It might be the off-season but the Tbirds are still working hard at getting information out to us (the fans).
Tbirds now have an official Facebook page that can be found here.
The Tbirds also have a new Twitter page that was quite useful during the Bantam Draft getting quotes and information out nearly instantaneously.
You can find the new Tbirds Twitter right here.
More ways to get your Tbirds information... always a good thing.
Hockey Challenge 2014
Recent Articles
5.11.2009
4.30.2009
8th Round
Seattle selects their first goaltender of the Bantam draft... getting Goalie Jared D'Amico of Calgary, AB. Listed at 5'6" and 130 lbs. That is a small goaltender... but nobody ever said he couldn't grow a little or a lot between now and 2 or 3 years from now.
D'Amico played for the Okotoks Oilers of the AMBHL. He was not among the leaders in goaltending for the South Division (looks like the Oilers weren't very good so it may not have been his fault) so his stats are not listed. I'm sure the Tbirds will have them available in just a moment.
D'Amico played for the Okotoks Oilers of the AMBHL. He was not among the leaders in goaltending for the South Division (looks like the Oilers weren't very good so it may not have been his fault) so his stats are not listed. I'm sure the Tbirds will have them available in just a moment.
7th Round
Seattle selected defensemen John Dora from Erie, CO., listed at 6'2" and 175 lbs.
Dora played last season for the Colorado Thunderbirds Bantam AAA team, playing 59 games and scoring 4 goals with 16 assists to go with 52 PIMs and a +48 rating.
Good size... little bit of scoring... don't know much about him after that.
Dora played last season for the Colorado Thunderbirds Bantam AAA team, playing 59 games and scoring 4 goals with 16 assists to go with 52 PIMs and a +48 rating.
Good size... little bit of scoring... don't know much about him after that.
6th Round
Seattle finally selects a defensemen with their pick here in the 6th round and it is Evan Wardley of Vulcan, AB who goes 6'3", 186 lbs. Playing for the Lethbridge Bantam AAA Val Matteotti Golden Hawks (cut and paste is a beautiful thing).
Big D-men are never a bad idea... especially if they have an ounce of skating ability.
Wardley was selected to play in the Alberta Cup with the South Senators.
Big D-men are never a bad idea... especially if they have an ounce of skating ability.
Wardley was selected to play in the Alberta Cup with the South Senators.
5th Round
Seattle selects another forward... this time it is Jayson Ness from Drayton Valley, AB
Took me a while but I found him....
Jayson played last season for the Leduc Bantam AAA Oil Kings. He is listed at 5'9", 165 lbs. and plays Right Wing. His stats are not listed as he was not in the leaders for the North division of the AMBHL which means he had less than 25 points.
Edit: Tbirds just posted his stats, 29 games, 5 goals, 17 assists, 123 PIMs
Looks like he probably has a brother named Jordan Ness.
Ness has also competed in competition "steer riding" in the past... I'm going to guess he's a pretty tough kid.
Now they have a short break between the 5th and 6th Rounds.
Took me a while but I found him....
Jayson played last season for the Leduc Bantam AAA Oil Kings. He is listed at 5'9", 165 lbs. and plays Right Wing. His stats are not listed as he was not in the leaders for the North division of the AMBHL which means he had less than 25 points.
Edit: Tbirds just posted his stats, 29 games, 5 goals, 17 assists, 123 PIMs
Looks like he probably has a brother named Jordan Ness.
Ness has also competed in competition "steer riding" in the past... I'm going to guess he's a pretty tough kid.
Now they have a short break between the 5th and 6th Rounds.
4th Round
Tbirds don't have a 4th round pick... it was traded to Prince Albert....
I "think" this was in the trade for Devon LeBlanc last year... someone can correct me if I'm wrong.
I "think" this was in the trade for Devon LeBlanc last year... someone can correct me if I'm wrong.
3rd Round
Seattle selects Jetlan Houcher (sweet name) - Left Wing - 5'11", 164 lbs.
Houcher played for the Lloydminster Universal Heat Bantam AAA team this season and has some really, really good stats.
In 33 games played he scored 50 times to go with 19 assists and only 28 PIMs. On some message boards I see people saying some really nice things about this kid being a tremendous athlete and student with some really nice potential.
Tbirds stay offensive with a kid who looks like a pure goal scorer. Makes me wonder if the hockey staff thinks they their current defensemen can get the job done in the next couple of years.
