The Thunderbirds head up to Angel of the Winds Arena for the eighth of 10 regular season matchups between the U.S. Division archrivals. After dropping the first six games against the Silvertips this season, the Thunderbirds topped the Silvertips, 4-1, last Saturday at the ShoWare Center to notch their first win against the Silvertips this season.
Trend
The Thunderbirds are 4-6-0 in their last 10 games, but Seattle has played generally well since a flurry of deadline deals spread out on Jan. 1 and Jan. 2 — which sent Zack Andrusiak to Everett, goaltender Liam Hughes to Lethbridge (he’s since retired) and defenseman Reece Harsh to Saskatoon —posting a 12-9-2 record since then. The Thunderbirds are highly motivated to pick up as many points as they can, as they currently sit in the second and final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference with 52 points. Kamloops is right behind with 49 points and two games in hand.
Forward to watch — Matthew Wedman
Wedman has been a force to be reckoned with for Seattle lately, with seven goals and four assists in his last six games. The 19-year-old forward is still draft eligible and has drawn attention from pro scouts, according to ESPN 710’s Andy Eide.
Defenseman to watch — Jarret Tyszka
An unsigned Canadiens prospect, Tyszka is an electric player when he’s clicking on all cylinders. The 19-year-old blueliner is third among T-Birds’ defensemen with 21 points.
What’s in net?
Seattle has leaned heavily on goaltender Roddy Ross, who stopped 46 shot in a 4-1 win against Everett last Saturday. The 6-foot-4 netminder signed on Jan. 1, the same day Hughes was shipped to Lethbridge, and has played well in 16 Western Hockey League games. The 2000-born goaltender owns a 2.80 goals against average and a .914 save percentage to go along with a 10-4 record. Seventeen-year-old Cole Schwebius has seen action in eight games since Ross was signed and owns a 3.971 GAA and .884 save percentage in 14 games this season.
Draft prospect to watch – Jake Lee
Lee was rated the No. 78 skater by NHL Central Scouting and was named an honorable mention by TSN’s Bob McKenzie for the upcoming 2019 NHL Draft. The Sherwood Park, Alberta native is tied with Simon Kubicek for the most points from a Seattle blueline this season.
Rookie to watch — Simon Kubicek
If the 17-year-old from Czech Republic plays (he’s listed day-to-day with an injury), Kubicek is an exciting to player to watch on the Thunderbirds’ blueline. His 24 points is tied with Lee among the top amongst Seattle defensemen.
Tale of the tape (entering Friday)
Everett TEAM Seattle
41-14-1-2 RECORD 23-28-5-1
85 points, 1st in U.S. STANDING 52 points, 5th in U.S.
2-0-0-0 STREAK 0-1-0-0
7-2-0-1 LAST 10 4-6-0-0
+ 85 GOAL DIFF. – 21
6-1-0 HEAD TO HEAD 1-6-0
22.5 (8th) POWER PLAY 18.9 (16th)
83.9 (3rd) PENALTY KILL 74.7 (20th)
LW Connor Dewar TOP SKATERS C Matthew Wedman
(34 goals, 39 assists) (32 goals, 31 assists)
RW Bryce Kindopp C Noah Philp
(34 goals, 29 assists) (21 goals, 39 assists)
C Zack Andrusiak LW Nolan Volcan
(36 goals, 24 assists) (19 goals, 21 assists)
Dustin Wolf NO. 1 GOALIE Roddy Ross
(36-13-1-1, 1.75, .934) (10-4-0-0, 2.80, .914)
Key injuries/suspensions
Everett: C Riley Sutter (lower body); RW Dawson Butt (upper body)
Seattle: D Simon Kubicek (upper body; day-to-day)
