With a 6-5 shootout win over Everett Saturday in Kennewick, the 2022 preseason has come to an end for the Thunderbirds. Next up, the regular season which begins Friday on the road with a game in Langley against the Vancouver Giants.
Seattle finished the preseason with a 4-0 record. they won via a shutout. They won be coming from behind. They were winners in overtime and they won with a shootout. They relied heavily on their youth, particularly in the last game where four of the five regulation goals were scored by players going into their 17 year old seasons, including a pair of rookies. Four of their goals against Everett came from players who were not on the roster fulltime a season ago.
They were able to win all four games without taxing any of their goalies. All four signed goalies got a start, played the distance and got a win. At no point did the Thunderbirds dress more than one 20 year old during the preseason schedule. As a result younger players like Coster Dunn, Gracyn Sawchyn and Sawyer Mynio were able to step up and shine through.
They accomplished that unblemished preseason record with a young defensive corps. The oldest d-man on the roster, 19 year old Jeremy Hanzel, played in just one of the four games. The Thunderbirds played the preseason with a blueline group consisting primarily of 16 and 17 year olds.
With many of their most potent offensive weapons resting or away at NHL camps, the T-birds still scored five goals per game. Again, winning in the preseason doesn't mean a heck of a whole lot, except winning is a habit coaches want to instill in their players and the preseason is a good place to start the process.
And now we wait. We wait not just for the regular season to get going or for that home opener the following week, but we also wait for the answers to a number of burning questions. First and foremost, the status of Brad Lambert.
As you know, at the end of June General Manager Bil Laforge sent a number of draft picks, including a conditional 2023 first rounder, to the Saskatoon Blades to acquire Lamberts rights. Then in July, Lambert was drafted in the first round by the NHL's Winnipeg Jets. He is currently in their training camp.
Lambert does have options. He played pro hockey last season in Finland and could return there, although he has not signed a contract with any of the Finnish teams. He could have a terrific camp with the Jets and make their roster and play in the NHL. He's also eligible for the American Hockey League, so a spot on the roster of the Manitoba Moose is a possibility. Playing in Kent with the Thunderbirds is the fourth option.
An official with the Jets made a comment after the NHL Draft this summer, that seemed to indicate their preference would be that Lambert come play for the Thunderbirds. But that was two months ago. Things certainly could have changed in the interim. We'll see. If he eventually does make his way to Kent, don't be surprised if Lambert sticks around Winnipeg for a while first, either with the Jets or with the AHL club, the Moose. All of it is out of the Thunderbirds control.
What happens if Lambert doesn't end up with the T-birds? Well that leaves the team with an open Import slot (maybe Sam Knazko comes back as a 20 year old?) and the conditional 2023 first round draft pick reverts back to the Thunderbirds and they have plenty of ammunition to go make a trade for a high end forward at the January 2023 WHL trade deadline. Either way, I see it as a win-win situation for Seattle.
Another question that needs answering is how long do NHL clubs hold on to recently drafted T-birds? For instance, do the Chicago Blackhawks or Edmonton Oilers give extended looks to Kevin Korchinski and Reid Schaefer? I woud suspect both those clubs want to see those players, each a first round draft pick, participate in at least one NHL preseason game.
Meanwhile Seattle currently has just two 20 year olds listed on their roster. They came into training camp with just one, Jared Davidson, then traded Conner Roulette to Saskatoon for 20 year old Kyle Crnkovic. Assuming Davidson is back soon from NHL training camp with the Montreal Canadians (he's unsigned, so no reason to think he won't be, knock on wood) that still leaves a spot on the roster for one more 20 year old.
My guess is the Thunderbirds are in a holding pattern with that third 20 year old spot, in the off chance that either Ty Bauer or Matt Rempe are returned by their respective NHL teams. Both Bauer and Rempe are signed and thus eligible for either the AHL or the ECHL, but you never know. Back in 2017 Seattle wasn't anticipating the New York Rangers returning signed 20 year old Ryan Gropp to Kent, but they did and Gropp helped the T-birds capture the Chynoweth Cup that season.
What if both are returned? Then Seattle has a problem, a good problem, but still a problem as they would have too many 20 year olds. Should that happend, they most likely facilitate a trade of one of those players and recoup some draft capital. The fact Seattle traded for Crnkovic makes me think the T-birds aren't counting on those players being returned. At least not both of them.
If neither are returned then what? How long does Laforge roll with just two 20 year olds in the lineup? I think he feels confident in his roster that he can wait out the situation. Once he's fairly confident that neither Bauer or Rempe are coming back, I believe he'll look for someone to fill that last spot. There will be a few options as more than one WHL team is currently carrying more than three 20 year olds.
The only question is whether the T-birds trade to fill that last overage spot or claim someone off waivers. But in the end I think they'll want three overagers because when you have a team built for a long playoff run, you want that veteran leadership both on and off the ice.
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