Houcher played for the Lloydminster Universal Heat Bantam AAA team this season and has some really, really good stats.
In 33 games played he scored 50 times to go with 19 assists and only 28 PIMs. On some message boards I see people saying some really nice things about this kid being a tremendous athlete and student with some really nice potential.
Tbirds stay offensive with a kid who looks like a pure goal scorer. Makes me wonder if the hockey staff thinks they their current defensemen can get the job done in the next couple of years.
Draft Day coverage...
Welcome to draft day.... always an exciting day for any hockey fan but probably not as exciting as other drafts as I'm sure 99% of us have never seen any of these kids play, including myself. Credit Alan Caldwell with the stats.
1st Round - Brandon Troock - Right Wing, 6'0" 160 lbs
Troock is from Edmonton and has been playing for the Bantam AAA Edmonton CAC (Canadian Athletic Club) team.
In 44 total games with CAC this season, Troock tallied 29 goals, 30 assists and exactly 100 PIMs.
2nd Round - Justin Hickman - Center, 6'0", no weight
Hickman (whoa I almost just typed Hickey... we wish) played for the Kelowna Jr. Rockets this past season and the only stats Caldwell has show him with 13 games played, 5 goals, 2 assists and 20 PIMs.
So at this point Seattle is going offensive heavy with their first two picks.
1st Round - Brandon Troock - Right Wing, 6'0" 160 lbs
Troock is from Edmonton and has been playing for the Bantam AAA Edmonton CAC (Canadian Athletic Club) team.
In 44 total games with CAC this season, Troock tallied 29 goals, 30 assists and exactly 100 PIMs.
2nd Round - Justin Hickman - Center, 6'0", no weight
Hickman (whoa I almost just typed Hickey... we wish) played for the Kelowna Jr. Rockets this past season and the only stats Caldwell has show him with 13 games played, 5 goals, 2 assists and 20 PIMs.
So at this point Seattle is going offensive heavy with their first two picks.
4.17.2009
Post Season Q and A with Coach Sumner - Part 4
Last installment of my Q and A with Coach Sumner. I've been following the playoffs and it seems that we are on course for a Vancouver-Calgary finals. I think Kelowna has been impressive but I also think their road to the Western Finals has not been nearly as tough as Vancouver after Spokane gave the Giants all they could handle in Round 2.
I'll be taking a break for a while after today... I will post if anything good comes up but otherwise I need a bit of a break to recharge the writing batteries.
Hope you guys enjoy....
Hunnex - All teams go through injuries throughout the course of the season... but the injuries to Nielsen, Rai and Richard late in the season seemed to have a big impact on the team. How much do you think that affected the team at the end of the season?
Sumner - Nielsen directly affected us because we never got him back. With Rai and Richard it’s a little tougher to measure the toll we paid. Rai had a high ankle sprain and showed a lot of character by being ready to go by playoff time. He played well for us in playoffs but I don’t believe that he was healthy enough to be at his absolute best. Richard had finger surgery and played through much discomfort. Off the ice he wore a brace on his hand to straighten his finger right through playoffs. Similar to Rai, I don’t believe David was healthy enough to play at his highest level and this led to a disappointing season for him in the end.
We had four 19 –year-old forwards and with these three all out at the same time it gave a number of younger guys an opportunity to play. This gives us a much more experienced group leading into this season than might have been the case and this could prove to be the “silver lining” in those injuries.
Hunnex - You have some veteran, experienced, former NHL players in Turner Stevenson and Jim McTaggart behind the bench with you. Talk about the experience and wisdom that each one brings to the table for your coaching staff.
Sumner - Turner and Jim are both a pleasure to work with and have many great qualities that give us a balanced coaching staff. We all share the same philosophy of how the game should be played and that all involved must learn to put the team first. I encourage input and gather ideas from both on a regular basis as we prepare game to game throughout the season.
Turner played many years in the NHL and knows first hand what it takes to get there and then stay there. Even today he is an example for our players from a physical fitness standpoint. He demands a lot out of our players with conditioning and he’s usually right along side of them doing the hard work himself. He has instant credibility as a Stanley Cup winner and has much to offer our guys as hockey players trying to earn a chance at a pro career. He makes it very clear that there is no substitution for hard work.
Jim is a great communicator. He is very good at captivating our players as his audience while telling stories that seem to be going down one path only to nail you between the eyes with the point he was trying to make right at the end. He gives complicated issues clarity, and the players always feel that he is on their side. Jim demands a tough brand of hockey because it’s the only way to play the game in his mind. It’s what he grew up with, and what got him to the NHL.
