I've watched a handful of TBird games since he joined the team and I found him to be EASILY the most noticeable player on the team. He absolutely flies out there and is a very dynamic and exciting player to watch.
And this is a team that is filled with high end NHL prospects.
Exactly. I mean, I know it's junior hockey, but after the addition of Guenther and Lambert, Seattle is probably the most loaded team in modern CHL history. For him to stand out the way he does is pretty impressive, especially considering how much shade has been thrown his way (mostly from a few disgruntled Finnish fans).
And he does so much more than just score points - it's pretty much an automatic zone entry whenever he's got the puck with any open ice - he's very easily the best puck carrier in the WHL IMO, and one of the best distibutors as well. He shares a lot of similarities with former Seattle TBirds Matt Barzal. So much of the TBirds transition game relies on him. It was odd watching them struggle so much on their zone entries and exits, especially when Korchinski was on the bench. I'm a big fan of Sawcyn, but he can't dominate on the puck like Lambert.