Four ex-Winterhawks headed to Beijing Olympics

Germany forward Marcel Noebels (left) scores the winning goal past Switzerland goalkeeper Leonardo Genoni in the shootout during the IIHF men's ice hockey world championships quarterfinal match between Switzerland and Germany, at the Olympic Sports Center in Riga, Latvia, on June 3, 2021. - Germany defeated Switzerland 3-2 to advance to the semifinals. (Photo by Gints Ivuskans/AFP via Getty Images)
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Four former Portland Winterhawks players are headed to the Beijing Olympics to represent their countries in men’s ice hockey at next month’s Winter Games.

Defenseman Tyler Wotherspoon was named to the roster for Team Canada, while forward Marcel Noebels will play for Germany, and forwards Rodrigo Abols and Rihards Bukarts are on the roster for Latvia.

Wotherspoon, 28, was a second-round draft pick of the Winterhawks and played for Portland from 2008-13. He has played nearly 500 professional games and currently plays for the AHL’s Utica Comets, an affiliate of the New Jersey Devils of the NHL.

Noebels, 29, played 31 games with the Winterhawks during the 2011-12 season, helping lead them to the WHL championship series. He had a stint with the Adirondack Phantoms of the AHL and now plays in Germany for Eisbären Berlin.

Abols, 26, played parts of two seasons with the Winterhawks, from 2015-17. A seventh-round draft pick of the Vanouver Canucks in the 2016 NHL draft, Abols currently captains Örebro HK of the Swedish Hockey League.

Bukarts, also 26, played 55 games with the Winterhawks after coming to Portland from the Brandon Wheat Kings during the 2015-16 season. He has played more than 150 games as a pro across several leagues and currently plays for Admiral Vladivostok of the Kontinental Hockey League.

Noebels, Abols and Bukarts also competed for their national teams at the 2021 IIHF world championships.

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