Hunnex - Any lead on your Captain for next season?
Sumner - I won’t announce my decision quite this early because we don’t have a finalized picture as to what our team will even look like at this point. We know we had a tremendous leadership group that graduated and there will be some huge opportunities for a new group to move into these roles.
I have a good idea who will be captain but the supporting cast of assistant captains will be very important to this year’s team. We will start the season and see who all did the hard work to prepare and then select our assistants from the guys that distinguish themselves from the start of the season.
***********************************************************************
Many thanks again to Coach Sumner and Ian Henry with the Thunderbirds for making this happen.
I hope everyone enjoyed reading this year and I sincerely thank everyone for reading. Enjoy the summer...
I'll be taking a break for a while after today... I will post if anything good comes up but otherwise I need a bit of a break to recharge the writing batteries.
Hope you guys enjoy....
Hunnex - All teams go through injuries throughout the course of the season... but the injuries to Nielsen, Rai and Richard late in the season seemed to have a big impact on the team. How much do you think that affected the team at the end of the season?
Sumner - Nielsen directly affected us because we never got him back. With Rai and Richard it’s a little tougher to measure the toll we paid. Rai had a high ankle sprain and showed a lot of character by being ready to go by playoff time. He played well for us in playoffs but I don’t believe that he was healthy enough to be at his absolute best. Richard had finger surgery and played through much discomfort. Off the ice he wore a brace on his hand to straighten his finger right through playoffs. Similar to Rai, I don’t believe David was healthy enough to play at his highest level and this led to a disappointing season for him in the end.
We had four 19 –year-old forwards and with these three all out at the same time it gave a number of younger guys an opportunity to play. This gives us a much more experienced group leading into this season than might have been the case and this could prove to be the “silver lining” in those injuries.
Hunnex - You have some veteran, experienced, former NHL players in Turner Stevenson and Jim McTaggart behind the bench with you. Talk about the experience and wisdom that each one brings to the table for your coaching staff.
Sumner - Turner and Jim are both a pleasure to work with and have many great qualities that give us a balanced coaching staff. We all share the same philosophy of how the game should be played and that all involved must learn to put the team first. I encourage input and gather ideas from both on a regular basis as we prepare game to game throughout the season.
Turner played many years in the NHL and knows first hand what it takes to get there and then stay there. Even today he is an example for our players from a physical fitness standpoint. He demands a lot out of our players with conditioning and he’s usually right along side of them doing the hard work himself. He has instant credibility as a Stanley Cup winner and has much to offer our guys as hockey players trying to earn a chance at a pro career. He makes it very clear that there is no substitution for hard work.
Jim is a great communicator. He is very good at captivating our players as his audience while telling stories that seem to be going down one path only to nail you between the eyes with the point he was trying to make right at the end. He gives complicated issues clarity, and the players always feel that he is on their side. Jim demands a tough brand of hockey because it’s the only way to play the game in his mind. It’s what he grew up with, and what got him to the NHL.
Hunnex - Any lead on your Captain for next season?
Sumner - I won’t announce my decision quite this early because we don’t have a finalized picture as to what our team will even look like at this point. We know we had a tremendous leadership group that graduated and there will be some huge opportunities for a new group to move into these roles.
I have a good idea who will be captain but the supporting cast of assistant captains will be very important to this year’s team. We will start the season and see who all did the hard work to prepare and then select our assistants from the guys that distinguish themselves from the start of the season.
***********************************************************************
Many thanks again to Coach Sumner and Ian Henry with the Thunderbirds for making this happen.
I hope everyone enjoyed reading this year and I sincerely thank everyone for reading. Enjoy the summer...
4.16.2009
Post Season Q and A with Coach Sumner - Part 3
Here is Part 3 of my Q and A with Coach Sumner. I have one more installment that I will post tomorrow.
Hunnex - The team seemed to be most successful at home when they were able to get their checking game going and that seemed to be a difficult thing to replicate in the two playoff games at home. Is that more of a credit to Spokane for being a tough team to hit? or might fatigue have been a factor?
Sumner - I agree that we were most effective when we were able to use our speed to play physical. There are several factors as to why it was hard to accomplish against Spokane in games three and four.
