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Resurgence of Seattle Thunderbirds adds more fuel to U.S. Division’s fire

U.S. Division road swings are tougher than normal in the Western Hockey League this season.

For quite some time, the American Division has had two or three teams near the top of the Western Conference standings every season. The upper echelon American squads have ultimately built a strong reputation for the division. But unlike past years where one or two teams clearly lag behind, the division is rock solid this season from top to bottom.

To put into perspective how strong the five American clubs are as a whole this year, the division is currently on pace to end the year with a 98-point average. This sits 12 points ahead of the top division average in the last five years of 86 points, which happens to be held by the American Division in 2011-12 and 2010-11.

The Seattle Thunderbirds’ resurgence is ultimately the main reason why the division has arguably never been deeper. They have went from being the division’s whipping boy, finishing last three times and topping out at third in the last five seasons, to having a deep and talented enough squad to possibly make some noise in the post-season this year. They not only have a star-studded offense built around the likes of top 2012 bantam pick Mathew Barzal, Dallas Stars prospect Branden Troock and imports Roberts Lipsbergs and Alexander Delnov, but they also have a quality back end led by Anaheim Ducks first-round pick Shea Theodore.

The Thunderbirds, however, will be in a dogfight to capture a home-ice-advantage playoff spot. Roughly a quarter of the way into the season, they hold a respectable 11-5-0-2 record. But it’s a tad deceiving because Seattle has struggled against teams in their own division with a 3-4-0-1 record. So taking into account they have 32 more games this year against division rivals, it will be tough for them to finish second or third overall in their division.

“It (the division) is the deepest it has been in years,” says Thunderbirds general manager Russ Farwell. “When you have a team as good as Tri-City (Americans) at the bottom of the division (with a 10-8-0-2 record), it really shows you how deep it is because they are a pretty good team with probably the best goalie in the league (Winnipeg Jets prospect Eric Comrie). It makes it tough to play in the division with this depth, but it is also a good test to see where you stand against some of the league’s better teams.”

Ultimately, it seems the Thunderbirds will be in a four-horse race with the Tri-City Americans, Everett Silvertips and Spokane Chiefs to finish second behind the Portland Winterhawks, who are touted as the odds-on favourite to win the Ed Chynoweth Cup this year. But of the four teams, it appears the Thunderbirds have the most upside to show major improvements throughout the year. Their team is built around several rookies who are still adjusting to the league such as Barzal, 17-year-old winger Ryan Gropp, who recently gave up his UND scholarship to join the team, and 16-year-old defender Ethan Bear.

“It will be hard again this year (to do well in the playoffs),” says Farwell. “I think right now in our division Portland and Everett are ahead of us. We have some really talented players like they do, but they seem to have more guys who are better adjusted to the league. We have some players with a lot of upside that could have much better second halves than first halves of the season, though. So I think right now we don’t know exactly what we have this year and are learning as we go.”

The solid play of Barzal is the biggest reason why the Thunderbirds are considered a possible playoff wildcard. The 5-foot-11, 171-pound centre has taken no time to make his mark on the score sheet, scoring three goals and 20 points throughout his first 18 games. The combination of his impeccable skill and exceptional point production has Farwell thinking he’s the best 16-year-old rookie to put on a Thunderbirds sweater since San Jose Sharks star Patrick Marleau, who potted 74 points in 72 contests in his 1995-96 rookie season.

“They are different types of players, but Barzal is likely the best rookie to play here since Marleau,” says the Seattle architect. “He’s ahead of most players his age and is a talent that doesn’t come around that often. He thinks the game really well having great hockey sense. He’s a special player who has a bright future in this league and will have a bright future past this league.”

Unlike recent years where the Thunderbirds could lean on Colorado Avalanche prospect Calvin Pickard in between the pipes, goaltending was an uncertainty coming into this year. Their duo in the blue paint, Justin Myles and Danny Mumaugh, only combined for 18 WHL games before this season. It has been so far so good in net, though. Both Myles (.904 in 10 games) and Mumaugh (.914 in nine games) have posted respectable numbers while asserting themselves as major junior talents.

“It’s hard to follow up a guy like Pickard; he was a very special player,” says Farwell. “But I think our goalies have been doing okay this year. They have played some good games and showed they deserve to be in this league.”

Kelly Friesen is a Buzzing the Net columnist for Yahoo! Sports. Follow him on Twitter @KellyFriesen