Published: Friday, September 23, 2011
Seven keys to the Silvertips season
-
Jennifer Buchanan / The Herald
Left wing Josh Winquist (right) had eight goals and 16 assists last season for the Everett Silvertips. The Tips are counting him to step up his production at age 18.
The moment the 2010-11 Everett Silvertips season ended, general manager Doug Soetaert declared this season a rebuilding campaign.
And he didn't even know the half of it.
An anticipated player turnover was followed by an unanticipated change among the coaching staff and front office, making the 2011-12 season a rebuilding one in every sense.
However, that doesn't mean this has to be a losing season. There are recent examples of WHL teams going through a complete rebuild and still finding a way to be competitive.
The Silvertips have made the playoffs all eight seasons of their existence. Here are seven things they must do if they want to extend that streak to nine.
1 Get on the same page
Everett has a new head coach in Mark Ferner, and his style and methods differ slightly from his predecessor, Craig Hartsburg. For the Tips to weather the rebuilding season, it's imperative that Ferner and the players reach a meeting of the minds, and that the players buy into what Ferner is preaching.
2 Put a wall in front of goal
The Tips are young and inexperienced both at forward and on defense. The one place where Everett has both quality and experience is in goal, where 19-year-old Kent Simpson resides. Simpson is entering his fourth WHL season and second as Everett's undisputed No. 1 netminder. Last season, it took a while for Simpson to settle in, but he was stellar during the second half before his season was derailed by an ankle sprain. The Tips need to have the second-half Simpson in place to help bail them out while the rest of the team learns on the job.
3 Power up the power play
Last season, Everett scored the fewest goals in the Western Conference, finding the net just 171 times in 72 games. A big part of that offensive brownout was because of a pitiful power play with a league-worst 14.2-percent success rate. It's almost inevitable that the Tips experience some improvement in that department.
4 No more Joshing around
The Tips have two skilled forwards named Josh who have yet to break through as impact scorers. Overager Josh Birkholz arrived last season to much fanfare, but struggled with the adjustment from NCAA hockey. Eighteen-year-old Josh Winquist made some progress during his sophomore season, but he has yet to achieve consistency. The Tips are counting on those two to pick up their production.
5 Young D, step forward
Last season, defensemen Evan Morden and Nick Walters were rookies who played part time, and when they were in the lineup they saw limited minutes. This season, Morden, 18, and Walters, 17, move into full-time status, and they need to show they can be depended upon to provide a regular shift.
6 Euro impact
Everett could have as many as a dozen rookies this season, but two of the more-seasoned newcomers are its selections in this year's import draft, 18-year-old Slovakian winger Vladimir Dolnik and 19-year-old German defenseman Dominik Bittner. It will do the Tips no end of good if Dolnik proves he can be a top-six forward and if Bittner can be a dependable top-four D-man.
7 Get tougher
Everett suffered a rash of concussions last season. One reason was because the Tips weren't particularly big or physical and there was little to deter opponents from taking runs at them. Nineteen-year-old winger Jesse Mychan will be charged with providing some deterrence. It's worth noting that, size-wise, Everett's newcomers collectively measure in as perhaps the biggest incoming class in franchise history.
And he didn't even know the half of it.
An anticipated player turnover was followed by an unanticipated change among the coaching staff and front office, making the 2011-12 season a rebuilding one in every sense.
However, that doesn't mean this has to be a losing season. There are recent examples of WHL teams going through a complete rebuild and still finding a way to be competitive.
The Silvertips have made the playoffs all eight seasons of their existence. Here are seven things they must do if they want to extend that streak to nine.
Everett has a new head coach in Mark Ferner, and his style and methods differ slightly from his predecessor, Craig Hartsburg. For the Tips to weather the rebuilding season, it's imperative that Ferner and the players reach a meeting of the minds, and that the players buy into what Ferner is preaching.
2 Put a wall in front of goal
The Tips are young and inexperienced both at forward and on defense. The one place where Everett has both quality and experience is in goal, where 19-year-old Kent Simpson resides. Simpson is entering his fourth WHL season and second as Everett's undisputed No. 1 netminder. Last season, it took a while for Simpson to settle in, but he was stellar during the second half before his season was derailed by an ankle sprain. The Tips need to have the second-half Simpson in place to help bail them out while the rest of the team learns on the job.
3 Power up the power play
Last season, Everett scored the fewest goals in the Western Conference, finding the net just 171 times in 72 games. A big part of that offensive brownout was because of a pitiful power play with a league-worst 14.2-percent success rate. It's almost inevitable that the Tips experience some improvement in that department.
4 No more Joshing around
The Tips have two skilled forwards named Josh who have yet to break through as impact scorers. Overager Josh Birkholz arrived last season to much fanfare, but struggled with the adjustment from NCAA hockey. Eighteen-year-old Josh Winquist made some progress during his sophomore season, but he has yet to achieve consistency. The Tips are counting on those two to pick up their production.
5 Young D, step forward
Last season, defensemen Evan Morden and Nick Walters were rookies who played part time, and when they were in the lineup they saw limited minutes. This season, Morden, 18, and Walters, 17, move into full-time status, and they need to show they can be depended upon to provide a regular shift.
6 Euro impact
Everett could have as many as a dozen rookies this season, but two of the more-seasoned newcomers are its selections in this year's import draft, 18-year-old Slovakian winger Vladimir Dolnik and 19-year-old German defenseman Dominik Bittner. It will do the Tips no end of good if Dolnik proves he can be a top-six forward and if Bittner can be a dependable top-four D-man.
7 Get tougher
Everett suffered a rash of concussions last season. One reason was because the Tips weren't particularly big or physical and there was little to deter opponents from taking runs at them. Nineteen-year-old winger Jesse Mychan will be charged with providing some deterrence. It's worth noting that, size-wise, Everett's newcomers collectively measure in as perhaps the biggest incoming class in franchise history.
Comments
(
