Steve Konowalchuk reflects on the Thunderbirds season

By Andy Eide

It’s been two weeks since Seattle head coach Steve Konowalchuk stepped on the ShoWare Center ice to join his players in the traditional handshake line. The Portland Winterhawks were on the other end of the line, after defeating the Thunderbirds in overtime to end their season.

It was a season that saw the T-Birds ice one of the youngest clubs in the WHL, face some adversity and finish strong.

While it ended before they would have liked, it was a positive year for the young T-Birds.

“I do think the season was a success,” Konowalchuk said. “Coming in with an awful lot of new players, going through some ups and downs and adversity. I do feel our players improved.”

A successful season for sure, but a season that perhaps had some room to be even better.

“I still am a little disappointed in the playoff,,” Konowalchuk said. “I really believed we were going to do something special this year in the playoffs, with the way the year went. We had our chances, we were right there. If we score that overtime goal maybe we’re still going but it didn’t happen.”

Losing to Portland is understandable. The Winterhawks were one of the league’s top teams and had a roster that had much more playoff experience — 400 more games of it in fact. The T-Birds were young and the experience should help in the future.

Seattle saw 11 rookies make their WHL debuts during the year. These weren’t just guys playing a handful of minutes on the fourth line either. Most of the rookies were asked to play some tough minutes in key situations.

Early on the youth showed a bit as the team was inconsistent at times and would lose its share of close, one-goal games. They also spent the first half of the season without their best player, Shea Theodore, in the lineup. Just before Theodore was set to return the team lost Mathew Barzal to injury. That kind of adversity could easily sink a team.

The T-Birds kept playing.

They showed toughness and a resiliency all year long and as the holidays approached the team got going, despite missing two of its best players.

“I think we have pretty good character kids and pretty good young players,” Konowalchuk said of his team. “When they got a chance to step in and play they contributed, they proved they belong. I still think (Ryan) Gropp played his best hockey when Barzal was out. I thought he really took our team offensively and played at a high level. On the back end, with Theodore out, I thought (Ethan) Bear was able to get the job done.”

Barzal, Gropp, Bear and Keegan Kolesar all had strong years for Seattle. All four are eligible for this summer’s NHL Draft and will get selected. Seattle has other eligible players, like Turner Ottenbreit and Alexander True, who might get looks from the NHL as well. Young kids in their draft year face a lot of distraction. There were scouts at every game — sometimes as many as 40 — and a heightened media presence. Some guys can worry about their stock too much and let their game suffer. Konowalchuk felt his guys handled it really well.

“They did a great job with it,” he said. “I think there were enough (scouts) that it wasn’t just once in a while and it became a routine. It’s a motivating thing for young guys…there are scouts out there and you didn’t want to put a bad display on.”

Two of Seattle’s most impressive rookies were 16-year-old Nolan Volcan and 17-year-old Donovan Neuls. The two joined Scott Eansor as Seattle’s ‘shut-down’ line and played beyond their years. Those are tough minutes to play — against the league’s top players — night in and night out. As the season progressed, their confidence grew. With that line coming back next year, it will be fun to watch them continue to grow and potentially score more goals.

“I think you saw a little bit in the playoffs,” Konowalchuk said of their potential. “We had Volcan and Neuls playing against two of the best 19-year-old forwards in the league through the whole playoff series and doing a fine job against them…I think they both have very good finish. They both can make plays.”

The WHL is a developmental league and the T-Birds have several players who will move on to the professional ranks. Along with their draft eligible players Seattle saw Theodore move on to the Anaheim Ducks’ AHL team in Norfolk to finish the season. Evan Wardley was picked up by the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL and goalie Taran Kozun went on to finish the year with the AHL’s Adirondack Flames. Along with those guys, former captain Justin Hickman signed a pro contract with the Boston Bruins in March.

Watching guys who didn’t get drafted, like Hickman, sign a contract in his 20-year-old season can have an impact on the rest of the roster. He’s proof that being passed over as a 17-year-old is no reason to stop working. One guy who has a shot to follow Hickman is defenseman Jerret Smith.

Smith set career marks in goals, assists and points this season and the 19-year-old teamed up with Theodore to form the T-Birds top defensive pairing. Smith could get some looks this summer and the potential for a professional contract is there.

“He’s an anchor back there, he plays tough minutes for us,” Konowalchuk said of Smith. “I think there was one game in the season where he played something ridiculous like 40 minutes. He battles hard, he’s a tough hockey player who goes out and competes real hard, sacrifices his body to win one-on-one battles.”

Smith is also a candidate to be the team’s next captain as the current captain, Shea Theodore, will not be back next year.

As the players cleaned out their lockers after the playoff loss, the coach met with each one individually. These exit interviews are common and there was one consistent message.

“Just making sure that we’re not satisfied,” Konowalchuk said. “We do have a young team but that doesn’t mean, if you don’t put the work in during the summer, that you’re going to come in and automatically be better. The summer is an opportunity to gain on the next guy.”

Follow Andy Eide on Twitter @andyeide.

Related

Roster Move: Seahawks add linebacker to practice squadOklahoma says ex-WSU QB John Mateer still best option despite turnoversChiefs star RB Kenneth Walker III downplays his return to SeattleSeahawks Injury Report: Charbonnet takes big step toward returnReport: Former Mariners catcher Mitch Garver retiresNew name emerges in Mariners’ managerial search, per report