T-Birds to watch following training camp

The Seattle Thunderbirds wrapped up their 2017 training camp Sunday night with the annual Blue White Game. Team White was victorious defeating Team Blue 5-4, powered by a two-point effort from Elijah Brown and two late power play markers.

As the T-Birds wrap up training camp and look to their first weekend of preseason games, here are some players to keep an eye on.

Blake Bargar: Recently acquired in the offseason, Bargar seemed to fit in very well during camp. His style of play is perfect for the T-Birds hard working, physical system. At first the trade for Bargar seemed like a depth move, but the hard-working winger showed a little offensive flair by registering one of Team White’s late power play goals that helped his team clinch the scrimmage victory over Team Blue. It will be interesting to see exactly where Bargar fits into the T-Birds lineup during this weekend’s preseason tournament in Everett.

Elijah Brown (Brian Liesse)

Elijah Brown: Brown played in 64 games for the T-Birds during his rookie season last year, mainly as a fourth line player. Brown will be looking for a bigger role this season, especially with the departures of last years top three centers: Mathew Barzal, Scott Eansor, and Alexander True. Brown was impressive throughout training camp, and it showed during the Blue White Game where he scored a goal and an assist in Team White’s victory Sunday night. Elijah seems poised to take his game to the next level this season.

Luke Ormsby: The Monroe, Wash. native had a fantastic camp. Playing in 65 games during his rookie season with the T-Birds, Ormsby scored six goals and five assists for 11 points. Similar to Brown, Luke Ormsby will be looking at a bigger role this season and by the way he looked in camp he looks more than ready to make the jump. Watch Ormsby in the coming weeks to see just where he stacks up in the lineup this year.

Tyler Adams: Tyler Adams looked like the Tyler Adams you expected to see; hard Working, gritty, and physical. Unfortunately, Adams may not be with the T-Birds this season. As one of four 20-year-olds on the roster right now, the team needs to make a decision on which player to let go. The other three 20-year-olds are Donovan Neuls, Turner Ottenbreit, and Austin Strand. Keep an eye out the next few weeks to see what the team decides to do with Adams.

Tyler Adams (Brian Liesse)

Sami Moilanen: He missed camp because he was playing for Team Finland at the U20 Four Nations tournament where he scored four goals and six points in four games. After an impressive rookie campaign, the Finnish native registered 21 goals and 43 points in 70 games. In 20 playoff games, he registered seven goals and 16 points. Moilanen seems set to have an even more impressive second campaign as one of the team’s top forwards.

This Friday, the T-Birds open their preseason play against the Vancouver Giants at 11 a.m. in Everett. They continue play against the Silvertips Saturday night at 7 p.m. and then conclude the weekend Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. versus the Spokane Chiefs.