T-Birds notebook: Wedman scoring, power play too and scoreboard watching
Feb 22, 2019, 11:22 AM
Seattle Thunderbirds center Matthew Wedman has been scoring a lot of goals lately and he’s done it in a number of different ways.
He’s scorched a one-timer slap shot for a goal, he’s put on the jets to race past the defense for a goal and last Sunday added a score on a wrap around goal in Portland. Heading into Friday night’s game at Everett, Wedman has scored at least one goal in his last six games – a streak that has seen him pot seven and add four assists.
“You’re just trying to get pucks on net,” Wedman says about his streak. “Stuff’s going in so try to get there any way possible. Just go to the net and try to pick up loose pucks. That’s been working.”
Stuff has been going in for the 19-year-old from Edmonton, who has spent his entire four-year WHL career with the Thunderbirds.
He’s found the net a team-best 32 times this year and has assisted on 31 more for 63 points this season — all career bests for Wedman. The 6-foot-3 center has been a force for the Thunderbirds that plays in all situations for the club.
He’s on the top power play unit, kills penalties and is one of Seattle’s top face off men, often sent out to win crucial defensive zone draws. Still eligible to be drafted this June, Wedman’s season is starting to attract attention from scouts.
“I think his style of play is pretty hard to play against,” Thunderbirds head coach Matt O’Dette says. “A big centerman that’s heavy on the puck, can get up and down the ice and plays with a bit of a mean streak. You just look at his numbers, combined with his penalty minutes and plus-minus, that can be attractive to teams.
“He’s just played consistent all year. He’s been a driving force for our team. It’s nice to see some interest in him, because he deserves it.”
Wedman says that he hasn’t changed his game too much but is playing with a ton of confidence and that may be the biggest change to his game during his career with Seattle.
“It just gives you an extra boost,” he adds. “Kind of knowing that if you can get it to the net, it might go in. I feel like I can do more with the puck. I want to hold onto the puck more. I find myself calling for the puck more and that’s been huge.”
That confidence shows up in the results but also when you look at his shot attempts.
Through 56 games this season, Wedman has already attempted more shots (193) on goal than he did in 72 contests last year (181). Going from 2.51 shots-per-game up to 3.45 is sure fire sign that he’s playing with more confidence by looking to shoot more than in the past.
Wedman will be front and center this coming weekend as the Thunderbirds play two tough games against the Everett Silvertips and Portland Winterhawks.
Here’s the latest surrounding the club.
Power play picking up steam
It wasn’t too long ago that the Thunderbirds couldn’t buy a power-play goal. There would be long stretches where they failed to cash in on their chances and sunk to the bottom of the league’s power-play rankings.
Seattle has slowly moved up a couple of spots to 16th in the league with the man advantage and have power-play goals in eight of its last nine games.
The Thunderbirds haven’t made any drastic changes to their power-play strategy but have been able to put two consistent units together. Injuries had made the power play a rotating door but that’s stabilized some over the past stretch.
“We were struggling for a little while,” Noah Philp said after last Friday’s win against Red Deer. “But, when you play with guys long enough you start to read off each other, you start to know each other’s tendencies.”
With the Thunderbirds fighting for all the points they can get in an attempt to make the playoffs, they will need the power play to continue producing.
“We talk about just getting continuity, getting the same guys on units,” O’Dette added last weekend in regard to the power play. “It’s been tough with injuries and keeping a group of five together, that’s been part of it. Sometimes you have to simplify.”
Playoff race scoreboard watch
The Thunderbirds hit the weekend with 52 points in the standings which is good for a three-point lead over the Kamloops Blazers for the final Wild Card spot in the WHL Playoffs. Seattle is at Everett on Friday night and will host the Portland Winterhawks Saturday night at the accesso ShoWare Center.
Kamloops has two games in hand on the Thunderbirds and will host the Western Conference’s last place team, the Prince George Cougars, Friday night before hitting the road for a Saturday night tilt in Kelowna against the Rockets.
That Saturday night game in Kelowna is of more interest to the Thunderbirds because the Rockets are just one point ahead of Seattle in the standings. Like Seattle, Kelowna has a tough schedule and it just may end up the Rockets that the Thunderbirds are fighting for a spot with. Kelowna will be in Spokane Friday night to play the Chiefs before they host Kamloops on Saturday.
The worst case for Seattle is for that Saturday game to go to overtime, giving each club at least one point.