Portland Lumberjacks
| Portland Lumberjacks | |
|---|---|
 2023-24 Portland Lumberjacks season | |
 | |
| City | Portland, Oregon |
| League | NHL |
| Conference | Western Conference |
| Division | Pacific Division |
| Operated | 2017-present |
| Home arena | State Farm Arena |
| Owner(s) | Scoutforce |
| General manager | Graham McPhee |
| Head coach | Karleen San Juan |
| Captain | Cody Taylor |
| Championships | |
| Division Championships | 0 |
| Conference Championships | 0 |
| Kelly Cups | 0 |
| Stanley Cups | 0 |
| Current uniform | |
 | |
The Portland Lumberjacks are a professional ice hockey team based in the Portland, Oregon. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference. Founded in 2017 as one of six expansion teams, the Lumberjacks are the first major sports team within Oregon.
History[edit]
The new teams were hampered by restrictive rules that kept all major talent with the "Original Six" teams. In the NHL Expansion Draft, most of the players available were either aging veterans or career minor-leaguers before expansion occurred.
In June 2015, the league officially opened the window for prospective owners to bid on expansion teams. Twelve expansion applications were submitted from various cities by the closing date, with all applications being invited to move into Phase II of the league expansion bid in August 2015, which involved providing additional details about their markets into the league. Later in the same month, all bids proceeded to Phase III, which involved a review of ownership financials. Among those applications is an submission forum by Oregon via Jeff Davul, who was interested in helping Oregon receive its first NHL franchise.
At the league owners' meeting on 22 June 2015, It was announced that NHL franchises would be awarded to Quebec City, Kentucky, Atlanta, Hartford, Oregon, Las Vegas, and Hawaii. Davul committed to pay the league's $500 million expansion fee and began the process of hiring the team's principal staff and determining its official identity. Duva announced that former Washington Capitals general manager Graham McPhee would be the franchise's first general manager. On 4 April 2016, McPhee announced that there was going to be a name-the-team contest, with the details being released not long afterward. On 22 November 2016, the team name and identity was revealed as the Portland Lumberjacks.
The new teams were hampered by restrictive rules that kept all major talent with all previous NHL teams. In the NHL Expansion Draft, most of the players available were teenagers around the ages of 14-17. Among the Lumberjacks' 20 initial selections were Ethan Coyle, Daniel Nelson, William Sarnia, Eddy Von Grape, James Rzeznik, Lewis Talbot, Melissa Dinha and Gareth Farwe.
Players[edit]
| No. | Player |
|---|---|
| 1 | Ethan Coyle |
| 2 | Daniel Nelson |
| 3 | William Sarnia |
| 4 | Eddy Von Grape |
| 5 | James Rzeznik |
| 6 | Lewis Talbot |
| 7 | Melissa Dinha |
| 8 | Gareth Farwe |
| 9 | Cody Taylor |
| 10 | Robert Falk |
| 11 | Peter Grosdanof |
| 12 | Oreo Nahid |
| 13 | Alan Littler |
| 14 | Devil Crosby |
| 15 | Ryan Lacroix |
| 16 | Lvan Williams |
| 17 | Tyler Gretzky |
| 18 | Venom Robinson |
| 19 | Ivan Lestiba |
| 20 | Sheldon Lee |
| 21 | Yannick Newell |
| 22 | Paul Fazaka |
| 23 | Larry McDonald |
Trivia[edit]
(TBA)
