Einarson thrilled to become member of Terriers

The Portage Terriers are putting emphasis on their blue line through the first two weeks of the offseason. 

The Dogs used their first two selections in the MJHL Draft on defencemen in Jordan Murray (fifth overall) and Cody Allen (48th overall) while also acquiring Ranon Joseph from the Nipawin Hawks last week. Magnus Einarson was the first addition to Portage's backend as they traded for his rights from the OCN Blizzard on the opening day of the offseason, June 1st. He describes his initial reaction when he found he was going to be a Terrier.

"I was pretty excited about the trade. I wasn't happy up in OCN, and I wanted to get out," Einarson explains. "It's cool to be with Portage as they're going to be hosting the Centennial Cup this year. So, I was just excited about the whole thing. It definitely worked out to my benefit."

The Winnipegger says he's fairly familiar with the Portage area and notes he's excited to be a part of the community. 

He spent last season quite a ways away in the USPHL Premier League with the Utah Outliers. Einarson totalled 32 points in 49 games with the squad and found the back of the net five times. The defenceman describes the most important things he learned in Utah last season.

"They really rounded out my game and made it complete. It was a good development year for sure," Einarson continues. "I learned what it was to be a leader on a team, and that really helped with how I view things on the ice. That experience really helped me grow as a player."

He says it was tough initially to be that far away from his home, but notes as the season went along, he gained a lot of comfort in that atmosphere. For those unfamiliar with his game, Einarson outlines the type of player you should expect to see when he suits up for the Dogs this season.

"I'd say I'm a strong defensive player, with a good offensive game. I see the ice well, and I'm really good at making plays," says Einarson. "I'd say I'm good at running the top on the power-play. Overall, I believe I'd be a good asset for any team."

With the Terriers hosting the 2023 Centennial Cup tournament, Einarson describes how excited he is for the opportunity to play in the biggest event in Junior A hockey.

"It's huge. The end goal for me is ultimately to get a Division 1 or Division 3 NCAA scholarship, and just play college hockey. I think that is going to be a huge opportunity for me to be seen by scouts and other coaches, and all that good stuff to help me get to the next level."

Einarson is extremely happy to be representing the Terriers for the 2022-23 campaign.