Don’t look now, but your Seattle Kraken are 2-0 in the preseason. Take the success with a grain of salt, though, because A.) the preseason means nothing, and B.) Seattle has not yet faced any real competition. Tuesday’s matchup against the Flames had a similar feel to Monday’s game against the Oilers in that both opponents left most of their regulars at home. What was different, though, was literally all of the Kraken personnel, as Seattle was able to ice a full new roster from the night before with a nice mix of veterans and guys fighting to make an impression.
Jaden Schwartz returned and scored a beautiful short-handed goal, Daniel Sprong found the back of the net with one of his patented “Sprong bombs,” and Philipp Grubauer and Magnus Hellberg combined for the team’s second consecutive shutout. But the story of the night was undoubtedly No. 4 overall pick Shane Wright making his preseason debut.
So, let’s start with that, shall we? Here are our Three Takeaways from a second consecutive 3-0 Kraken win.
Takeaway #1: A solid debut for Shane Wright
Shane Wright has looked good in training camp to this point, but it’s so hard to form real opinions from watching practices. Where the rubber really meets the road is in game action, and for his first time out Tuesday, we thought he belonged.
After the game, the touted 18-year-old was jovial and visibly excited to have seen his first NHL action. “It was a lot of fun,” Wright said. “Definitely a pretty cool experience there, something I’ve been looking forward to for basically my entire life here, so it’s definitely a lot of fun. It took a little adjustment at first and throughout the game there, but obviously, great win, and I feel really happy with the overall result.” Wright said the speed of the game was the biggest difference from the OHL, and that was what pushed him to adjust.
Hakstol seemed generally pleased with the rookie’s debut performance as well. “I thought he played a simple, hard game,” Hakstol said. “He did a pretty good job with his two linemates [Jordan Eberle and Jaden Schwartz].”
Wright had three shots on goal and pulled another backhander just wide of the post in the first period. His best looks came on the power play, including one laser snap shot from the right face-off dot that almost beat Dan Vladar and created a juicy rebound opportunity for Eberle.
As an aside, we would like to see Wright switch sides on the power play with Jared McCann, so that the two wingers can play their off-hand wings and be open for one-timers, but that’s not a critique on Wright. Even on his strong side, he still was a key piece of a power play unit that created plenty of chances. It’s a good all-around start.
Takeaway #2: Daniel Sprong making things interesting
A few days ago, we asked Hakstol about Sprong and what he needs to show in camp, and Hakstol said the Dutch forward has an opportunity to force the team to make some hard decisions. That’s because Sprong—a veteran forward with a heavy shot and good speed—is not currently signed to a contract and does not have a spot on the roster. Instead, he’s on a professional try-out, which means it is anything but a sure thing he’ll land with the Kraken or even the Coachella Valley Firebirds.
But, we’ve thought Sprong has looked good in every game situation he’s faced so far, and he showed off his blistering shot again Tuesday, giving Seattle a 1-0 lead at 12:30 of the second. Vince Dunn laid a nice pass into the slot for Sprong, who one-timed it by Vladar before he could even wave at it.
🚨 SPRONG BOMB! 🚨
Dunn serves it to Sprong on a platter, and the Dutchman blasts away. 1-0 Kraken.
Our belief is that despite scoring six goals in his 16 games with Seattle last season, Sprong played himself out of favor with a lack of defensive responsibility. So, we asked Hakstol about him again after Tuesday’s game, and interestingly, the coach heaped high praise on the winger. “For me, it’s not the goal,” Hakstol said. “I know he can score in this league; I know he can do that, and that’s not easy. I’m not diminishing that in any way, but I thought he played his ass off tonight. He played hard, and that’s what we want him to keep doing. He’s done that every day. He’s just got to continue to do that in all three zones.”
The problem for Sprong is that even if he continues to shine in training camp, there isn’t an obvious roster spot for him if everyone remains healthy. Would Seattle consider signing him to a low-risk, relatively low-dollar contract? Would Sprong take something like that?
Sprong remains a storyline worth monitoring for the rest of camp.
Takeaway #3: The goalies are unflappable
Just like everything else in preseason, it’s hard to know how much stock to put in goaltending performances. It’s especially confusing on nights like Monday and Tuesday, when Edmonton and Calgary each trotted out a lot of players that appear destined for the AHL and elsewhere. Still, after a nightmarish inaugural season in the crease, it sure is refreshing to see all four Kraken goalies combine to pitch consecutive shutouts over a 24-hour period.
