Undermanned, Overperformed

 The Thunderbirds certainly aren't the only team in the WHL dealing with Covid issues.  They are one of the few teams, maybe the only team though, that has not had to completely shut down their hockey activity.  They didn't have two games postponed earlier this month because they didn't have enough players to ice a team.  No, it was primarily a weather issue, as heavy snow closed all mountain passes connecting Western Washington and Eastern Washington keeping them from their scheduled game in Kennewick January 7th. 

It was those same closed passes, and a shutdown of Spokane's hockey activities, that postponed the T-birds home game versus the Chiefs on January 8th. Other team have had games postponed because of Covid ripping through their rosters.  Seattle has had multiple players out in Covid Protocol, but they have played on. They played a game with just 15 skaters. they played a game with just 17 skaters and this past week they played four straight games with only 16 skaters available.  

And think of the players Seattle has had to play without.  Three defensemen sidelined who eat up big minutes: Tyrel Bauer, Jeremy Hanzel and Sawyer Mynio.  And then this weekend they played three games in three nights with those players still out and another top six defenseman, Sam Knazko left to go prepare for the Winter Olympics. 

They dressed just 11 forwards these last four games as Matt Rempe and Sam Oremba were sidelined too. And yet, they didn't bat an eye.  Instead, they pressed on through a difficult circumstance.  Where they could have wilted, they went 2-1-0-1. When the third period rolled around in Everett Sunday and the T-bird were trailing, they could have sagged back, exhausted playing their fourth game in seven nights with that short bench. Instead, they surged. They put 17 shots on net and went on the attack, using every drop of fuel left in the tank. 

They came up short, but it doesn't even seem possible they could do what they did under those circumstances. They nearly pulled off the impossible. They stared adversity down and didn't blink.

We've only truly seen the T-birds with a full roster a couple of times since Christmas.  Well, actually no, we haven't. Bauer is out long term and has been sidelined since December 10th.  So, let's say the closest they've been to 100-percent the second half was the weekend of January 14-15.  And what did we see?  two absolutely dominant performances against Portland and Everett.  They outshot those two teams 96-41.  If not for a stand-on-his-head performance by Portland's goalie, Seattle would have swept those two games.  Instead, they settled for a win and an overtime loss.  

But even this past week, playing understaffed in those four games, they outshot their opponents 148-111 and outscored them 22-11.  You don't do what Seattle did this past week without having players with talent, character, grit and, most importantly, heart.

Knock on wood, here's hoping we get to see this team as close to full strength the rest of the way. If I was an outsider looking in, the one team out West that would scare me come playoff time is a healthy, complete Seattle Thunderbirds.

My T-birds three stars for the week:

Third Star: C Henrik Rybinski.  Seattle's first line center has been on a role in the month of January, but especially this past week. In the four games he piled up nine points (5g, 4a) and finished with a +6 rating.  It is his energy and effort that sets the tone.

Second Star: D Kevin Korchinski.  There have been a number of ratings services that have put out their midterm rankings for the upcoming 2022 NHL Entry Draft.  I haven't seen one yet that doesn't have Korchinski in the top 30. With so many of his rear-guard teammates out of the lineup he's been playing big minutes for the T-birds.  He's definitely making the most of it. In the four games he compiled six assists. He is now eighth among WHL defenseman in scoring with 35 points (4g, 31a).

First Star: C/W Jared Davidson.  Coming into the season Davidson had earned 39 points over three seasons.  In just over half a season this year, he has 48 points, which is 15th best in the league. He leads the team in both points and goals scored (20). In the four games last week he scored five goals and added four assists and finished with a +9 rating.  

That's T-birds Hockey

"That's T-birds style hockey. Hard-working, physical, making plays." That's how Thunderbirds Head Coach Matt O'Dette described his team's effort this weekend as they earned three of a possible four points. In doing so they controlled most of the play both nights and ended up outshooting their two opponents on the weekend, 96-41. And not just any two opponents, but two of the top teams in the league in Portland and Everett.

If not for the exceptional play in goal by Portland netminder Taylor Gauthier Friday, Seattle would have won both games. Instead, they had to settle for a win and an overtime loss. That happens sometimes.  You can't always control the final result, but you can control your effort and the T-birds effort both nights was relentless.  It was T-birds style hockey.

