The Portland Winterhawks’ December 2025 schedule comes to a close Wednesday night. As of December 29th, the Winterhawks are 18-16-1. Portland went 3-5-1 in December and currently holds the #6 seed in the Western Conference standings. Here are four storylines as the Winterhawks enter 2026.
First, Portland’s young goaltenders saw the starting spotlight this month. After the first weekend of December, Ondrej Štěbeták took his leave to join Team Czechia at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship. This meant rookies Cruz Chase and Blake Clark both dressed for the next six games for the Winterhawks. Over the span of December, Chase put up a save percentage of .874 and a goals against average of 4.43. The Airdrie, Alberta native is now 3-4-1 this year and earned Portland’s only shutout this season. That shutout came on December 14th, against the Penticton Vees, on Portland’s annual Teddy Bear Toss night. Blake Clark also saw his fourth start of the season on December 12th, against the Spokane Chiefs. Clark is 2-2 in starts this season, with a save percentage of .837.
Secondly, Štěbeták wasn’t the only player for Portland to participate in the 2026 IIHF World Championship. Defenseman Max Pšenička also made Czechia’s roster, which meant the Winterhawks needed to fill another spot in their lineup. Rookies Aaron Zulinick and Cameron Jacobson were given the opportunity to do so this month. While both Jacobson and Zulinick only have one point each so far this year, both have shown their upsides this season. In Jacobson’s 22 games played, the 4th round draft pick has six games with a plus/minus above zero. Zulinick has nine shots on goal in just 11 games this year, and only has two games with a negative plus/minus.
Portland hit some trouble on the road this month. Entering December, the Winterhawks had gone 8-7 in away games. Two of those wins came in either overtime or a shootout, and Portland’s goal differential in away games was -6. This December, Portland went 0-4 on the road, with a -16 goal differential. The Winterhawks’ last road win was November 21st, when Portland beat the Kamloops Blazers by a score of 7-4.
Lastly, Reed Brown stepped up this month for the Winterhawks. The #6 overall pick of 2023 recorded five goals and two assists this month. Those seven points put Brown at 20 total points this season, which ties him for the eighth most on the team. Brown also had at least one point in six of the nine December games, and had at least one point in three games in a row. Brown’s best performance was a two-goal night and a +2 plus/minus in Portland’s 8-3 loss at Spokane.
Portland wraps up its 2025 schedule with a home game against the Everett Silvertips. Puck drop at Veterans Memorial Coliseum is on New Year’s Eve, December 31st, at 5:00 p.m.
Northwest Sports Desk 