On Tuesday, Philipp Grubauer looked calm, cool, and collected for the first half, though he wasn’t tested all that often and only faced 10 shots before giving way to Magnus Hellberg. Hellberg had tougher stops to make, but he did make them all and looked great doing so in his stunning Brian’s setup.
“Both nights we got good, solid performances,” Hakstol said. “A couple good saves at the right time along the way. I thought [Grubauer] tonight just had a real good, solid night, and you know, that’s what we want to see.”
Wouldn’t it be great if Grubauer can put last season fully behind him and get off to a hot start?
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One last thing. Game Ops played another teaser video about the mascot release, which is coming before Saturday’s game. Mayor Bruce Harrell was in the video and hinted that the mascot should relate to a Seattle landmark, so we’re going on record and predicting the mascot will be some sort of lovable troll character that’s based on the Fremont Troll.
Kraken hockey is so back. Seattle won its preseason opener 3-0 against the “Oilers,” with the opposing team name in quotes because Edmonton didn’t exactly trot out a superstar-laden lineup. Still, it was a fun night back at Climate Pledge Arena for the first time since spring, and there were a lot of positives shown from a home squad that looks to be significantly improved this season.
The game featured some stellar offensive plays from guys like Matty Beniers, Ryan Donato, and… netminder Joey Daccord?! Plus, Game Ops played a blockbuster of a mascot-related teaser video that also implied with some certainty that the Sonics would one day return. So, that was something.
Here are our Three Takeaways from a Kraken win over the “Oilers.”
Takeaway #1: Matty Beniers picks up right where he left off
Most of the first period was expectedly sloppy at both ends of the ice, but Matty Beniers seemed to pick up right where he left off last season. The 19-year-old rookie, who scored nine points in his 10-game stint with the Kraken at the end of 2020-21, nearly scored just a few minutes into the game. The first shift of his line with Donato and Oliver Bjorkstrand had two Grade-A opportunities in a row, including one where the puck just eluded Beniers’s swinging stick off a rush.
In the second period, Beniers got the scoring started with a dazzling snipe over the shoulder of Olivier Rodrigue from a bad angle. A pass from Peetro Seppala got deflected, but Beniers still managed to corral it on what looked to be a broken play. The rookie gathered himself and fired a laser-guided missile up top where mama keeps the cookies.
Coach Dave Hakstol has been encouraged by Beniers’s play through the early parts of training camp. “Right from Day 1 of camp, he’s been skating well, been really confident with the puck, and you know he’s seeing the ice really well,” Hakstol said. “So yeah, real positive things that he’s doing. Just the way that he’s working, skating, and competing.”
Takeaway #2: Offensive star Joey Daccord
Both netminders, Martin Jones and Daccord, played well Monday, splitting a 29-save shutout. One puck did get past Jones in the first period, but it was negated due to incidental contact with former Seattle Thunderbird Noah Philp.
When Daccord came in, he immediately made an impact on the game in a way we may not have expected, hitting Donato with a perfect stretch pass to the far blue line. Donato raced in, delayed with a “tomahawk” move, using his body to protect the puck, then swung behind the net and scored a beautiful diving wraparound goal. The tally extended Seattle’s lead to 2-0 at 14:15 of the second period.
🚨 JOEY DACCORD ASSIST!! 🚨
He hits Donato at the far blue line, and Donato scores on a diving wraparound.
The crowd erupted when Daccord’s name was announced for the lone assist on the play, comically bringing him into a tie for the team’s preseason scoring lead.
“What’s funny is I didn’t have one point all last season,” Daccord told Sound Of Hockey. “I’m obviously pretty active with my stick, so it was kind of a running joke that I was snake bitten last year. So, it feels nice to end that first game tonight… That was an unreal finish [by Donato]. He earned me that apple.”
That wasn’t the only time Daccord was active with his goal stick in Monday’s game, as he also broke up a third period breakaway with a gutsy poke check. “I sold out for that one,” Daccord said with a laugh. He wasn’t too worried about missing the puck, though. “[The Edmonton player] had his head buried.”
