T-Birds notebook: Speed, Bear and a Watch List

The T-Birds take their six-game winning streak on the road to Kelowna on Wednesday night. Here's what else is new with the club.

Nov 25, 2015, 7:27 AM Updated: 7:28 am

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By Andy Eide

The Thunderbirds are riding their six-game win streak into Kelowna Wednesday night for a big showdown with the Western Conference leading Rockets.

Seattle went 3-1 last season against the defending WHL Champions and you can bet that Kelowna will want to get a little bit of payback for that. The Rockets are dealing with some injuries yet have managed to rip of eight wins in their last nine games — the only blemish was an overtime loss.

The T-Birds have an injury of their own that they will have to deal with. The team has listed forward Nolan Volcan as out for three weeks with a lower-body injury. Volcan suffered the injury in Victoria a week ago and his loss will be felt.

The good news is that Scott Eansor is back in the lineup for Seattle and he has played really strong in his first two games back.

So Wednesday will be another big test for the T-Birds who are looking to maintain their U.S. Division lead.

Here’s what else is new with the club:

Speed kills

With Volcan out of the lineup, second-year player Nick Holowko has stepped into his spot on Seattle’s shut down line with Jamal Watson and Scott Eansor.

That trio was huge in Seattle’s win against the Portland Winterhawks on Saturday and will have continue to play well moving forward. They are tenacious on the forecheck which forces the opposition to expel a ton of energy to get the puck and move it out of their zone. It also forces turnovers that the three can then turn into instant offense.

Getting Eansor back in the lineup has been key. He’s already sparked the team and has picked up four points in his first two games back.

“He’s a good part of our hockey team, you see what he can do,” head coach Steve Konowalchuk said after Saturday’s win. “It’s sure a one-two punch down the middle. He got that line going for us, it’s a good line for us.”

The attribute all three players have — including Volcan when he’s in the lineup — is speed. Speed kills in most sports and hockey is no different. The Eansor line’s speed can take over a game and you can see the opponents struggle with the pressure it applies.

Watson appears to be the fastest guy but he says Holowko might be able to give him a run for his money.

“Holy’s got unbelievable speed,” Watson says. “He’s one of the main guys that can keep up with me, I’m surprised at how fast he is.”

When asked who is the fastest Holowko took the political route but hinted that maybe he’s in the running.

“Its between Jamal and Eansor,” Holowko said. “We haven’t really tested it. I’ve kind of been hiding but we’re all up there.”

Ethan Bear’s quiet yet loud season

Defenseman Ethan Bear is a soft spoken and humble player off the ice. That may explain why he hasn’t been getting the headlines for the season he is turning in so far.

Bear is sitting on a six-game point streak and is on pace to have a monster year. He has 24 points in 22 games and has climbed into a tie for third in WHL defenseman scoring. That puts him on a pace for a 78 point season which would put him in company with a player like former T-Bird Shea Theodore who led the team two years ago with 79 points.

The fact that Bear is off to a good start shouldn’t be totally shocking as he was a fifth-round draft pick of the Edmonton Oilers this past year. What is a bit eye-popping is how high those numbers could rise.

One person who is not surprised is his head coach who says Bear has always shown he can score.

“He was getting points last year when Theodore was hurt,” Konowalchuk said. “In certain situations there’s only so much offense for defense, especially on that power play. He was getting points, if you put Smith out there he could get some points but you have to sacrifice for what ever role you’re in and with Theo gone he’s getting that power-play time.”

Bear has been a big part of Seattle’s third-rated power play that is clicking at 24 percent. Getting scoring from the blue line is important as it gives the T-Birds much needed secondary scoring.

Two Birds on Central Scouting’s Watch List

The NHL’s Central Scouting released their November Players to Watch List on Tuesday morning. Two Seattle players appear on it as Nolan Volcan and Turner Ottenbreit are listed as C prospects. The C designation indicates that they are seen as a fourth to fifth round prospect for the coming NHL Draft. Volcan had appeared on the September list but this is the first time Ottenbreit’s name has shown up.

What’s shocking is that Scott Eansor has dropped off the list.

He was on the September list as a C prospect and it’s hard to try and justify why he has been dropped. While he did miss nine games due to an injury, when he has been in the lineup he’s been really good. In his 13 games he’s picked up 13 points and is a plus-5 while playing against the top offensive players in the league.

How anyone can watch his play this year and somehow think he’s regressed from the start of the season is mind boggling.

Follow Andy Eide on Twitter @andyeide