Coachella Valley Firebirds roster: What veteran rule?

As the Coachella Valley Firebirds enter their fifth season, they will continue embracing a youth movement, with the roster expected to add five new Kraken prospects.

Bear in mind that the AHL is a developmental league and limits how many veterans teams can dress. I outlined the full details of the veteran rule in a previous article.

Here is a quick overview:

• Development players: Skaters who are under 25 as of July 1 or have played 260 or fewer qualifying professional games.
• Veteran players: Skaters who are at least 25 as of July 1 and have played more than 260 qualifying professional games.
• Teams must dress at least 12 development players and no more than six veterans.
• Goaltenders are excluded.
• The rule applies to the gameday lineup, not the full roster.

In previous seasons, teams could dress up to five veterans and one veteran-exempt player, a designation that applied to skaters with 261 to 320 qualifying professional games. Beginning in 2026-27, that designation will be removed, allowing teams to use all six non-development spots on veterans.

How the Firebirds’ 2026-27 roster is shaping up

Overall, the veteran rule should not be a factor for the Firebirds this season, as only three players under contract, John Hayden, Mitchell Stephens and Gustav Olofsson, currently qualify as veterans. Coachella Valley rostered four veterans last season, but Max McCormick’s season-long injury limited the active group to three.

Forwards

The Firebirds look to add four young forwards this season, led by 19-year-old Jake O’Brien and followed by Julius Miettinen, Nathan Villeneuve, and Ryden Evers. While the CHL, AHL, and NHL have not officially announced that 19-year-olds can play in the AHL this season, Elliotte Friedman reported that the leagues were nearing an agreement.

Adding these forwards creates an intriguing question: Who leaves the lineup to make room? The Firebirds currently have 17 forwards under contract, and while the AHL does not limit roster size, finding enough playing time for everyone will be more difficult. With only 12 forward spots available each game, Coachella Valley must determine how to handle five extra forwards.

1. Healthy scratches – Players who do not make the lineup could watch from the press box, with one or two forwards likely falling into this category each night. While competition can push prospects to improve, development players also need opportunities to play and grow.
2. Kansas City Mavericks – Struggling or crowded-out players could join the ECHL’s Kansas City Mavericks to receive more playing time, with two or three forwards potentially going there. There could also be a rotating group of players that fluctuate between the ECHL and AHL, so do not be surprised if some familiar names end up in Mavericks jerseys at some point this season.
3. Opportunities with Seattle – Several Firebirds forwards have seen limited NHL action or appear close to earning a call-up, including Oscar Fisker Mølgaard, Jani Nyman, Jagger Firkus, and Logan Morrison. Each could find himself in a Kraken sweater at some point, though Seattle’s forward group is already crowded, meaning those chances will likely come when injuries create openings.

The Curtis Douglas question

The Kraken also signed 6-foot-9 forward Curtis Douglas, whose destination remains unclear, though he could stay in Seattle as an extra forward. Douglas is not shy about dropping the gloves and could work his way into the lineup depending on the matchup. If he lands in Coachella Valley, he would qualify as a veteran under the new rule, having played 310 qualifying professional games, which previously placed him in the veteran-exempt category.

Defense

Alexis Bernier will join the Firebirds after spending much of last season recovering from ACL surgery. After his delayed start he helped the Chicoutimi Saguenéens win the QMJHL championship.

With eight defensemen under contract, meaning at least two will sit each game, unless one is sent to Kansas City. You can expect that all eight will start the year in Coachella and see how the lineup shakes out before any move to the ECHL is made. Right-shot defensemen are sought after in the NHL and in the bunch the Kraken have five prospects right-shot defensemen. This could lead to a defenseman having ot play on their off side.

For now, I have included Gustav Olofsson as under contract in the AHL, but he is an interesting case. Originally, the Firebirds signed Olofsson to a two-year AHL-only contract good through the 2026-27 season. In March 2026, the Seattle Kraken signed Olofsson to a two-way contract through the end of 2025-26 season. I will continue working to confirm Olofsson’s contract status, but I believe he remains under an AHL contract. Thanks to user phiFiFoFum for pointing this out.

While the defensive group continues to develop in Coachella Valley, it seems unlikely that any of these prospects will secure a full-time NHL role this season. Tyson Jugnauth and Ty Nelson led Firebirds defensemen with 45 and 35 points, respectively, with Jugnauth finishing third among all team skaters in scoring during his rookie AHL campaign. Ville Ottavainen offers a different dimension as a shutdown defenseman and, at 6-foot-5, brings the size NHL teams value.

Goaltending

Little has changed in goal, as Nikke Kokko and Victor Östman are expected to split the crease again for Coachella Valley. Östman started 36 regular-season games last season compared with Kokko’s 35 (Kokko missed time with an injury) and posted a .906 save percentage, slightly ahead of Kokko’s .901.

However, when the playoffs arrived, Kokko became the clear No. 1 option, starting 12 postseason games while Östman started only one, clearly showing which goaltender the Firebirds trusted most. Look for Kokko to take a larger share of the starts this season.

A change behind the bench

The Firebirds will also have a new assistant coach, as Stu Bickel left the organization to become head coach of the Iowa Wild.

Scott Ford was hired to fill the vacancy on head coach Derek Laxdal’s staff after Ford spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Wrapping up

As they did last season, the Firebirds will lean heavily on prospects and could once again have one of the youngest rosters in the AHL, if not the youngest.

This promising group reached the Division Finals during the 2025-26 Calder Cup Playoffs, and continued success would bode well for the Kraken. Another winning season would allow their prospects to develop while playing meaningful minutes in competitive games. Much of last season’s core remains in place, and the newcomers will increase competition for playing time while creating an environment that pushes everyone to improve.

As the Kraken strive to become more competitive at the NHL level, the Coachella Valley club should be an exciting, high-tempo team to watch this upcoming season.

Comment below with any questions or thoughts on the Coachella Valley roster.