On Oct. 17, the Seattle Thunderbirds will be honored by the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Western Washington and Alaska at their 27th Annual Gala auction.
Former Thunderbirds forward Connor Honey is suing the city of Vancouver for an injury he suffered following warm-ups prior to a game against the Vancouver Giants in 2013. The city of Vancouver owns and operates Pacific Coliseum, where the Giants play their home games.
A player-by-player look at the Thunderbirds roster, which on paper looks to be the strongest team in Steve Konowalchuk's tenure as the Seattle head coach.
This season, which will mark Steve Konowalchuk's fifth as the Thunderbirds' head coach, is going to provide a new challenge for the veteran bench boss.
The severity of a leg injury Thunderbirds defenseman Donovan Neuls suffered from a knee-on-knee hit on Sunday is still unknown, but losing him would have a significant impact on Seattle.
Mathew Barzal, the no. 16 overall pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, has signed a professional contract with the New York Islanders, the Thunderbirds announced Thursday morning.
The hockey season officially began in Seattle last week as the Thunderbirds hosted two days of prospect scrimmages and two days of maincamp followed by the annual Blue-White game. The preseason begins this weekend in Everett as Seattle will play in three contests, one each against Tri-City, Victoria and Spokane.
The Seattle Thunderbirds have traded forward Calvin Spencer to the Swift Current Broncos in exchange for a conditional sixth-round choice in the 2017 Bantam Draft, the team announced Tuesday.
The biggest question for the T-Birds entering this season has been in net, where they'll be losing WHL graduate Taran Kozun, who established himself as one of the league's best goalies over the past season and a half. In line to replace him is another prospect from the 2012 Bantam Draft, Logan Flodell.
When the Thunderbirds acquired Jamal Watson from the Lethbridge Hurricanes on May 14, it seemed to settle the 20-year-old situation for the upcoming season. It's still over two months until Seattle opens the season in Vancouver and anything can happen during that time, but the three overage players on Seattle's roster will provide the combination of production and leadership that teams should seek from their veterans.
The Thunderbirds signed defenseman Brandon Schuldhaus and selected forward Gustav Olhaver in the Import Draft, adding them to a group of players with NHL futures.
This past weekend provided the most tense and enjoyable environment that the four T-Birds selected had ever experienced, and it was no different for Shea Theodore two years ago.
Ryan Gropp was the second Thunderbird to go in the NHL Draft, the New York Rangers completing a blockbuster trade with the Anaheim Ducks to move up and take the talented young wing.
While the road had a couple of forks, it's hard to think of a situation that could have been better for Mathew Barzal than being picked by the Isalanders.
Friday evening marks the beginning of the 2015 NHL Draft, where no fewer than four Thunderbirds are expected to be selected by professional clubs. The first round takes place Friday night, with Rounds 2 through 7 occurring on Saturday.
The Thunderbirds announced Monday afternoon that they had signed Elijah Brown, their first round pick, No. 15 overall, from the 2015 Bantam Draft to a standard WHL Player Agreement.
In a press release posted on the Penticton Vees' website, it was announced that former T-Birds first-round draft pick Dante Fabbro will be returning to Penticton for the 2015-16 season, when he will be 17 years old.
The Thunderbirds announced early Friday morning that they acquired forward Jamal Watson from the Lethbridge Hurricanes in exchange for Cory Millette and a fifth-round selection in next year's Bantam Draft.
The Thunderbirds added nine new players to their protected list through Thursday's annual WHL Bantam Draft, a crop including six forwards, two defensemen, and one goalie.
On April 16, the Thunderbirds announced an exciting piece of news as last year's first-round Bantam Draft pick, Jarret Tyszka, signed a WHL Standard Player Agreement. The news couldn't have come at a better time as Seattle will lose two of its top four defensemen from last season, Shea Theodore and Evan Wardley, and the status of 2013 first-round pick Dante Fabbro remains uncertain.
The Thunderbirds season could be considered a success given their youthful roster, but for general manager Russ Farwell it's tough to say if the team met his expectations given how often the team didn't have a healthy roster.
Despite an early playoff exit, the Thunderbirds exceeded the expectations of many, finishing the season fourth in the Western Conference with 85 points and getting within inches of taking the favored Portland Winterhawks to Game 7 in the first round.
The seventh and final installment of a series of articles looking at how the current T-Birds roster was built through the draft and various trades over the past five years.
