What to expect from Friday and beyond, plus a preview section preview

Published 3:55 pm Thursday, September 22, 2011

Just one more day before the 2011-12 Everett Silvertips season begins! So what can we expect?

First, what can we expect from Friday night’s season opener in Portland?

The Winterhawks are the defending U.S. Division and Western Conference champions. They are widely considered the favori

tes to win the WHL title this season. Friday night they’ll have the added emotion that goes with a banner-raising ceremony.

But the Winterhawks will also be severely shorthanded. Portland currently has a whopping 35 players still on its roster. The reason for that bloated opening-day roster is that 10 of those players are still away at NHL training camps. Several of those 10 probably aren’t coming back at all as they’ll end up playing in the pros.

Portland won nine of 10 against Everett in the regular season last season, then swept the Tips in the first round of the playoffs. Everett is rebuilding, so the Tips won’t be fancied in any game against the Winterhawks this season. But because Portland is missing so many top players Friday — heck, Everett castoffs Tyler Parker and Gabe Minville may be in the lineup for Portland — the odds are a little more even on this occasion.

Now, what can we expect from the Tips this season?

Everett is, of course, going with a youth movement. This is one season after the Tips barely scraped into the playoffs. Everett has some gamebreaking players, but not a lot of them. The large cast of newcomers should be able to fill roles, but I’m not sure there are any major impact players among that group, at least not yet. My guess is that most neutral observers would predict Everett to miss the playoffs for the first time in its nine-season history.

Everett fans think differently, as evidenced by the poll voting. Is there justification for that, or is it merely homerism?

Well, I think it’s justified.

Everett has something that most rebuilding teams lack, and that’s a true star. Defenseman Ryan Murray is a true difference maker who will help the Tips win games.

The Tips also have goaltending. Kent Simpson showed during the second half of last season he’s capable of winning games by himself. If he regains that form he’ll be just what a young team needs as the last line of defense.

Some second- and third-year players appear ready to take a step forward. Josh Birkholz looks more comfortable after taking a year to adjust from NCAA hockey. Josh Winquist, Jari Erricson and Cody Fowlie all produced vastly improved offensive numbers during the preseason.

And the Tips may have picked the right season to rebuild. Everett isn’t the only team in the Western Conference many expect to struggle. The opportunity is there to rise above the fray.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s going to take a lot of hard work for this Everett team to get itself into the mix. But can this team keep its playoff string alive. Yes, I think it can.

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One more thing. The Herald’s Silvertips preview section arrives in the newspaper Friday. Grab yourself a copy to get a lowdown on the this season’s team, as well as a look at the rest of the league.

The cover story is about Ryan Murray and his place in team history. That package has already been released online as a teaser, so feel free to check it out (and vote in another poll).