Plant a Tree and Watch it Grow

In all but two of their games so far this season, the Thunderbirds have gone into the third period within striking distance of a win.  In their last three games they had the lead going into the final twenty minutes.  That's remarkable considering the state of the T-Birds roster much of the first six weeks of the season. 

 They've played a league low 14 games but they've already lost nearly 50 man games to injury. They are carrying nine rookies. Thirteen player, with two or fewer games of WHL playing experience under their belts before the season started, have played in at least one game.

Their top five scorers from last season have moved on.  The four highest returning scorers from last year's team have combined to play just 26 games so far and nearly half of those games (12) belong to Jeremy Hanzel. Jordan Gustafson missed the first dozen. Nico Myatovic played in just four games before he went out with a lower body injury and Gracyn Sawchyn played eight games before his own injury. 

Yet here the T-Birds sit, fourteen games in and are three games above .500. You'd like to make the argument that had Seattle been completely healthy since opening night, that record of 8-5-1-0 might include two or three more wins. They certainly lost a few winnable games recently. And this doesn't factor in the loss of Kevin Korchinski to the NHL when many oddsmakers had him returning to the WHL for one more year.

So to be where they are at a month-plus into the season under those circumstances is a win.  They are still a work in progress. But I would also bet you that the players and the coaches are not safisfied.  They feel their record should be better. They know with or without those missing players, they've left points on the table. 

Their last two losses, before Saturday's home win, are prime examples.  The T-birds had the lead going into the third period at home against Spokane back on November 3rd, and again this past Friday up in Victoria.  This new goup is still learning how to play with a lead. They're still learning how to finish a team they have on the ropes.  Mostly, they are learning to play together as a unit.  

Intigrating that many new faces and finding consistency will take some time. It's not just nine first year players but also five players acquired in trades near the start of the season are also learning how to play the Thunderbirds way. And when four or five or your returning players aren't available, the learning curve rises.

One thing we know is, as the T-Birds hunt for one of the eight playoff spots in the Western Conference, the the future is on display. 

Brayden Holberton didn't make the team out of training camp. He did play a couple of games as a call up when Seattle's bench was short.  Those two auditions helped earned him a full-time roster spot. What I think the organization likes about him is his "teachability". He seems eager to be coached up and get better. That's why he is here, because the organization believes by being around the team everyday they can speed up his development.  Like most young players, his skating will need to improve but he's just 16 years old and listed at 6'4", 182.  He'll definitely get bigger and stronger. To think Seattle got him in the tenth round.

While this season plays out, think about the roster Seattle will have in a few years.We've already seen many of them debut this past month.  It's not just a good list, but it is a deep list: Players currently age 17 and under: Davidson, Pickford, Lovsin, Parmar, Michnik, Cootes, Mathies, Hartmann, Martorana, Holberton, Potter, Popil, Gerrior, Bagley, Rudolph and Dikur. Will all those players pan out? Maybe not. Does it guarentee a championship down the road? No, but it's a solid foundation.

After Seattle won in 2017 I was told by an outsider it would be a long while before the Thunderbirds ever sniffed a title again.  They were back at the top in six years.  After they won it all last spring I was told it would be years of misery ahead.  I dunno. I think I'm betting on Seattle to climb back up.  

After playing a league low 14 games over the first six weeks Seattle has started a stretch in which they will play nine times in 16 days. Buckle up!

My T-Birds Three Stars for the Weekend:

Third Star: W Antonio Martorana. In his first fourteen games with the T-Birds, the 2022 4th round draft pick has accumulated eleven points (7g, 4a).   This weekend he picked up a goal and two assists. His goal Saturday stood as the game winner, the first of his WHL career.  No other 2007 born WHL rookie has more goals right now than Marty.

Second Star: W Eric Alarie. Alarie scored a goal in each game against Victoria and finished the weekend with four points (2g, 2a) and was +3.  With their top five scorers from last season gone, Seattle acquired Alarie in early October to help fill the void.  He is starting to deliver with points in three straight games.

First Star: D Jeremy Hanzel.  We saw late last season and into the playoffs that Hanzel is a dangerous offensive weapon when he gets his shot dialed in.  It's taken a month this season but he's getting that one time more and more on target.  It lead to two goals Saturday. He actually got one through the goalie Friday in Victoria but unfortunately it landed in the crease behind the netminder and not in the back of the net. With Korchinski most assuredly not coming back, Hanzel is getting the opportunity to run the power play.  He looks like a natural.