Played on Oct 11, 2025
Game Played in accesso ShoWare Center
Grayson Malinoski (G, L, 6’0″, 169, Seattle Thunderbirds, 04/11/2007)
Game Rating
A
1 Viewing
Comments: Grayson was the main reason the Seattle Thunderbirds were in this game tonight. Grayson made 33 of 35 saves and was easily the most competitive player for his team. Both of the goals against were defensive breakdowns that left a Chiefs player all alone in front. At just six feet tall, Grayson plays an aggressive style coupled with a high defensive hockey IQ. On the majority of the saves he made, Grayson positioned himself well, anticipating where the puck was going to go. An easy example was the Chiefs’ power play when they continued to work the puck to the one-timer side. Knowing this, Grayson read the play early, squared up to the shooter, and made the necessary save. On top of this, Grayson controlled rebounds well, swallowing pucks and limiting second and third chance opportunities. It was an easy decision to give Grayson the first star of the game.
Ashton Cumby (D, L, 6’5″, 216, Seattle Thunderbirds, 07/19/2005)
Game Rating
C+
1 Viewing
Comments: Ashton is a big, powerful defenseman who plays a very defensive style. At first glance, you would notice that Ashton needs to improve his skating and stickhandling abilities. However, over the course of the game, you also begin to notice how Ashton quietly makes a positive impact for the Seattle Thunderbirds. He is tough and not afraid to mix it up after whistles, keeping the opposition honest when he is on the ice. He is extremely powerful and strong, often choosing to go through opponents rather than around them. In addition, Ashton has an incredibly good defensive stick. He trusts his gap and uses his very long reach to break up multiple Chiefs rushes. At one point in the third, Ashton’s defensive partner was beaten, and Ashton made a great recovery, breaking up a mini breakaway for the Chiefs with an active stick. There is no denying Ashton’s defensive game. If he wants to play at the next level, he needs to work on lengthening his stride and improving puck control.
Tai Riley (D, L, 5’9″, 182, Seattle Thunderbirds, 09/23/2007)
Game Rating
B
1 Viewing
Comments: Tai is showing that he has learned a lot from his first season in the WHL and is applying it to his sophomore season. Being undersized, Tai makes up for this with his compete level. He does not care what his assignment is or how big they are. It would be a mistake to overlook him due to his size, as he consistently boxed out Chiefs forwards larger than himself. Offensively, Tai used his feet well to move across the blue line and open up lanes for himself. Quarterbacking the power play in the first period, Tai received the puck up top and, as he moved across the blue line, faked a pass back to where he had received the puck. Instead, he held onto the puck, and his opposition completely bit on the fake. This opened up a clear shooting lane that Tai took advantage of with confidence. In this game, Tai played with great effort and did what he could to create as a Thunderbird defenseman.
Cameron Kuzma (C, L, 6’2″, 192, Seattle Thunderbirds, 07/17/2008, Lake Superior)
Game Rating
B-
1 Viewing
Comments: Cameron is a large and powerful center for the Seattle Thunderbirds. He is a patient center who stays available for his defensemen and wingers on breakouts. Tonight, what Cameron did so well was use his body. On one rush, he put his head down and beat his defenseman wide for a mini breakaway. On another opportunity, he rolled out of the corner and beat his man to the net, where he had a great shooting opportunity. These were great examples of Cameron’s ability to use his size and strength to find open ice and win his one-on-one battles. In a two-to-one loss for the Thunderbirds, Cameron finished +1, and if he can become more efficient in the faceoff dot, it would only help his team with puck possession.
Antonio Martorana (RW, R, 5’8″, 182, Seattle Thunderbirds, 06/18/2007)
Game Rating
B
1 Viewing
Comments: Antonio is a crafty player who reads the game well and has a deceptively smooth ability to get around the ice. For an undersized forward at 5’8′, Antonio is very strong on his skates and excelled under pressure tonight. He consistently found ways to put himself in positions to pick off cycled pucks or force the Chiefs’ offense into high-pressure areas. The best example of this came when he recovered a rimmed puck out of his defensive-zone corner. Antonio made a nice pass to the middle and instantly exploded up ice. Around the red line, he received the puck back, and with his built-up speed, he gained a mini breakaway despite back pressure. It was an impressive hockey IQ play that allowed Antonio to use his strengths to create a solid scoring opportunity.
Nathan Mayes (D, L, 6’4″, 202, Spokane Chiefs, 06/10/2006)
Game Rating
B
1 Viewing
Comments: Nathan ate up a lot of ice time tonight for the Spokane Chiefs. As a defenseman, he is not flashy in any way, but he moved well around the ice tonight. Defensively, Nathan handled his assignments and gave the opponent little time and space. After retrieving a dumped puck, Nathan evaluated the ice and smartly used the net as protection from the oncoming forecheck. He had the primary assist on the Chiefs’ first goal during a four-on-four situation. To his credit, he entered the zone on his backhand and, just past the faceoff circle on the right side, fed a backdoor pass to his wide-open teammate. It was a great play that Nathan took advantage of following a defensive-zone missed assignment. It seems Nathan needs to better define what kind of defenseman he is or wants to be. To his credit, tonight, he was reliable and found a way to make a difference on both sides of the ice for the Chiefs.
