Tyler Metcalfe is back practicing without the bright-yellow jersey of the injured, a sign he will soon be back in the lineup for the Seattle Thunderbirds.

And just in time.

The T-birds are 0-4-1 without their captain following a 2-1 loss in Kelowna on Wednesday.

The Thunderbirds (34-19-1-1) are back at home tonight against Red Deer and have 17 regular-season games left to regain the form that gave them such a big lead in the U.S. Division.

"Tyler practiced, but he's still a question mark," Seattle coach Rob Sumner said. "He's a big part of our team on the ice, on the bench and with leadership in the locker room."

Although the Thunderbirds haven't been rewarded with a victory, Sumner thinks there are signs they are returning to form.

"We played a good game defensively against Kelowna, but we took too many penalties," Sumner said. "They have a good power play, and one leaked through and that was the difference in the game."

Sumner thought his team had the majority of the scoring chances, but wasn't able to finish. "If we could score a couple of goals, it would go a long way toward creating some confidence," Sumner said. "When things don't go right and you lose a few games, there's a tendency to second-guess a little bit and some hesitation that can be the difference between scoring a goal and not."

Of the Thunderbirds' remaining regular-season games, 10 are at home and 10 are against U.S. Division teams. They lead Everett by nine points.

"We're not looking ahead to any of those games," Sumner said. "We're looking at Red Deer and want to give them our best and then go from there. They have arguably the best defenseman in the league in Dion Phaneuf, are disciplined and well-coached and just keep coming at you."

After Red Deer, the Thunderbirds travel to Portland for a game tomorrow, then are back home against Prince George on Sunday.

"We're playing solid defensively again," Sumner said, "now we need to step up and finish our chances."

Entry draft canceled

When National Hockey League commissioner Gary Bettman announced the cancellation of the season, it also meant the cancellation of the league's entry draft.

Chris Durand and Scott Jackson were projected to be first-round picks, with Bretton Stamler expected to go in the first few rounds. Other Seattle players eligible included Yashar Farmanara, Bryan Bridges, David Linsley, James McEwan, Kyle Fecho and Denis Tolpeko.

The draft was scheduled for June 25-26 in Ottawa.

Notes

• The T-birds are fifth in the WHL this week in a poll of writers who cover the league. Kootenay remained No. 1, followed by Kelowna, Medicine Hat and Lethbridge.

• In a poll by scouts of all 58 Canadian Hockey League teams, the T-birds are ninth with the London Knights ranked No. 1 and Kootenay second and Kelowna third.

• Brett Parker, the general manager of the Regina Pats, has been fined again by the WHL. Parker, who was forced to pay $1,000 earlier this season when he criticized officials, has been fined $2,500 for "inappropriate conduct" after Jonathan Webb of Brandon cross-checked Regina's Jordan McGillivray. Webb was given a six-game suspension, and Parker isn't talking any more.