T-Birds notebook: Lid for Hughes, Hamaliuk hot, and the Prince George Cougars

Of all the players on a hockey team, the goalies are easily the most unique.

For starters, they play a position that is different in almost every way than the rest of the team. They have a unique amount of pressure on them as well as everyone in the building sees when the puck goes in, whether it was the goalie’s fault or not.

They also get to sport the most unique gear.

Goalie masks have always been an area that has been a way for the masked men to express themselves with sometimes elaborate designs and paintings. It’s something that happens at all levels and Seattle Thunderbirds goalie Liam Hughes is no exception.

Earlier this week he revealed the paint job on his new mask that he’ll be wearing for the remainder of the season. Its an impressive mask that features the Thunderbirds logo, Mount Rainier, and the Seattle skyline.

He worked with Shellshock Paint and Design in Nebraska on the new mask and says it was a collaborative effort.

“I give them some ideas about what I want, what I want to see,” Hughes said before practice this week. “Obviously, it’s his job to design. Let the artist do what he does. It’s been about a month or so, kind of got it done quick. It was nice to get it done as quick as they did.”

Hughes gives credit to the artists for a great deal of the design, but he did make sure to get a personal touch onto the mask.

“There’s a couple of things that are about myself on my back plate,” Hughes said. “Where I’m from, a little bit of my beliefs and some close friends and family. I’ve got their initials on the back.”

Those personal touches include a Canadian Flag and a flag of British Columbia – the province that Hughes hails from.

There is also a banner with the name and number of  Humboldt Broncos goalie Parker Tobin on it. The goalie was one of the Broncos players lost in the tragic bus accident that shocked and saddened the hockey world last spring. Tobin had spent two training camps with the Thunderbirds before joining the Broncos.

While in camp with Seattle, Tobin wore the same number 30 that Hughes wears now.

“He’s part of the goalie union and I respect those guys around the league,” Hughes said of the tribute. “Have to remember him and remember that tragic moment. It’s really sad to hear what happened, know what happened, but you’ve got to keep the word up and keep it alive. Show your support as much as you can.

“He obviously came to T-Bird camp a few years back and I saw that he was wearing number 30 so I felt like I had to do something. I never got to know him or meet him personally, but I’ve heard he was a great guy.”

Here’s the latest news surrounding the Thunderbirds:

A consistent and productive Hammer

Dillon Hamaliuk has had quite the start to his season.

He scored Seattle’s lone goal during Tuesday’s 4-1 loss in Spokane, has goals in eight of the 11 games he’s played in and his 18 points leads the team in scoring. The biggest difference for the guy they call ‘Hammer has been his consistency this season.

“I’m just trying to play my regular style of play, being a power forward,” Hamaliuk said earlier this week. “I’ve been taking pucks to the net and some have been going in which has been really nice. I didn’t really have a good start to the season last year so it’s nice to have a good jump this year.”

Hamaliuk played in all 72 games last year while scoring 15 goals and recording 39 points. He showed signs that he could be a dominant player.

That experience as a rookie has helped with his confidence.

“I’ve just realized that confidence is huge,” he said. “The more confidence you get, the easier things seem to come, it’s really nice. I think it grows each game. I don’t let a bad game get me down too much. I know that if I have a bounce back game, I’ll be right back up there.”

A new wrinkle that he’s added to his game this season is his play-making ability.

Against the Vancouver Giants last Saturday he set up linemate Noah Philp with a nice centering pass and has turned in several highlight reel assists already this season. He’s starting to become a player that’s making the guys around him better.

“I think it’s come a little more this year, to be completely honest,” Hamaliuk said of the play making. “I think I’ve taken a little bit of a different role this year. Instead of being that one power forward guy that finishes his checks but doesn’t produce much offense, I think it’s changed a little bit. I still want to be a little more productive.”

This season is Hamaliuk’s draft year as he is eligible to be selected in June’s NHL Draft. He started the season rated by NHL Central Scouting as a ‘C’ skater. But, as his season has progressed, he’s impressed, and it stands to reason that his rating is steadily rising.

There were several NHL scouts in attendance at the game in Langley last Saturday. With Seattle looking to put away the Vancouver Giants, Hamaliuk turned in a dazzling goal in the third period.

He deked around a Giants defenseman, leaving him standing still and wondering what had happened. Hamaliuk then made a couple of quick moves on the goaltender before sliding in a goal that got the attention of the WHL, who made it the league’s highlight of the night.

🎥 WHL Highlight of the Night 🎥
October 27, 2018

2019 #NHLDraft prospect Dillon Hamaliuk of the @SeattleTbirds #WHLHoN pic.twitter.com/E7gFgoXeB9

— The WHL (@TheWHL) October 28, 2018

“I’ve been hearing about it quite a bit, it’s been pretty cool,” he said of the goal.

If he keeps playing the way he’s started, he’ll be hearing from the NHL in June.

Playing two in Prince George

The Thunderbirds arrived in Prince George Thursday to freshly fallen snow. They will play two games against the Cougars this weekend, beginning with a 7 o’clock Friday start.

Prince George has lost its last four games and are trying to stave off falling into the B.C. division and Western Conference cellar – they are currently one point ahead of the Kelowna Rockets. Their best player may be 17-year-old goalie Taylor Gauthier but they have struggled defensively. Gauthier is still sporting a .900 save-percentage but overall the Cougars are giving up just under three-and-a-half goals per game.

Seattle should have the special teams advantage this weekend as Prince George is 21^st on the power play and 11^th on the penalty kill.

The Cougars have also struggled to score goals, which explains a lot about where they are in the standings. They are averaging 2.4 goals per game and are led by import Vladislav Mikhalchuk’s 11 points.

These are two winnable games for the Thunderbirds but as we have seen, road games in the WHL can be unpredictable. Seattle is still looking for a full 60-minute effort and that should serve as motivation to not take Prince George lightly.

Follow @AndyEide