Bantam Draft Day

The draft has already started... and the Tbirds are up in two picks after Everett. I'll try to update this as the day goes along.

With their first 1st round selection the Tbirds have selected Dante Fabbro. Fabbro is a former teammate of Mathew Barzal and I don't think that's truly a coincidence. Fabbro is 6'0" and about 170 lbs. He's an offensive defensemen and was the captain of the Burnaby Winter Club.

Here are some links on Fabbro:

http://www.whl.ca/article/2013-whl-draft-profile-dante-fabbro
http://westernelitehockeyprospects.com/bantam-prospects/western-elite-hockey-prospects-release-top-10-player-rankings.html
https://twitter.com/17Fabbro

Seattle picks again at #22 and #27

At #22, Seattle selects Center Kaden Elder. Elder is 5'10" and 160 lbs. Played for the Notre Dame Hounds. He appears to be a right hand shot and it touted as a good two way player. I like hearing us select guys that have intangibles. For years we've heard about Seattle taking guys with "upside" and "size". Maybe Elder is finally the guy I've been hoping for who has great work ethic combined with some good skill and hockey sense. It appears to me as though he was the captain of the Notre Dame club but I can't confirm that. That would make two captains Seattle has selected in the first round. Now appears to me that the pick before Dillon Dube was the captain but Elder might have served as Captain at times.

Links for Elder:
http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=247880
http://westernelitehockeyprospects.com/news-by-region/alberta/wehp-announce-provincial-award-winners.html
https://twitter.com/KELDER_11
http://hockeynow.ca/posts/42956-notre-dame-hounds-bantam-team-leads-midget-standings

Ar #27, Seattle selects Nolan Volcan, 5'6.5" Left Wing from Edmonton. This is a departure of sorts for the organization as they select a player on the small side and quite frankly I'm fine with that. In fact, I'm excited for it. The last few years have proven that you don't have to be 6'2" and above to dominate in the WHL. You need speed, skill and hockey sense. Playing for Edmonton MLAC Bantam AAA last season he amassed 40 Goals and 36 Assists for 76 Points.

This nugget directly from the team: Marty Volcan, father of Nolan Volcan, played with the Seattle Breakers in 1983-84
Links for Volcan:
https://twitter.com/n_volcan20
http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=153134
http://www.edmontonsun.com/2012/12/09/steel-and-benson-a-dynamic-duo

In the 5th round Seattle selects Brandon Schuldhaus. Schuldhaus is listed at 6'0" and 166 lbs which is much different from his Elite Prosepects profile that lists him at 5'9" and 175. So I don't know. I would assume the 6'0" is probably more accurate. He's a left handed shot defensemen from Bearspaw, AB and played for Airdrie Bantam last year.

Links for Schuldhaus:
http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=157265
https://twitter.com/BSchuldhaus3
http://www.airdrieecho.com/2012/09/05/shuldhaus-sizzles-at-tie-dye-game

In the 6th round, Seattle selects Jagger Williamson, Right Wing from Lumby, BC. He played last season for Vernon Tier 1 and checks in at 5'7" and 150 lbs.

Couple of links on Williamson:
https://twitter.com/jags_williamson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-v7yjDW8vM
http://www.vernonmorningstar.com/sports/119878769.html

That will be it for me today. I have some things going on... make sure you follow your twitter feed to get some stock quotes from Russ and Colin about the players we select.

Seattle announces the signing of Mathew Barzal

At a press conference this morning/afternoon at the WHL Awards presentation, the Thunderbirds have announced the signing of 2012 1st overall Bantam Pick Mathew Barzal.

This is, quite obviously, a huge turning point for the Seattle franchise. Barzal is a once a decade (maybe more) type of talent who will see immediate time on the Power Play and has a very good chance to post significant points in his 16 year old season.

From what I saw during training camp... Barzal is exceptionally gifted with vision and hands for a player his age. He isn't the dynamic scorer that you would associate with someone like Ovechkin but he has a good shot and will score his fair share of goals (and possibly more as he matures). He's a player that has a very good chance of playing only 2 seasons in Seattle, being selected in the 2015 NHL draft and never seeing the WHL again.

Beyond having Barzal playing in Seattle next season, his presence also could create a domino effect whereby players like Ryan Gropp and Dylan Gambrell might come to Seattle simply for the opportunity to play with Barzal.

Nothing is guaranteed. Barzal isn't guaranteed to be a superstar any more than any player is guaranteed anything but... I will say this... Barzal is more talented than any draft pick Seattle has had in a very long time. Remember how excited everyone was when Thomas Hickey burst onto the scene as a 15 year old? Barzal has a chance to be better and more special than that.

Let's not hand the championship trophy to the Tbirds quite yet... but this is a major step in the right direction for the franchise.