Jones and Daccord are competing for a Kraken roster spot, though Jones is the favorite to make the team out of camp, simply because of his experience and $2 million contract. For now, Daccord is thrilled to be back playing in the NHL. “It’s just so fun to be back,” he said. “Any chance you get to play in the NHL is unreal, so yeah, it was just super fun being out there.”
Takeaway #3: Turbo is BACK
Brandon Tanev’s excessively fast mini-sprints were a sight for sore eyes when the Kraken took the ice for warmups against the Oilers.
The zoomies are back!
And he goes no bucket, joining Adam Larsson in the No-Bucket Warmer-Upper Club (NBWUC). pic.twitter.com/2z8gwKPkvK
Early in the third period, Turbo reminded Kraken fans what they were missing last season after he tore his ACL against these same Oilers in December. With Seattle killing a five-minute major against Jacob Melanson for an illegal check to the head on James Hamblin, Tanev won a race to the neutral zone and poked the puck ahead to create a two-on-one. He slid the puck across to Morgan Geekie, who deposited it into a yawning cage.
When Tanev gets a point, this is what we will see. 👁 👁
In the second period, a video played on the twin Jumbotrons at Climate Pledge Arena, teasing the introduction of the team’s mascot—which will not be former Sonics mascot Squatch—at the Oct. 1 preseason game against the Vancouver Canucks.
BREAKING: #SeaKraken teaser video indicates a 10/1 intro for the team’s new mascot.
Also, Detlef Schrempf in the video: “You’re right, the Sonics will be back one day.” pic.twitter.com/jknYgdtnEi
The video also included an interesting line by Sonics legend Detlef Schrempf, in which he emphatically agreed with the children performing the mascot search that an NBA team would one day return to Seattle. “Yes, the Sonics will come back,” Schrempf said, a statement that got a massive roar from the home crowd.
It is no secret the Kraken ownership group hopes to also bring the NBA to Climate Pledge Arena. Could that quote from Schrempf be hinting at something bigger than a mascot reveal?
It was a roller coaster of a summer for versatile Seattle Kraken forward Ryan Donato. After a career year in 2021-22 that brought 16 goals and 31 points, and after bouncing to four NHL teams in six seasons, it seemed like he had found a home in the Pacific Northwest. But some unforeseen twists in his contractual situation made his immediate future murky, until he ultimately re-signed with the Kraken for one year and $1.2 million.
Now, on an improved Seattle team, early signs indicate he could once again play a big role.
Familiar territory
Following the 2020-21 season, Donato’s contract with the San Jose Sharks was up. Due to his age and NHL service time, he remained a restricted free agent, meaning the Sharks could keep him as long as they extended him a qualifying offer. Surprisingly though, San Jose did not qualify Donato, instead allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent.
Just before their first training camp, the Kraken were able to sign the former second-round draft pick to a bargain $750,000 contract. It took time for Donato to earn the trust of coach Dave Hakstol—he was a healthy scratch for Seattle’s home opener—but by showing he could play up and down the lineup and produce in every role, he proved himself as an important piece of the puzzle.
“That’s the value of Ryan Donato,” Hakstol said. “That’s one of the big values he brings is the versatility and the willingness. That’s a big piece of it, right? A player being willing to jump in wherever he’s needed and compete at the highest level, no matter— it may be a little bit imperfect for him, but [Donato] was a great teammate last year and in that regard, whatever needs to be done, he would jump in and work hard to get what he could to the team.”
Ryan Donato had a career year with the Kraken in 2021-22. (Photo/Brian Liesse)
With that positive sentiment from his coach, it was surprising to learn at the end of the 2021-22 season that Donato had again not been tendered a qualifying offer, and was once again an unrestricted free agent.
“Obviously, it was disappointing,” Donato told Sound Of Hockey. “But I understand. I’ve been around long enough to understand it’s a business.”
Back where he wanted to be
When free agency opened in July, general manager Ron Francis indicated that the team had made the decision not to qualify Donato because they didn’t want to risk going to arbitration with him. Such a hearing could have resulted in Donato being awarded a contract that didn’t fit with Seattle’s cap plans. Francis did maintain at the time, though, that the front office liked the player and would leave the door open to re-signing him.
Donato explored the market, but lo and behold, he inked a new deal with the team on July 27. “I gathered myself a little bit before, knowing that whatever decision they make—qualify or no qualify—Seattle’s the place that I want to be at.”
