You may have noticed I haven't written anything in several weeks. Believe me... I've noticed too. I've really enjoyed just being a "fan" lately and not feeling the pressure to write anything after games. Some of you have noticed that I still try to tweet out some stuff during games and you should definitely follow me on twitter so that we can interact during games.
Today is obviously election day and that is definitely important but the Tbirds also have a game tonight in Brandon that starts at 5pm local time. Did you know that Brandon is 1,429 miles away from Seattle if you go the long way through North Dakota but it's only 1,269 miles away if you head north at Coeur d'Alene and go by way of the Trans-Canada Hwy. In other words... Brandon is pretty far east. By the way, the game tonight can only be heard streamed on am1090, ESPN710 or on the radio dial at 96.5 KJAQ.
Believe it or not... Statistically, Seattle is actually a pretty good team this year. Massey Ratings has Seattle ranked 7th in the WHL and actually had them as high as 4th the week before. Part of the reason for their high ranking is their moderate success against what current ranks as the toughest schedule in the league. Casual fans drive me crazy all the time talking about how the offense is to blame with the Tbirds lose. Well, Seattle ranks 5th offensively and 12th defensively in the league. The offense might have been a problem in previous years but you have to keep the puck out of your own net as well.
The U.S. Division is rated as the toughest division and the Western Conference is rated as being tougher than the East.
Also... in case people are curious they currently project Seattle to finish with 36 wins which would be good for 72 points but that doesn't cover any loser points. So that probably projects out to around 80ish points.
Hockey Challenge 2014
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39 comments :
I strongly suggest loading the "TuneIn Radio" app available for either iPhone/iPad, Android, or Windows.
You can then stream it from mobile devices if you aren't near a computer.
I completely 2nd that notion. I downloaded the same App and it works perfectly to get the game.
it might be to early to start talking about this but out of any year, this year might be the most important year to talk about it. correct me if im wrong but didnt we get portlands first round pick next year in the noebels trade? with two first round picks why not package something to try and get an elite,17 or 18 year old. i say this with not just thinking about this year, but for the next few years, i think we are a playoff team, falling somewhere in the 6 to 8 seed range, but in the coming years this team could end up being a team like portland or an edmonton. but most importantly showing a player like barzal or gropp that coming to kent is the right decsion. i know its early to even be talking about this, maybe its the excitement of knowing this team is possibly a few players away. but imagine ( and in no way would i think this would ever happen ) but getting a player like sam reinhart from kootenay and having to play along the likes of swenson, trook, honey, holub, delnox, and sheen, but getting a player of his caliber and what that shows players like barzal and gropp about wanting to win. i think this has to be the year we look at making a deal like this, not just for what it could this year. it would be great to just make the playoffs, maybe steal a series, but this about what could be, and actually getting that feeling of having players like gropp and barzal, commit.
It looks as if Gropp is not coming here, then Greg Drinan wrote a note in his blog that Barzal now is looking at the college route closer. What does this say about the birds organization? This is not good at all and I would think sets us back quite a bit.
No Barzal, no season tickets from me.
I have had enough
I don't believe that the T-Birds is a good team, it but want too. I just haven't been able to see a game yet live. I'm ready to see some hockey after hearing Doc Emrick call a AA minor league game from Fort Wayne and listening to the T-Birds games on a sub-par station. The team sounds promising...that's the good news. Now it's time to win more than one or two home games.
The east road swing is going terrible, last couple of years it was start good finish poor now it is the opposite. Not only have they been losing the games but not getting any points out of the games for OT or SO loses. US teams all had decent to very good trips out on their east swing.
The 5 game home stand is going to be interesting to see where the team goes the rest of the year, hopefully coach K can get the team pointed in the right direction otherwise could be for a long season........again.....
What is the problem with Troock? (concussion ?)
Why not try Elliot at defense.
Why is Wardley the healthy scratch more often than the other defensemen (problem child?)
