With the NHL season less than a month away, we thought we should revisit the Seattle Kraken schedule to see how it stacks up with the rest of the league across a few different metrics. Specifically, we are going to look at total travel distance over the season, the number of road trips, and the number of back-to-back games the Kraken will face this year compared to their NHL counterparts.
Travel distance
Being that Seattle is in the corner of the United States, there is room for concern that the Kraken will be traveling quite a bit in a typical NHL Season.
The Seattle Kraken will travel the eighth-most miles in the NHL this season with 49,566.
Another way to look at this is to consider how the Seattle Kraken travel compares to that of their divisional rivals and how the other divisions stack up against one another.
It is interesting to see the Pacific Division has the tightest cluster of travel distances by team. This bodes well for the Kraken, as they will be on a relatively level playing field with their closest rivals in this respect.
Also, this is unrelated, but it is interesting to see Washington as such an outlier in the Metropolitan Division.
Number of road trips
Distance is one aspect of the travel schedule, but we should also look at the quantity of road trips a team might have on the schedule.
In the number of road trips category, Seattle has the second-fewest trips behind only the Vancouver Canucks. This should be a good thing for Seattle Kraken players, although it will mean a few long stretches away from home, including to start the season.
Back-to-back games
Finally, we need to consider back-to-back games, as this ends up being a factor for every NHL team.
Playing on consecutive nights can be tough on teams in general, but the biggest impact is on goaltending. It is quite rare for the same goalie to play both games of a back-to-back scenario, so it is important for a team to have a strong goalie tandem should they have a lot of back-to-back games.
In Seattle’s case, they have 15 back-to-back game scenarios. It is a good thing the Kraken have one of the best goalie tandems in the league in Philipp Grubauer and Chris Driedger. Additionally the third goalie, Joey Daccord, has proven he can play in the NHL should there be a an injury to Grubauer or Driedger.
Bonus content
Because I had access to the data, I thought I would share this distribution of road trips and home games throughout the season.
Down the stretch, the road trips and homestands are shorter than those of the first half of the season. This should have a positive impact on the team’s performance on the ice as they hopefully make a push for the playoffs.
Success in the regular season has a lot of variables and constraints beyond the challenges of the schedule, but we will continue to monitor the team performance based on some of these scenarios.
Hope you enjoyed this different perspective of the 2021-22 Seattle Kraken schedule.
When you think of Green Bay you don’t immediately think of hockey. Rather, images of the Packers, football, and the frozen tundra come to mind. But it’s in Green Bay that Seattle Kraken forward Mason Appleton found hockey.
“I hear Green Bay, I think football too,” Appleton said of his hometown.
Appleton’s father played the game, which exposed him and hooked him to hockey at three years old. While not the most popular sport in Green Bay, Appleton was able to find fellow players growing up and backyard rinks to hone skills on.
Those skills have brought him to Seattle after the Kraken selected Appleton from the Winnipeg Jets at the NHL Expansion Draft.
The forward, who’s played both center and on the wing, has spent three seasons in the NHL and at age 25 is coming off of his best year to date. That made his exposure by Winnipeg somewhat of an eyebrow raiser.
“It was kind of a ‘it is what it is’ type of feeling,” Appleton said. “The Jets had to make their decisions and from there I couldn’t control anything. The cards fell where they fell so I’m super excited to be heading to Seattle.”
Being exposed is a reminder that hockey is a business.
Teams make decisions based on what they feel will maximize their potential to win and sometimes those choices are hard. While Appleton understands it’s a business, he looks at it as something that can motivate him to have a big year with the Kraken.
“You’re not a competitor if you don’t take it personal a little bit.” Appleton said. “I shrug it off and say it is what it is more times than not, but deep down it definitely puts a chip on your shoulder, and you do take it a little personal. That’s how I’ve always been and that’s how I always respond to situations like that.”