Physical play on the forecheck generally stems from decisions made with the puck in the neutral zone. In Spokane for games one and two we were automatic in the neutral zone with our puck decisions. If we outnumbered them (which isn’t often against Spokane) we would carry the puck in, use our speed off the rush, and try to generate an attack to the net. If we didn’t outnumber them, the puck would not only be dumped in but it would be placed with purpose where we could get to it first or where we could be physical and win the puck.
We were very much on task on the road and weren’t nearly as good with this at home. We tried to stretch the boundaries with carrying the puck in and that is playing with fire against a good team. It led to preventable turnovers, which leads to less possession time in the offensive zone, which leads to a shift in or lack of momentum. Combine this with less opportunity to make their defence pay a price physically and it leaves us with less edge to our game. I don’t think fatigue was a factor, yes it’s hard work and demanding physically but I believe this to be more of a mental test than a physical one.
Hunnex - Talk a little bit about Calvin Pickard. I think most fans don't truly and fully understand and appreciate how impressive his play was this season as a 16 year old. Very few 16 year old players make a big impact in this league and even fewer 16 year old goaltenders wind up being #1 goaltenders and leading a team into the playoffs.
Sumner - Calvin earned and achieved all of his successes all season long. He’s a great goalie and teammate and he has a tremendous future in the game. I could write all day about him because I have a well earned admiration for him as a person and a goalie. He has the perfect mind set for a goaltender. He is very focused on playing yet he remains calm and on task.
He had a few tough experiences this year that weren’t even his fault that would have been too much to handle for many other young players. He always followed those tough nights up with efforts that were truly inspiring for our team. Keep in mind he also plays the most unforgiving position. As a coach I always felt very confident with Calvin in our net. He puts the team first and is loved by his teammates.
Our conference had exceptional goaltending this year and with Calvin I always felt that we were as good as or better than anyone we were up against. That’s quite a compliment for a 16-year-old considering both gold medal winning World Junior goalies came from our division.
*******************************************************************************
One last installment tomorrow from Coach Sumner about injuries, coaches and captains for next season.
Hunnex - The team seemed to be most successful at home when they were able to get their checking game going and that seemed to be a difficult thing to replicate in the two playoff games at home. Is that more of a credit to Spokane for being a tough team to hit? or might fatigue have been a factor?
Sumner - I agree that we were most effective when we were able to use our speed to play physical. There are several factors as to why it was hard to accomplish against Spokane in games three and four.
Physical play on the forecheck generally stems from decisions made with the puck in the neutral zone. In Spokane for games one and two we were automatic in the neutral zone with our puck decisions. If we outnumbered them (which isn’t often against Spokane) we would carry the puck in, use our speed off the rush, and try to generate an attack to the net. If we didn’t outnumber them, the puck would not only be dumped in but it would be placed with purpose where we could get to it first or where we could be physical and win the puck.
We were very much on task on the road and weren’t nearly as good with this at home. We tried to stretch the boundaries with carrying the puck in and that is playing with fire against a good team. It led to preventable turnovers, which leads to less possession time in the offensive zone, which leads to a shift in or lack of momentum. Combine this with less opportunity to make their defence pay a price physically and it leaves us with less edge to our game. I don’t think fatigue was a factor, yes it’s hard work and demanding physically but I believe this to be more of a mental test than a physical one.
Hunnex - Talk a little bit about Calvin Pickard. I think most fans don't truly and fully understand and appreciate how impressive his play was this season as a 16 year old. Very few 16 year old players make a big impact in this league and even fewer 16 year old goaltenders wind up being #1 goaltenders and leading a team into the playoffs.
Sumner - Calvin earned and achieved all of his successes all season long. He’s a great goalie and teammate and he has a tremendous future in the game. I could write all day about him because I have a well earned admiration for him as a person and a goalie. He has the perfect mind set for a goaltender. He is very focused on playing yet he remains calm and on task.
He had a few tough experiences this year that weren’t even his fault that would have been too much to handle for many other young players. He always followed those tough nights up with efforts that were truly inspiring for our team. Keep in mind he also plays the most unforgiving position. As a coach I always felt very confident with Calvin in our net. He puts the team first and is loved by his teammates.
Our conference had exceptional goaltending this year and with Calvin I always felt that we were as good as or better than anyone we were up against. That’s quite a compliment for a 16-year-old considering both gold medal winning World Junior goalies came from our division.
*******************************************************************************
One last installment tomorrow from Coach Sumner about injuries, coaches and captains for next season.
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