Keep playing like crap and get another high draft pick that won't play here.
FRUSTRATING SEASON AGAIN, THANKS FARWELL
when reading websites and watching tsn, how many people see all the hype of the McDavid vs Barzal fun battle thats been going on? They hyped it up for that Mentorship Cup that was on TSN and those 2 did not dissapoint. Believe me, i'm sure Barzal is seeing how McDavid's stock is climbing through the roof playing in the OHL as an "exceptional player" that he was given in order to play at 15 with a garbage Erie Otters team. I really do think Barzal will end up playing in Seattle because BCHL is not nearly as strong of a league and everyone will be talking less of barzal and more of McDavid.
I'm not worried about Barzal going to the BCHL. My concern is that he won't play for Seattle(see Seth Jones).
Well to the contrairy of a lot a few people here, I think this team is fun. Yeah they allow a lot of goals, the eastern swing trip was not great point wise but there are a few things that are making me very happy about this team.
-Deep scoring
We do not have a star, I know, but we have 8 guys scoring .6pt/g or more (7 fwds + Theodore). On top of that we have 2 more guys at .55pts/g. To compare with last season, we only had one guy scoring at a rate of .55 pts/g, Gallimore.
That makes for 3 lines that can chip in and produce on a regular basis.
Myles is doing the job nicely.
Justin Myles is getting is time in and proving that he can perform in this league. Glover is a great stop gap for the year as far as experience and talent in the pipes, but I am looking forward to see what will happen. The situation in net is good right now and the futur looks bright at the position.
D-man corp not horrible!!!
Tyler expressed very much valid concern about the defense when they let go of Deagle. And after camp, the way that Hauf was playing, I was not sure of how the move would turn out. (still think we are better off with the 2 20 y/o forward than choosing between Locks and Rouse)But i think it is turning out pretty nicely. Smith is a great suprise. Hauf improved his game a ton since camp. Theodore is being Theodore. Seems like their is decent competition between Green, Wardley and Wolf for the last duo. (kudos for Wolf's 1st pt tonight)
Are they going to make mistakes? Sure. Are they going to improve? I think so.
Anyway, I do think that this team turned a corner. I love the way they play. Sometime they will be beaten badly, but I think that they are far more competitive than previous years.
2010-11 T-birds finish with the worst record in the Western Conference and 5th worst record in the league guaranteeing high draft picks (2 of the first 27). First rd they draft Gropp...unsigned.
2nd rd they select D Austin Douglas...unsigned. Players they bypassed: Ty Mappin, Brayden Point, Adam Brooks, Josh Thrower, Kolten Olynek and Tyler Sandhu, just to name a few. IF your gonna have a really bad year, you better take advantage of the high draft position. I think they did well with the Holub (3rd rd) and Wolf (10th rd) picks but if Gropp and Douglas don't sign/pan out, that's a wasted draft.
I agree whole heartedly with that comment! I commented at the trade deadline last year that the fan base should not accept the Noebels trade as a being a success if it is just a way for the great incapable Russ to soften the blow of not being able to sign the top picks he earned by finishing at the bottom. 'Sure we failed on Barzal, good thing we padded the draft and got Kolsare', etc. Not good enough. Russ is not winning, not signing, and not supplying the NHL with very much talent.. That is the job of a WHL owner/GM. No Douglas, no Gropp, no Barzal.. No more excuses. Btw, that'll be $2 more at the gate, please.
Someone predict next years line-up? I have tried to but dont know who we have coming up!
Well, everyone of our d-men are eligible to return (Forsburg would be a 20 yr old) and so are the 2 Euros and Miles should have one of the goalie spots locked up. That's half your roster for next season. Toss in Trook, Hickman, Honey and Sheen as 19 yr old forwards plus Way and Holob. That's 17 roster spots taken. Then 4 players eligible for 2 20 yr old spots. Alos, Eliott, Sanvedo and Swenson. My early guess would be Alos and Swenson. That leaves 4 spots but one goes to your back up goalie (Murtaugh?) 3 spots for Barzal (if he signs), Kolasar and Bear. If Barzal doesn't sign look for them to trade for a scorer.
