It happened 1:42 into the second period. That was the time when Shane Wright scored his first professional goal. No, it wasn’t at Climate Pledge Arena for the Kraken, but rather the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, where he was playing for the Coachella Valley Firebirds. Wright was making his American Hockey League debut on Tuesday, and it was the first game he played in his 14-day conditioning assignment. The Kraken had sent the fourth overall pick of the NHL Draft to the Firebirds on Sunday.
Back in Seattle, earlier in the day, Seattle coach Dave Hakstol talked about the AHL assignment.
“Great, great opportunity for him to go and play some real valuable minutes at a high level, in an important role down there,” Hakstol said. “He’ll get that opportunity to start with tonight.”
Wright played on a line with Ville Petman and Kole Lind Tuesday, and the goal he turned in wasn’t cheap.
After a neutral zone turnover, Wright turned on the jets the other way and beat the reigning AHL Goalie of the Year and former Everett Silvertip legend Dustin Wolf over his shoulder.
It was a goal that might be overlooked on any other AHL night, and while it tied the game at 1-1, Coachella Valley would ultimately lose the game 5-3. But it had to be a huge relief for the 18-year-old rookie.
He’s played in seven NHL games with Seattle and has one assist to show for his work in very limited minutes. It’s not the script that everyone expected for a player that hopes to have a stellar NHL career ahead of him.
Just to be able to send him to the AHL for two weeks, the Kraken had to scratch Wright for five straight games. You would understand if he was down or frustrated because of his lack of playing time. If he is, he’s never shown it. Wright practices hard daily, has never let up, and is all smiles in the dressing room with his teammates.
“It’s not always easy to do on a daily basis, and he’s been able to do that on a daily basis,” Hakstol said. “That’s where I compliment him, to be able to have that mindset every day, to be able to wake up and come to work with a real positive outlook and a good work ethic is really, really important.”
The goal was the highlight, but Wright played strong throughout the night. After scoring, he made another play where he nearly split two defenders, forcing one to take him down, and drawing a penalty. He forced a turnover on a forecheck that led to a chance on goal and made a couple heady passes that led to shots on goal.
After being sent down on Sunday, Wright was able to get one full practice in with the Firebirds before Tuesday night’s game. He will next hit the ice on Thursday with a rematch in Calgary against the Wranglers.
He stands to get into five games with Coachella Valley before his time is up there, and then the questions will rev up again. Is he ready after a little time the AHL? Will he crack Seattle’s lineup and get meaningful playing time? Will he be sent back to the Ontario Hockey League for the rest of the season?
The answers are all still up in the air. But, there is a possibility that the Kraken loan Wright to Team Canada to play in this winter’s World Junior Championship, which will give him another opportunity to play against top talent closer to his age group.
“That’s an option that’s available,” Hakstol said. “But you know, I’m certainly not jumping to that yet. Lets go one step at a time here. And this was the right timing for Shane to go and be able to play some real valuable minutes in Coachella. And that’s what we’re focused on now.”
We bring you another round of Monday Musings, where we share a random collection of thoughts and observations about the last week from the hockey world with an emphasis on the Kraken and other Puget Sound teams. Enjoy.
Kraken thoughts
What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger. At least let’s hope that is the case as the Kraken have lost the last two games at home in contests they easily could have won. I am not even close to hitting the panic button, but the last two losses sting. On Friday night the Kraken could not sneak one past Marc-Andre Fleury and lost 1-0 to the Minnesota Wild. Then Sunday night, Seattle let victory slip away with 4 seconds left when Blake Wheeler popped in an easy rebound on a Jets power play. Ugh… so close to snatching two points and a regulation win against a team the Kraken might find themselves competing with for a wild card spot come April.
The Kraken are still on pace for 97 points but have yet to establish a home-ice advantage. They are 3-4-2 at Climate Pledge Arena but 5-1-1 on the road. They are 1-1-1 on this homestand with another three games before hitting the road again. My hope is the Kraken can get four out of a possible six points in the remaining home games against the Rangers, Kings, and Sharks.
I am really looking forward to seeing how the Kraken fair against the Kings. As you might recall, Seattle handled the Kings 4-1 in LA in the second game of the season. The Kings are currently ahead of the Kraken in the standings, and as of Monday morning, have won four games in a row. The end of the Kraken-Kings game in LA featured a “spirited” ending, and I wonder how much of this will spill over on Saturday night.
The Kraken have only won one and lost eight overtime games in their history. Last year, it felt they did not have the high-end skill that favors teams in this area. They have the skill this season but have lost all three overtime games they have played.
