Sitting here Saturday morning and it's rather strange to have just one game on the final weekend of the regular season and it's already out of the way. Of course, these final four games the T-birds played were either make up dates for games postponed earlier in the season, or a game pushed back a week from its original date.
Either way it will be nice to have a little time off before the second season arrives, because once the playoffs are here, those postseason games come at you fast and furious. Had these past four games been playoff games, I think we would have seen everyone dressed and in the lineup. Even Ryan Gottried, who missed the last ten games with an injury to his foot. To get him the extra rest means he'll be that much closer to 100-percent come Game One of the opening round series against Kelowna.
You know those financial services ads that say past performance is not indicative of future earnings, or something to that affect? Well, that doesn't hold up when you talk about a Seattle vs. Kelowna playoff series. No matter the round, these two teams always seem to go the distance or close to it. You should just expect the series to go the full seven games. The T-birds four game sweep of the Rockets in the 2016 Western Conference Final was the exception not the rule. The next spring, they went six games in a physical, knock 'em down, drag 'em out Conference Final.
Who can forget the year Seattle won the first three games in overtime, only to see Kelowna come back to win the final four? Then there was the year Seattle won three times on the road but lost all three at home without scoring a goal on home ice. And what about 2008? The T-birds dropped the first two games at home, then won four of the next five games, including two on the road.
Crazy things happen when these two teams meet in the postseason, so I'm just saying you should expect that again.
The teams met four times this past regular season. The T-birds went 3-1-0-0. From the Rockets perspective, they were 1-2-0-1. All four games were decided by a single goal. Seattle won in a shootout, 2-1 in Kent back on December 7th. A few nights later in Kelowna, the T-birds came from behind in the third for a 5-4 victory.
The two rivals met for a pair of games at the accesso ShoWare Center in the second half of the season. The Rockets prevailed, 4-3 February 27th. Two nights later, Seattle scored two goals in the final minute of play to roar back for a 4-3 win of their own.
The T-birds used both goalies in the regular season series. Thomas Milic was 2-0, while Scott Ratzlaff was 1-1. In the four games Seattle outshot Kelowna 154-101, but Seattle consistently outshot most of their opponents all season, even when not a full strength due to injuries. Of the twelve goals the T-birds allowed to Kelowna, Milic surrendered just four. Both teams were awarded 16-power plays in the four games. the Rockets scored four times, Seattle three.
What do I take from their four game regular season series? Nothing, absolutely nothing. The slate is wiped clean come Friday.
First and foremost, the WHL is a development league. The main purpose is to develop and prepare players for a future as a professional hockey player. Seattle is succeeding in that task. Seven players on the roster are already drafted into the NHL. Three of them have already signed an NHL entry level contract. Three more players are listed by Central Scouting for the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.
There are more coming. We've seen Seattle use six APs, or affiliated players, the second half of the season. Those are players drafted in the last two WHL Prospects Draft but haven't joined the team yet on a fulltime basis. Five of the six have already recorded their first WHL point. Only Hyde Davidson, who played in just one game, the last game of the regular season, did not. The other five combined for 46 games. They scored six goals added three assists and together finished +9. They're knocking on the door. They're ready to bust it down.
My T-birds Three Stars for the 2021-22 regular season:
Third Star: D Kevin Korchinski. He's generating enough buzz now that many draft prognosticators are moving him up their draft lists. In one instance into a top ten position. So, it's not a question of if he'll be drafted, but how high. Terrific skater who rarely makes the wrong decision with the puck. He has great hockey instincts. 61-assists in 67 games. Personally, I wish he'd shoot more, but I said the same thing about a guy named Mat Barzal and things seemed to work out okay for him. And Korchinski is still just 17.
Second Star: C Henrik Rybinski. Twice he had his season interrupted by injury. When he's not on the ice it's noticeable. He's your number one center. He's an energy guy, a tone setter. He plays in all situations. He plays with a near reckless abandon. He also contributes on the stat sheet. Sixty-five points in just 47-games. His 1.38 points per game average was just off the team pace set by both Lukas Svejkovsky and Jared Davidson at 1.39. had he played the full 68-game schedule he was on pace for 94 points.
First Star: C/W Jared Davidson. Davidson is more than just a goal scorer, though he does that very well, leading the team with 42, the most by a T-bird's players in 13-seasons. His goal total this season is more than double his total from his first three seasons combined (19). But like Rybinski, he is a complete player and plays in all situations. Versatile too, as he can play at center and on the wing. He led the team in goals, points and plus/minus and was second in assists. His game keeps improving, so I would expect even more from him in the future. He could very well have done enough to put himself in a position to be drafted this summer by an NHL team.
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