Is it September yet?

Game 7 Thread - Seattle at Kelowna

Too scared to write anything... Have at it.

Game 6 Thread - Kelowna at Seattle - Do or Die

Very short update for today because I won't actually be able to be at the game tonight. I have a couple playoff games of my own... sucks... but that's the breaks.

A few things to look for tonight:

• Connor Honey was suspended for three games for his hit in Game 4. I didn't like the call and I don't like the suspension but there is no sense in Seattle dwelling on it. I hope every player realizes that to a certain extent it really is them against everyone else in the league. If I were Russ Farwell, I would have whipped out my checkbook and had a few choice words for the league... and not in private... to the media.
• Watch for the team that is the aggressor tonight. It has appeared to me that Seattle got under Kelowna's skin in Games 1-3 and Kelowna was able to turn the tables on them in Games 4 and 5. The team that can push the edge without getting penalties is probably the team that wins tonight. Seattle has got to be aggressive and risk everything without sitting in the box 6 or 7 times tonight.
• Crowd is expected to be close to 5000 again tonight. For a weeknight playoff game... that's an amazing number. Seattle will want to do some hitting (and goal scoring) early in the game to get the crowd going. If they can do that... they may not look back.
• I wish I could say differently... but I think if Seattle loses this game they are dead in the water. I wouldn't want to going back to Kelowna having just blown a 3 game lead facing a 108 point club in their home building for a Game 7. It's win tonight or face extremely long odds tomorrow night.

Let's Go Birds!!

Game 5 Thread - Seattle at Kelowna

Seattle had a chance to close things out at home on Wednesday night and simply couldn't get it done.

They looked tired... both physically and emotionally and they allowed Kelowna to be the aggressors. They spent far too much time worrying about officials and not enough time worrying about keeping their composure and keeping Kelowna's PP from attacking.

The good news is that the Tbirds played pretty poorly on Wednesday night and Kelowna didn't exactly blow their doors off. Now the Rockets have two more injuries to deal with but have momentum on their side and the home crowd behind them.

Connor Honey is out until further notice as he has been suspended by the league for the hit that has knocked MacKenzie Johnston out for the remainder of the playoffs. I thought the hit was too aggressive and probably warranted a penalty for Charging but I thought where he hit Johnston got a lot of shoulder and drove Johnston's opposite shoulder into the boards (hence the dislocated shoulder). So I'm not sure that I agree with the leagues assessment here.

You never want to see players get hurt and you feel for Johnston who will be out 6-8 weeks... but the punishment shouldn't be based on the outcome, it should be based on the action and I just didn't think the action was very different from what we see happened in hockey in general and certainly in playoff games where the intensity and the checking/hitting is more intense.

So Seattle has that to deal with and they'll attempt to close out the series up in Kelowna where the Tbirds have had a ton of success over the years but haven't had success closing out a playoff series.

If they can regain their energy and intensity and get back to the trapping, mucking style that slowed the Rockets down in the first 3 games AND stay out of the penalty box, they should have an excellent shot to close out the series tonight against all reasonable expectations.

Game 4 Thread, Kelowna at Seattle: Close Out Edition

Confidence is a dangerous drug. It's a drug the Tbirds are cresting on right now. Kelowna come out firing last night and for about 10 minutes it appeared as though they would be returning to their Regular Season form. Roberts Lipsbergs pushed home a rebound and in a flash the tables turned back in the favor of the home team.

Seattle is now one game away from pulling off one of the more improbably upsets in team history and easily the biggest series upset since the 2002 playoff series against the Portland Winterhawks.  That series saw the 4th place US Division Tbirds beat the US Division Champion Winterhawks in Game 7 in Portland 3-2.  Seattle went 21-40-11 that year, earning 53 points while the Winterhawks were 36-25-11 (83 points).

Statistically this upset would be far bigger. Seattle earned only 58 points this year while the Rockets came into this game with a franchise record 52 wins (108 points, 2nd in franchise history). I'm a math wizard, so I can tell you that's a difference of 50 points in the standings and 50 is bigger than 30.

However... let's not get ahead of ourselves here. There is still one win to grab and anything can happen. If Kelowna has finally lifted the weight from their shoulders by being down 3 games to 0 they could come out firing on all cylinders tonight. Should they win tonight, they would have some momentum going back home on Saturday. Win that game.... and things could start to snowball a little bit. There is a reason why Yogi said "It ain't over, 'til it's over" and clearly the best route to the 2nd round for Seattle is to take care of business tonight at home and not give Kelowna any reason to gain any momentum.

