The Seattle Thunderbirds are a dangerous team.
The evidence is as plan as the names on the roster.
It starts in goal with veteran Taran Kozun, a former Kamloops Blazer. On defence, the anchors are the smooth-skating Shea Theodore, Anaheim's first-round pick in 2014 who helped Canada win world junior gold, and Ethan Bear, who loves to create offence and has 28 points to show for it.
Up front, CHL Top Prospect Ryan Gropp leads the T-Birds in scoring with 36 points in 43 games and he's surrounded by a supporting cast that includes Roberts Lipsbergs, Keegan Kolesar, Corey Milette and a guy who will likely hear his name called as a first-rounder at the NHL draft in June in Philadelphia.
Mathew Barzal has not picked up a point in four games back with the T-birds since he cracked his knee cap in an off-ice incident in early November but he's still considered by NHL Central Scouting as the top draft-eligible player in the Western Hockey League.
The 17-year-old centre from North Vancouver should see plenty of icetime tonight at CN Centre where the Thunderbirds (23-19-3-3, third in U.S. Division) face the struggling Prince George Cougars (20-29-1-1, fifth in B.C. Division) in a two-game series. Barzal has been held pointless in four games since returning from his injury and he's due for an offensive outburst.
Barzal was on a point-per-game pace with seven goals and 11 assists in 16 games before he got injured, coming off a sensational 54-point season as a rookie last year.
Lipsbergs, who had 33 goals and 52 points in 2013-14, rejoined the T-birds Jan. 5 from the Stockton Thunder of the ECHL. In nine games since then the Latvian import has eight points. He's taken up some of the scoring slack left when RW Justin Hickman went down with a season-ending shoulder injury 31 games into the season.
"They have some high-end players and it's going to be a good weekend series, that's for sure," said Cougars head coach Mark Holick.
"They like to play a physical style, a hard heavy game and we have to be prepared for it. You have to get to the paint in front of Kozun because if he sees he'll stop it. You have to make sure you're in his traffic and if you don't score on the first one you have to get those seconds and thirds."
The Cougars are trying to snap out of a 10-game losing streak and they'll have to play tonight missing a few regulars due to injuries and suspensions.
"It never rains but it pours," said Holick. "When I saw the way we were adding up games -- we've played 15 games in 30 days. [Wednesday] was our fourth practice in six weeks and you're not going to get better doing that. We were either on a bus or playing games. Then when you have a chance you have to give some guys some off-days or some rest days because they're playing 26 or 28 minutes a night because we're missing some key players.
"That's our schedule and we've got to get through it but from a development case I think it's hurting some of our guys from not being on the ice as much as we'd like them to be. They don't touch the puck enough."
LW Jari Erricson was hit in the head by a shoulder check from Medicine Hat Tigers D Kyle Burroughs in last Friday's game in Medicine Hat and hasn't played since. He won't play in either game this weekend. Burroughs was handed a four-game suspension.
"He did OK on the concussion impact test but he's still reporting symptoms and we can't do anything with him until his symptoms have subsided," said Holick.
Ruopp was suspended five games for a knee-on-knee hit on Everett defenceman Jordan Wharrie on Jan. 20.
"We've got Sam sitting out one more game and that's hurt us bigtime, missing a guy like that for five," said Holick.
C Zach Pochiro is out with an upper-body injury and won't resume practice until next week at the earliest. C Haydn Hopkins (upper-body injury) is out for three or four weeks and RW Cal Babych (upper-body) won't play in the Seattle series.
LW Colby McAuley drew a five-game suspension for leaving the bench to join a fight late in the Lethbridge game last Saturday. The Cougars were also fined $1,000 for the incident.
The T-Birds lost 4-3 Wednesday in Kamloops, which moved the Blazers two points ahead of Prince George. The Cougars are in a three-team race with Kamloops and the Vancouver Giants for the the third and final playoff spot in the B.C. Division. The Blazers, who play tonight in Portland, have a game in hand over the Cougars. The Giants, have played two fewer games than the Cougars. Each team has 40 points. Vancouver plays tonight in Everett.
