Inside the numbers: Returns of Mathew Barzal, Keegan Kolesar have T-Birds trending up

Over their past nine contests, the Seattle Thunderbirds are 6-1-2-0 and playing their best hockey of the season. Not coincidentally, it was nine games ago that Mathew Barzal made his T-Birds debut after being returned to the WHL by the New York Islanders. Fellow NHL draftee Keegan Kolesar returned one game later and with both in the lineup, Seattle has been on a tear.

Here’s a look at some of the numbers correlating with their return.

1.38. In Seattle’s first 16 games, they were averaging 2.62 goals per game. Over their past nine, they’ve scored an average of four times, a 1.38 goals per game improvement. Their season average has also increased to 3.12 goals per game. The structure of this year’s T-Birds team is different than last season’s when a veteran defense and goaltender made them one of the league’s best defensive teams. This season, Seattle should be able to run four forward lines and keep consistent pressure in the offensive zone.

.219. Seattle’s power play has been converting at nearly a 22 percent clip over their past nine games, which would have them sitting at 10th in the WHL if they had maintained that success over the entirety of the season. Instead, the T-Birds’ early power play struggles leave them at 16th out of 22 teams, but improvement is definitely beginning to show.

17. Over a combined 17 games, Barzal and Kolesar have scored 17 points between them, 13 of which have come from Barzal. The numbers aren’t exactly eye-popping, but just having the two in the lineup creates headaches for the opposition. Kolesar’s pace of half a point per game will surely improve as he continues to work himself into game shape after surgery in September, and both will benefit from more time in Steve Konowalchuk’s system and with their linemates.

0.46. The T-Birds surrendered 3.13 goals per game through their first 16 contests and have allowed an average of 2.67 against since then, a difference of 0.46 per game. Half a goal per game isn’t enormous, but when you factor in how many more goals Seattle is scoring, it’s nearly a two-goal swing per game. More offense means higher possession numbers — especially with someone like Barzal who dominates the possession game — and fewer opportunities for their opponents.

32. Seattle’s three leading scorers this season — Scott Eansor, Sami Moilanen and Nolan Volcan — have combined for 32 points since the return of Barzal and Kolesar, with each individual averaging at least a point per game. Eansor has five goals and eight assists in nine games and has been on an offensive tear of late. Moilanen hasn’t missed a beat after missing the first two games of the streak due to injury, registering 10 points in seven games on three goals and seven assists. Volcan has four goals and five assists in those nine contests. Adding two elite forwards to the roster has opened things up for everyone offensively and gives Seattle some of the best forward depth in the WHL.

6, 3. After sitting near both the bottom of the Western Conference and the U.S. Division through the season’s first month and a half, Seattle has climbed up to sixth in the Conference and third in their Division over the past few weeks and continue trending upward. Granted, Seattle started the season with fewer games on their early schedule than most teams, which has since evened out for the most part, but there is no doubt they didn’t get off to the start they had hoped. There were lots of question marks and changes to the lineup early which made it difficult for any chemistry to be developed, but it appears the T-Birds now have the lineup that they’ll move forward with, pending a potential later move to strengthen the squad for a playoff run.