KENT — The Seattle Thunderbirds are all in this season, and Lady Luck has blessed them already.
After spending more than half the season with the Arizona Coyotes, Dylan Guenther last week became the 10th NHL prospect on a Seattle roster that looks a bit like an All-Star team.
“It’s nice to be in this position where we’ve played well enough to put our chips in,” Thunderbirds coach Matt O’Dette said.
The Thunderbirds last season were two games from a Western Hockey League championship and entry into the Memorial Cup tournament, Canada’s major junior championship. But they ran up against the Edmonton Oil Kings, who swept them in a pair of home games and went on to win the series 4-2.
“We had a lot of really good players last year, but we needed more,” Seattle general manager Bil La Forge said. “That’s what Edmonton had — probably more star power than we did.
“Our guys played hard, and made it tough on them, but at the end of the day I think the better team won. I didn’t want to put us in that position this year.”
Who better to help the Thunderbirds push further this postseason than the enemy? Luke Prokop and Guenther were both members of that Oil Kings team that downed the Thunderbirds. Prokop, a Nashville Predators prospect, arrived via trade in October for three conditional draft picks.
Guenther, the ninth overall selection in the 2021 draft, appeared in 33 games for Arizona this season. The Coyotes surprised the 19-year-old with news that he “made the NHL,” delivered during a team meeting by his family members.
But hold that thought for now. On Feb. 5 it was announced Guenther was headed back to the WHL after all. He found out on the first practice day following the All-Star break and said he didn’t see it coming.
“It’s a little bitter,” he said. “You’re living out your dreams as a kid, playing in the best league, the league every guy on this team wants to play in. It was special.
“But at the end of the day, I can’t take any games off. I can’t feel sorry for myself. I’m in a good spot here. This is a great team.”
Coming over in a November trade, Prince Albert Raiders captain Nolan Allen cost the Thunderbirds a tidy sum — Gabe Ludwig, Brayden Dube, Easton Kovacs and six WHL Prospects Draft selections, including two first-round picks.
LaForge felt good about what they had in the pipeline and that he wasn’t gambling away Seattle’s future. But they had to be savvy shoppers. LaForge and assistant GM Jared Crooks were able to acquire more top-tier talent at a discount, but with the caveat that they might never play for Seattle. They dealt mostly picks, not prospects.
Brad Lambert, acquired last summer, was assigned to the WHL from the Winnipeg Jets’ AHL affiliate just before the trade deadline. The Finnish forward has 14 points (7 goals, 7 assists) through nine games with Seattle.
“We thought we owed it to the guys to get as solid and strong as we could, give them every chance,” LaForge said.
They noticed.
“When you see these high-end talent players come in, it’s really exciting. You just want to look into the future and see what we could do,” Edmonton Oilers prospect and fourth-year Thunderbirds winger Reid Schaefer said.
The deal for Guenther was finished right before the Jan. 10 trade deadline. If he ever showed up, Guenther would join 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship teammates Allan, goaltender Thomas Milic, defenseman Kevin Korchinski and forwards Colton Dach and Schaefer, all of whom won gold with Team Canada. Guenther scored in overtime of the title game.
As soon as the transaction happened, O’Dette started “fantasizing” about where Guenther would fit in on the line combinations and power play.
“At the time, we thought it was a long shot, but a really nice move,” O’Dette said. “If he ends up coming back, he’s coming to us.”
Guenther made his Thunderbirds debut Feb. 10 and chipped in a goal and an assist in a 6-1 Seattle victory. He had at least a point in each of his first three games.
Meanwhile 6-foot-5, 220-pound defenseman Prokop, 20, is one of the most well-known players in the WHL. In 2021 he became the first active player under NHL contract to come out as gay.
He was a year ahead of fellow Edmonton native Guenther and played with him every other year starting at 7 years old. Out of respect, he gave Guenther his space in the wake of the reassignment.
“He’s a special player that you want on your team,” Prokop said. “I know he’ll do great things for us.”
Prokop has two goals and nine assists with a plus-10 rating through 26 games. He noted that last season’s title-bound Oil Kings and this year’s Thunderbirds play a similar, versatile style and have made similar acquisitions. Many of those around him want to rid themselves of that awful taste of a championship near miss. Prokop wants to experience it all again.
“That’s what it’s all about,” he said. “I think this team has the capability to do that. I’ll do everything in my power, and make sure the guys are ready to go for another run.”
Everyone’s back from World Juniors and the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game, which featured three of tomorrow’s Thunderbirds stars. Vegas Golden Knights prospect Jordan Gustavsson and Chicago Blackhawks pick Dach, both out with shoulder injuries, are expected back within a month, with the weekend of Feb. 24 a best-case scenario.
This roster — among the oldest and deepest the Thunderbirds have had — is largely assembled. If they’re missing one thing, it’s that last year’s team was extremely tight-knit, and they’re trying to recreate that chemistry on the fly with the help of off-day outings.
Schaefer called this a “juggernaut” team. They’re not surprising anyone anymore. They’re getting every team’s best effort every night.
But without the franchise’s second WHL championship, it’s more bitter taste and gambling debts.
“Coming off last year’s run, two games away from winning it all — it just makes us that more hungry to do it all again this year,” Schaefer said. “We’ve got the tools to do it. Now it’s up to us to get it done.”