What made it more impressive was they did it coming off a two-week layoff. A number of players were returning to action after battling Covid. Practice time had been limited. Yet there seemed to be very little rust. Maybe it was a lot of pent-up energy being released. We'll have to see as they go forward, but that's the way this team has to play every game. That's their brand.

Goalie Scott Ratzlaff is still just 16 years old. He won't turn 17 until early March. Yet here is, nine starts into his young WHL career and he has yet to lose a game in regulation, 8-0-1-0. The overtime loss Friday to the Winterhawks was the first time he had not won a game in regulation.  And I'm sure he'd agree a couple of those goals he allowed to Portland should have been stopped.  Yet he shrugged that one off, put it behind him and was on his game again Saturday in the 5-1 win over Everett.  

Did he face a lot of rubber in either game?  No.  But I think when the play is at the other end of the ice most of the night, that makes it harder on a goalie to stay sharp.  His biggest save of the weekend came early in the second period against Everett. With the T-birds up 1-0, he cold-stoned stopped Jackson Berezowski, who was all alone at the top of the crease. It prevented the Silvertips from tying the game and possibly changing the momentum.  With Thomas Milic unavailable for either contest, Seattle needed Ratzlaff to be good and he delivered. 

Since coming back from the holiday break Jared Davidson is averaging 2.5 points a game.  He's picked up ten points (4g, 6a) in the four games played.  He now leads the team in scoring with 37-points (14g, 23a) in 33-games. All this from an undrafted camp invite. Over his last 56-games he had 56-points.  I think General Manager Bil LaForge and his team of scouts know what they're doing. 

Last week NHL Central Scouting released its midterm rankings for North American skaters eligible for the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. T-birds d-man Kevin Korchinski  came in at #20 on the list and center Jordan Gustafson was at #43. No surprise for two players selected by Seattle in the top ten of the 2019 WHL Prospects Draft.  Also on the list, at #85, was Reid Schaefer.  

Schaefer, selected by the T-birds in the eighth round of the 2018 WHL Prospects Draft (#164 overall) is a late birthday and wasn't eligible for last summer's draft.  He's making the most of that extra year to impress the scouts. In his first game back from Covid Saturday versus Everett he had a four-point night (2g, 2a).  He is tied for the team lead in goals scored with 14. His effort didn't go unnoticed by O'Dette. "He pieced together a really nice game. First game back after being on the shelf. that's pretty impressive."

O'Dette says Schaefer is a legitimate NHL prospect. "Yeah, he's a big guy that's capable of playing very physical and, obviously, the skills to match it. He's got good hands, a good shot. He's starting to put it all together and it's fun to see."

A similar player is Seattle's 2020 top draft pick, Sam Oremba, who just turned 17 last week.  O'Dette believes in his talent too. "Guys can get lost sometimes in the shuffle, but Sam, he's had some really good games for us this year. We're working with him on his consistency, and I think this weekend is a really nice confidence booster for him.  We needed all the guys, and him, to step up. He had a really nice weekend, played hard and it's good to see him get rewarded for it." Don't be surprised to see Oremba's name listed high on a lot of rankings for the 2023 NHL Draft.

In their last two home games versus Everett, the T-birds are 2-0, have outscored the Silvertips 10-3 and have put 89-shots on goal. In fact, in three home games against the 'Tips this season, Seattle is 2-0-1-0 and have scored 14-times on 119-shots.  That's 4.6 goals a game and almost 40 shots per contest (39.7).  They need to find a way to bottle that and take it on the road to Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett where they are 0-4-0-0. In those four road losses, Seattle has scored just five goals.  

The T-birds still are not at full strength. So, as impressive as they were this weekend, you have to believe they have another gear we haven't seen yet.  Knock on wood they get some of those missing players back soon.  

The WHL trade deadline is Monday afternoon.  Will the T-birds stand pat, or is there another move to be made? Stay Tuned!