Again... I don't want to get too far ahead of myself, so let's continue to call this a possibility. IF Seattle can win the series and should the Winterhawks defeat the Silvertips in their playoff series (currently tied a 1, Game 3 tonight) it would put together an extremely interesting Seattle/Portland 2nd round match-up.

Other random thoughts from the game.

• Evan Wardley "The Wardog" was the obvious hero last night with the overtime winner but the shot would have never been possible if not for a nifty move by Shea Theodore. He turned around the Kelowna forward two different times to keep the puck in the zone and dish it over to Wardley for the shot. Seattle needed Theodore to elevate his game and he has most certainly done that. His offense will usually be there but he is also taking much better angles on defense and even throwing his body around a little. I would have to imagine that scouts are taking notice.
• Brandon Glover struggled a little early in the game and especially after giving up two goals seemed to really fight the puck. Give him and the team credit though... they buckled down in the 2nd period and allowed Glover to reset things mentally and by the 3rd period he was really dialed in. Shots were sticking in his pads and he was able to come up with a couple of huge saves that could have turned the game in the favor of the Rockets.
• Biggest reason Seattle has been able to win these three games... they've mucked things up defensively on Kelowna and not allowed them to get any kind of rhythm offensively. Kelowna is supposed to be a much faster team and Seattle just hasn't allowed it to happen. They've also been excellent on special teams and bodies are flying to the shooting lanes to block shots. They're buying in... and Coach Konowalchuk should get a lot of credit for that.
• Yes, the Season Ticket Holder of the night had a familiar name. I don't like being on camera.

Game 4 is tonight.  Don't expect the same kind of crowd as last night as it appears to me that several thousand tickets are still remaining for the game tonight. Those that are going, be loud and proud and let's hope this team can wrap things up tonight.

Game 3 - Kelowna at Seattle, White Out Edition

March 25th, 2009. That's the last time we saw playoff hockey in the Showare Center. That Tuesday night game drew a crowd of 2872 that saw the Tbirds lose to the Spokane Chiefs 3-2. NHL players Brenden Dillon, Jim O'Brien and Thomas Hickey played for the Tbirds while Tyler Johnson scored a goal for the Chiefs.

Thunderbird fans have waited just a day over 4 years to see a home playoff game again and I have a feeling everyone is going to be ready to pop tonight.

The players have asked fans to WHITE OUT the building. Wear white.  I don't even have a white jersey but I'll find a white t-shirt just to support the effort. I can't bring myself to wear my white Hockey Challenge jersey. That just feels a little too pretentious.  Wear white tonight. Tell your friends to wear white.

The team is expecting over 5500 for the game tonight and the game may approach capacity. The atmosphere is likely to be awesome. I can't wait.

Seattle has dictated the pace of play in both of the first two games of the series and they've frustrated Kelowna at every turn. That's the good news.  The bad news is that I can't imagine Seattle playing a whole lot better and it took overtime to win both games.

Make no mistake... Seattle has put themselves in a position to win the series but the margin of error has remained very small. They have to fore-check with a purpose, they have to stay simple in the defensive zone to minimize mistakes and they have to continue to have Brandon Glover make all the saves that he should reasonably make.  Kelowna is frustrated and I would expect them to come out fired up... but I also expected that in Game 2 and it didn't really happen.  If Seattle gets a lead... I will be very curious to see how Kelowna responds. At some point, you get so frustrated you either go nuts or you give up.

It will be equally interesting to see how Seattle responds to some adversity (if it happens). If Kelowna goes up by a goal or two (or three) will Seattle be able to remain confident and loose or will they tighten up knowing they are just two games away from pulling off a stunning upset.

I know one thing for sure... tonight is going to be fun. Wear White. WHITE OUT!

Seattle at Kelowna, Game 2 Thread

Last night was glorious. But it was also just one game and there are 15 more to go to win the WHL Championship (hey we can dream right?).

I think Regan Bartel hit the nail on the had in his blog post today by saying that Seattle looked like a team playing with nothing to lose and Kelowna played like a team that was bit nervous and knew they were "supposed" to win.  The bad news is that I don't think Seattle can play a lot better and Kelowna probably can't play a whole lot worse and it took over 79 minutes for the Tbirds to win by a goal.

That doesn't mean they can't pull off a shocker here. Confidence is a dangerous drug and as long as the Tbirds continue to play like they have nothing to lose, anything can truly happen. How the game evolves tonight will probably be critical to the rest of the series. If Kelowna finds their game and just buries Seattle by 4 goals or more... this thing could turn bad quickly. On the other hand, if Seattle wins (obviously) or even if they lose by a close margin, this series could be in for 6 or 7 games.

I didn't like all the penalties Seattle took last night but I do like the edge they are playing with. Especially Shea Theodore. If your teammates can pick you up and kill off a few penalties that edge is going to help his overall game a ton. However, Seattle probably can't survive too many games where Kelowna has 6 Power Plays and Seattle only has 2.