Owen Schoettler (D, R, 6’1″, 187, Spokane Chiefs, 01/23/2007)
Game Rating
A-
1 Viewing
Comments: Owen is the kind of defenseman every team wants to have. He has great vision for the game and distributes the puck to his forwards well. Owen is a well-rounded skater, but his edge comes from his puck control. With the puck, he keeps his hands very high and off his body. He also separates his lower half and upper half extremely well. This is a skill he appears to have mastered, especially when transitioning with the puck from forward to backward or backward to forward. This allowed him to always have his head up while evaluating what was in front of him. The assist Owen had tonight came during 4-on-4 play. He was not the primary assist, but his decision to circle back and rebuild the rush led to the eventual goal. He was solid defensively, delivering solid hits behind his net and making good decisions to pinch at the offensive blue line. Overall, Owen showed some elite skills that will continue to develop with his increased ice time this season.
Owen Martin (C, 6’0″, 186, Spokane Chiefs, 05/11/2007)
Game Rating
B+
1 Viewing
Comments: Owen was noticed tonight for the intangibles of his game—his willingness to stand in front of the net, block shots on the penalty kill, and force the opposition to take penalties because of his relentless effort, just to name a few. In space, Owen has a powerful stride that helps him create separation from backchecking opponents. Along the half wall, he is confident under pressure, making simple, efficient plays with his teammates. He demonstrated this well on the power play. Receiving the puck on the half wall, he was pressured by two Thunderbirds players. Instead of panicking with the puck, he took space toward the high slot and dished the puck off to the open man. It was a simple play, but his ability to recognize the pressure and pull them further out of position before moving the puck was a great example of his offensive hockey IQ.
Chase Harrington (LW, L, 6’1″, 196, Spokane Chiefs, 10/30/2007)
Game Rating
B-
1 Viewing
Comments: Chase is a serious threat with the puck on his stick. His playmaking abilities are elite, and when you factor in his lethal one-timer, you have a dynamic offensive talent. On the breakout, Chase, on his offside, made a highly skilled backhanded soft-touch area pass while under a pinching defenseman’s pressure. This led to a quick breakout and a poor pinch by the opposing defenseman. In the offensive zone, Chase controls the pace of play with the puck on his stick. On a zone entry, he held up, allowing his teammate to continue to drive the net hard. This is when Chase feathered a sweet backdoor pass that nearly resulted in a goal. On the power play, Chase had multiple great one-timer looks, showcasing his powerful shot. Overall, Chase is a highly dynamic player with the puck, but it’s hard to say he had a great game tonight. With three avoidable penalties, it would obviously be beneficial for him to stay on the ice and out of the penalty box.
Rhett Sather (D, L, 6’0″, 178, Spokane Chiefs, 09/25/2008)
Game Rating
B
1 Viewing
Comments: Rhett continues to show himself as a smart two-way defenseman. He was quick out of corners and moved the puck well to his forwards. With above-average skating, he consistently joined rushes and added that extra layer of attacking offense. When Rhett joined the rush, he was very responsible, making sure not to get caught on a quick transition by the opponent. His neutral-zone gap was solid all game, and even on quick transitions from the Thunderbirds, Rhett trusted his feet. His transitions and first three backward crossovers were quick and effective in taking away time and space from the opposition. In one shift in the third, he defended three different zone entries from the Thunderbirds that he effectively broke up with his gap control and a really good active stick. With no points in tonight’s contest, it was still a great building performance for the defenseman.
Sam Oremba (LW, L, 6’2″, 202, Spokane Chiefs, 01/19/2005)
Game Rating
B-
1 Viewing
Comments: Sam, at 6’2′ and around 190 lbs, plays the perfect power-forward style of game. He was a force on the forecheck, causing turnovers and creating havoc. Sam plays a tough game, finishing his hits and letting defensemen know he’s coming on their puck retrievals. In the defensive zone, Sam had multiple blocked shots and made simple plays exiting the zone. With no points tonight, his effort was still noticed when he beat the Thunderbirds defender on a potential icing call. He is a solid skater with great size and a ton of desire and effort. It would be beneficial for Sam to play this style of game for all three periods, as he was less noticeable until the second period when he really started to embrace his power-forward role.
Mathis Preston (C, R, 5’11”, 177, Spokane Chiefs, 07/21/2008)
Game Rating
A
1 Viewing
Comments: Mathis was an offensive threat tonight who was always available without the puck and consistently finding the best options with it. His blend of feathering backdoor passes while maintaining a shooter’s mentality makes it difficult for opponents to know what he’s going to do in the offensive zone. In the corners, he was extremely strong with the puck, leveraging his body and free hand to win time and space before making plays. Mathis caused multiple turnovers with his work ethic and defensive vision tonight. On one turnover, he simply chipped and chased, which led to him being tripped up and earning his team a power-play opportunity. Finally, we saw Mathis attempt a Michigan halfway through the third period. He was playing light and incredibly confident. It was impossible not to notice him on the ice tonight, especially with his nice one-timer goal on the backdoor.
Photo credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images