Mason Appleton’s journey to the NHL
Always with a goal of playing college hockey in the United States, Appleton signed with the Tri-City Storm of the USHL to play junior. After a successful season in 2014-2015 where he recorded 40 points in 54 games the Jets selected him in the sixth round of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.
He then moved on to play at Michigan State for two seasons. His second season was his best, scoring 12 goals and 31 points over the course of 35 games. That would result in signing a contract with the Jets and spending two seasons in the AHL with the Manitoba Moose.
Appleton turned in a productive rookie year for Manitoba in 2017-2018 with 66 points in 76 games. He started off the following year strong and would eventually be called up to the Jets midway through the season. Getting into the NHL is not always a sure thing for any draft pick, much less a sixth-round pick.
Being drafted that low was another chip, another motivation for Appleton.
“Definitely a chip on your shoulder, it’s kind of how I’ve been my whole career,” he said. “I’ve been passed over different times at different levels and things like that. I learned to have that motivate me and have that drive me. Being a sixth rounder, you look at the guys ahead of you, look at guys in the league and where they were picked.
“Not many sixth rounders end up establishing themselves in the NHL so I just kind of take it a day at a time, just be the best I can be, get better and not compare myself to everyone else, but just be the best version of myself.”
Appleton has established himself in the NHL and is coming off a year where he reached career highs in goals with 12, assists with 13, and points with 25.
In fact, over his career he has improved every season at every level. He says that’s thanks to a drive and desire to work over the offseason. While some have referred to last year as a ‘breakout’ season, Appleton feels he has more potential.
“Last year was a good year,” Appleton said. “I definitely carved out a bit more of a role and found myself getting more opportunity. And going forward, obviously going to try to continue to improve and I’m still young, only 25 years old, so I think there’s still a lot more.”
How will Appleton fit in with the Kraken?
The increased role in Winnipeg earned him just over 14 minutes per game. He spent very little time – less than a minute per game – on the power play despite possessing a good shot.
Appleton shot 13 percent last year, which was his career high but still pretty much in line with his NHL career mark of 11.9. That career mark is the exact same percentage that he achieved in the AHL, showing him to be a consistent shooter.
He’ll have a chance at earning more ice time with the Kraken as coach Dave Hakstol tries to figure out who his top nine forwards will be. If Appleton can push closer to the 20-minute mark each game, he may be able to improve on his numbers from Winnipeg.
Seattle has some questions when it comes to who will play center for the Kraken, and Appleton has played in the middle and at right wing. Will he be in the mix for a center role?
“I probably prefer the wing,” he said. “I think I’m just a little bit more comfortable there, a little bit stronger there, but it’s one of those things. It’s pretty cliché, but wherever you’re needed that’s where you’re gonna play. However that shakes out I’m super happy to play either.”
The Kraken forwards on the roster all are similar in that they play a strong two-way game.
There isn’t a guy who would be classified as a pure scorer. That should allow them to play a strong, hard game, with what the team hopes will be enough scoring. Appleton fits right in.
Along with a good shot, Appleton can skate and has top-end speed to burn. He is listed at six-foot-two and 193 pounds and has put up offensive numbers over his hockey life, but he doesn’t want to pigeonhole himself as an offensive player.
“Depends on the team and on the level,” he said about his game. “In the minors I was definitely more of an offensive player, but in the NHL I kind of pride myself in that two-way role. I’ve been relied upon at both ends of the ice. Wherever I’m needed to fill in that void, whatever is asked to me, that’s the role I’m going to play.”
Looking ahead to the Kraken
Appleton says he’s ready for the experience in Seattle. He has never been to the city but has found a place to live and is planning on making the move early in September. He has not played with any of the current Kraken but wants to get in town early enough to get to know his new teammates away from the rink.
He says it’s important to form relationships off the ice to create chemistry on it. “I think that definitely feeds into it but I think it will come quicker than we think. You’re in the NHL so it’s all talented guys and guys can read and learn off each other so I think that should come together.”