Brandon Glover can't afford to have a bad night.  He didn't see as much action as Kelowna's Jordon Cooke but he made plenty of important stops. As I stated above, I don't think Seattle can afford to get their doors blown off in any of these games and making sure they don't give up soft goals will be critical.

Mitch Elliot once again proved last night that he's probably the best fighter in the league. All apologies to Jacob Doty but I think I'd probably take Elliot in a head to head match-up.

Nobody really thinks Seattle has a chance to win this series (myself included) but tonight will probably set the stage for the entire series.

Seattle at Kelowna, Game 1, Series Prediction

Playoffs!

Here is a game thread for everyone to complain about things when the team loses or rejoice when the team pulls off a big Game 1 upset.

Let's talk about the series a little bit and get to my prediction.

Seattle comes into the series playing their best hockey of the season and Kelowna comes into play losing their Captain Colton Sissons for this series and possibly the entire playoffs.

Losing Sissons is a blow to Kelowna's chances at winning the WHL Championship but I don't think it's something that will bother them too much in this series.

Kelowna has an excellent Power Play that checks in at 4th in the WHL, converting at a rate of 22.2%. Ryan Olsen leads the way with 15 PP goals, with Sissons and Tyson Baillie checking in with 7 each before Myles Bell, Damon Severson and JT Barnett with 6 each.

However, they don't rely on the Power Play to generate offense. Their stats are littered with players in the double digits for Plus/Minus. +46, +20, +55!, +43... and the list goes on and on. This team was prolific on offense and they excelled in 5 on 5 play as well as the Power Play.  We can all agree that Portland had/has an excellent offense, right?  Kelowna scored just 25 fewer goals in 72 games... a difference of less than a half a goal per game.

They were also excellent on the Penalty Kill, checking in at 5th in the WHL at a kill rate of 83.9% and they scored 13 short handed goals, 6 of them coming from Dylan McKinlay. They do give up a decent number of chances though with 323 chances in 72 games (4.49 per game) and Seattle will have to capitalize on their chances should they arise.

If Kelowna has any statistical weakness... they've surrendered 11 shorthanded goals while Luke Lockhart led the league in shorthanded goals with 7.

So here is how I see it...

Even as Seattle played better down the stretch... they were still surrendering plenty of goals. 6 and 8 to Portland, 3 to Tri-City and 4 to Everett.  I think Seattle will be able to score some goals on Kelowna but I don't think they'll be able to slow down the Rockets offense very much with a (still) young defensive core.

Massey Ratings has Kelowna as the 2nd best team in the league behind the Portland Cheaterhawks. 2nd in offense, 4th in defense and their schedule was roughly the same as Portland's with the U.S. Division being rated slightly better than the B.C. Division.

Seattle will win a game or possibly two. They'll win a home game and they may even steal a game on the road but I'm going to go with my gut (and head) and say Kelowna in 5.

Final Shot at Portland

Seattle gets one final shot at Portland tonight and they'll have Brandon Glover and Evan Wardley back in the lineup after serving their two game suspensions.

I don't have much to offer about last night's game. I thought Seattle played pretty well and the shorthanded goal by Portland to start the 3rd period just kind of broke things open. I would suggest going HERE and getting Andy's recap of the game for more details.

I was happy with the added fight that Seattle showed to end the game. Obviously, you don't ever "want" to lose but you want to lose like they have been doing lately with some grit and toughness. That doesn't mean you have to start a dozen fights just for the sake of fighting but if other teams are running up the score on you and doing things you don't like... you're supposed to fight back. They're going to have to play that way to have any chance in the playoffs. They can't let teams do whatever they want without an answer.

The game tonight should be interesting but I have a feeling that both teams will tone down the fighting to a certain degree. Nobody wants to get any kind of suspensions going into the playoffs. So while I might expect fireworks... I'm actually thinking things will be a bit toned down.

Danny Mumaugh has improved a ton and while I thought the 5th goal he gave up was a bit soft, I'm far more confident in his ability to be the backup next season than I was in December. If he can continue this learning curve, he should eventually be a fine WHL goaltender.

This might not actually be the final shot at Portland this season but we're all kind of hoping that Seattle can sew up the 7th seed and face Kelowna instead of Portland.  Funny to me that the announcers (Ian and Kevin) seems to dance around the subject without actually saying it... but I think it should be pretty clear that Seattle wants to avoid Portland in the first round. By no means is that a shot at Kelowna... the Rockets are an excellent team and Seattle will have plenty of trouble playing against them... but let's be real here... you're always going to try to avoid the team with the best record in the entire league.