Checking in with Thunderbirds general manager Russ Farwell

With the Western Hockey League shut down for the holidays, the Seattle Thunderbirds find themselves clinging to the last playoff spot in the Western Conference.

The first half of the season had its up and downs as well as some unknowns, but it also had a stretch of hockey that gave us a glimpse of how good the team might end up being in the second half.

At the break, Seattle general manager Russ Farwell took some time to reflect on the first half as well as a look forward.

“The first month with waiting to see who would be back, we were kind of treading water,” Farwell said. “We wanted to stay close but you really can’t decide anything until you know. We did have a stretch where we played really well and got in the hunt. … When we’re playing, we can play with anybody.”

With the return of Mathew Barzal, Ryan Gropp and Keegan Kolesar, the T-Birds went on an 8-2-2-0 stretch when all three were in the lineup together. With Barzal at the World Junior Championships until early January, that stretch could be a sign of what the team can do in the second half.

Over that stretch, the T-Birds generated a ton of shots and scoring chances, and they ended the first half as one of the top possession teams in the league. Seattle’s Fenwick Close percentage – a stat that measures puck possession – is second best in the WHL.

That should end up in positive results moving forward.

“We get a lot of shots and don’t give much,” Farwell said about the season so far. “We need to be consistent in goal and we’re still evaluating our defense, I think. We had some trouble scoring in games where we had a good effort but didn’t win as many as we might of. We could be in a better position.”

The next big event in the WHL will be the trade deadline in January.

Farwell says that the T-Birds would be interested in adding a defenseman to the fold at the deadline. With the graduation of Jared Hauf and Jerret Smith, the T-Birds have had to play with a younger defensive corps. They’ve played well at times but have suffered from some inconsistency.

“It’s an area we sure would look at,” Farwell said. “You never know if you can quite accomplish it or not. I think it’s the biggest area we notice. We haven’t quite replaced those two guys and the other guys have taken a step.”

Ethan Bear and Turner Ottenbreit have had good first halves on the blue line and two younger guys have had their moments as well. Jarret Tyszka has shown up on NHL scouting lists and was invited to play in the Top Prospects game. Rookie Reece Harsh, who Farwell describes as a resilient and competitive guy, has turned some heads, as well.

The team has some guys who can move the puck and score from the back end already. So, what kind of defenseman might they be in the market for?

“We know what we have but we’d like to get a little stronger,” Farwell said. “We’d like a guy that is more than just a stay-at-home, shoot it out guy but we’d like to have more of a presence there. You never know if you can find it or not.”

Trades in the WHL can be tricky. Looking at the Western Conference standings, it is hard to find a team that will be a seller come the deadline. All the teams are within striking distance of a playoff spot so Farwell, and every other team, may have to deal with Eastern Conference clubs.

That will limit the trading partners and options so it will be interesting to see what Farwell can find.

The trade game in junior hockey is always a balancing act of adding a piece without completely selling off your future. Seattle is in a position where their main core players will all most likely be moving on next season.

Will that result in Farwell and the T-Birds going all in this year?

“Its part of the puzzle,” Farwell said. “There’s a certain time where you have to regroup but if everyone’s healthy and going and we think we can compete, then we’re probably more looking at this year.”

Farwell has made some trades already this year. The biggest trade was picking up goaltender Rylan Toth just before the season started. The T-Birds sent a third-round draft pick to Red Deer to get the 20-year old goalie.

Toth was the starter and the plan was to get rookie Carl Stankowski into some games along the way. Stankowski was injured after playing in the U17 Championships for Canada. He hasn’t played since that tournament and Farwell says his return this season is still up in the air.

With Stankowski out, Seattle has given Matthew Berlin some spot starts, where he played pretty well. Overall, Farwell says that the goaltending has been solid, but perhaps could step up a bit.

“Little bit inconsistent,” Farwell says of his goaltending. “but Toth’s given us some good games and has been pretty good. We were really happy with Carl before he went down and that’s just luck of the draw with the injury. We’re lucky we brought Matt on board. We honestly don’t know where we are in goal because Carl may, or may not be back.”

One pleasant surprise in the first half as been the play of Finnish import Sami Moilanen. Its hard to predict how imports will adapt to the North American game and rinks but Moilanen has been good. In his first 31 games in the WHL he has 11 goals and 26 points.

As he gets more used to the league, is there more he can do in the second half?

“We’re happy with what he’s given us but I think I’m encouraged by him not being happy,” Farwell said. “Sami’s not satisfied with what he’s done. With that, that’s a good sign, he’s expecting more.”

Looking at the T-Birds second half schedule they will get to play more home games than they did in the first half. They have played the fewest home games in the U.S. Division and last year were dominant at home, only losing five games in regulation.

This year’s home record has not been as one-sided but with the return of Barzal, the T-Birds could take advantage of it in the second half.

“Well, we haven’t dominated at home like we have in other years so we have to get that going,” Farwell said. “I think you’ve just got to get your rhythm going to climb. I think we just want to get points, win consistently, and see where we end up.”

Seattle will be back in action on Dec. 27^th with a home game against the Spokane Chiefs. In the meantime, the players have headed home for some much-needed rest.

“I think the break is coming at a good time for a lot of our guys,” Farwell said. “Eight days gives everyone a fresh look at the second half.”

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