The Seattle Thunderbirds were already one of the WHL's top teams. They then received Dylan Guenther from the Arizona Coyotes and are all-in to win.
Already the top team in the WHL's Western Conference, the Seattle Thunderbirds became even more formidable last Sunday when forward Dylan Guenther was re-assigned to junior by the Arizona Coyotes.
"Just like the World Junior Championship where Dylan helped lead Canada to a gold medal, this is a tremendous opportunity for him to join a very good Seattle club, play top line minutes, and hopefully lead his team to a Memorial Cup," said Coyotes GM Bill Armstrong in a statement. "Dylan has played well for us this season, and he has a very bright future with the Coyotes. We look forward to watching his development the rest of the season."
Selected ninth overall in 2021 by the Coyotes with the pick they acquired from the Vancouver Canucks in the Oliver Ekman-Larsson/Conor Garland trade, Guenther wore an 'A' for Canada at the world juniors in Halifax. The 6-foot-2 winger finished fourth in team scoring with seven goals and three assists, including the overtime goal that ignited the golden celebration for the host country.
Guenther also brings winning experience at the major junior level to the Thunderbirds. Last spring, he was on the other side as the Edmonton Oil Kings took down Seattle in six games in the WHL final. He led his team with 21 points in 16 games, including 13 goals.
Amidst a 2023 WHL trade deadline that was chockablock with massive win-now deals, the Oil Kings' return for Guenther was conditional on whether or not he'd be returned to junior. Now that he has been, Edmonton receives a whopping six additional draft picks, including a first-rounder in 2026.
Even before Guenther's arrival, Seattle was already swimming in talent — sitting first in the WHL's Western Conference with a record of 36-9-1-1 for 74 points in 47 games, a points percentage of .787 that trails only the powerhouse Winnipeg Ice in the Eastern Conference.
They're rock-solid in goal, where world juniors gold medallist Thomas Milic and Top Prospects Game standout Scott Ratzlaff split the duties.
"We've created a really good team, and (GM) Bil La Forge has done a great job of putting a good group of guys together — a good core," Ratzlaff said ahead of the Top Prospects Game in late January. "We just need to keep bonding, keep that chemistry going with the world junior guys back. It's just onward and upward."
Both goalies will have plenty to prove in the playoffs. Milic will turn 20 in April but was passed over in his first two years of NHL draft eligibility. He'll go through the draft one more time in Nashville this June. Ratzlaff turns 18 in March and is eligible for his first NHL draft.
A forward who raised his draft stock during Seattle's 2022 playoff run was Reid Schaefer. He paired his 6-foot-4 frame and willingness to engage physically with 21 points in 25 playoff games. Schaefer later earned a first-round selection by his hometown team, the Edmonton Oilers. This season, he has continued to progress — playing a depth role in Canada's world juniors win and producing at a point-per-game rate with Seattle.
That's no small feat, given the competition for ice time up front. The Thunderbirds' leading scorers, Jared Davidson and Lucas Ciona, were drafted to the NHL already. Meanwhile, draft-eligible Gracyn Sawchyn and Nico Myatovic have progressed well this season. They represented the Thunderbirds at forward at the Top Prospects Game, and both sit in the top 50 among North American skaters in the mid-season rankings from NHL Central Scouting.
The forward group also got a boost when the Winnipeg Jets sent Finnish forward Brad Lambert back to the WHL after the world juniors. The Thunderbirds acquired his rights from the Saskatoon Blades in exchange for two draft picks last June, and the speedy sniper has seven points in six games with Seattle so far.
Seattle also has one more possible forward addition still waiting in the wings.
The Thunderbirds gave up two players and three draft picks, including a 2024 first-rounder, to acquire center Colton Dach from the Kelowna Rockets at the deadline. Injuries limited the 6-foot-4, 20-year-old to just 14 games with the Rockets this season. He also suffered a shoulder injury during the world juniors, which is expected to keep him out until about the end of February. With his big body and pure shooting talent, he should be another high-end weapon for Seattle.
Now, let's talk about the blueline.
Kevin Korchinski also boosted his draft stock with his outstanding playoff run in 2022. His 19 points in 25 games earned him the seventh-overall selection by the Chicago Blackhawks in Montreal last summer.
But La Forge wasn't satisfied with his blueline and started shopping for upgrades early.
On Oct. 25, he acquired another key piece from the Oil Kings' 2022 championship run, Luke Prokop, in exchange for three conditional draft picks, including a 2025 first-round pick.
At the time, the 6-foot-6, 20-year-old was in the midst of an eight-game pro stint with the ECHL's Norfolk Admirals. He joined the Thunderbirds in early November, and after missing about a month due to injury, he has 11 points in 23 games.
On Nov. 16, La Forge struck again. This time, he sent a nine-piece package, including first-round picks in 2023 and 2024, to the Prince Albert Raiders in exchange for Reese Shaw and Nolan Allan — a 2021 first-round pick by the Blackhawks.
Those early moves sent unmistakable signals that this spring, the Thunderbirds have every intention of finishing what they started last year.
On the other hand, the Ice and the Memorial Cup host Kamloops Blazers don't plan to go down without a fight after making huge moves of their own at the deadline to acquire Zack Ostapchuk and Olen Zellweger, respectively.
The Thunderbirds have won the WHL Championship just once before in their franchise history, led by playoff MVP Mat Barzal in 2017.
They're back in action this weekend against two tough opponents, hosting the Eastern Conference's second-place Red Deer Rebels on Friday night before travelling to Portland to take on the Winterhawks on Saturday.
Friday's game will be streamed in Canada on TSN+ (10 p.m. ET). All games are streamed on WHL.ca.