The holiday break is over, the second half is in full swing and the U.S. Division action is ready to heat up with a second half full of inter-division match ups.
The Everett Silvertips have a bigger lead at this point of the season than they did last year but will that be enough for them to hold on? Will Seattle make a run to defend their title? Will Tri-City continue to stay in the hunt? Can the young Winterhawks find consistency? Will Spokane make a run for a playoff spot?
There’s a ton of questions to still be answered. One thing we do know is that the second half of this division should be fun to watch.
Here’s where the U.S. Division stands as we sit a week away from the WHL trade deadline.
Everett Silvertips
The first place Silvertips have had to play the last seven games without two of their top stars as goalie Carter Hart and defenseman Noah Juulsen have been with Team Canada at the World Junior Championships. They’ve survived those absences for the most part and have a 4-2-1-0 record over that span. Back up Mario Petit has taken over between the pipes and has held his own. He has allowed four goals or more in three of the seven games however, which is something you didn’t see with Hart and Juulsen in the lineup. The Silvertips made their big trade earlier in the season in picking up Dominic Zwerger from Spokane. Will they make another trade? They could look for a puck-moving defenseman or perhaps a scoring forward, if one is available.
Tri City Americans
The Americans entered the break on a four-game losing streak. The rest and home cooking has paid off however as they won three out of four to start the second half. One of the division’s better goal-scoring clubs, they twice potted six in the four games since the break. They’re in second place in the division but Everett has several games in hand. Will they make a move at the deadline? Mike Williamson’s charges can score with the best of them but have given up nearly as many as they’ve scored. They give up 3.46 per game and are only plus-two in goal differential. They may be looking to pick up some defense at the trade deadline. If not, they will have to rely on Michael Rasmussen (27-18-45), Morgan Geekie (21-25-46) and Vladislav Lukin (16-21-37) to carry the load for them.
Portland Winterhawks
The young Winterhawks continue their up and down play, which reflects in their 2-2 record since the holiday break. One player who has been solid for them is goalie Cole Kehler. He was spectacular in Seattle last weekend, making 40 saves in a 2-1 win against the Thunderbirds. Goaltending was a big question coming into the season but with the emergence of Kehler the Winterhawks felt comfortable enough to send back up Micheal Bullion to the Medicine Hat Tigers over the weekend.
The #Winterhawks game at a glance is presented by @Toyota from the 2-1 win over Seattle, ft. 40 saves from @kehler298: pic.twitter.com/KxVFtGcgZo
— Portland Winterhawks (@pdxwinterhawks) December 31, 2016
The power play continues to be the bread and butter for Portland and they are averaging over one power-play goal per game. When it doesn’t connect, as it did in a 3-2 New Year’s Eve loss to Seattle, the Winterhawks can struggle. Portland is young but is holding on to a playoff spot. There has been some speculation that they might be sellers come the trade deadline. Defenseman Caleb Jones would be their biggest chip but it seems unlikely that they will make such a move.
Seattle Thunderbirds
The Thunderbirds have fared better this year than they did last season during the World Junior Championships. Playing without Mathew Barzal and Alexander True, Seattle is on a 3-1-1-0 stretch. They shored up their defense with two moves coming out of the break. First they acquired Aaron Hyman from Calgary and then late last week added Austin Strand from Red Deer. Both are upgrades to a blue line that was short on experience and had two players, Bryan Albee and Brandon Schuldhaus, leave the team at the break. Goalie Rylan Toth is heating up for the Thunderbirds as well with a 1.86 goals-against-average and a .943 save percentage over his last six starts. Seattle has a big match up this coming Friday with the first place Silvertips. They should have True back for that game but will have to wait and see how Canada fairs in the medal round to see if Barzal will be back.
Spokane Chiefs
The Chiefs have been the busiest of the division’s club when it comes to making trades. When forward Wyatt Sloboshan failed to report after the break, a move was needed. Spokane sent Sloboshan and a third-round pick to Regina for forwards Riley Woods and Rykr Cole. They followed that move up by trading Curtis Miske to the Prince Albert Raiders for a fourth-round pick. The young Chiefs are built for next year and beyond and currently out of a playoff spot; might they look to sell? A player like 19-year-old Hudson Elynuik (14-25-39) might be an attractive piece to a contending team.
