Thunderbirds’ GM Russ Farwell likes the makeup of his club

The Seattle Thunderbirds kick off a new season Friday in Vancouver with some pretty high expectations.

On paper, Seattle has its strongest looking team in years and is considered by many to be the favorite in the U.S. Division this season. Of course, the games aren’t played on paper so the team will still have to work hard to match those expectations, but there is good reason to be optimistic.

Seattle has returned almost all of its key players from a year ago, when it was one of the youngest teams in the WHL. That team was competitive last season and, now a year older, those players should give Seattle an edge.

These are still young players, however, and one big question is how they will handle the pressure of being favorites. Will they wilt under a brighter spotlight? General manager Russ Farwell doesn’t think they will.

“I don’t think they’ll wilt at all,” he said. “I think the guys are excited about their team. They like each other, they like playing. There are very few guys here who are just hanging on or just happy to be here. They enjoy playing together and are looking forward to it.”

The Thunderbirds’ depth is key. Last year’s roster had four players selected by NHL teams at this June’s draft and they added a fifth when they picked up Colorado prospect Gustav Olhaver in the Import Draft. Those five players, along with a pretty talented supporting cast, are the main reason for optimism.

For Farwell, the off-ice makeup of the players is another reason to be excited.

“One of our real strengths is that we have real character group of guys,” Farwell said. “They’re real solid kids, they’re into what they are doing and they like each other and are real character kids. I think its going to be fun to watch.”

Having strong character can go a long way for a hockey team. We got a glimpse of the T-Birds’ resolve last year as the young group dealt with some key injuries but never found themselves too down, never suffered a prolonged losing streak and ended up stronger in the end.

Farwell says it’s tough to project a player’s character when you draft them at 14 or 15 years old. You don’t know how that player is going to mature or how he’s going to handle the intensity of WHL hockey.

“Boy, you really covet it when you have it,” he said. “You can’t do it unless your best players have that quality too, and that’s what we have.”

Seattle’s best players do seem to have the character to match their on-ice talent. Farwell praises players like Ryan Gropp, Keegan Kolesar, Ethan Bear, Jerret Smith and Scott Eansor. He also makes a point of remarking on how the team’s best player – Mathew Barzal – is more motivated than ever to win. Farwell says that Barzal got a taste of winning this summer when he was at the New York Islanders’ camp, rooming with fellow top prospect Michael Dal Colle.

Dal Colle played for the Oshawa Generals last year and as captain was key in their Memorial Cup victory. Farwell says Barzal got an earful about what that experience is like and it has him excited.

“If guys like Mat Barzal get that kind of bug, then that’s the recipe,” Farwell said. “When your best player is driven, that’s important.”

On the ice, Farwell likes the depth his team has. With the addition of Olhaver and the growth of Alexander True he feels like the T-Birds have a real good shot at having three quality lines that can all score and cause matchup problems. He also is looking for some of the younger players to take a step in their second seasons.

Key among that group is Nolan Volcan.

“I think he’s going to have a big year,” Farwell said about the speedy winger from Edmonton. “He’s going to cause problems for NHL scouts too, if they want to discount him for his size. I think he’s going to have a productive year and turn out to be a guy who can play.”

Volcan has played this preseason with Eansor and 20-year-old Jamal Watson. So far that trio has been impressive and will be a tough line for opponents to deal with. Farwell says the club thought they had something good with those three this summer, and is excited to see it play out the way it has so far.

“I know Steve (Konowalchuk) had them (playing together) on the board but those things don’t always work – this time it really did work,” he said. “Those two buzzsaws are tough and Volcan is so matter of fact, quick release, goes right to the net. Just the sheer speed of those guys is hard to play against.”

Those three project to be Seattle’s second line playing behind Barzal and Gropp, and could be one of the strongest second lines in the division.

Goaltending was a big question mark coming into the season for the T-Birds. They picked up Taz Burman from Red Deer just before camp, and he and Logan Flodell are the two guys moving forward. Farwell doesn’t think it’s been determined yet which one will be the No. 1 guy so expect both to get equal opportunities at the start.

With a roster as deep as the T-Birds have, the potential for a deep playoff run is there. Might Farwell consider making a big trade at some point to further bolster the roster?

“We have to wait and see,” he said. “It’s way too early to think about that. Everyone’s in first place right now so we don’t know.”

The Thunderbirds have yet to play a regular season game so it is too early to know exactly what the season has in store. What we do know is that they have a talented roster and their division appears ripe for the picking. The only question now is, can the T-Birds take advantage? We will find out starting Friday night in Vancouver.

Follow Andy Eide on Twitter @andyeide.

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