My T-birds Three Stars for the Weekend:

Third Star: LW Reid Schaefer.  He missed Friday's overtime loss to Portland.  Seattle could have used him.  Going into the weekend he was the T-birds leading scorer against the Winterhawks this season (3g, 3a).  He made the most of his return to the lineup Saturday with his four-point night.  The only question is, did he or did he not get a hat trick?  There is some controversy on whether Seattle's game winning goal was his or Henrik Rybinski's.

Second Star: D Kevin Korchinski.  A three-assist weekend. he now has 24 assists on the season, which leads the team. With just 56-games under his belt, he still hasn't played a full season of WHL hockey, but he plays with the confidence of a seasoned vet.   Not only ranked at #20 among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting, but TSN's Craig Button has him as the 26th best player for the 2022 NHL Draft.  

First Star C/W Jared Davidson.  A four-point weekend (2g, 2a). His 37-points leads the team, and he is tied with Schaefer for the goal scoring lead on the club with fourteen.  His trajectory over his T-birds career reminds me of how Zach Andrusiak and Keltie Jeri-Leon improved over their time in Kent, only I think Davidson is a more complete 200-foot player.  Far and away the team leader in shots on goal. Remember, you can't score if you don't shoot. Be like Davy...shoot!  

Fresh as the Winter's Snow

I think the final week of hockey in the calendar year 2021, pretty much summed up the entire year.  We had some hockey and we were glad for that. It was affected by Covid and there's nothing you can do about that. You win some, you lose some (hopefully doing more winning than losing), and you're just glad for the opportunity to be playing because you don't know what tomorrow brings or what's around the corner,and then Betty White dies and you start to question the meaning of life!

The Thunderbirds went 1-2 in their first three games post-Christmas.  It really was a mixed bag.  The final score in Tuesday's 6-3 home loss to Spokane really doesn't tell the whole story. The T-birds were behind the eight ball before the puck even dropped. Injuries, Covid, travel, and an international tournament meant the team could only dress 15 healthy skaters.  For much of the third period they were down to just 13.

Still, it was a winnable game.  Certainly Spokane took advantage of the undermanned T-birds, but you could also make the argument Seattle let them. The biggest culprit wasn't necessarily the T-birds undisciplined play that led to the Chiefs going 3-for-7 on the power play.  Just as significant an issue was Seattle passing up scoring opportunities by overpassing the puck.  It was particulary acute when Seattle scored the early first period goal and had a chance to pad their lead but got too cute with the puck. Instead they let the Chiefs hang around.

The good news? This Seattle team learned the lessons from Tuesday's loss and applied them to Thursday's 6-2 win in Spokane.  Pucks on net and traffic in front were the theme.  After going 0-for-5 on the power play Tuesday, the T-birds shoot first mentality led them to a 4-for-7 night with the man advantage Thursday.  

Give the Seattle coach's credit for making some subtle changes to the lineup for the Thursday rematch with the Chiefs.  Obviously getting a few more bodies into the lineup helped.  But Matt O'Dette and his crew moved Jared Davidson off the first line and put him on the second line.  He responded with a four point night with a goal and three assists.  Moving him off the first line didn't hurt that line's production though as the Reid Schaefer-Henrik Rybinski-Sam Popowich combo compiled three points with a goal and a pair of assists.

The other change was on the power play.  Most significantly they parked the 6'8" frame of Matt Rempe in front of the net and he was able to deflect a couple shots into the back of the net. But as Rempe said after the game, the biggest change was going from quality of shots to quantity of shots and being more of a shooting power play.

Will the power play stay that way?  especially when Jordan Gustafson, Conner Roulette and Lukas Svejkovsky return to the lineup? I don't know yet.  The T-birds weren't awarded any power plays in the game the next night down in Portland. The refs had put their whistles in their pockets the first half of that game.  And that's fine.  Let them play.  But then, that's where they should have left those whistles, because the calls they did make over the second half of the game were head scratching, one-sided and in most instances, flat out wrong.  

How Portland wasn't assessed a penalty for steamrolling over Thomas Milic is maybe the greatest miscarriage of justice I've seen in a hockey game in a number of years.  Well, except for maybe the cross checking call that was assessed on the same play to the T-birds Sam Knazko. Things that make you go whaaaaaaat?