Is there a spot for Bear??? Remember they have Wolf too.... My guess tho is that they keep Forsberg, Theo, Green, Hauf, Smith, Wolf... trade the dissapointing Wardley and bring in Bear... Also, is it just me or are those 4 guys next year that will be 20 year olds pretty damn weak???... Man o Man they need the golden boy Barzal to sign... maybe his signing could start a domino effect and then Gropp and Gambrell will sign too
No mention of Austin Douglas on that list, either. 27th overall unsigned pick from the 2011 draft o' shame.
How about Folk, Ross, Krekelwich, Neuls, Wong,Peterson, Malbeuagh?? any of thses kids still around for next year
I see Gropp has been selected to play for Team Pacific at the U-17tournament...oops, he doesn't play for us.
ya i think gropp is a lost cause... i cant see him coming the play in Seattle. I just get a kick out of how some players choose not to play at the highest level as possible. Major junior is a way higher level of hockey than Junior A. But i guess some kids just arent cut out for the WHL. Hopefully Barzal will sign and Gropp will be forgotten about. Mind you if Gropp were smart, he would sign in Seattle if Barzal did. Gropp's stock would rise huge if he played with Barzal
Ok, let's sharpen our aim just a little here. This is a look at the top 30 picks of the 2011 Bantam Draft. This is not a 'some players' thing, it is a glaring Russ Farwell problem. Nothing more to be said, facts speak for themselves.
J. Virtanen (CGY) 7g 1a 27gp
B. Martin (SC) 0g 6a 26gp
R. Pilon (LET) 2g, 5a 15gp
J. Thomson (KAM) 2g,5a 21gp
R. Duke (LET) 2g, 10a 34gp
R. Gropp (SEA) **UNSIGNED** 0gp
T. Mappin (EVT) 1g, 4a 20gp
R. Gardiner (PA) 2g, 4a 11gp
A. Irving (EDM) Signed, inactive
J. Harris (PG) Signed, inactive
K. Pankewicz (BDN) 0g, 1a 12gp
J. Hicketts (VIC) 1g, 6a 20gp
Z. Gonek (SC) signed, inactive
B. Point (MJ) 7g, 10a 28gp
R. Chartier (KEL) 6g, 5a 20gp
M. Warkentine (MJ) 0g, 1a 7gp
C. Shirley (KOO) 4g, 1a 13gp
B. Penner (MH) 0 points, 21gp
T. MacMaster (SPO) **UNSIGNED** 0gp
T. Foster (VAN) 1g, 0a 7gp
C. Bleackley (RD) 4g, 6a 39gp
J. Papirney (BDN) signed, inactive
J. Thrower (CGY) 1g, 3a 13gp
D. Odgers (SC) 0 points, 7gp
A. Brooks (REG) 1g, 5a 17gp
K.Olynek (LET) signed, inactive
A. Douglas (SEA) **UNSIGNED** 0gp
P. Lee (VAN) 3.78 GAA 9gp
C. Amson (LET) signed, inactive
J. Kohlhauser (VAN) signed, inactive
u know what the sad thing is? Gropp and MacMaster may be the top 2 out of that group. Gropp is a great player and Macmaster is unreal. In Douglas' case, he WANTS to sign in Seattle, but Seattle doesn't want to sign him yet. He hasn't lived up to expectations and we gotta hope he is a late bloomer cuz he is another HUGE body. Could be in Seattle next season
Yeah Tanner is having a stellar year in the AJHL already this year(20 pts in 22 games), as is Gropp in BCHL. Using those two players as an example, it seems that the NCAA route could be winning the battle. But when 20 of 30 picks are actively contributing to their rosters and 27 of those 30 are signed to WHL contracts, that is a heartbreaker. If there's one team who can't afford to potentially miss out on any reward of the 2011 bantam draft, it's the one that keeps missing the playoffs. The progress of building NHL talent is being halted in place.