The penalty kill allowed two power-play goals against on Sunday, but there was a season high of seven penalty kills in the game. Prior to Sunday, the Kraken killed off 16 PK’s in a row.
The seven penalty kills in the Winnipeg Jets game was a Seattle Kraken record of the most times shorthanded in a game. Hopefully that record sticks for a long time.
I said it a few weeks ago and will say it again; the Kraken are a playoff team.
On Sunday, Gustav Olofsson became the first Coachella Valley Firebird skater to get called up and play for the Kraken. His game against the Jets would mark his 60th NHL game and the first since 2019-20. He played well in the few games I saw him play with the Firebirds but what stuck out was his fun interactions with the young fans during warmups. I love that and will be rooting for him to score his first NHL goal soon.
Matty Beniers has not registered a point since his point streak was broken in the game against the Wild in Minnesota. That is his longest point drought of his career. There is obviously no room for concern there, but I would love to see him get it going again.
Matty also has just two power-play points on the season, which is a little surprising considering he is second on the team in power-play time on ice.
If you predict something long enough, eventually it will be true. Oliver Bjorkstrand is bound to get hot. He has just one goal, and his shooting percentage is a brutally low 2 percent. Over the last four seasons, his shooting percentage was 13 percent.
Will Borgen is getting more likeable every game. He plays a very physical style and never hesitates to get in the mix when there is any kind of dustup. Last season he played just 16 of the Kraken’s first 61 games, and it was not until after the trade deadline when the Kraken traded Jeremy Lauzon and Mark Giordano that Borgen would find himself as a regular in the Kraken lineup. He has really impressed me this season, and by the looks of it so far, has a future with the Kraken.
The Los Angeles Kings assigned 19-year-old Brandt Clarke to the AHL for a “conditioning assignment” this week. Per the transfer agreement with the CHL, Clarke is not eligible to play in the AHL this season apart from this “conditioning assignment” clause. The clause states that under 20 years old, a player can be assigned to the AHL on a conditioning assignment for no more than 14 days, provided that the player was scratched for five games in a row. The Kraken can do the same with Shane Wright this season and Sunday marked his third scratch in a row.
On Thursday last week, the Kraken claimed Magnus Hellberg on waivers and sent Joey Daccord down to Coachella. This was a strategic defensive move. Daccord had been called up from the Firebirds since Philipp Grubauer’s injury on Oct. 21. Because Daccord cleared waivers earlier this year, he does not require waivers again unless he is on the NHL roster more than 30 days. He was coming up on that milestone, so strategically, the Kraken sent Daccord down and will use Hellberg as the backup to Jones until Grubauer returns.
Speaking of Grubauer, the Kraken also added him to the long-term injured reserve list retroactive to Oct. 22. This is another strategic move to bank some salary cap space. I will not get into it here, but this gives the Kraken some flexibility down the road to spend above the cap number should they need it later this season. Grubauer has been on the ice and appears to be nearing a return.
Not Kraken related, but don’t forget about the USA-Canada Rivalry Series game coming up this Sunday at CPA. That game will be intense, and I am hearing that it might set a US record for the highest attendance for a female hockey game. I would love to see Seattle own that record.
Coachella notes
Since flying south from their Seattle residency, the Firebirds are 2-0-0, winning both games in a two-game set against the Tucson Roadrunners. The Firebirds are now 7-3-0 and have the highest point percentage in the AHL’s Pacific Division.
The points leader for Coachella is Andrew Poturalski. He has 18 points in 10 games so far this season. The 28-year-old center is in his eighth year of pro hockey. He has four NHL games in his career.
I don’t know if there are any of you that might head to Palm Springs for the holidays, but the Firebirds home opener is set for Dec. 18 against the Tucson Roadrunners at the brand new Acrisure Arena.
Top player performances
Jordan Eberle – After a slightly cold start, Eberle is starting to heat up. He has three goals in the last three games.
Martin Jones – His record might be 1-1-1 over the last three games, but he is giving the Kraken every opportunity to win games with a save percentage of .934 over that span.
Jack Eichel – Four goals over his last three games, including a hat trick against his former team, the Buffalo Sabres, in Buffalo.
New York Rangers – Thursday, Nov. 17, at Climate Pledge Arena
Another great test for the Kraken and a benchmark for how they stack up. The Kraken have only played four games against the Eastern Conference and have a 3-1-0 record. The Rangers are proving last season was not a fluke and will be a challenging opponent. The Kraken have never beaten the Rangers.