In July, Appleton found out Seattle had selected him when Winnipeg Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff called to inform him. After a quick call from Seattle’s Ron Francis and Hakstol in the afternoon, he turned on the television with his parents to watch the broadcast of the Expansion Draft.
The scene at Gas Works Park was impressive.
“It’s going to be an unbelievable spot to play, and you could just tell how passionate the fans are in the community already,” he said. “I’m super excited because you’ve seen the way they rally around sports teams, it’s non-stop, it’s top of the line so yeah, very excited to get out there.”
After a year of having their play watched, scrutinized, and nit-picked, seven prospects heard the Seattle Kraken call their names during July’s NHL Draft. It’s a dream come true for any young hockey player, and while a big sigh of relief was in order, the scrutiny is far from over.
Those seven players are in for more viewings by Seattle scouts and Kraken player development personnel this year and beyond, as the club decides if they want to sign the new prospects. So, the scouting continues.
According to Kraken director of amateur scouting Robert Kron, his scouts, along with Troy Bodie, director of hockey and business, Palm Springs, will be checking in on the Seattle prospects to see how development is progressing.
“We’re gonna be watching them for sure,” Kron says.
Kron adds that the viewing is under way as fifth-round pick Ville Ottavainen has been on the ice. The defenseman is playing this coming season for JyP in the Finnish Liiga which is in its preseason. Ottavainen has played, and the Kraken were there to watch.
The Kraken drafted these players so what are they looking for this year?
“You know, you kind of have a general idea of their strengths and weaknesses so that’s what you communicate to them,” Kron says. “As soon as you draft them, you’re allowed to talk to them. You kind of do the math, this is what you’re doing well, this is a worry and what you’re wanting them to improve. It’s constant communication throughout the year, it starts from day one, even if we’re not signing them right away.”
They’ll meet with the players and their coaches to check in. They don’t, however, tell the player’s current team how he should be deployed. NHL teams are hands off when it comes to playing time and roles, but Kron says that some teams, especially in the CHL, will let them work with players on the ice if they wish.
“The CHL teams are very welcoming about that. It’s sort of hard in Europe,” Kron says. “I think it’s important to keep in touch with the guys every time you’re in the rink and one of your guys is playing. Just after the game to say, ‘Hey, we’re here.’ The conversation goes a long way for them and for us.”
Some of the prospects will be in training camp with the Kraken. Kron says that the European prospects won’t be there, but a couple of the other players should be in attendance. After training camp they’ll be returned to their amateur teams for the season.
With the prospects not in Seattle it makes continuing to track their progress a vital task.
Where will the Seattle Kraken prospects play this season?
Matty Beniers
Beniers was Seattle’s first-round pick, taken at No. 2 overall, and it was announced last week that he would return to the University of Michigan for his sophomore season.
This wasn’t a shock and is no reason for alarm.
While the six-foot-two center appears to have skill enough to play in the NHL, returning to college after a COVID-affected season may be the appropriate avenue. Beniers will again be able to play in the World Junior Championship for the United States and will join a Michigan roster that features four of July’s top-five picks in the NHL Draft.
He joins first overall pick Owen Power (Buffalo), fourth overall pick Luke Hughes (New Jersey), and fifth pick Kent Johnson (Columbus) to an already talented Michigan roster. The Wolverines should be in the mix come the NCAA Tournament, and playing high stakes hockey never hurts an NHL prospect.
Michigan hockey can be found on the Big 10 Network with some regularity this season.
Ryker Evans
Seattle raised some eyebrows when it picked Evans early in the second round with pick No. 35. The Regina Pats defenseman will play in the WHL this season after leading the league’s blueliners last year with 25 assists.
Evans will be an over-ager in Regina – WHL rules allow for three 20-year-olds on the roster – and will play with budding superstar Connor Bedard again this season.
Bedard was the first player ever given an exception to play in the WHL at 15. He burst on the scene in 2021 and led the league in scoring prior to leaving to play for Canada at the U18 World Championship. Playing with a superstar helped Evans when it came to his numbers. In 15 games, nine of Evans’ assists involved plays that Bedard also figured in the scouting.
