One Year Later: Alessandro Domenichelli
The 2025 WHL Prospects Draft is just over a week away, and the Portland Winterhawks are gearing up to add several marquee names to its protected list and eventually build future Winterhawks teams around these players.
This is an exciting time for players, parents, fans, coaches, and hockey operations departments as hundreds of hours of hard work and dedication are recognized.
For Alessandro Domenichelli, who Portland selected in the second round of last summer’s draft, he is one year removed from a thrilling experience.
“I was so excited to see my name next to Portland in the draft, and I can’t wait to get started,” he said. “I watched a lot of the league on social media. When my name got called, that was super special.”
The 2009-born Swiss forward was eligible to be selected in the WHL Prospects Draft instead of the CHL Import Draft because his father, Hnat, played for the Kamloops Blazers from 1992 to 1996.
Portland invited Alessandro, Hnat, and his mom, Ludovica, to the Rose City for an official visit, and they were able to attend a second-round playoff game against Everett. The Domenichelli family was able to visit the rink, explore the city, and tour Sunset High School, three locations where Alessandro would spend a significant amount of time next season, should he elect to sign with the Winterhawks.
“We jumped on a plane for 13 hours, went from Zurich to Chicago to Portland. It is important we came now because the season ended in Switzerland. We came here to see it, live it, and experience Portland,” Hnat said.
Below is the video that played on the jumbotron to welcome Alessandro during his visit:
Domenichelli played three different levels of hockey during the 2024-2025 season. Eighteen games with HC Lugano U17 (12G, 11A), 20 games with HC Lugano U20 (8G, 5A), and ten games with the Switzerland U16 national team (8G, 3A).
“I loved playing with the U20 team because it was more energy, the guys were better, and obviously I got to improve my game as a player,” Alessandro said. “With the U20 team, I had to always push myself 100%. That said, it is always special to play with the national team. It’s the best part of playing hockey: playing for your country. I got to play against the other countries that are big and see what the talent level is around the world.”
What can Winterhawks fans expect to see from Domenichelli?
“I’m a power forward who likes to score goals. I bring the energy when I’m playing, and I want to help the team in any way I can,” Alessandro answered. “I think my shot is one of the best aspects of my game. I’ve always had one of the best shots on the team. I’m always shooting at home. I have a big shooting range where I love to shoot pucks. During practice, I’m also always shooting. During the game, yes, shooting there too.”
Domenichelli said he tries to emulate Boston Bruins forward David Pastrňák’s shot while mixing in Tampa Bay Lightning center Brayden Point’s tenacity, speed, and energy.
Besides his shot, academics are something both Hnat and Alessandro are passionate about. Swiss culture places a high emphasis on being a good student, and the standards are not reduced because of being an athlete.
For example, Alessandro shared that if you fail one test, you can fail the entire year’s class, so consistent study habits were something he learned from a young age.
“In Switzerland, the school system is not flexible,” Hnat said. “What I’ve noticed from talking with other players from other countries, maybe in Finland, Sweden, even the United States and Canada, there is some grace for athletes since they are competing. In Switzerland, the system is the system, and you have to keep up.”
The result of being a good student is that Alessandro speaks four languages fluently. “Being able to speak multiple languages not only helps you in life, but it also helps you in hockey. When I changed teams, or went to the national team, I could understand guys. I could also understand all the different languages of trash talking during the game,” he said with a smile. “I speak English because of my dad and my school work, Italian because of my mom, and then French and German because of school classes.”
If Domenichelli makes the move to North America, he would pick up his coursework as a junior or senior at Sunset High School, depending on which courses transfer.
After visiting Sunset High School, the Domenichellis arrived at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum, a familiar sight for Hnat.
How much has the rink changed since the former Kamloops star forward played a game as a player? “Nothing, it is exactly the same. The visiting dressing room still looked the way I remembered it,” Hnat said with a laugh. “I went to the Blazers as a 16-year-old myself, so I understand what Alessandro might be going through.”
During the 1993-94 season, the Blazers and Winterhawks faced off in the Western Conference Championship.
Hnat specifically recalled Game 6 of the series and what legendary coach Don Hay, who spent four years as an assistant coach with the Winterhawks, said before puck drop. “Whoever wins this series is going to win the Memorial Cup. I don’t want to put pressure on you guys, but we’re playing for the Memorial Cup tonight,” Hnat said.
Sure enough, the Blazers emerged victorious 2-1 and went on to win the Memorial Cup that summer.
“I have so many positive memories of playing in Portland,” Hnat said. “Don (Hay) was influential in my career. That Portland team was just tremendous. I look back now and remember the names of Adam Deadmarsh, Jason Wiemer, Scott Nichol, Lonny Bohonos, Brad Isbister, Brandon Smith, Nolan Pratt, Mike Williamson (former Winterhawks head coach and 592 wins in the WHL), Matt Davidson (now the Director of Player Personnel for the Winterhawks), and Scott Landgkow was the goalie. I don’t mean to forget anybody, but they had six guys who put up 40 goals, one scored 50, and Lonny (Bohonos) had (62)!”
Tempers were constantly high during the series, and Hnat mentioned that there was a benches-clearing brawl. “Things got sideways here, but that was hockey in the 1990s. Go look it up on YouTube,” he said.
Warmups look a lot different in 2025 compared to 1994. Hnat shared one of his favorite memories of playing at the VMC:
Ultimately, the Domenichellis and Alessandro will make a decision in the near future about where the talented winger will play his hockey in 2025-26.
“We will support him with whatever he decides to do,” Hnat said. “This is his decision, so whatever he wants, his mom and I support him. This trip was great seeing Portland, Sunset High School, and being here for a playoff game.”
“I’ve loved my time in Portland. It’s a bigger city, but not like some other larger U.S. cities. It is sort of like Lugano back home. I like the big city with people around, and there are so many friendly dogs, just like in Switzerland. I’m very glad to have visited Portland and the Winterhawks. I will keep following them on social media the rest of the season,” Alessandro concluded.
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