Rangers Current Record: 8-6-3
Players to watch:
Adam Fox – Fox is the new breed of defensemen making an impact on the league. He has eight points in his last four games. He had the game winner against the Kraken last season when the Rangers visited CPA.
Mika Zibanejad – Let us hope we don’t see much from Mika on Thursday night, but he can put up some monster games and is generally a pretty fun player to watch.
Los Angeles Kings – Saturday, Nov. 19, at Climate Pledge Arena
Going into the season, I figured the Kings were set to regress this season, and if there is a 2021-22 playoff team from the Pacific that would not make the playoffs this season, I thought the Kings would be that team. The Kings have won four in a row and have points in eight of their last 10 games. They are currently ahead of the Kraken in the standings so a win would be very encouraging on the playoff prospects for the Kraken.
Kings Current Record: 10-6-1
Players to watch:
Brendan Lemieux – Not the most skilled player, but he and Yanni Gourde got into it all night last time they played in October. Expect more of the same on Saturday night.
Gabriel Vilardi – After splitting the season with the Kings AHL affiliate last season, he is a prime reason for why the Kings are on the upswing. He has 10 goals in 17 games which is a bit crazy considering he is known for his passing ability.
We bring you another round of Monday Musings, where we share a random collection of thoughts and observations about the last week from the hockey world with an emphasis on the Kraken and other Puget Sound teams. Enjoy.
Kraken thoughts
What a week for the Kraken?!?! Three regulation road game victories against some quality opponents. Each victory seemed to build on the previous one, and suddenly, the Kraken see themselves in second place in the Pacific Division and riding a franchise record four-game win streak. The Kraken now have 16 points in the standings over 13 games. Last season, they did not capture their 16th point until their 21st game of the season.
The boys will now play a six-game homestand that will take us right through Thanksgiving. They are currently 2-3-1 at Climate Pledge Arena versus 5-1-1 on the road. Let us hope they can get some CPA mojo and turn that home record around.
I’ve said this many times before, but this team is very different than last year’s team. The ability for this group to bounce back after something goes wrong has been remarkable. In Tuesday’s game against Calgary, the Kraken rallied from two goals down in the third after giving up two quick ones to the Flames. In the game against Pittsburgh on Saturday, Jake Guentzel scored an equalizer for the Penguins, but the Kraken bounced back with a Tanev goal with roughly three and a half minutes left. Those kinds of responses were few and far between last season.
One thing that has helped with the resilience is this team is scoring at a much higher rate than last year. The Kraken are averaging 3.46 goals per game compared to 2.63 last year. Goal scoring in the NHL is challenging, but last year it seemed as if the team would need to work so hard for every goal. Right now, it just seems like anyone out there can score. 19 of the 20 skaters that have drawn into the lineup have scored a goal.
The Shane Wright situation
The only skater to not score a goal is Shane Wright. Wright has the fewest minutes played among the 20 players with just under 57 minutes over his seven games. The challenge with getting Wright more minutes is the players that are drawing into the lineup are better NHL players than he is right now, being that he’s still just 18 years old. Morgan Geekie, Ryan Donato, and Daniel Sprong give the Kraken a better chance to win hockey games.
The other “problem” that is preventing Wright from drawing in more consistently is that the Kraken have been relatively healthy. Seattle has not had to dip into the Coachella Valley Firebirds for any skaters to date. Last year’s team had several injuries and COVID absences in the first part of the season. Colin Blackwell, Yanni Gourde, Calle Jarnkrok, and Jared McCann all missed several games in the first part of last season.
McCann being sidelined on Thursday and Saturday gave Wright the opportunity to not just play but play on the third line with Gourde and Tanev.
I have mentioned this several times on the Sound Of Hockey Podcast, but assuming no injuries between now and early December, I imagine the Kraken will loan Wright to Team Canada for the World Junior Championship. This will give him the opportunity to play a couple weeks of logging high minutes of elite-level hockey. At the end of the tournament, he can then return to Seattle for rest of the season.
Other Kraken musings:
The Kraken’s depth is their strength. The Kraken lead the league in unique goal scorers with 19 players scoring at least one goal, but they are also tied for the league lead for unique players with at least two goals. There are 12 players with at least two goals, tied with the Kings and the Bruins.
One of the players with two goals or more is Morgan Geekie. After a challenging start to the season, Geekie finds himself firmly grasping the fourth-line center position, and he will head into Tuesday’s game on a four-game point streak, a career high.
The Kraken will still have a roster decision to make once Joonas Donskoi comes back from injured reserve. From what I have heard, he is not expected back any time soon.