NHL scouts look beyond the numbers, though, and Kron says that Evans’ stock grew from watching him play with a superstar.
“It’s not always easy to play with the superstar players,” Kron adds. “You need to be on a level of seeing the things that they do too. These players, even at a young age, they see the game a little bit differently. Let’s say for example Ryker reads off Bedard and they have a chemistry. That tells you something, you know, this kid can play with high-end talent and he is himself actually very skilled and very advanced.”
Evans’ skill was proven when he continued his scoring, adding 16 assists over the final nine games of the season, after Bedard left.
To watch Evans and the Pats this season you can stream games on CHLtv.
Ryan Winterton
In the third round the Kraken took Hamilton Bulldogs center Ryan Winterton. His only action last year came in seven games at the U18 World Championship after the OHL canceled its season. Despite the small sample size last season, Kron says that they got a good look at him at the U18’s and are comfortable scheduling the normal amount of post-draft viewings this season.
Winterton was known to the Kraken scouts because they were able to see him during his rookie year in Hamilton, where he scored 23 points in 53 games as a 16-year-old.
He’ll be back with the Bulldogs this season.
“We talked to Hamilton, and we know that he’s gonna play big minutes, so we’re not worried about that,” Kron says. “He needs to improve a lot of things, as they all do. They’re young kids and there’s a lot of work to be done. But with him, like he’s six-foot-two, 180 pounds, kind of a wiry kid so he’ll have to put a little bit of meat on the bone.”
Like Evans, Winterton’s Hamilton Bulldogs games are streamed on CHLtv.
Hamilton Bulldogs center Ryan Winterton was the Seattle Kraken third round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft (Photo courtesy Hamilton Bulldogs)
Ville Ottavainen
Ottavainen was pick No. 67 for the Kraken, selected in the fourth round. He’ll stay in Finland this coming season and play in Liiga. The big, six-foot-five defenseman played for JyP last year and recorded three points in 22 games.
Jacob Melanson
Pick 131 brought the Kraken Melanson from Acadie-Bathurst of the QMJHL in the fifth round. Melanson will return to the Titan after a productive 19 points in 18 games last year. You can catch his games on CHLtv as well.
Semyon Vyazovoy
Seattle went with the Russian goalie in the sixth round of the draft, and he is expected to return to the junior MHL this coming season. Kron says that Vyazovoy has an outside chance of cracking the KHL as a third goalie but Seattle wants him to get playing time, which might be more plentiful in the MHL.
Justin Janicke
Janicke was nabbed by the Kraken in the seventh round after he played last season in the USHL for the United States National Team Development Program. He’s committed to play NCAA hockey with Notre Dame and will take the ice as a freshman this fall.
Title photo courtesy of Regina Pats/Keith Hirshmiller Photography
We are about a month away from the Seattle Kraken opening their first training camp in club history. As the action plays out at the Kraken Community Iceplex, general manager Ron Francis and coach Dave Hakstol will be tasked with determining which four guys will open the season as the club’s top centers.
Finding a top center is paramount to having a successful team. That’s not a matter of opinion, it’s been studied, and center is the most important position to have if you want to win in the NHL.
The Kraken don’t currently have an elite center on the roster – although 2021 top draft pick Matty Beniers could some day be that guy – but have a couple guys who should be productive pivots. The forward group overall is solid and a tough-to-play-against group.
All but one of the players up front have played both at center in the past and on the wings. Having versatility is great, but at the end of the day, Hakstol will need some full-time centers for the Kraken.
He has candidates, and how they perform in training camp and in the team’s six preseason games will go a long way in figuring out who will be in the middle when the season opens on Oct. 12 in Vegas.
