Press Release
Portland Winterhawks General Manager & Head Coach Mike Johnston has
announced that defenseman Troy Rutkowski has been named team captain.
Rutkowski,
20, is entering his fifth season with the team, and his 279 games
played ties him for seventh in franchise history. He has the chance to
become the all-time leader in that category, which is currently held by
Kevin Haupt, who played 326 games from 1994-1999.
He’s also tied
with former teammate Joe Morrow for the most playoff games played in
franchise history with 56. Rutkowski has played all 187 of the team’s
regular season and playoff games over the last two seasons, and missed
just one regular season game in 2009-10. Rutkowski also ranks 10th
all-time among Winterhawks defensemen with 150 career points.
Although Rutkowski wasn’t selected in the WHL Bantam Draft, he made the Winterhawks as a 16-year-old in 2008.
“As
a player who wasn’t selected in the WHL Bantam Draft, to now having a
lengthy WHL career and being named team captain, Troy is a true success
story,” said Johnston. “He has grown into a leadership role as his
career has progressed, and is a natural choice for captain as he enters
his final WHL season.”
“I’m humbled to be named team captain, and
I’m looking forward to trying to lead the Winterhawks to a WHL
championship this season,” said Rutkowski.
He becomes the 37th
captain in team history, joining such players as Braydon Coburn, Adam
Deadmarsh, Paul Gaustad, Brenden Morrow and Brent Peterson. He takes
over the captain’s position from William Wrenn, who has graduated from
the league.
In addition to Rutkowski serving as captain, the
Winterhawks will have three assistant captains this season: Taylor
Peters, Ty Rattie and Tyler Wotherspoon.(Nathan can be reached at nathanfournier@mainehockeyjournal.com)
Friday, September 21, 2012
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