In the end, Francis held true to his word, and the Kraken got back a forward they like on another team-friendly contract. “The way it was approached to me was that, I mean, ‘Obviously we didn’t qualify, but we want to stay in touch and figure out something,’” Donato recalled. “And that definitely made me excited.”
An exciting summer away from the rink
Donato trained in his home state of Massachusetts this summer, where he and training camp linemate Matty Beniers worked out together. Donato says Beniers worked hard this offseason to get bigger and stronger, which is no surprise, since the rookie recently shared that he gained 10-12 pounds of muscle.
Signing a new contract and working out with Beniers were just parts of the fun for Donato this offseason, though. He also proposed to his long-time girlfriend, Bradley, on the beach in his hometown of Scituate in front of friends and family.
Via Ryan Donato’s Instagram account.
“It was awesome,” he said. “I think it was long overdue, but she’s been amazing. She’s been a rock for me.”
If all goes according to plan, the two will be married next summer.
A new start
Donato is back in camp now, and things feel more familiar this time around than they did last year when everything was new for the expansion franchise. “Last year, you’re coming in and not everybody knows each other,” he said. “Everyone wants to make really good impressions—and still that’s the case, you want to make good impressions—but now guys got inside jokes. You got guys that are hooting and hollering, and there’s a lot more of a team feel here.”
It was the ability of Donato to play in all roles and situations that kept him in the lineup for 74 games last season. For him, it didn’t really matter what spot Hakstol had him in; he was just glad to have a chance to prove he belonged, and he took advantage.
Ryan Donato battles with Yanni Gourde at training camp. (Photo/Brian Liesse)
This season, Donato is willing to do the same, but he also hopes he’ll get plenty of opportunities to produce offensively. “Whenever I’m put in a position to create offense or play with offensive-minded players, that’s when I feel like I’m going to be my best. Especially when I can gain some chemistry with guys and get some games together, and learn guys’ tendencies.”
So far in training camp, Donato has been seen slotted with Beniers and newcomer Oliver Bjorkstrand, a trio that could produce a lot of offense if they stick together.
What’s next?
Donato proved last season that he is an important piece of the Kraken roster. With an influx of offensive talent brought in during the offseason, it will be interesting to see how his role evolves. But by demonstrating throughout 2021-22 that he can help the team regardless of where Hakstol puts him, it is reasonable to expect Donato to again be a key piece to Seattle’s offense.
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The Kraken will begin their preseason Monday at home against the Edmonton Oilers. They will open their regular season Oct. 12 in Anaheim, and their training camp will continue at Kraken Community Iceplex over the coming weeks.
SEATTLE– Kraken hockey was back on the ice Thursday as the team kicked off training camp at the Kraken Community Iceplex.
Not only was the team back to prepare for the franchise’s second season, but so were forwards Brandon Tanev and Jaden Schwartz. Two key players who missed significant time last season due to injury, both were on the ice Thursday and each guy looked healed, rested, and ready to go.
“Feel good, excited to be here and get it going,” Schwartz said. “It’s a lot different [this year], just more comfortable with each other, more comfortable with the city. Kind of know the routines and just getting to know the guys more I think is the most important thing.”
Schwartz injured his wrist in a game against Philadelphia in late December and returned to the lineup March 5 for a game versus the Washington Capitals. But he suffered a different injury at the end of the month and did not return for the remainder of the season.
The second injury was undisclosed, and he was still feeling the effects at the team’s closing interviews in May.
“All I can say is there were a lot of tests done and doctors went down some different paths,” Schwartz said Thursday. “I got good help and I feel like it could help me a lot this year. So, I feel good.”
He ended the season playing in 37 games while scoring eight goals and 23 points.
Tanev burst out of the gates for Seattle last year, quickly becoming a fan favorite for his hair-on-fire style of play and scoring nine goals in the first 30 games. He appeared on his way to easily breaking his career mark of 14 scores that he set in 2018-19 playing for the Winnipeg Jets.
But he never got there as a knee injury sidelined him, and he would miss the final 52 games of the season.
“It took a little bit time learning to do things that had come so easily,” Tanev said. “Once you’re back on the ice, there with your teammates and back in the city of Seattle, you’re excited to be back here for training camp.”