Here is a look at the candidates to find a role at center for Seattle:
Gourde is the best center on the Kraken roster. He has the numbers – was on pace to score 25 goals over an 82-game season last year – and he’s got the analytics. Oh, and he’s won two Stanley Cups with the Tampa Bay Lightning. So, we can write him in as the top center, right? Well, not to start the season, as Gourde will miss a couple months due to offseason shoulder surgery. Then we have to see how long it takes for him to get up to speed, but the prevailing thought is that before the year is over, he’s Seattle’s top center.
The former Columbus Blue Jacket and Florida Panther will most likely step up for Gourde when the season starts in October. Wennberg jumped up to play a lot of minutes on Florida’s second line last season and had a career year in shooting percentage and goals scored – he potted 17. Don’t expect him to match the 20 percent he shot last season, but he does a lot of things correctly. He is a strong passer and plays a responsible defensive game and can complement good wingers, as he did last season playing a ton of minutes with Jonathan Huberdeau and Patric Hornqvist.
In the mix at center for the Kraken
Jared McCann
Listed as able to play center and on the wing, McCann has a chance to be Seattle’s third center. He’s been a consistent double-digit goal scorer over the past three seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins. His 32 points in 2020-21 were three off his career best and that was in 43 games. If you’re interested in the underlying stats, then McCann is your guy as all of his possession numbers were outstanding last year. He also was a big power play contributor for the Penguins, chipping in with 17 points with the man advantage.
Colin Blackwell
Coming off his best season in the NHL, the 28-year-old could be the benefactor of an elevated role in Seattle. He was with the New York Rangers last season and played in a career high 47 games and hit personal best marks in goals (12) and assists (10). His underlying numbers weren’t great – his expected goals number was 46 percent – and that will have to improve if he wants to hold on to a third center role.
Morgan Geekie
The former Tri-City Americans star could be due for a breakout year with the Kraken if he can get more playing time. With the talented Carolina Hurricanes, Geekie was limited to under 10 minutes per game, relegated mostly to the fourth line. But he scored in the WHL, and he scored in two AHL seasons with the Charlotte Checkers. He’s got a great shot and quality possession numbers as well. He’ll get a chance in training camp and the preseason to show that he can handle more minutes, and that could pay off big for both Geekie and the Kraken.
Morgan Geekie has scored everywhere he’s played (Checkers photo)
The remaining candidates for a center position
Marcus Johansson – If Hakstol wants to add some veteran experience to the lineup he can play Johansson at center – and both wings where he has played in the past. Johansson has speed to kill, but his last season in Minnesota was lackluster and he was a bit of a defensive liability.
Mason Appleton – The 25-year-old Appleton had a breakout with Winnipeg last season by scoring 12 goals and 25 points. He split time at center and wing, with more time on the wing. He’ll be a guy to watch during the preseason to see how Hakstol deploys him and how well he performs in the middle.
Alexander True – The former Seattle Thunderbirds center has yet to crack the NHL full time and will need a productive camp to start in Seattle this fall. He’s got size, standing at 6-foot-5, and is a solid center who plays defense, can score a little, and be a strong penalty killer.
Seattle Kraken first-round pick Matty Beniers has a big decision to make over the next month, and it’s one that has no wrong answer. Does he return to the University of Michigan for his sophomore season or sign on with the Kraken to play in the NHL this year?
It’s a good spot to be in. Imagine trying to decide if you should go back to school for another year knowing you have the dream job of all dream jobs waiting for you afterwards.
Not too shabby.
The Kraken selected Beniers, 18, with the second overall pick in July’s NHL Entry Draft, and history shows that he should matriculate to the NHL this coming fall. In most seasons, the second pick in the draft plays in the NHL right away, but it’s not a sure thing.
Last year, Quinton Byfield was selected second overall by the Los Angeles Kings but only got a brief sniff of the NHL. He was allowed to play in the AHL, for the Ontario Reign, due to an exception that allowed Ontario Hockey League players who had signed NHL entry-level contracts to stay in the AHL since the OHL canceled its season. Byfield played 32 AHL games and just nine in the NHL.