I was asked several times this week “Who has been the best player on the team this season?” I don’t think there is a best player on the team. I feel McCann, Jaden Schwartz, and Matty Beniers could all have a case at one time this season, but people are contributing all over the place and that’s been the key to the success this year.
Andre Burakovsky is tied with Schwartz for the team lead in points, but despite the points, he has another level that we will see soon enough. He is an elite goal scorer, and his current shooting percentage is only 8.3 percent, which is a career low.
After no points in his first six games, Gourde has seven points in his last six games including factoring in all three goals Saturday night against the Penguins.
Coachella notes
The Coachella Valley Firebirds residency in Seattle is officially over, as they fly south to establish their presence in the Valley. It was fun to see them around KCI, and that should create a consistent culture between the two teams. The games I have seen live or on AHL.tv were all entertaining, and I will be looking forward to making a trip down to see them in their barn.
The Firebirds capped off their residency with a split of two games against the Abbotsford Canucks over the weekend. Saturday night’s Firebirds win featured a hat trick by former Kelowna Rocket, Kole Lind. Lind now leads the team with six goals in eight games.
Second in goal scoring for the Firebirds is Jesper Froden. Froden was named the AHL Player of the Month in October.
Yanni Gourde – Yanni had five points over the last three games and was a huge reason the Kraken went 3-0 over the last week. One of the most critical points was his short-handed goal that tied the game up against the Flames on Tuesday night.
Erik Karlsson – He had eight points over the Sharks’ last three games including his first career hat trick on Tuesday night against the Anaheim Ducks.
Martin Jones – He had two of the three Kraken wins over this past week including his first shutout with Seattle against the Minnesota Wild. Jones has a .967 save percentage in his last three games and has given Kraken fans a sense of optimism for the goaltending this season.
On the docket
Nashville Predators – Tuesday, Nov. 8, at Climate Pledge Arena
Heading into the season, I thought the Predators were one of the teams the Kraken would need to challenge for a playoff spot. This team is tough to figure out; they are rolling into Seattle with a bit of a hot streak, having beaten the Flames and Canucks, but prior to those games they lost two lopsided contests to the Oilers and Capitals.
Predators current record: 5-6-1
Players to watch:
Tanner Jeannot – hits everything in site and can put the puck in the net. He is the type of player you hate if he is playing against you but love if he is on your team. Regardless, he is entertaining.
Filip Forsberg – easily the best chimney sweeper in the league with an outstanding shot. His snipe last year at CPA is etched into my memory.
Minnesota Wild – Friday, Nov. 11, at Climate Pledge Arena
After an embarrassing 4-0 loss at home to the Kraken last Thursday, the Wild will be looking to return the favor at CPA. It is hard to get a read on how good the Wild are this year, as they have been rather inconsistent through their first 11 games. Most of the media had them pegged as a playoff team, but with the emergence of Winnipeg, there could be some doubt.
Wild current record: 5-5-1
Players to watch:
Matt Boldy – I mentioned him last week, but I am going to double down and mention him again. The 21-year-old winger was kept off the score sheet against the Kraken but still created some chances and clearly has a bright future in the NHL.
Connor Dewar – he played four years with the Everett Silvertips and is now in his first full season with the Wild after splitting last season between the NHL and AHL. He is relegated to the fourth line, but it is always fun seeing former local WHLers playing in the NHL.
Winnipeg Jets – Sunday, Nov. 13, at Climate Pledge Arena
The Jets have gotten off to a sneaky good start to the season and will find themselves in a playoff spot if they can keep this up. If they cool off a bit, the Jets and Kraken could be fighting for a Wild Card position in March.
Jets current record: 7-3-1
Players to watch:
Connor Hellebuyck – despite being one of the best US goalies in the NHL right now, Hellebuyck still flies under the radar. He already has two shutouts and has a save percentage of .936. The Jets will be playing the night before, so it is possible we see David Rittich between the pipes on Sunday.
Cole Perfetti – This 21-year-old first-round draft pick from 2020 is entering his first full season in the NHL. He is currently centering the second line with Pierre-Luc Dobois and Blake Wheeler and has seven points over 11 games.
We bring you another round of Monday Morning Musings, where we share a random collection of thoughts and observations about the last week from the hockey world with an emphasis on the Kraken and other Puget Sound teams. Enjoy.
Kraken thoughts
At the beginning of the season, if you would have told me the Kraken would have six points in their first seven games, I would have been ok with it; not happy, just ok. Before the season started, the schedule over the first two weeks looked like a murderer’s row of opponents, so salvaging six points would have been fine.
