wear the C with a lot of pride and hopefully we can now lead the team to a championship this year.”

The team struggled a bit on their eastern swing, but they were able to grow from that and have seemed to be in a groove since. But from that eastern swing, they were able to grow from it by learning that no matter how good of a team you have, it’s tough to win.

“We really found our groove after that,” Klassen said.

Klassen attributed the team’s success to their shared experience a couple of additions they’ve made and the team’s depth in their forward group.

“It’s been a lot of fun this year coming together,” Klassen said.

Klassen said that he really likes the linemates that he has this year and that having played with James Stefan for the last three or four years, they’ve been able to form a lot of chemistry.

“Then Davies coming in this year, we got to play with him and he’s a good player for us, makes a lot of room and he’s been able to put the puck in the net, so it’s been good,” Klassen said.

When it comes to Klassen’s game, he said that somebody he maybe looks up to is Ryan Nugent-Hopkins of the Edmonton Oilers.

“I think he’s a good two-way centerman, good on both sides of the puck and he has a good scoring touch,” Klassen said.

While he grew up an Oilers fan, Klassen said that he’d be happy going anywhere if he’s drafted.

When it comes to Klassen’s play this season and his point production, he made it clear that his teammates are a big part of it. Klassen said that it’s just being on such a good team, being surrounded by a lot of good players and how they score a lot of goals.

Throughout the season, Klassen said that the message from the coaching staff is really all gas, no brakes. Klassen emphasized how they have an older group and a lot of experience in the room.

“I think we all knew what that losing feeling was like the last couple years and obviously don’t want to feel that again,” Klassen said. “So, getting (Nate) Danielson here has been a huge plus for us.”

As the captain, Klassen as well as the assistant captains are being looked upon to lead and with that, help mentor the younger more inexperienced players.

“I think we have a ton of good leaders in this group that are able to do that role,” Klassen said. “Obviously having a couple younger guys on the team showing them the way with our playoff experience and stuff.”

Klassen said that they spend time with the younger players after practice to show them things and what it takes to win with Portland and how to get past the second round this year. Over the last few years, Klassen said that he’s learned it takes a whole roster to win.

“I think we have a lot of depth this year, that’s a really key part if you want to try and win in this league, having a whole group of guys buy in and give it a shot,” Klassen said.

Off the ice, Klassen said that he and the group enjoy playing tennis, golf and hang out watching movies. He said that it helps a lot on the ice which is clear with the team’s chemistry. Klassen and James Stefan will play tennis with Klassen saying that they’ve had a good series going on.

Another factor that helps the team is the home crowd and the energy that they bring.

“We’ve had really good crowds this year and night in and night out they’re showing up showing support, so a lot of fun to play in front of them and hopefully win a lot more hockey games for them,” Klassen said.

It’s obviously been a fun year for the team with the success that they’ve seen with Klassen emphasizing that saying that winning is the most fun part of the game.

“We’ve been fortunate enough to do a lot of that this year,” Klassen said in reference to the amount of winning that they’ve been able to do.

When it comes to the team making a deep playoff run, Klassen said that he thinks it’s really important to have everybody buy in and be unselfish.

“I think we’re going to find a lot of success in the playoffs this year with the group we have and the depth we have,” Klassen said.

One challenge Portland has faced is the competition and that much is clear from Klassen. The Everett Silvertips have been a tough team for them, specifically in Everett.

“They’re a good team, they always play a hard game, I think we played them pretty well this year, so hopefully we have the upper hand if we do meet them in the playoffs,” Klassen said. “We know it’s going to be a hard-fought series if we play them in the playoffs. I think I like our chances and we’ll see what happens come playoff time.”

If Portland sees enough success to where they make the league championship series, they could potentially face the Saskatoon Blades, who are currently the number one team in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). The Winterhawks have faced Saskatoon once this season at home and defeated them 5-4 in overtime.

“That was a crazy game, that was a playoff-like feel, we had a good crowd here in Portland and obviously we both knew coming in that they were the top team from the other conference and you want to set a good mark and show them what your side of the league is all about,” Klassen said. “So, I thought we had a really good battle and it was definitely a playoff feel and we just know that we’re prepared to go to war and that every game’s going to be like that come playoff time.”