Everett Silvertips are team in transition this season

EVERETT — The Everett Silvertips’ 15th season in the Western Hockey League figures to be one of change.

The team is coming off its second U.S. Division title in four seasons and the second-best regular-season record in franchise history.

Everett also won its third consecutive first-round playoff series, only to fall in the second round for the third straight year. The fact the past two eliminations came at the hands of the Tips’ nearest I-5 rival, the Seattle Thunderbirds, didn’t make it any easier.

Thus the changes.

Dennis Williams takes over as head coach after Kevin Constantine’s contract wasn’t renewed. The organization hopes Williams, along with long-time assistant coach Mitch Love, will install a more up-tempo offense. How well that works with the personnel the Tips have returning remains to be seen.

Here’s a look at this year’s team:

OFFENSE

The Silvertips have never been a particularly high-scoring team. Last year’s team tallied 229 goals — a significant step up from the 189 they scored in 2014-15 and within sight of the team record 242 they scored in 2013-14.

Everett will miss second-leading scorer Dominic Zwerger (28 goals, 47 assists), who aged out of the league and now plays professionally in Switzerland. They also lost Eetu Tuulola, a 19-year-old Finn with a heavy shot who tallied 18 goals and 13 assists. Tuulola was eligible to return to Everett — and by all accounts wanted to come back — but his Finnish team elected to keep him this season.

Overage forward Patrick Bajkov enjoyed a breakout season with 29 goals and 49 assists last season and he will be expected to carry a heavy load. Matt Fonteyne tallied 20 goals and 27 assists while playing on Everett’s top line alongside Bajkov.

The Tips have always been thin in the 1998-born draft class, but have both Sean Richards (eight goals, 15 assists) and Brandson Hein (six goals, two assists) returning.

Among the 1999-born forwards, Riley Sutter leads the way as he enters his draft year after tallying 20 goals and 19 assists. Sutter, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 205 pounds, scored 11 power-play goals last season and is projected as an early-round pick in next June’s NHL draft. Connor Dewar (14 goals, 16 assists) went undrafted last June, but brings unmatched tenacity every time he steps on the ice. Bryce Kindopp (seven goals, seven assists) also returns.

Orrin Centazzo, who had four goals and five assists in a rookie season cut short by a broken collarbone in February, leads the 2000-born forwards. Dawson Butt figures to make the team after leading the 16-U Junior Silvertips in scoring last season. Slovakian import Martin Fasko-Rudas and Belarusian-born Pavel Azhgirei fill Everett’s European slots.

Ethan Browne, Mark Liwiski and Reece Vitelli were Everett’s first three picks in the 2016 bantam draft and were still angling for roster spots after the second weekend of the preseason.

DEFENSE

This will be a young unit for the Silvertips after losing both Lucas Skrumeda and Aaron Irving to graduation.

The good news is that they return Kevin Davis, who scored nine goals and had 50 assists last year and will fill one of the Silvertips’ overage slots. The bad news is that he’s the only defenseman older than 18.

Jake Christiansen enters his third season and is one of three 1999-born blue-liners on the roster. Joining Christiansen are Everett native Wyatte Wylie and recently acquired Riley Bruce.

Ian Walker (6-2, 185 pounds) and Montana Onyebuchi (6-3, 210) each possess good size and played 40-plus games last season as 2000-born defensemen. Gianni Fairbrother figures to stick after shuttling last season between Everett and the major midget Vancouver Northwest Giants.

Everett’s defenders have size, but lack experience. Bruce stands 6-2 and weighs 200 pounds, and Wylie is 6-1 and 190. It’s possible the Tips could look to add some experienced blue-line help should they find themselves pushing for a playoff spot.

GOALTENDING

This is one spot the Tips have locked down — at least when the starter gets back.

Carter Hart is the two-time defending WHL Goaltender of the Year and will see the lion’s share of the minutes between the pipes this year. He finished last season with a regular-season record of 32-11-6-2 with a 1.99 goals-against average, a .927 save percentage and nine shutouts.

However, Hart is at training camp with the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers and is likely to miss the first two games of the regular season. He is also expected to miss most of December and some of January while competing for Team Canada at the World Junior Championship, where last year he backstopped the team to a silver medal.

That means 1999-born Dorrin Luding and 2001-born Danton Belluk figure to start the year as Everett’s two main goalies. Fellow 2001-born goalie Dustin Wolf is the heir apparent to Hart, but he’s recovering from offseason hip surgery and won’t be back until late October at the earliest.

Luding appeared in one game last season with Everett while Hart was at the World Juniors. He made five saves in a combined shutout with Mario Petit. Belluk and Wolf have no WHL experience.