Barzal I'm not too concerned with as he has stated over and over again that he wants to play in the WHL and if he is trying to position himself to play on a different team then we would be fleecing that team for years to come (there was a reason why we signed a scout that only concentrates on active players in the WHL).
Gropp on the other hand is more of a concern because he floated the NCAA route from the very beginning. In the past those players would usually go in the 4th round or later. That being said, if he is THAT good though then we'll see him as an 18 year old after he's been drafted, the only thing that bothers me about that is the Jim O'Brien scenerio where the first year he spent "getting used to" the WHL game.
All that being said though is if the Thnderbirds can start winning on a regular basis then that will take care of many of the issues. As we all know, most kids want to play for a winning team.
To second Kodi above. Barzal continues to talk up the WHL, even was at the Subway Series game in Vancouver. Sure seems like he wants to be part of the league.
I just love people that are showing stats without context and stating them as "facts".
I'll take another angle on the Gropp situation. He can play this season in the BCHL all he wants. He will get much more ice time, gain confidence in his talent and get some intangibles in the process. Good for him. Why? I would rather see him play in a bunch of situations at a lower level than in Seattle on the third/fourth line.
Lets say for the sake of argument that Gropp would perform to the same level as the 1st player picked that year (Virtanen for Calgary, 4 goals so far in 18gms, .22pt/g, its an interesting comparison since they have basically the same size and are both listed as LW), he would actually produce less pt/game than Alos and Hickman. Position-wise, he would be behind Sheen, Delnov for sure and battle Lipsberg (maybe) in the depth chart. He is better off where he is right now ....He can always change his mind and come into the fold next year.
@Kodi
About you last comment, I know its true (kids want to play on winning teams)but I think its so wrong. (And I hope its not the case for Gropp). I think it shows character when you are a rookie , go where you are supposed to go (even if the team is not great) and work not only for yourself but to make your team better.
I just don't see any room for Austin Douglas on the team next season. Ethan Bear is a year younger and a better prospect right now. Douglas has been to 2 T-birds camps and hasn't impressed in either. Wolf is the same age and is on the team as a 10th rd selection because he's a better player. I thought Reid Fritzke, a 5th rd pick that year, had a better camp then Douglas, but neither was good enough to make the team. Maybe Douglas is a late bloomer. He does have the size they seem to like in their d-men. One thing going for Douglas is that he'll be 17 next season and they don't have to play him 40 games like they would as a 16 yr old. But if you are 17 and a healthy sratch 50 nights is that good? I'd trade him for a young forward prospect. Our defense is pretty much set for the next two seasons. If they can trade Douglas for a solid forward prospect, then that's not a wasted draft pick. I don't know how much homework the T-birds did on Gropp before that draft but it always seemed he was leaning toward NCAA. Still, a chance to play next to Barzal 72 nights a season for 2-3 years? Only a fool would turn that down.
Mr. Tell.. I'm sorry but that is just offbase. I gave you 30 examples of what other teams did in the draft, including 7 who signed players to educational contracts even though they didn't break camp. Those aren't 'stats without context at all,' they are the career status to date of each player drafted. So you're going to have to convince me on one of two things. A)Russ would rather be throwing Daniel Wray and Mitch Elliot out there than developing Gropp in his system as Troock misses games, or B)Russ is a rebel and knows something that the other owners don't by not making them at least sign an educational contract. Not buying it, sorry.
@anon 1:10
The stats are without context because:
-They includes 2 seasons for most players, their 15y/o stint plus the current season. Meaning its 2 diffenrent situation for most players. But basically it inflates stats. Virtanen for example had a great run of 9 games last year, producing at .44pt/g, this season it seems more difficult.
