The Thunderbirds have the youngest team in the WHL and the rookies have progressed as the second half gets underway. (Brian Liesse/T-Birds)
When Thunderbirds forward Henrik Rybinski’s overtime wrist shot found the back of the net in Kennewick last week it sent Seattle into the holiday break winners of three of its last four games.
It was the seventh game since the team had traded away it’s captain, Matthew Wedman, in a move that on the surface may have looked like throwing in the towel on the season. The Thunderbirds went 4-3 in those games however, which is the best stretch of the season.
On the eve of the second half kicking off, Seattle is one point behind the Tri-City Americans for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference which is a better position than the Thunderbirds were in last year at the break.
“I think we’ve made up seven points in the last seven games and that’s really exciting,” Seattle general manager Bil La Forge says. “Our progression rating is going in a different direction than many people thought it would after the trade. I think we just need to keep doing what we’ve been doing, playing Thunderbirds hockey, playing fast and letting the young guys go.
“We’re getting great support from our older guys. Everyone talks about how we’re building this team with youth, but our older guys are playing really well, and they still have a lot of pride. They want to make this season special too and I think we can do that.”
La Forge and the Thunderbirds signaled a change in direction last January with a slew of trades that would impact the future of the franchise. He continued at the Bantam Draft, trading Dillon Hamaliuk, Jake Lee, and Cole Schwebius to Kelowna in a move that not only brought back two first-round picks but meant the team would be younger this season.
Going young was the plan because of the rookies on the club last year and a promising 2018 draft class. With the moves, the Thunderbirds are the youngest team in the WHL and have six to seven rookies in the lineup, playing key minutes, every night.
“We knew there would be some long nights in this journey, and we’ve had a couple of them,” La Forge admits. “But if you look at our last 10 games, I think we’ve been consistently playing well and playing more of a Thunderbirds style of hockey. The signs are all pointing in the right direction.”
The young team has shown resilience by playing its best hockey since trading away its top player.
There is excitement in the dressing room and the team believes they can win. The veterans are a part of that character but so are the rookies and younger players.
“I think what they lack in experience they make up for in excitement and exuberance,” La Forge says. “The on-ice stuff has been great, but I think just the vibe around the room, it’s a fun group right now. They’re happy to be there… I think a lot of credit for that goes to the coaches.”
The rookies are playing well.
Front and center is Conner Roulette, one of Seattle’s 2018 second-round picks, who has 16 points in 23 games. Head coach Matt O’Dette put him on a line with Rybinski and Keltie Jeri-Leon and the trio have given the Thunderbirds a potent top line.
Roulette is showing up on the scoresheet but that doesn’t mean his fellow 2018 draftees aren’t also playing well. First-round pick Kai Uchacz has four points as does second-rounder Lucas Ciona. The lack of points doesn’t paint an accurate picture as to how they’ve been playing.
“For Conner to be playing the way he needs to play he’s going to show up on the scoresheet because that’s who he is, he’s always been a point producer,” La Forge says. “I think Lucas and Kai, you can see right now, more than a lot of 16-year-olds in the league, they’re legit players. When they go on the ice it’s not ‘oh no, here are the 16-year-olds’, you’re excited to see what they can do.
“They control the puck on the wall, they’re starting to make plays offensively. They look like WHL players and they are and I’m really happy with the way they’re developing. I think the offensive output for them is going to come.”
La Forge says the same about 17-year-old rookie Brendan Williamson. Picked up in a trade with Everett last year, Williamson is playing in Seattle’s top-nine, is one of the team’s top penalty killers but has been snake bit when it comes to scoring goals.
He’s still searching for his first WHL goal but has come close.
“He’s playing really well,” La Forge says. “Willie knows he’s going to score. He made that play in Victoria where he did everything right, beat the goalie and hit the post. When they’re not going in, that happens. Hopefully, right after the break one is going to go off a shin pad.”
Another rookie, Matthew Rempe, has had an impact as well.
After missing the first 15 games to injury, Rempe, 17, has been a physical force. Standing at 6-foot-8, the center has five goals and 12 points in 17 games.
“I think it’s just the tip of the iceberg with him right now,” La Forge says. “His ability to beat guys off the rush is underrated and he’s never played this much hockey in such a short time…NHL teams are telling me they can’t get over what they’re seeing and how much potential there is with him.”
The Thunderbirds open the second half Friday night with a home game against Spokane and the mission of making the playoffs won’t be easy. They’ll have to do it by playing a schedule that is loaded with division opponents, including 16 games with the top two clubs, Everett and Portland.
With the rookies progressing and second-year guys like Payton Mount and Tyrel Bauer, along with veterans Jeri-Leon, Roddy Ross, Conner Bruggen-Cate, and Owen Williams, the Thunderbirds will be an interesting team to watch as they make a playoff push.
“We’ll never be an open spot on the bingo card, that’s just not the way we’re built,” La Forge says. “We’re going to have to beat teams that are ahead of us in the standings for the rest of the year and I really believe we can do that. We play by committee, we roll out 20 every night and they’re all going to come, all going to play hard, and it’s not an easy night.”
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General Manager Bil La Forge happy with progression of young Thunderbirds - MyNorthwest.com
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