Jackson and Scott get contracts

Wow... good thing I hadn't gotten too far in my season preview since I would have looked stupid putting Greg Scott on line 1.

Scott yesterday signs a 3 year deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs, story can be found here. Big congratulations to Scott on the contract. To those on that outside this might have been a bit of a surprise but for those who have watched up close the improvement of this kid and how hard he works on the ice, you aren't real surprised. Unfortunately, for the Tbirds this is a huge hit to their roster. I do not expect Toronto to leave Scott with the Tbirds for his 20 year old season and this will leave Seattle with no 20 year old players on the roster.

Scott Jackson also signed a 3 year contract yesterday with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Jackson, who used up his WHL eligibility, was set to attend the University of Alberta but will now will likely head to their their AHL affiliate. Story can be found here.

Congrats to both players, who will be missed.

Training Camp only a couple of months away

Things are probably going to change a lot here as the season approaches with possible trades and the players who actually end up making the team... but I'm going to start taking a look at how this team might look going into the start of the season and what line combinations Coach Rob Sumner might be looking at.

Let's start with the Goaltenders because that is an easy one.

Starting Goaltender - Jacob DeSerres, 18 yr old, 3rd season with the team, acquired: 3rd round bantam draft 2005.

Jake will be Goaltender #1 for the Tbirds this season. A 3rd round draft pick of the Flyers in the recent NHL draft DeSerres will finally be given the proverbial "ball" and asked to run with it in 2008-09. As a 16 year old he mostly watched behind veteran Derek Yeomans and last season as a 17 year old shared the top spot with Riku Helenius though was likely considered goalie "1B" in that rotation. Jake will now get the chance to prove he can shoulder the load of 50 or more games and carry a team into the playoffs.

Backup Goaltender - Calvin Pickard, 16 year old, 1st season with the team, acquired: 2nd round bantam draft 2007.

The backup spot is slightly less solid but appears to be Calvin Pickard's job to lose. Pickard was arguably the most impressive goaltender in training camp last year as a 15 year old and it appears the Tbirds are ready to let him play understudy to DeSerres in 08-09. Pickard will likely be chosen for the U-17's in the winter to play for Team Canada Western which could pose a problem for a team that only recently traded for a 3rd listed goaltender.

#3 Goaltender - Kyle Jahraus, 18 year old, 1st season with the team, acquired: via trade with Tri-City

Jahraus is a bit of a wild card in this whole situation. He played in 2 games in relief for the Americans last year as a 17 year old and clearly the Americans had no intention of him backing up Chet Pickard for the upcoming season. Quite honestly... I don't know anything about this kid but I'm guessing Seattle acquired him to push Pickard in training camp for the backup position.

Summary... Expect Seattle to make another minor move for another goaltender and/or re-list Harrison May if he is available as Seattle could have a problem if Pickard goes to U-17's and DeSerres is invited to camp for Team Canada.

Import Draft Part II

Seattle was busy today.

Tbirds traded Josh Lazowski, who did not figure in their plans for 2008-09, to the Red Deer Rebels for Spencer Edwards. Edwards who is 5'10" and 173 will be another 18 year old added to Seattle's roster and last season had 3 goals and 1 assist in 30 games played for the Rebels.

Along with Edwards, Seattle received the Rebels 2nd round pick in the Import Draft and used it to select Ondrej Palat of the Czech Republic. In addition, Seattle officially announced that Jan Eberle would not be returning to the team for the upcoming season and will return to the Czech Republic to play hockey.

Official Tbirds story can be found here.

Import Draft 2008

Little less than an hour ago the Tbirds have selected Swedish Defenseman Stefan Warg who last season played for Vasteras Jr.

Warg is 6'2" tall and 187 lbs. Last week he was selected in the 5th round by the Anaheim Ducks. Last season with the Vasteras Jr. team his stats were: GP: 33 G: 2 A: 4 PTS: 6 PIM: 61

I don't know much about this kid but given G.M. Russ Farwell's MO is to build from the back to the front, this doesn't surprise me at all (assuming he comes over).

News Items from this week

A few notes to throw up from this week as the summer reaches the mid point and we start counting down the days to training camp.

- Tbirds traded 17 year old Zac Ashdown to Prince George for a conditional 4th round bantam pick. Link to the story can be found here. No doubt the condition on the draft pick is whether Ashdown reports to Prince George and then makes the team. My guess is that Ashdown was going to have a very hard time cracking the roster this season and wasn't going to report to Seattle unless he was given a promise that he would make the team.