While he would probably admit to having some rust, he looked like Brandon Tanev during an afternoon scrimmage Thursday. There were no massive hits, but he skated fast and the energy level seemed to rise when he was on the ice.
“I liked the way he dove back in,” Kraken coach Dave Hakstol said. “He was playing through traffic. That’s a good first step for him and a good day one. He brings a little bit of energy everywhere he goes, so it’s good to have him back in the room.”
A healthy Schwartz will give Hakstol another offensive weapon at the top of the lineup and allow him to form some big lines. Schwartz took part in the morning workouts, but his group did not yet scrimmage; that will happen Friday.
Jaden Schwartz returned to Kraken training camp after missing time last season. (Photo/Brian Liesse)
Watching Schwartz, he showed no ill effects and appeared to be going full bore and flinging wrist shots with ease.
“He’s the kind of guy who fixes any line you put him on,” Hakstol said about Schwartz. “You put him on a line and that line is gonna find success. The way he goes about his business is a little bit under the radar, but it’s for sure not within our group inside of this room. The things that he does out there to generate possession, and more importantly, generate offense off that possession are really important. He’s a hell of a competitor.”
Both Tanev and Schwartz were set up to be contributors to the Kraken attack last season, but we never had a chance to fully realize the potential. Seattle hopes that’s a different situation this year.
“Our expectations are a lot higher,” Schwartz said. “We want to start off with taking it one day at a time here and have a good camp… We got a new team this year, we got a lot of new players, and we got a lot better over the summer. I think each guy’s hungry.”
Bjorkstrand debuts
Acquired in the move of the summer for the Kraken, the former Columbus Blue Jackets winger was on the ice for the first time for an official team-sanctioned skate.
In the afternoon scrimmage, he was on a line centered by Matty Beniers with Ryan Donato on the opposite wing. The trio looked good, but before people start coming up with clever nicknames for the line, be cautioned that it’s early and the scrimmage only included half the team’s roster.
Still, day one was good, and Bjorkstrand even found the back of the net as his squad won 2-0.
With a Group 2 scrimmage underway, Oliver Bjorkstrand just scored his first “goal” as a Kraken. First of many, we’re sure. pic.twitter.com/vJF6ivB11r
On his linemates for the day, Donato and Beniers, Bjorkstrand said, “Good skaters, move the puck well, and the offensive skills are there. I think us as a group, if we’re together, we just have to make sure we finish and play both ways.”
Friday’s camp will feature the second group of players scrimmaging, and we’ll get our first look at first-round pick Shane Wright in “game” action, as well as free agent addition Andre Burakovsky.
It’s here! It’s here! Seattle Kraken training camp has arrived! Earlier this week, we got a look at the rookies in the organization with a two-day precursor to the main event. But now the rubber meets the road, as the veterans officially join the action Thursday.
There were several key pieces added to the organization during the offseason, and with turnover comes narratives, as players compete for roster and lineup spots.
Here are some of the players, battles, and narratives to keep an eye on in Kraken training camp.
Roster battles
At the end of every NHL training camp, a handful of players gets placed on waivers by every club as front offices try to send guys through to their respective AHL affiliates. After the acquisitions made by Seattle this offseason, there are more NHL-caliber players in the fold than there are roster spots, so something has to give.
The Kraken will have to expose some NHL-level talent to waivers prior to the season opener. Who stays, and who goes?
Forwards
Throwing a wrench into the plans of at least a fringe player or two is the arrival of Shane Wright, who has a good shot at making the roster as an 18-year-old. We will talk more about him in a bit, but just know that we do expect him to take up a roster spot, at least to start the season.
Brandon Tanev and Jaden Schwartz are also back and have looked good in unofficial captain’s practices, so by our count, we see 14 forwards that we expect to more or less be locks for the initial roster, barring injuries. Those players are Matty Beniers, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Andre Burakovsky, Ryan Donato, Joonas Donskoi, Jordan Eberle, Morgan Geekie, Yanni Gourde, Karson Kuhlman, Jared McCann, Schwartz, Tanev, Alex Wennberg, and Wright.
Those are all the forward spots the team has available, and that would mean four full lines plus two healthy forward scratches. The team typically carried one extra forward and two extra defensemen last season, but we expect that to change this season.
