

Oil Kings hand Thunderbirds heartbreaking Game 4 loss in WHL Championship Series
KENT – The Seattle Thunderbirds were three and a half seconds away from a chance of tying their best-of-seven WHL Championship Series against the Edmonton Oil Kings Wednesday night at the accesso ShoWare Center at two games apiece. The game was tied at 2-2 and one...

Thunderbirds lose Game 3 4-0, Sebastian Cossa earns fourth playoff shutout
KENT – In front of a sold-out accesso ShoWare Center, Edmonton Oil Kings goalie Sebastian Cossa tamed the crowd and made 21 saves in a 4-0 win against the Seattle Thunderbirds to take a 2-1 series lead in the WHL Championship Series. Former Thunderbird defenseman...

Examining the value of NHL Draft picks
Heading into the July, 2022 NHL Entry Draft, the Seattle Kraken have twelve draft picks, including a high first-round pick (No. 4 overall) and four second-round picks. This stockpile of picks, and the trades that acquired them, prompted me to revisit a longstanding...

Sound Of Hockey Podcast Ep. 190 – No Hot Beverages
This is a very listener-centric episode of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast, as John, Andy, and Darren spend a significant portion of the show interacting with Mailbag questions and five-star reviews. Hilarity ensues, as does some thoughtful debate. Meanwhile, the...

Seattle Thunderbirds have leaned on goalie Thomas Milic to reach WHL Championship Series
When the Seattle Thunderbirds drafted goalie Thomas Milic in the second round of the 2018 Western Hockey League Draft they were hoping they had acquired a big-game goalie, the type of player that didn’t wilt or hide from important games. As they prepare to play the...

Winners and losers- revisiting the Kraken trade deadline deals with hindsight
At the NHL Trade Deadline, the Sound Of Hockey panel provided instant reactions to Seattle’s trades. And earlier in the playoffs, Darren Brown updated the progress of the departed Kraken. But with the playoff runs of all of the Kraken’s trade partners now at a close...

Data Dump: Breaking down the NHL Conference Finals rosters
The final four teams are set to begin the third round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs this week, so we thought it would be fun to look at the remaining rosters for the Conference Finals to evaluate how they were built. Player acquisition type NHL Entry Draft, free agency,...

Sound Of Hockey Ep. 189 – No-Pants Paranoia
There's been a lot happening in the hockey world this past week, and the Sound Of Hockey Podcast is here to bring you up to speed. From the Seattle Thunderbirds continuing their run deep in the WHL playoffs to the three remaining second-round NHL playoff series, John,...

The Kraken expect to be aggressive in free agency, but should they?
It’s no secret the Seattle Kraken intend to be active in free agency this summer. While the team was resilient throughout its inaugural season, it became abundantly clear in the end that there was a significant talent gap between what Seattle was icing and what its...

Seattle Thunderbirds’ Reid Schaefer goes from eighth-round WHL pick to NHL Draft prospect
Last summer, Seattle Thunderbirds winger Reid Schaefer prepared for his first full season in the Western Hockey League with some grueling workouts. That's standard for hockey players, but Schaefer would get a surprise in the fall when the NHL Central Scouting Service...