Lukasz Jonca
The Tri-City News
A Coquitlam hockey product is gearing up for the Western Hockey League playoffs, which are scheduled to begin this week.
Mathew Barzal and his Seattle Thunderbirds will face the Portland Winterhawks in a best-of-seven series that kicks off this evening (Friday) in the City of Roses.
"We know Portland is a good team," Barzal said. "We need to play tight defence, but also play our style of hockey."
Barzal is second on the team in scoring with 57 points while only playing 44 games this season.
In his rookie season two years ago he scored 54 points, which puts him in third place for most points as a 16-year-old in Thunderbird's team history, being surpassed only by Lindsay Vallis and a well-known player named Patrick Marleau of the San Jose Sharks.
But Barzal knows that his Thunderbirds are in for a tough battle against the Winterhawks.
In the Western Conference, Portland finished in third place, with the Thunderbirds right behind them in fourth.
It will be a matchup that showcases an offensively gifted team in the Winterhawks, who finished fourth in the league in goal scoring with 287, while the Thunderbirds are one of the stingiest teams defensively, finishing third in the league allowing 201 goals against.
Portland has two of the top 10 scorers in the lead with Oliver Bjorkstrand who leads the league with 118 points and Nicolas Petan who sits in seventh place with 89.
Seattle's goalie Taran Kozun is the second ranked goalie in the league with a SAV% .915 and GAA 2.41.
Head coach Steve Konowalchuk said it will be a battle between two teams with different styles.
"It's a tough matchup with Portland, they are one of the best offensive teams in the league," Konowalchuk said. "We are going to have to play our best game to win the series."
But players like Barzal are good to have in the post-season, said the coach.
He added that the Coquitlam product's strength lies in his passing ability, his agility and strong one-on-one play. Konowalchuk also said that Barzal has a unique ability to find open ice with the puck and that he draws in defenders to open up the passing lanes.
"I think he is going to create his own identity and his own way to play in the NHL." Konowalchuk said.
Barzal has been working on his hockey skills since he was young, spending most of his time playing road hockey and basketball.
Growing up, he looked up to players like Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews and Philadelphia Flyers' captain Claude Giroux.
Barzal is hoping to join his heroes in the NHL, an opportunity that may come sooner than later. He will be eligible for the 2015 NHL draft and is expected to go in the first round. Some scouts predict that the 18-year-old could end up somewhere in the middle of the first round, which would put him in prime selection range for a team he has been following for a long time: the Vancouver Canucks.
"I think it would be a dream come true, I have been a Canucks fan for a long time." Barzal said.