-If Austin Douglas does not make the team, is that Russ's fault? He is still in the tbirds plans and he is still wanting to be here. Why do we consider that a "Russ problem"?
-Macmaster not signed, is that a "Tim Speltz problem" too?
-Out of that list, only one guy is actually competing for Rookie of the year, Braden Point. But 3 pts below him are not one but 2 rookie tbirds. Must be Russ's fault too.
And I don't try to convince anyone, (especially ones with a preset conclusion such as Farwell= BAD)
But I am wondering, would I rather see Gropp get a ton of ice time on a lower level, then if he wishes he can move up to the most competitive division in the WHL to prove is mettle; than to see him play 5 minutes a game for 50 games.
The real question is, with Gropp's performance on a stacked team in the BCHL, do you think his output in the WHL right now would be more like Brayden Point or Virtanen. I tend to believe that if its at Virtanen's level (right now) he might as well stay there.
You can make that arguement but here is the bottom line, if he was a signed player he would be playing in the WHL, not the BCHL, not the BCMML. And Russ would tell you that as well. They want Gropp here and they want him here yesterday. Yes, there is always that debate on a players development. For instance, what's better for Wolf right now? Playing once every 5th-6th game or playing every game back home? They are here at 16 to maximize their education contract (1 yr = 1yr of tuition). Since Gropp is going NCAA, he doesn't need the WHL education agreement. It's also an adjustment year. They get acclimated at 16 because at 17 most 1st rd bantam picks are going to be either a top 4 d-man or top 6 forward. And at 16 they are practicing and playing against better competition in order to prepare for that.
And yes, it would be Russ's fault or Speltz' fault. They ultimately put the final stamp on all decisions.
Good points to you both.. It's my understanding that if a player signs a WHL agreement then they are non-eligible for NCAA so that's probably a good reason why he hasn't signed. Look, we can agree or disagree on this stuff but the fact is that the T-Birds haven't signed the rights to either player, albeit for different reasons. Two draft picks aren't worth a box of pucks as of today, and that IS a 'Russ problem' as he selected these players from the pool. We absolutely need to continue developing players through the draft, and we may very well have crapped away the first two rounds of 2011. Either that, or Seattle is just going about things in a completely different manner than the rest of the league. If it's a matter of Russ vs. the Field in terms of who is doing things the right away, my money is betting the field if I'm at the betting window.
It has always been a a Russ problem, why does this guy want to own a team? Does he like loosing? I know he doesn't, but is hockey his passion? I just do not understand someone like Russ and what he is doing??? Sorry Tyler I know you hate these types of comments but as fans we just don't like what Russ is doing.
Comment away. Doesn't bother me. Doesn't mean you're right... but doesn't bother me.
I don't think there is any secret that Russ has made mistakes (as every GM does) and until the Tbirds win a WHL Championship people are going to amplify every thing that doesn't go right and selectively ignore the things that do go right. That's just the nature of the business.
Gropp still hasnt decided what route he wants to go. He has a late birthday so he isnt eligable till the 2015 NHL draft. He figures he has a year to play at a higher level than midget and get his confidence up and play regular minutes in Junior A before possibly making the jump to WHL.... One thing that concerns me is how Barzal continues to say he wants to play WHL but never says he wants to play in Seattle.
Where did you hear that Barzal wants to play in the WHL? I think he is still undecided and will probably make his mind up this summer.His concerns would probably be on how the T-birds have drafted the last couple of years. Don't really blame him. Do you?
here's where he states he wants to play in WHL......
http://www.calgaryherald.com/sports/hockey/calgary-flames/bantam+pick+puts+ambitions/7493868/story.html
Sometimes I genuinely feel like there must be Everett or Portland fans that must troll the comments here. Because I would love to assume that the level of stupidity isn't coming from Tbirds fans. I could be wrong...
Nah. Where's the fun in that.
Right on baby, keep it going!!!!!!
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