T-Birds Preview | Talented Finn leads new wave

With two deft moves in the offseason, the Seattle Thunderbirds transformed themselves into serious Western Hockey League contenders.

The Thunderbirds added two first-round NHL picks to a roster already filled with young talent. If everything lines up, the final edition of the T-birds to play in downtown Seattle could be one of the best.

After 31 years of playing at Seattle Center, the team is abandoning KeyArena to move to the Kent Events Center under construction.

Two key additions — Finnish goaltender Riku Helenius and Minnesota center Jim O'Brien — could make it a winning farewell.

Helenius, 19, was 15th overall selection by Tampa Bay in the 2006 NHL entry draft and comes to the WHL with a clean bill of health after missing most of last season.

"My shoulder is completely healed; the only thing I don't do is bench press too much with heavy weights," Helenius said. "On the ice, it doesn't bother me at all."

O'Brien, 18, was the 29th overall pick by Ottawa in June. He left the University of Minnesota to join the T-birds.

O'Brien had shoulder surgery a few months ago and has been skating and participating in drills at Ottawa's training camp. He was reassigned to Seattle on Thursday and is expected to be cleared to play in two to four weeks.

Helenius, a big goaltender at 6 feet 3 and 202 pounds, has impressed the Seattle coaching staff with his work ethic and competitiveness.

"If we don't win, I'm not happy, not at all," Helenius said.

Seattle general manager Russ Farwell said that attitude has been a bonus.

"Because he had been drafted so high, we knew he'd be a good goalie, but the character of the player has been exceptional," Farwell said. "You'd never guess he was a first-round guy. There's no ego involved."

Helenius, who was the MVP of the World Under-18 tournament in 2006, admits it will be a challenge to adapt to hockey in smaller North American rinks.

"There are a lot more shots from everywhere," Helenius said before a practice in Kirkland this week. "In Finland, they would try to pass to get in better scoring position. Here, they just try to score from everywhere. I need a few games to get used to it more, but I'm ready to play."

Goaltender coach Paul Fricker said Helenius is an interesting blend of styles.

"He really doesn't fit into a mold," Fricker said. "He's really active, really fast and does what he needs to do to stop the puck. He's fierce and listens well. He's not conventional."

Seattle is still waiting for defenseman Thomas Hickey to return from camp with the Los Angeles Kings, who made him the first defenseman taken in the June draft with the fourth overall pick.

"We're excited because we have quite a bit of talent, but we're really an unknown group," Farwell said. "We have a lot of things that need to come together. We have a lot of guys on our team who haven't even met Thomas Hickey."

The T-birds are also waiting to find out about Scott Jackson, a four-year defenseman and unsigned second-round pick who is in Detroit's camp.

Bud Holloway, a third-round pick by the Kings in 2006, is back after scoring 27 goals and 65 points last season. Another key player will be Jan Eberle, who had 18 goals and 38 points last season.

"I'm really excited about our talent level and what our team could potentially be," Seattle coach Rob Sumner said. "We'll probably start the season a few pieces short of what we're going to be."

After playing in Kamloops on Saturday, the T-birds are off for a week before their home opener against the Everett Silvertips on Sept. 29.