Fast forward to today, and now I am just perplexed. I cannot figure this team out. They were the better team in Anaheim and looked great in LA the next night, only to lay consecutive eggs at home against the Vegas Golden Knights and Carolina Hurricanes.
They rebounded by earning a point against a very good St. Louis Blues team and then looked looked great against the Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche. Things were looking up until an ugly loss Sunday. At times the Kraken dominated the gameplay, but mistake after mistake kept the Blackhawks around until they managed to score two goals within 13 seconds to take the lead in the third period. As one great podcast said, there are just a lot of weird vibes around the team right now.
No one is really talking about it, but I am starting to worry about the Kraken penalty kill. The team has allowed nine power-play goals against and has a 64 percent penalty-kill percentage. That is third worst in the league.
After the Kraken scored the first goal of the game Sunday, I was excited to talk about the value of scoring first. Last season the Kraken were plagued by allowing the first goal and were constantly playing from behind. During the 2021-22 season, the Kraken scored first in 31 of the 82 games and had a .484 win percentage when doing so versus a .235 win percentage when allowing the first goal against. Sunday’s game was just the third time the Kraken have scored first this season, and they won the prior two times. That is something to keep an eye on as the season progresses.
Scoring is up! The Kraken are averaging 3.0 goals per game compared to last year’s first seven games where they averaged 2.571 goals. It is still early, but that is encouraging.
Jordan Eberle has yet to score a goal this season, but it is not for a lack of trying. He has had some golden opportunities, so it should just be a matter of time. Expect him to get of the schneid this week.
Luckily for the Kraken, a lot of the teams in the Pacific Division have some bad vibes going on right now. Vancouver, Anaheim, and San Jose are a collective 3-14-3, and the Kings are 3-4-0. All three are below the Kraken right now in the standings. Hopefully that helps you sleep at night.
It will be interesting to see if goaltender Joey Daccord draws into a game this week for the Kraken. For those that might have missed it, Daccord was called up from the Coachella Valley Firebirds after Philipp Grubauer appeared to tweak something in the Friday game against Colorado. We are all big fans of Daccord, and after a stellar year in the AHL last season, we are eager to see him take that next step as an NHL goalie, even if it is in a temporary basis while we wait for Grubauer to return.
Firebirds thoughts
Speaking of Coachella Valley, I was lucky enough to attend their two ‘home’ games over the weekend. The first game was Friday at Kraken Community Iceplex, and the second one was at Climate Pledge Arena. Both games were entertaining and were not lacking in goal scoring or drama with several lead changes in each game. A total of 18 goals were scored in those two contests.
In Sunday’s game, Tye Kartye and Ryker Evans scored their first professional goals. Kartye was an undrafted free agent signing, and Evans was the second-round draft pick of the Kraken from the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.
Sunday’s game also featured this amazing goal by Jesper Froden.
The Firebirds have one more game in the area that is available to the public. It is coming up this Friday in Everett. If you have been considering checking it out, I highly recommend trying to attend.
Around the NHL
The ageless wonder Joe Pavelski is at it again. The 38-year-old former seventh-round draft pick posted a career year last year with 81 points and has kept it rolling this season. He has seven points in five games for the Dallas Stars including a hat trick against Montreal on Saturday Night.
Colorado’s Valeri Nichushkin has registered a point in each of the six games he has played this season with six goals and five assists. ‘Big Val’ signed a new contract with Colorado this offseason for $49 million over eight years.
Buffalo’s Rasmus Dahlin has scored a goal in each of the Sabres’ first five games this season, setting the record for longest goal streak to start the season by a defenseman. I really hope the Kraken are not playing the Sabres anytime soon… Oh, oops.
On the docket
Buffalo Sabres – Tuesday, Oct. 25, at Climate Pledge Arena
The Sabres are off to a hot start this season with four wins in their first five games. They swept through western Canada with wins against Edmonton, Calgary, and Vancouver. This should be a great benchmark game for the Kraken.
Sabres current record: 3-1-0
Players to watch:
Alex Tuch – Tuch is a native of upstate New York and was part of the Jack Eichel trade to Vegas last year. He has six goals in five games. Tuch has a nose for the net with a little bit of a pest attitude, and I tend to hate him because he often scores goals against my teams.
JJ Peterka – Peterka, from Germany, was drafted just outside the first round in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft and was part of the draft class with fellow countrymen, Tim Stützle and Lukas Reichel. Peterka is projected to be an offensive juggernaut in the NHL and is already showcasing it this season. He has two goals and two assists in the first five games.
