The Opponent
I probably don’t need to tell you too much about the Seattle Thunderbirds (39-18-3-2, 83 points). They’re Everett’s competitor for the U.S. Division crown. The T-Birds have a 4-3 mark against the Tips and have won four of the last five matchups. Everett is 3-2-1-1 with two Carter Hart shutouts accounting for the two most recent victories. The Thunderbirds boast perhaps the top line in the WHL in Ryan Gropp, Mathew Barzal and Keegan Kolesar, and the top-scoring defenseman Ethan Bear. The T-Birds closed a double digit gap in about three weeks to briefly take over the division lead before Everett righted the ship with five wins on its Eastern swing.
The Players
No. 12 Ryan Gropp (F): A second rounder by the New York Rangers in 2015, he unexpectedly was returned to Seattle this year despite being an overager eligible for the AHL.
No. 13 Mathew Barzal (F): The No. 16 overall by New York Islanders in 2015, he has already played in two NHL games before being sent back to Seattle.
No. 25 Ethan Bear (D): A fifth-rounder by Edmonton in 2015, Bear is the top goal-scoring blueliner in the league.
No. 28 Keegan Kolesar (F): A third-round pick by Columbus in 2015, the 6-2, 220-pound enforcer brings the hammer on Seattle’s top line.
No. 18 Sami Moilanen (F): The Finn is ranked No. 93 among North American skaters per NHL Central Scouting and is expected to be taken in this year’s NHL draft.
No. 4 Turner Ottenbreit (D): The 6-3, 190-pound blueliner is the physical tone-setter as a 19-year-old.
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