Turner Ottenbreit working his way into T-Birds’ long term plans

When the WHL regular season began in September, it was a well-known fact that the Thunderbirds roster was an unfinished product. Questions surrounded the goaltending, overage, and defensive situations, and it remained to be seen which of the players on the opening night roster would be there even a few days later.

As part of the resolution for the abundance of 20-year-olds, Seattle traded veteran defenseman and locker-room leader Adam Henry to Saskatoon for 17-year-old defenseman Turner Ottenbreit, who would be leaving the area near where he grew up for the Pacific Northwest.

It’s probably safe to say that at that point the Seattle faithful weren’t familiar with the 6-foot-4, 180-pound defenseman. After all, T-Birds general manager Russ Farwell wasn’t even entirely sure what he was getting.

“Turner was not someone we had been tracking,” Farwell said. “But when (Saskatoon) expressed interest in Henry, he was the prospect that best fit our needs.”

And a prospect Ottenbreit was. At the time of the trade, he had played in only 12 WHL games and registered just one point. He spent the majority of the 2013-14 season with his Midget AAA team, the Yorkton Harvest. He had skated in just two of the Blades’ first four games, and didn’t seem to figure prominently into their blue line rotation this season.

“Back in Saskatoon, I was in and out of the lineup,” said Ottenbreit, who has since played in 24 games with the Thunderbirds. “When I found out I got traded (to Seattle), I was really excited.”

Farwell added that he was looking for someone in exactly Ottenbreit’s situation. With five defensemen already penned into the Seattle lineup, it was necessary that Henry’s replacement be young and willing to perhaps play limited minutes.

“We needed defensemen that could play ‘real’ minutes,” said Farwell. “But not someone who was so established that he could not be part of a rotation developmentally if everyone was healthy and available.”

The story changed entirely when he joined the Thunderbirds. Since his acquisition, he’s played in every game and been more than a pleasant surprise on the Seattle blue line.

While the points may not indicate Ottenbreit’s impact – he has a respectable four points on one goal and three assists – he is plus-3 with the T-Birds, which ties him for third best on the team.

“I take pride in being a defensive defenseman with a good plus/minus,” said Ottenbreit of his style of play. “I like to be physical and sometimes jump in with the offense too.”

The stay-at-home defenseman is the type of player whose best games are the ones in which he goes generally unnoticed, making sure that he’s not caught out of position or missing his assignments.

“It was a crazy start to the season in Seattle,” said Ottenbreit, who has sometimes been asked to play significant minutes as the defensive group has been plagued by injury. “I jumped in feet first and I think the season has gone very well since I got here.”

“(Turner) has filled our short term needs very well,” added Farwell when asked to assess his early-season acquisition’s performance. “We’re also very excited about him long-term as well because he looks to be a good young prospect who will develop into a top-four defenseman in the league.”

Considering the situation that the Thunderbirds were in, if Ottenbreit’s development continues at the rate it’s been going and he does eventually move up to one of the top two pairings, the trade will end up being a steal for Seattle. In no way is that a slight towards Henry, who was a very valuable player for the Thunderbirds, but considering that every team in the league knew Seattle was desperate to move someone, they didn’t hold much bargaining power.

Off the ice, it may have been a more difficult situation for the young Ottenbreit, but the transition was made easier by the presence of fellow 17-year-old defenseman Ethan Bear and captain Justin Hickman, as well as a family that has continued to stay involved, even though they’re over 1,200 miles away.

Bear and Ottenbreit grew up on opposing benches, often finding themselves facing off against each other, but when Bear moved to Yorkton in 2012, the two joined forces on a talented Yorkton Harvest Midget AAA squad.

“When I got traded here, he helped me adjust,” said Ottenbreit of Bear’s role in acclimating him to a new team. “He was awesome and made me feel so welcome. It was amazing.”

Ottenbreit also has the privilege of living with team captain Justin Hickman, a 20-year-old who is currently playing in his fifth season in Seattle. Hickman has proven himself an outstanding leader and on-ice presence during his time with the Thunderbirds.

“It’s a treat (living with Hickman),” said Ottenbreit, who scored his first goal for the T-Birds last weekend versus the Spokane Chiefs. “He helped me along, especially when I first got here, in getting around and learning everything.”

For hockey players growing up, family always plays a significant role, but for Ottenbreit in particular, his family has continued to stay closely involved, even while he’s away in Seattle. Things were much easier in Saskatoon when they were just over a three-hour drive from watching him play.

“My family is very supportive and they watch almost every game online,” Ottenbreit said of the support he continues to receive from home. “They always encourage me to do my best and try to get better. It’s helpful to have that support, especially when you’re so far from home.”

For Seattle, Ottenbreit has filled more than one need. He’s filled in nicely on defense, contributed on the power play and penalty kill, and is another 17-year-old defenseman, in addition to Bear, who could be around for a number of years.

“We are very happy to have him,” said Farwell.

His emergence couldn’t have come at a better time.