Thunderbirds forward Schaefer named WHL Player of the Week
Calgary, Alta. – The Western Hockey League announced today that Seattle Thunderbirds forward Reid Schaefer has been named WHL Player of the Week for the week ending May 22, 2022.
The 2022 NHL Draft prospect recorded seven points (3G-4A) to lead all WHL skaters in scoring over the past seven days, as his Thunderbirds first advanced to the Western Conference Championship before splitting Games 1 and 2 on the road versus the Kamloops Blazers.
The 18-year-old began his week by opening the scoring in Game 6 of Seattle’s Second Round series with the Portland Winterhawks Monday, May 16, as the Thunderbirds posted a 2-1 victory to force a seventh and deciding game.
Schaefer, who hails from Spruce Grove, Alta., recorded a three-point night in that deciding Game 7 Tuesday, May 17, helping Seattle post a 6-3 series-clinching victory at Portland.
He began the 2022 Western Conference Championship with a pair of assists in Game 1 Friday, May 20 at Kamloops, chipping in with a goal in Game 2 Saturday, May 21 as the Thunderbirds earned a 4-1 victory.
Schaefer, who is ranked #31 among North American Skaters by NHL Central Scouting for the upcoming 2022 NHL Draft, begins the week second among Seattle skaters with 17 points (6G-11A) in the 2022 WHL Playoffs.
He has collected points in his last six games (4G-6A).
The 6-foot-3, 213-pound forward was originally selected by the Seattle Thunderbirds in the eighth round of the 2018 WHL Draft. In 105 career WHL regular season and playoff appearances, Schaefer has totalled 78 points (38G-40A).
Schaefer and the Seattle Thunderbirds continue the Western Conference Championship versus the Kamloops Blazers on home ice, with Game 3 slated for Tuesday, May 24 (7:05 p.m. PT, accesso ShoWare Center).
About the Western Hockey League
Regarded as the world’s finest development league for junior hockey players, the Western Hockey League (WHL) head office is based in Calgary, Alberta. The WHL consists of 22 member Clubs with 17 located in Western Canada and five in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. A member of the Canadian Hockey League, the WHL has been a leading supplier of talent for the National Hockey League for over 50 years. The WHL is also the leading provider of hockey scholarships with over 375 graduates each year receiving WHL Scholarships to pursue a post-secondary education of their choice. Each season, WHL players also form the nucleus of Canada’s National Junior Hockey Team.
