The 2005 offseason was a huge one for the Silvertips. There was a steady stream of headline-making news that took place, including the resignation of general manager Doug Soetaert and the signing of Peter Mueller. I took about six vacation days total that offseason, yet all of the big news just happened to break on my off days, so I missed most of it.
This offseason could bring an equal amount of big news. I’m planning on taking a whole lot more vacation this offseason, but maybe karma will kick in and the news will happen on those days when I’m available.
But whether I’m around or not, pay attention this offseason.
This is the offseason of dreaming big for the Tips, and it all begins with Auston Matthews. Everett selected Matthews in the third round of the 2012 bantam draft. The Tips knew they were taking a mighty swing for the fences when they picked Matthews. The center from Arizona was a highly-regarded offensive prospect, but he wasn’t committed to coming to the WHL. The Tips were hoping they could convince Matthews to come to Everett.
But while Matthews was a good prospect at the time of the draft, I’m not sure anyone expected Matthews to blow up the way he has. The 18-year-old-to-be has grown, now being listed at 6-foot-2 and 194 pounds. He had a strong 15-year-old season, earning an invitation to play for the U.S. NTDP, which he chose over Everett for his 16- and 17-year-old seasons. This season he broke Patrick Kane’s single-season program scoring record by notching 116 points (55 goals, 61 assists) in 60 games with the U-17 team. He just led the U.S. to the gold medal at the U-18 World Championships in Switzerland, tallying eight goals and seven assists in seven games to lead the tournament in scoring and earn MVP honors. He became the first player ever to appear for the men’s national team prior to being NHL draft eligible, scoring a goal in the U.S.’s 4-1 exhibition victory over Austria on Tuesday. He’s now being talked about as the frontrunner to be selected first overall in the 2016 NHL draft (he’s a late birthdate 97).
So what are Everett’s chances? Matthews has stated publicly he’s 50-50 on whether to play for Everett or go to the NCAA. The tricky part, however, is that he needs to accelerate his schooling to be academically eligible to play in the NCAA next season. It may come down to whether Matthews wants to spend the summer taking classes. Everett has an in, too, as Tips defenseman Tristen Pfeifer, who also hails from Arizona, is good friends with Matthews.
Of course, there’s also the specter of Seth Jones hovering in the air. Jones was in the exact same position in 2012, being a late-birthdate superstar prospect finishing up with the national team and having to choose between Everett and the NCAA. Jones decided he wanted to come to the WHL, just not to Everett, and the Tips were compelled to trade his rights to Portland. The good news for Everett is that the Tips are in much better position with Matthews than Jones, as Everett is coming off winning the U.S. Division title whereas in 2012 the Tips were a struggling franchise.
Matthews’ decision could then affect the decisions of other big-time Everett prospects who are on the fence. The most prominent of those is center Tyson Jost. Jost was Everett’s first-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft, and he’s also considered a high pick in the 2016 NHL draft. Last offseason he decided to play his 16-year-old season for Penticton of the BCHL instead of Everett, thereby maintaining his NCAA eligibility. Could Matthews coming to Everett lure Jost to town, too? It’s a possibility. The same could be asked about Patrick Khodorenko, Everett’s second-round pick in 2014 who played for the NTDP’s U-17 team this season. The national team is two-year commitment, so it’s likely Khodorenko is still another year away. But it’s not unheard of for players to leave after one year to head to the WHL.
All of this will be the main story of Everett’s offseason. The news could start coming any day, as Matthews’ season is now over and he reportedly was going to make a decision sometime after the U-18s.
But while all the speculation surrounds the likes of Matthews and Jost who haven’t committed to the Tips, it shouldn’t be forgotten that Everett has several other quality prospects who have committed.
Let’s begin with defenseman Jantzen Leslie. Everett’s first-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft pretty much locked up a roster spot with the way he performed during his call-ups this season as a 15-year-old. He played in six games during the regular season and six more during the playoffs, so he should be able to hit the ground running in his rookie season.
Four other prospects signed with the Tips during the season, those being 16-year-old defenseman Alex Astasiewicz, 16-year-old winger Spencer Gerth, and 15-year-old forwards Bryce Kindopp and Brian King. They’ll all be in the mix for a roster spot for next season.
And Everett will have plenty of other options, too, including an incredibly deep group of 15-year-old forwards. Last August it was questionable whether the Tips had enough legitimate WHL players to fill out a roster of 23 or 24 (an issue the Tips never really solved). I don’t anticipate the same problem this August.
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Well, that’s a wrap on the 2014-15 season. Thanks to everyone for following along on the blog throughout the season. But don’t stray too far. The bantam draft is only a week away (next Thursday), and news on Matthews could drop at any time. So make sure to check back from time to time. Otherwise, have a great summer, and see you at training camp in August!
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