The Thunderbirds went into the Christmas break playing .500 hockey, posting a 5-5 record in ten games between November 27th and December 17th. Back from Christmas they split a pair of home games. So, over the past month, Seattle is 6-6. .500 hockey over a month of play may not seem like much, but in the process of going 6-6, the T-birds erased a seven point gap in the standings and have tied the Tri-City Americans for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Seattle accomplished that 6-6 mark against some pretty tough competition too. Tri-City was the only team the T-birds played over that span that had a losing record and the T-birds beat them twice. But Seattle also posted wins over Everett, Portland, Spokane and Victoria. Those last four teams ended this past weekend with a combined 87-36-8-4 record. I mention this only because the T-birds need to get used to that brand of competition. A good chunk of their schedule the rest of the way will be against top tier teams. fifteen of the final 34 games will be against Portland and Everett. Those two teams boast the two best winning percentages in the WHL. Those two teams are tied for the top spot in the Western Conference. The good news is Seattle has shown they can skate with both those teams. Through seven games against the Winterhawks and Silvertips Seattle boasts a .500 record at 3-3-1-0.
If Seattle wants to earn a playoff spot, they are probably going to need to earn more wins, or at least more points against those two division rivals. But they also can't falter against some of the teams they face that have non-winning records. The T-birds have eight games on the schedule against teams with records currently below .500. A misstep against anyone of those teams could mean the difference between a playoff berth and sitting home in late March. There are no easy games in the WHL. Seattle has to be just as pumped to play the teams at the bottom of the standings as they are to play the teams at the top.
They'll also need to be consistent. Seattle played some fairly consistent hockey over the ten games pre-Christmas. They came back for their first game, post holiday break, and were energetic in beating Spokane 9-5. That energy and fire were lacking out of the gate Saturday night against Portland and they earned the result they got, a 4-1 loss. Seattle features a roster where 75 percent of the players are age 18 or younger. As a result inconsistent play shouldn't be too surprising. But halfway through the season, we should start seeing less and less of that inconsistency as the young player get more and more ice time under their belts. No nights off, no shifts off should be the battle cry.
The trade deadline is looming. It's my personal opinion, so don't read into it that I have any insider information because I don't. But I don't think there will be any more major roster movement by General Manager Bil LaForge. It would probably take one of those "offers-I-can't-refuse" type deals for LaForge to move a current player. He's never going to ignore a phone call from another GM. But teams around Seattle will be looking to bolster their rosters for the playoffs and that will both positively and negatively affect the level of competition the T-birds face going forward. We've already seen the Tri-City Americans make a couple of post Christmas deals, trading away two players for future draft picks. Prince George and Moose Jaw, a couple of other sub .500 teams left on the schedule, may also be sellers before the trade deadline in early January. You have to believe Everett, Portland, Kelowna and Vancouver, teams Seattle will face a combined 21 times between now and March 22nd, will be buyers, looking to bolster already strong rosters.
Buckle up, the second half playoff push is here.
My T-birds three Stars for the weekend:
Third Star: W Keltie Jeri-Leon. The 19 year old left for Christmas with the team goal scoring lead then promptly added two more to his total with a couple Friday in the win over Spokane. He ended the night against the Chiefs with a career best five points. He is three points away from tying his point total from last season. With 12 through the first 34 games he already has scored four more goals then he did in 74 games a season ago.
Second Star: W Conner Bruggen-Cate. Definitely one of Seattle's top skaters on the weekend, scoring in back to back games for the first time this season. He ended the weekend with five points (2g, 3a) and a plus 3 rating. He continues to play a physical game and was a key to Seattle killing off all nine opponents power plays on the weekend. I believe he is the de facto captain as the only 20 year old wearing a letter on his jersey since the trade of Matthew Wedman.
First Star: C Henrik Rybinski. With an assist Saturday against Portland Rybinski is on a mini three game scoring streak and finished the weekend with five points (2g,3a) and a +3 rating. His motor is non stop and as a result, he creates a lot of havoc for opposing d-men with his strong forecheck. Since the trade of Wedman, Rybinski has been the offensive leader with 10 points over that span of nine games with six goals and four assists. He is the lynchpin on the T-birds top line with Jeri-Leon and Conner Roulette. He was also a big part of Seattle's special team's success on the weekend.
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