Top 19 Thunderbirds; A completely subjective list you will certainly disagree with. Continued. #4.

Oh. My. God. It’s August! We are literally weeks away from hockey being back, and I for one, am jacked. But, until I have current information on the Thunderbirds, I will ease your hockey withdrawals with the next entrant on my Top 19 Thunderbirds list. Er, well, Breaker in this instance. Over the summer, we’ve looked at some of the greatest players and toughest dudes the Thunderbirds/Breakers have ever seen. The next player on our list had a lot of one and was no slouch in the other. Sliding into the number four spot is forward, Ryan Walter.

(photo – Montreal Canadiens)

Walter is a native of New Westminster, BC. His talent was undeniable from the beginning. A young, scoring Phenom, Walter landed on the radar of the then Kamloops Chiefs after an impressive two years with the Langley Lords of the BCJHL where in just two seasons, he piled up 194 points (72G, 122A) in just 116 games. Walter would receive his first taste of Western Canada Hockey League in 1974-1975 appearing in nine regular season games with the Chiefs, scoring eight goals and adding four assists for 12 points as a 17-year-old rookie. It was clear from the start that Walter possessed special talent and that his career would be a successful one.

 

Over the next two seasons in Kamloops, Walter would separate himself from the pack, and became a true elite forward in the major junior hockey ranks. In 1975-1976 Walter played in 72 games, amassing 35 goals and 49 assists for 84 total points, while also adding 96 penalty minutes. 1976-1977 Walter again improved in all offensive statistics this time scoring 41 goals to go along with 58 assists for 99 points. This would be his final season in Kamloops, as the franchise was relocated to Seattle, Washington the following season and re-branded, the Seattle Breakers.

(photo-Seattle Thunderbirds)

1977-1978 marked the return of hockey to Seattle. It had been two years since the Seattle Totems had folded, and a market that had seen hockey at all levels over the past 60 years was ready to once again have a team to cheer for. It was also a market that had previously known hockey stars like Guyle Fielder and Harry “Hap” Holmes, and was starved for another prodigy to emerge. They needn’t wait long, as Walter hit the ice running.

1977-1978 was Walter’s final year of junior hockey, and it was also his most productive. The Breakers played at the “Mercer Street Arena”, a building that hadn’t even installed plexiglass yet, the boards topped with chain link fence. Walter was named captain for the Breakers inaugural season and he was among the leading scorers not only for Seattle, but was ninth in scoring league-wide, scoring 54 goals and 71 assists for 125 points, in only 62 games played. Seattle played well, but missed the playoffs by a single point. Walter was named the league’s most valuable player that season and was also a first-team all-star. Walter was named to team Canada’s world Junior Championship roster as well, where he served as the team’s captain, and played alongside a 16-year-old Wayne Gretzky. Walter produced five goals and three assists in six games played.

At the 1978 NHL amateur draft, Walter was selected in the first round, 2nd overall by the Washington Capitals. Walter spent the next 15 years in the NHL enjoying great success, including a Stanley Cup victory in 1985-1986 with the Montreal Canadiens. Honestly, if the Kamloops Chiefs had been moved here two years earlier than they had, there is a strong case for Walter being as high as number, or even number one on this list. He was that good. Despite his short career in Seattle, he certainly deserves to be ranked among the greatest of all time.

 

As we get into the top three, I think we all can guess at this point who is still to come.