Moilanen one bright spot early in T-Birds season

The start of the season hasn’t been exactly what the Seattle Thunderbirds hoped for, as they currently sit last in the U.S. Division and have yet to string together back-to-back wins through their first 11 games. To date, Seattle’s 11 contests are tied for the least in the league, perhaps giving them a bit of an excuse as to why they still appear a step behind some of their opponents, but that doesn’t change the fact that improvement will need to be seen quickly in all areas.

One bright spot, however, has been Finnish rookie import Sami Moilanen. The 5 foot 8, 182-pound right wing has produced eight points on three goals and five assists while playing in every one of Seattle’s games. If the team were clicking on all cylinders at this point, that point total would likely be much higher, as he’s been inches away from adding many more goals of his own and assisting on a number of his teammates’. Nevertheless, he is tied for the Thunderbirds’ points lead with Ethan Bear, who has three goals and five assists in 10 contests.

Seattle has had their share of import players make an impact recently, with names like Alexander Delnov, Roberts Lipsbergs, and Seattle’s other current European, Alexander True, all seeing some success in the WHL and beyond.

Marcel Noebels, Seattle’s first import pick in the 2010 draft, was perhaps the best of the bunch in recent memory. As an 18-year-old rookie, Noebels registered 54 points in 66 games. That year, the T-Birds won just 27 games the entire season, Rob Sumner’s last as head coach.

Noebels’ success continued the following year as he had 24 points in 31 games for a Seattle club that was again struggling. As a result, he was traded to a rival Portland team that was hoping to make a run for the Memorial Cup.

All of this to say that through a small sample size of just 11 games, Moilanen has produced at the same level as Noebels, who had seven points in his first 11 contests. At 6 foot 3 and over 200 pounds, it would seem that Noebels would be quicker to adapt to the more physical style of play in North America than Moilanen. That hasn’t been the case, however, as Moilanen, who is 17 and a year younger than Noebels was during his rookie year, has shown that what he lacks for in size he more than makes up for with his fearless play.

We’ve seen the skill and finesse that earned the Sipoo, Finland native a “C” rating in NHL Central Scouting’s Preliminary Players to Watch list, but his ability to crash and bang along the boards has been a welcome surprise. In the offensive zone, his tenacity fits in well with some of Seattle’s other undersized but high-motor forwards such as Scott Eansor, Nolan Volcan and Donovan Neuls.

A “C” rating indicates a player likely to be drafted in the fourth, fifth or sixth round of the NHL Entry Draft, but based purely on talent, Moilanen would likely be a candidate for the second or third. However, as we’ve seen with Eansor, Volcan and Neuls, who all have yet to earn a professional contract, a lack of size can scare many NHL teams away.

As the season wears on and Seattle starts to find some consistency, the numbers for Moilanen should only improve. Keegan Kolesar is due to return from injury in the next couple of weeks. Ryan Gropp just came back from an injury after his unexpected return. Every day, it looks more and more like Mathew Barzal will be back in Seattle soon as the Islanders struggle to find a place for him in the lineup.

Should all of the above happen, it will only boost Moilanen’s production as he becomes perhaps the fourth or fifth option that opposing teams have to deal with. With a full roster, watch for Moilanen’s point totals to continue to increase.