With all this in mind, if everything goes according to plan, there really are no spots for guys like Kole Lind, John Hayden, Alexander True, or Daniel Sprong, who is in camp on a professional try-out. We would also lump into this group Andrew Poturalski, who has been a prolific scorer in the AHL but has never gotten a real chance in the NHL.
Things never go according to plan, though, and even if all the regulars stay healthy through training camp, somebody will eventually miss time at some point during the season. So if spots don’t open for bubble players immediately out of camp, those guys will want to leave a positive impression to put themselves in line as the first call-ups.
Sending down a guy like Lind, who has upside and performed well in his end-of-season stint with Seattle last year, would be risky, as he could certainly be claimed by another team that’s willing to keep him in the NHL.
Defense
Similarly, the Kraken have more defensemen than they can fit on their NHL roster, though there is a spot up for grabs. We expect Vince Dunn, Adam Larsson, Jamie Oleksiak, Justin Schultz, and Carson Soucy to be shoo-ins, and Will Borgen stuck with the big club throughout the entire 2021-22 season, despite minimal playing time. So, pencil him in for the sixth spot.
But what about Cale Fleury, offseason signing Michal Kempny, and rookie Ryker Evans? Fleury is valuable as a right shot and did a good job for the Kraken at the end of last season. Kempny is a veteran that worked his way back from a series of horrific leg injuries and in 2021-22 played 15 games for the Capitals and 24 games for the AHL’s Hershey Bears. Evans had an awesome training camp before last season, then went back to the WHL’s Regina Pats and had a stellar campaign there, notching 61 points in 63 games.
Evans, 20, would benefit from time in the AHL, so it’s probably an uphill battle for him to make the club at this juncture, but we could see Kempny or Fleury filling that seventh spot on the blue line.
Goalies
At first glance, the Kraken goal crease feels solidified going into training camp. Philipp Grubauer is the bona fide No. 1, and with Chris Driedger recovering from a torn ACL, the team went out and acquired Martin Jones on a one-year, $2 million contract this summer.
BUT… but… what about our good friend, Joey Daccord? We bring him up because for him to get to Coachella Valley at the end of camp, he will have to clear waivers. Does the team want to risk losing him?
At the end of last season, general manager Ron Francis indicated that Daccord would have a chance to make the team, but that was before Jones was signed. The smart bet to stick with the team is on Jones and his $2 million contract, but do pay attention to how Jones and Daccord perform in camp and in their pre-season outings.
Other narratives
Shane Wright’s impact
Wright will remain a storyline throughout at least the first part of the regular season. Assuming he performs even reasonably well, we think he will break camp with the Kraken. The tricky thing here is that if Seattle doesn’t think Wright is ready to produce this season, or if he has a slow start out of the gates, he can be sent back to the OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs without burning a year of his entry-level contract. The team just has to make that decision prior to Wright playing in his 10th NHL game.
Thinking a few steps ahead, it would be a shame if, say, Lind gets waived and claimed by another team out of camp, then Wright plays nine games and goes back to the OHL. That is a real possibility and something to monitor as things develop.
The other thing to consider here is that Wright plays center, as do Beniers, Wennberg, Gourde, and Geekie. That’s too many centers, so somebody will have to slide to the wing. Lines will certainly shift around a lot during the course of the season, but do keep an eye on which of Gourde, Geekie, and Wright are lining up in the middle during pre-season.
New arrivals
It will be fun to see Burakovsky and Bjorkstrand in action for the Kraken. Those were two huge adds for Seattle this offseason, and getting a glimpse at how coach Dave Hakstol might employ them will be worth the price of admission for the pre-season games they play.
Familiar faces
Tanev and Schwartz are both back and looking healthy, which is a huge boost to a Kraken club that slumped mightily after losing those players in the inaugural season. The group is much deeper with those two players available, plus Burakovsky and Bjorkstrand, meaning forwards that were in Seattle’s top six last year will be able to play down the lineup in third- and fourth-line roles this season (again, assuming good health).
On paper, the Kraken stand to be much better this year if they can keep their core players from getting hurt.
Training camp gets underway Thursday with on-ice sessions starting at 9:40AM at Kraken Community Iceplex. The team’s first pre-season game will be Monday against the Edmonton Oilers at Climate Pledge Arena.