Vancouver Canucks – Thursday, Oct. 27, at Climate Pledge Arena
I am already nervous for this game. Nobody wants to be the team that gives the Canucks their first win of the season, especially the Kraken. In four head-to-head games last season, the Kraken never beat the Canucks. If the Kraken are going to sneak into the playoffs this season, they will need to do it at the expense of the Canucks and other struggling Pacific teams. One game in October is not going to instantly propel this team into a playoff spot, but you must bank points when you can get them, and creating more distance with division rivals is highly encouraged.
Canucks current record: 0-4-2
Players to watch:
Bo Horvat – There are some flashier players to watch on the Canucks, but I love Horvat’s compete level. He plays hard on both ends of the ice, and it is the little things like causing turnovers or digging out pucks that I appreciate.
Andrei Kuzmenko – Kuzmenko was a big KHL free-agent signing in the offseason with a lot of hype. Things looked promising early when he registered a goal in his first game of the season against Edmonton, but he has cooled off since, registering no points in his last three games. Kuzmenko was second in points in the KHL last season so there is potential there, but sometimes that KHL skill does not transfer to the NHL.
Pittsburgh Penguins – Saturday, Oct. 29, at Climate Pledge Arena
The only home game I missed attending last season was against the Pittsburgh Penguins… and boy was I glad I missed that one. It was one of the few ugly losses the Kraken had at home in 2021-22. Pittsburgh is still stacked with future hall of famers, and those players continue to play at an elite level. Sidney Crosby has 10 points in five games and Evgeni Malkin is averaging a point per game. The Penguins have three games between now and Saturday, but they have yet to lose in regulation. One potential benefit to the schedule is that the Penguins will be playing Friday night in Vancouver. I will not be missing this game, so hopefully that will be the difference this season.
Penguins current record: 4-0-1
Players to watch:
Kasperi Kapanen – Obviously not one of the elite players on the team, but I still enjoy watching him fly all over the ice. He is your typical third liner that can put the puck in the net from time to time. He is averaging a point per game this season.
Ryan Poehling – Another sleeper pick from an otherwise star-studded lineup in Pittsburgh. The 2017 first-round draft pick has yet to have a breakout season in the NHL but is still a solid overall player. Because of the depth of the Penguins roster, he is pretty much relegated to a fourth-line role.
We are introducing a new feature on Sound Of Hockey called Monday Morning Musings. It will be a collection of random thoughts and observations about the last week of activity from the hockey world with an emphasis on the Kraken and other Puget Sound teams. If you have suggestions or feedback, feel free to leave them in the comments or send them to us directly on twitter.
Kraken thoughts
After three games, but we still do not know how good this team is going to be this season. If you told me the Kraken would capture three out of six points in the opening three games to start the season, I would have been happy. But how they got the points leaves me scratching my head. They looked great in Anaheim and Los Angeles and then laid an egg in the home opener against Vegas, so it is hard to get a good read on what this team is capable of this season.
I am not sure the next three games will give us any more clarity. This might be one of the tougher three-game stretches of the 2022-23 campaign. Carolina, St. Louis, and Colorado were a collective 159-87 last season and 6-2 versus the Kraken. Getting at least three points in these next three games would be very encouraging.
Speaking of encouraging, the Kraken power play looks much better this season with power-play goals in each of the first three games and a power-play success rate of 38 percent compared to last season’s 15 percent. It is still early, but let’s celebrate positives where we can.
Shane Wright was a healthy scratch for the second game in a row Saturday. Obviously, if the team is going to scratch him more often than play him, they should send him to the OHL, but let us see how the next couple weeks play out before we start demanding he be sent down. Over the last three seasons, only Cole Sillinger played more than 70 games in the season immediately after his draft. With this in mind, yes, Wright could be sent back, but we should be patient here instead of immediately grabbing our pitchforks.
It was a little surprising to see Martin Jones get the start in net for the home opener on Saturday night. He did have a good game against the Kings on Thursday, and although not overly tested, he did make some timely saves when the boys needed it. On Saturday night, Jones did allow a few bad goals, but he is not the reason the Kraken lost. Regardless, I expect Grubauer to get most of the starts over the next week to settle into his crease.
After an injury plagued 2021-22 season, it is great to see Jaden Schwartz back on the ice. He has two power-play goals in the first three games and hopefully he can keep it rolling.