- Two Tbirds were drafted last Saturday in the NHL entry draft. Jacob DeSerres went in the 3rd round, 84th overall to Philadelphia and Prab Rai was selected by the Vancouver Canucks in the 5th round, 131st overall. DeSerres has the ability and the size to become an NHL starter and a chance to become an All-Star. He is very technically sound and I believe would have been on the same level at Chet Pickard had he been Seattle's only goaltender last year. Jake will take the reigns in 2008-09 and likely run with his first opportunity to be the Tbirds true #1 goalie. Rai being selected in the 5th round was slightly higher than I thought he would be selected, but there is no denying his speed and vision on the ice. In the NHL of today, speed is a skill that is required and Prab certainly has it. He is a good play-maker and only needs to add 30 or 35 goal scoring ability to really become an elite level prospect. If Prab ever posted 30 and 50 I think the Canucks just made a great selection for the 5th round. Story can be found here.

- Seattle aquired a goaltender Kyle Jahraus from Tri-Cities in exchange for a conditional 10th round bantam draft pick. Again... I'm sure the condition is that Jahraus makes Seattle's roster or Tri-Cities gets nothing. Jahraus will be an 18 year old goaltender and played in 2 games last season for the Americans making 22 saves and not allowing a goal (he also added an assist). Seattle only had two goaltenders on their list (I believe) and this move allows Jahraus a chance to compete with Calvin Pickard for the backup goaltending spot if Pickard isn't quite ready and Seattle wants him to spend another whole season playing instead of sitting on the Tbird bench most of the season. Story here.

- Seattle and the WHL announced their Exhibition schedule and again they are only slated for one home game. Tbirds will participate in the Tri-Cities and Everett tournaments along with a home and home series with Portland before starting the season. Story can be found here and the schedule is:

Friday, August 29 vs. Chilliwack at 11:30 at Everett Events Center
Saturday, August 30 vs. Everett at 7 p.m. at Everett Events Center
Sunday, August 31 vs. Portland at 3 p.m. at Everett Events Center
Friday, September 5 at Tri-City at 7:05 p.m. at Toyota Center
Saturday, September 6 vs. Portland at 2 p.m. at Toyota Center
Friday, September 12 at Portland at 7:30 p.m. at Memorial Coliseum
Saturday, September 13 vs. Portland at 7:05 p.m. at Kent Valley Ice Centre

Prospect List

Alan Caldwell has done a lot of legwork putting together a list of prospects for each team in the WHL. Seattle's list is filled with names you will recognize and names you will not. In addition, there are kids who are sure things to come to Seattle and there are kids that probably will never come close to Seattle.

Take a look....

http://smallatlarge.blogspot.com/2008/06/08-09-prospects-seattle.html

Oursov opinion

In case anyone is interested... here is an account from Red Deer camp that mentions their opinion on Oursov.

http://www.albertalocalnews.com/reddeeradvocate/sports/Rebels_prospects_impress.html

Tbirds make a trade

I had to shake myself this morning after not posting anything for some time. I think this is the first time (and might be the last) that I have ever first learned about a Tbird move through the Seattle Times but that is exactly where I found this trade this morning.

Seattle trades 17 year old forward Steve Oursov to Red Deer for 18 year old forward Mike Krgovich.

I'm a little surprised by this trade since Oursov looked decent last year in the 3 games he played with the Tbirds. He spent the rest of the season playing for the Trail Smoke Eaters (still one of the coolest names in sports).

With the 2008-09 season being a big year for the franchise, my guess is this is just a move to get a little bit older and experienced. Krgovich is listed at 6' and 175 lbs and had 4 goals and 3 assists in 63 games last season for Red Deer. He also added 54 PIM's.

Tbirds also picked up a 5th round draft pick in the deal.

IMac signs with Preds

Just announced by the Thunderbirds.... Ian McKenzie has been signed to an entry level contract by the Nashville Predators.

Congratulations to Ian on the contract, we all wish him well.

Website story can be found here.

Draft Coverage...

I'm getting a late start this morning... and Seattle has already selected two players.

Kelowna jumped on the Los Angeles kid in the pick before Seattle, so he will not be joining Brandon Carlson.

Round 1, Pick #15 - The 1st Round selection in the 2008 Bantam Draft #15 overall is Connor Sanvido a Center from Maple Ridge, BC. Sanvido is 5'9" and 165... so he will need to grow (which he probably will). This seems like a steal for the Tbirds at the 15th pick and I love this selection even if the kid doesn't work out. Seattle needs goal scoring and they went out and got a kid who scored 74 goals this year and 67 the year before in AAA Bantam.

Comment from Director of Player Personnel Colin Alexander about Connor Sanvido "He is a dynamic player with prolific scoring ability. His speed makes him a threat whenever he is on the ice.”

Round 2, Pick #36 - With their 2nd Round selection.... Seattle selects Tanner Muth out of Calgary. Muth is 5"11" and 165 and played for the Calgary Royals Bantam AAA team this past season where he had 35 points (8 goals) in 31 games to go along with 65 PIMs. Tanner was also named the "fastest skater" in the Wheatland Classic AAA tournament.

