Now that the 2023 WHL trade deadline has come and gone, the rosters are now set for the rest of the season. Where does this leave the Thunderbirds with their latest player editions? And how soon can they, along with the returning World Junior players, gel with 29 games left in the regular season?
Since the team last played at home on New Year's Eve, they've added some high end talent to the equation. Brad Lambert, an NHL first round pick of the Winnipeg Jets, is now a Thunderbird. We saw his impact immediately as he recorded a goal and an assist in his first two games. He did that with essentially no practice time with his new teammates. He had one short morning skate before the game in Prince Albert, that was it.
Seattle also added Colton Dach into the fold. He comes to the Thunderbirds via the Kelowna Rockets. Dach, a second round pick of the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks, will not make his Thunderbirds debut for a while. He is out until late February/early March after suffering an upper body injury with Team Canada at the World Junior Championships.
You might be wondering about Dylan Guenther. Seattle acquired his rights from the Edmonton Oil Kings just before the deadline clock expired. Guenther is currently playing in the NHL with the Arizona Coyotes, who selected him in the first round of the 2021 NHL Draft. The Coyotes say they have no intention of returning him to the WHL. It was a shot in the dark deal by Seattle G.M. Bil LaForge but on the oft chance the Coyotes change their mind, the only place they can send him is Kent.
As I understand it, the date to keep an eye on his February 10th. It's the last chance for NHL teams to send players back to Juniors. It was a gamble worth taking if you're the Thunderbirds. Do you just want to have a winning record and be competitive, or do you want to win a championship and a Memorial Cup? There are windows of opportunity in the WHL/CHL. If you do it right you can realistically be in that Championship window every three to four seasons. Doing it right means drafting, recruiting, signing, developing and yes, trading smartly.
That window is wide open now for the Thunderbirds. Even before the trade deadline this was a team built for this season. They're going to lose Jared Davidson, Luke Prokop and Kyle Crnkovic for sure. Most likely Reid Schaefer is playing in the AHL next season. The same is true of Lucas Ciona and Nolan Allan. Goaltender Thomas Milic could get drafted and/or signed this summer and be playing pro next year at age 20.
Before the deadline Seattle had eight players who would be 20 year olds next season. They now have ten and possibly eleven. They can only keep three for next year's roster. And while you would expect Kevin Korchinski to be back with the Thunderbirds next season, that is up to the Chicago Blackhawks and not the T-Birds. Could Chicago keep him up in the NHL next season? They certainly could. That window open now could close quickly. This is why LaForge has gone all in and to be honest if your goal is to win Championships, he had no choice.
The argument many will make is LaForge sacrificed way too much of the future. Seattle dealt away a boatload of high draft picks leaving the cupboard nearly empty for the next few WHL Prospects Drafts. You have to ask yourself though, are you satisfied with finishing second or third every season, or would you sacrifice one or two down years for a legitimate Cup run every three to four years? Sure, there's no guarentee but nothing ventured, nothing gained.
And here's the thing, the organization believes in their ability to find gems in the later rounds of the draft ala Schaefer and Nico Myatovic, to name a few. No doubt too, at some point they'll probably be sellers, trading off top talent to refill the cupboard with high draft picks as they did in 2019-20.
They also believe in the young players they've recently acquired to keep the team competitive beyond this season. It starts with 17 year old Gracyn Sawchyn but inlcudes Scott Ratzlaff, Sawyer Mynio and Coster Dunn. Meanwhile, the top four picks from the 2021 draft are all signed. Three of them, Tij Iginla, Hyde Davidson and Bryce Pickford, are nightly contributors this season as 16-year olds. A fourth, Simon Lovsin would be playing here this season if the roster weren't so deep. Goalie Spencer Michnik is 2-0 in limited call up duty.
Seattle had three of the top 38 selections in the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft as well and they've signed them all. You can deal away future top picks if you believe in the likes of Braeden Cootes, Kaleb Hartmann and Kazden Mathies. They've signed their fourth round pick from that draft too, Antonio Martorana. Seattle also has the rights to Sawchyn' younger brother Luke, though he is not signed yet.
That's potentially 14 players in their 17 year old season or younger, to keep this team competitive the next couple of years beyond this season and that can be supplemented by the Import Draft and the U.S. Prospects Draft.
So let's not worry about the future right now. Let's focus on the present. Seattle's coaching staff needs to bring all this talent they now have together. Seattle got through the six-game road trip at 3-3 with players coming and going. I was there to see first hand this team was not at one hundred percent. Players were playing despite being under the weather. They dealt with injuries, suspensions and a lot of time on the bus.
For the vast majority of these players, this was their first ever long, grinding prairie trip with six games in nine nights against unfamiliar opponents. It was six different hotels over the course of the trip and very little practice time. Jared Davidson might be the only player on the current roster who previously made that six game swing through Saskatchewan and Manitoba. You don't think that trip is taxing, even to the most talented teams? Portland, a pretty good club in their own right, went east as the same time as Seattle and went 2-4.
The task now is to reintegrate the four playerss who were away for a month with Team Canada at World Juniors, back into the fold. After the game in Saskatoon, Seattle sent those four players home for some well needed rest and relaxation. I'm guessing they were playing some of those prairie games on fumes. Additionally, they have to get Lambert up to speed on their systems. They'll eventually have to do the same with Dach and, if he comes, Guenther. Having all the right ingredients doesn't mean a thing if the cake doesn't rise.
Scott Ratzlaff could probably use a little breather too. With Milic away he started nine of eleven games. Even when Milic returned, Ratzlaff still started four of six against the Eastern Division. Injuries and suspension had the T-Birds playing undermanned in the last three games of the trip and using young defensemen as fowards. They were still competitive every night.
Knock on wood Jordan Gustafson isn't out of the lineup too long. He's been quietly having a strong campaign, playing a strong 200 foot game.
My T-Birds Three Stars for the Eastern Road Trip:
Third Star: C/W Gracyn Sawchyn. He only had four points (2g, 2a) on the trip but I like his compete level. He's becoming a net front presence the Thunderbirds really need and he really stands out with his play along the wall. A bit snake bitten because he was around the net quite often on the trip with a chance for a few more goals.
Second Star: C Jared Davidson. Davey had seven points in the six games (2g, 5a). You need consistency from your veterans, especially with other top players in and out of the lineup, and that's what you get from this 20 year old.
First Star: G Thomas Milic. The fact that Milic played at all on the trip, and then played so well, is a testament to his always compete mindset. Coming off backstopping Canada to gold at the World Juniors, he played in three games on the trip, starting two. He went 2-0 with a 1.95 GAA and a SVPCT of .935.
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