The Coachella Valley Firebirds played and won their first game in franchise history on Sunday afternoon. It was a little sketchy, but it is always better to win ugly than lose pretty. The Firebirds had a 5-1 lead halfway through the second period, only to see the Calgary Wranglers claw back to make it a one-goal game with five minutes left in the third. Joey Daccord kept the Wranglers out of the net for the last few minutes and clinched the first ever franchise victory. As a reminder, the Firebirds will have four games in the Seattle area but only two of them will have regular tickets available: Sunday, Oct. 23, at Climate Pledge Arena and Friday, Oct. 28, at Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett.
Player Performances
Former Tri-City American and current Detroit Red Wings center Michael Rasmussen kicked off his 2022-23 season in style with a three-point night in the Wings game against Montreal on Friday night.
After missing the entire pre-season, former Everett Silvertips standout goalie, Carter Hart, saved 35 of 37 shots in the Philadelphia Flyers’ first game of the season.
We are all rooting for Mason Marchment this season after the hockey world tragically lost his father, Bryan, right before the NHL Entry Draft in July. Mason has three goals in two games with the Dallas Stars.
On the docket
As mentioned above, the Kraken have a challenging three games coming up this week. Here is the rundown.
Carolina Hurricanes – Monday, Oct. 17, at Climate Pledge Arena
The Canes are a legitimate cup contender this year and will be a benchmark game for the Kraken. Seattle will need to get Saturday night’s game out of its system and what better way to do it than beating a team that is widely considered one of the best in the league?
Hurricanes Current Record: 2-0-0
Players to watch:
Brent Burns –traded to Carolina from San Jose this offseason, Burns continues to be a fun player to watch. He is not afraid to jump up in the play and create offense…for both teams. Burns plays fast and loose, which makes his time on the ice entertaining to say the least.
Seth Jarvis – The 20-year-old former Portland Winterhawk and friend of the Sound Of Hockey podcast is an up and comer in this league with a bit of flash. Jarvis plays the bulk of his minutes with Sebastian Aho and is capable of creating highlight-reel goals.
St. Louis Blues – Wednesday, Oct. 19, at Climate Pledge Arena
The Blues are coming off a 109-point campaign in the 2021-22 season with very few changes to the roster. Most analysts have them as a lock for the playoffs for 2022-23. The Blues went 3-0 against the Kraken last year and outscored them 11-2 in those three games.
Blues current record: 1-0-0
Players to watch:
Robert Thomas – strong two-way player that can score and dish the puck. He is coming off a career season in 2021-22 with 77 points (20G/57A) over 72 games.
Jake Neighbours – 2022-23 will be the former first-round draft pick’s rookie season. Neighbours had 45 points in just 30 games last year with the Edmonton Oil Kings in the WHL. Along with Thomas, Neighbours is projected to be one of the future cornerstones of the Blues.
Colorado Avalanche – Friday, Oct. 21, at Ball Arena, Denver
They are the reigning Stanley Cup Champions and a favorite to win it again this season. The Avalanche did lose Andre Burakovsky to the Kraken and Nazim Kadri to the Flames, so that is 50 goals lost in the offseason. Still, they should be just fine.
Avalanche current record: 1-1-0
Players to watch:
Cale Makar – there are about eight players on the Avalanche worth focusing on, but Cale Makar is one of the best, if not the best defenseman in the NHL. He is so exciting to watch on both ends of the ice and is truly an innovative player that is changing the position.
Alex Newhook – only 21 years old, Newhook spent last season bouncing around the third and fourth lines. With the departure of Kadri, he will get more opportunity this season including some power-play time. Newhook might be a year or two away from a breakout, but the foundations are there, and he has the capability to make some dazzling plays.
Chart of the week
Three games is not a big sample, but if the Kraken expect to be more competitive, the power play is one area it must improve over last year. Early signs are encouraging.
Beyond the NHL
Outside of the Kraken organization, there are quite a few Pacific Northwest teams that are playing good hockey in their respective leagues. In the WHL, the Seattle Thunderbirds, Everett Silvertips, and Portland Winterhawks are a collective 21-2 and are outscoring their opponents 115-69. If you want to circle a game on the calendar, you might want to consider the Nov. 5 game when Portland visits Seattle for the first time this season.
The Thunderbirds look pretty stacked right now with five NHL-drafted players on their roster, but another name people should keep an eye on is Gracyn Sawchyn. Sawchyn is eligible for the 2023 NHL Entry Draft and is off to a fast start with 11 points in 7 games. Some say he could be drafted in the first round of the draft in July.