Comment from Alexander on Tanner Muth "Tanner is a good open ice hitter. Confident, puck moving defenseman that comes from the same program that developed Thomas Hickey.

Interesting note that Portland just selected Brayden Holloway from Wapella, SK with the first pick in the 3rd round. Not sure if its a brother or maybe a cousin...

Round 3, Pick #58 - With their 3rd round selection Seattle selects a 6'3", 173 Defensemen Ryan Armbruster from Neudorf, SK. Armbruster played with Brayden Holloway on the Melville Bantam AA Millionaires. He served as one of the Alternate Captains for the team. Here is a crappy video of Armbruster fighting (that's what it says) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yEAut0ZY6A. He had 6 points (2 goals) and 73 PIMs in 26 games for the Millionaires. CORRECTION... if you include games outside of their league schedule, Ryan had 12 points (4 goals) and 194 PIMs in 64 games.

Another interesting note as Calgary takes a Center out of Arlington, Texas.

Also... only 4 goaltenders taken through 3 rounds... which I believe is relatively normal.

Round 4, Pick #67 - This is a pick Seattle got from Portland and is the first of the 4th round and they use it to select Colin Jacobs, Center from Coppell, Texas. Very interesting selecting here by the Tbirds who are obviously hoping for a Home Run with Jacobs. The question with kids south of the border is always whether they will actually report to the team. Jacobs would be a similar selected to the Brandon Carlson selection from a year ago where they have appeared to get 1st round talent in a later round in hopes of convincing the kid to come play in Seattle. Here is an article on Colin. He also played for the Bauer Selects teams in the past. I'll see what more I can dig up on Colin.

Here is what Alan Caldwell had to say about Jacobs:

"Jacobs is one of the best 1993-born players in the United States. The fact that he went this low means he'll be a tough sell on the WHL. First-round talent if he comes."

Round 4, Pick #80 - Seattle selects Right Wing Robbie Newton from Saskatoon, SK. 6'2", 165... Robbie played for the Saskatoon AA Bantam Generals this past season. I can't find any stats on Newton, but hes a good sized kid for a 14 year old. UPDATE: Stats for Newton from the previous season... He had 12-13-25 and 48 in 46 games.

Round 5, Pick #95 - Seattle received this pick in a trade with Prince George... and they use it to select Left Wing Mitch Elliot from Prince George, BC. Mitch is 6'3" and 175 and in 11 tournament games had 14 points (8 goals) and 12 PIMs. Here was a scouting report on Elliot from Dave Smith a Prince George area scout who works for Chilliwack but previously worked for the TBirds:

"Mitch, he's a big hockey player -- sort of a power forward," Smith said. "He skates extremely well. With the new rules and the way the game is progressing, he's one of those players that has the ability to combine the size and the great skating. Again, he's a guy with a lot of upside -- sort of sky's the limit as to how far he wants to go. It'll be a matter of him pursuing it if that's what he wants to do."

Round 5, Pick #102 - Seattle selects Defensemen Zach Walker from Saltcoats, SK who is yet another player from the Melville Bantam AA Millionaires. Walker is 5'11" and 140 lbs and if he is a Defensemen... Seattle just got a scoring Defensemen. In 64 games he had 75 points (26 goals) and 52 PIMs.

Round 6, Pick #124 - I like this pick... an American named Tyler, ha. Seattle selects Right Winger Tyler Alos from Spokane, WA. Alos played for the Spokane Jr. Chiefs AAA Bantam team this past season and had 106 points (whoa) on 49 goals to go with 48 PIMs in 42 games. Wow... 106 points in 42 games. Not sure on Height and Weight but his team picture has him wearing a Spokane Chiefs shirt... hope he doesn't mind switching side.

Round 7, Pick #146 - This is my last pick of the day... even though Seattle won't be done. I'll have more profiles later tomorrow and you can always check out Alan Caldwell's blog for the stats on all of the picks. Seattle selects Right Wing Seth Ambroz from New Prague, MN. In 25 games playing for New Prague High School, Ambroz had 34 goals and 32 assists. Caldwell and I agree on this pick... the numbers are outstanding but can they really convince this kid to come to Seattle instead of playing at Minnesota?

UPDATE:

Few more quotes from Colin Alexander on some of the draft picks.

On Ryan Armbruster: “Ryan is a rugged physical, defenseman with raw skills that we look forward to seeing develop in the upcoming years.”

On Colin Jacobs: “Colin is a prototypical NHL style player that combines exceptional size and skill. We are excited to add a top first round quality player at this point in the draft."

On Robbie Newton: "Robbie is a big guy that skates well and is projected to be a power forward in our league."

On Mitch Elliot: "Mitch is a big player that skates well. He really started to establish himself when he was moved to forward part way through this past season."

On Zach Walker: "Zach is smart, puck moving defenseman. He showed good offensive instincts on the power play. He is also a real competitor in his own end."