T-Birds ink goalie Ryan Gilchrist to WHL standard player agreement

On Friday, the Thunderbirds shored up their future goaltending situation by signing Ryan Gilchrist to a WHL standard player agreement.

The 16-year-old Gilchrist, who stands 6 foot 3, participated in T-Birds training camp each of the past two seasons and was one of the more impressive prospects both years. With the unexpected departure of Danny Mumaugh, Seattle was left with questions regarding its future in net. Starter Taran Kozun is 20 years old and in his final WHL season, while current backup Logan Flodell is 17 years old and, prior to Friday, was the only signed goaltender in Seattle’s system.

General manager Russ Farwell said in a statement released by the team that he expects Gilchrist to compete for a spot on the roster next season as a 17-year-old. He would likely back up Flodell, who the team has been bringing along slowly to eventually man the top spot in net.

Playing in the Alberta AAA Midget Hockey League this year, Gilchrist has posted an 8-5-3 record with a 2.81 goals-against average and an .890 save percentage. Last year, while playing with the Lloydminster Rohan Rage of the Alberta Minor Midget Hockey League, the 1998-born netminder posted a 2.18 goals-against average and a .931 save percentage over 23 games.

Should they decide to go with a younger duo in net, the T-Birds could enter next season with Flodell and Gilchrist as their starter and backup, respectively. However, Flodell has just six WHL games under his belt so far, which may lead Seattle to pursue a veteran goalie in the offseason to help backstop a team that will have high expectations next season based on the depth of young talent on its roster. It wouldn’t be a question of whether Flodell and Gilchrist have the talent to play at this level, but rather whether or not they’d be ready to shoulder the load for a playoff-bound team for an entire season and the playoffs.