And should it have been a penatly shot in the third period?  I don't know.  Those are so subjective.  I'm not sure it was a clear breakaway. But late in a 0-0 game do you want the outcome decided on a penalty shot that wasn't a clear cut, obvious call?  In Tuesday's loss to Spokane, Seattle had two breakaway chances that ended with a Spokane penalty, but neither time was Seattle awarded a penalty shot.  Consistency, that's all we're asking for. Consistency.

Despite that loss in Portland, I still loved the effort from the team in that game.  Seattle was playing their third game in four days and doing so with three of their top five scorers out of the lineup.  They had just played in Spokane less then 24-hours before. They spent 16-hours on the bus waiting for Snoqualmie Pass to open. It was an early start in Portland against a rested Winterhawks squad that hadn't played in four days and basically spent the entire month of December playing home games.  The T-birds buckled down and almost were able to grind this one out.  

The loss overshadowed the play of Milic in goal.  It may have been his best game as a T-bird.  I'm guessing he wasn't happy with how he played in the loss Tuesday at home to Spokane where he was pulled after giving up four goals.  Just a terrific job of putting that game behind him and refocusing his effort against the Winterhawks.  He was the best player on the ice.  He deserved better for his effort. As Head Coach Matt O'Dette said after the game, the whole team deserved better.

Let's hope Seattle gets those players missing from action back in the lineup soon.  That's a whole line of NHL drafted guys, and one soon to be NHL drafted guy, sidelined. I'm excited to see what this team can do the second half of the season if/when everyone comes back. You could argue Seattle played too much a price for a half season of a 20 year old player in Svejkovsky,but Seattle had a couple of extra first rounders, why not use one to make your already good team better?  

Remember, this is Rybinski's final season in the WHL. Let's not waste these final 4-5 month of his time in the league.  He's having an incredible season thus far. Now you have two of the best 20 year old forwards in the league.  Bringing in Svejkovsky improves the depth of an already deep forward group. I'm curious to see how O'Dette and his staff put their lines together now.  Does Svejkovsky automatically slot onto the top line?  Who gets bumped down?  All of a sudden, Seattle's third line is as good as many other team's first lines.  

When the T-birds acquired Svejkovsky, they had to trade away a 20-year old to get down to the league limit of three per roster.  Unfortunately Eric Van Impe was the odd man out. But give Bil LaForge and his scouts credit for the deal that brought back 19-year-old Chase Lacombe.  Seattle did their homework. It's only been two games but from what I've seen, Lacombe is just a,one year younger, version of Van Impe.  Maybe not as big but perhaps a little more physical.  That's a good value trade. Not every trade acquisition has to be a home run.  a solid double works too.  

I still wonder, with the loss of Ty Bauer long term, if Seattle might need to bring in another veteran WHL d-man.  We'll find out in just over two weeks.  The WHL trade deadline is January 17th.

My T-birds Three Stars of the Week:

Third Star:  The Young Guns!  While we play for the present, we've gotten a little glimpse of the future and the future looks bright!  Because of many different factors Seattle has had to dress a lot of young players recently. Seattle deployed as many as six, 16-year olds and one 15-year old over the last seven games. The 15 year old was 2020 first round pick Tij Iginla and he already has his first WHL point. 

How good was Seattle's 2020 draft?  We've already seen Sam Oremba, Scott Ratzlaff, Sawyer Mynio, Niko Tsakumis and Ethan Mittelsteadt. Now Coster Dunn has made his debut and he is another one of  those mid to late round picks that looks like he will shine as a T-bird, ala Donovan Neuls, Reid Schaefer or Nico Myatovic.   Meanwhile, waiting in the wings is Seattle's 2020 second round pick, Brayden Dube, who's currently lighting it up with the Dauphin Kings in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League.

Second Star: D Jeremy Hanzel.  Four points since returning from the Christmas break, tallying two goals and two assists. If he can continue that pace, maybe Seattle doesn't have to acquire another veteran defenseman before the trade deadline.  He has such a wicked shot and when he gets it on net it's deadly.

First Star: F Jared Davidson. He is now your team leader in scoring with 33 points in 31 games making him a point a game player.  He came ready to play post-Christmas break putting up six points this week (2g, 4a) and is now a +16 on the season.