Finally, the Seattle Totems (USPHL – Junior A) and Washington Huskies (ACHA) are off to hot starts. The Totems, who play out of Olympic View Ice Center in Montlake Terrace are 7-3 and have outscored opponents 50-36. Meanwhile, the Huskies, who play out of Kraken Community Iceplex are 4-2. If you are looking for some fun and affordable hockey to watch, consider supporting these players in what should be entertaining hockey.
Eyebrows were raised around the hockey world when the Seattle Kraken announced in Aug., 2021, that Dan Bylsma was joining the organization and would serve as assistant coach for the Charlotte Checkers. The news immediately got some wheels turning—at least here at Sound Of Hockey—that perhaps Bylsma could be putting himself in line to become the first head coach of the Coachella Valley Firebirds.
Lo and behold, some 10 months later, the Firebirds and Kraken officially announced on Tuesday that Bylsma will be handed the reins.
The Coachella Valley @Firebirds have named Dan Bylsma as the first-ever Head Coach in franchise history!
At the time he joined Charlotte, it was a bit surprising that Bylsma, who won a Stanley Cup as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2008-09, would take an AHL assistant role. It seemed like a step back for the former NHL coach, but in retrospect, it was plain to see how he was positioning himself.
“Talking to [Kraken general manager Ron Francis] last season about the opportunity to coach in Charlotte, [Coachella Valley] was on my mind,” Bylsma said Tuesday. “We needed a coach for the development of players in Charlotte last season, but I knew down the road that we’d be going to Coachella, and that would be there.”
Bylsma’s foresight and gamble on himself paid off.
An impressive coaching resume
Bylsma boasts an impressive resume. After a 12-year pro playing career that included 429 NHL games with the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Mighty Ducks, he went right into coaching as an assistant for the AHL’s Cincinnati Mighty Ducks. During the 2008-09 season, Bylsma was promoted mid-season from head coach of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins, replacing the fired Michel Therrien. The NHL Penguins responded well to Bylsma, and he led them to their first Stanley Cup since 1992.
The Grand Haven, Mich., native won the Jack Adams Award in 2010-11, coached Team USA at the Sochi Olympics in 2014, and was the fastest coach ever to reach 250 career NHL wins.
In June, 2014, he was relieved of his duties by the Penguins and eventually signed on as the head coach of the Buffalo Sabres starting in 2015. He lasted two seasons there before returning to his hometown Detroit Red Wings, where he was an assistant coach for three seasons before joining the Kraken organization.
Coachella Valley Firebirds coach Bylsma will focus on development
Now back in the AHL, Bylsma knows the focus is on helping young players reach their potential. “A huge responsibility in the organization for the Seattle Kraken is the development of the players and development of the young players coming into the organization,” he said. “Getting an opportunity to do that as a head coach in the American Hockey League is something I take a great deal of pride in, and I’m excited about that opportunity to do it.”
Bylsma has already been working with young Kraken players in Charlotte, where he guided prospects like Alexander True, Cale Fleury, and Max McCormick, three players he thinks are close to being full-timers in the NHL. Getting those types of players over the hump and onto the next level now falls more squarely on Bylsma’s shoulders, but he is ready for the challenge and has been in this position before.
“I think when we look at it from an organization standpoint, it’s such a critical part of the process for us,” added Francis. “We draft these young men, and we ask them to go and play in the American Hockey League, and we try and draft and develop them to get to the NHL. So having a guy with that sort of pedigree—he’s coached at all levels, AHL, NHL, World Championships, he’s won a Stanley Cup, he’s been coach of the year in the NHL—we feel very fortunate we have somebody like Dan to lead that charge and help the development of our young players.”
Plenty of work left to be done in building the Coachella Valley Firebirds
When the inaugural Kraken season ended, Francis went through a laundry list of AHL-related projects ahead of him for this offseason, as he is now tasked with building out the Firebirds from scratch. Deciding on a head coach was one of those items, but that was just the start.
“I would say [the list of responsibilities] is slightly shorter, but it’s still a long list,” Francis said. Some hires left to be made include an athletic trainer, assistant coaches, goalie coaches at both the NHL and AHL levels, a video coach, a skills coach, and—oh, by the way—almost a full roster of players.
Adding one more wrinkle to what will surely be a challenging first season for Coachella Valley, their home venue, Acrisure Arena, will not open until at least December, and their practice facility will not open until at least mid-October.
So, Francis said the AHL team would start the season in Seattle and “play some games up in this area,” making the Kraken Community Iceplex the home base for the Firebirds initially. They will then transition to Coachella Valley when their practice arena opens.
There are plenty of questions left to answer before the Coachella Valley Firebirds can take flight. For now, with Bylsma as the team’s first head coach, one big question has been resolved.