In 2014, the Buffalo Sabres took Sam Reinhart second overall. After his nine-game tryout at the start of the season, he was sent back to the WHL’s Kootenay ICE for the remainder of the year.
So, it’s not unprecedented for the second overall pick to not play full time in the NHL the following season.
Beniers, in a moment of maturity, said after the draft that he wasn’t sure what the best path forward was for him. It’s something he planned on talking to the team and his family about.
The Kraken will have to decide quickly if they think the NHL is his best road to development. Beniers cannot participate in the main Seattle training camp in September without signing his contract, thus losing his NCAA eligibility. So the Kraken won’t get the benefit of seeing him train with their NHL roster prior to making a decision.
Nonetheless, that decision will be needed quickly as Michigan hockey players report to school on Aug. 23 and begin practice on Aug. 30.
Is Matty Beniers’ game ready for the Kraken and the NHL?
Despite what the team or player wants, the biggest factor is whether Beniers is ready for the big leagues. He’s still young – he’ll turn 19 in November – but the NHL is a younger league than in the past, and there are plenty of players who have started at the same age.
“Every kid’s different,” Seattle general manager Ron Francis said. “I think the key is when you go and see him play, you want to do what’s right for the kid and make sure that you’re not rushing. Because the NHL is a heck of a league where the big guys are strong guys and fast guys and you want to make sure that when you bring them in, you’re giving them the opportunity to be successful. We try and analyze that.”
At Michigan, as a freshman playing against older players, he was a point-per-game player and made Team USA for January’s World Junior Championships in Edmonton. Beiners was one of the youngest players in that tournament, and while he scored just one goal and two assists in seven games, he was noticeable for the Americans. He played a tough defensive game, was on the penalty kill, and drove possession for the gold medal winners.
After his season in Michigan ended, he once again played for the U.S., this time at the IIHF World Championships. Playing against NHL and pro players, Beniers held his own once again as the U.S. won bronze.
“Matty adjusted so well and if you didn’t know that he’s such a young player you would think that he’s one of the older guys and a veteran.” Kraken director of amateur scouting Robert Kron said after the Draft. “That speaks very highly about his ability to read the game and play at a very high level and not many kids that age get to play in the tournament.”
Based on his on-ice performance, he looks ready to take the next step.
That doesn’t mean there still isn’t work to do or refinement of his game and skill set. He’s not resting on his amateur resume to guarantee anything at the next level.
“I think for me it’s continuing to get bigger and stronger,” he said. “I think that’s something I focused on a lot this year at Michigan. I’m trying to score goals, producing more offensively, and playing my two-way game so not totally sure how far out I am but I think I think I’m pretty close. I’m working hard and I’ll be there soon enough.”
The case for staying at Michigan for Beniers
Sure, another year of development in college wouldn’t hurt, but there might be a more attractive and more fun reason for Beniers to return to the Wolverines this season.
“I want to make a run at the National Championship,” he said.
Michigan lost a chance to make such a run last year as a Covid outbreak resulted in the Wolverines being disqualified from the tournament. It might seem overconfident to assume that Michigan could make a run, but when four of the top five picks from the NHL Draft could all be back in Ann Arbor this season, it’s more of a reality.
If Beniers were to return, he could be joining defenseman Owen Power – taken first overall at the draft by Buffalo – along with Kent Johnson (taken fifth by Columbus) and incoming freshman Luke Hughes (taken fourth overall by New Jersey). That’s an impressive core.
Power has hinted that he’s leaning toward returning to Michigan for one more year which could influence the rest of the drafted Wolverines.
Love this shift from Beniers. Above supporting opponents on the rush to recover the puck and initiate a breakout. Attacks on an angle through transition, using width of ice and lateral crosses to gain speed which backs defenders off. Offers the safety valve pass option to Power pic.twitter.com/UnV5mKGkZk
Along with a lot of winning, the other draw of returning would be to have a normal college experience. Beniers and his fellow Wolverines took classes online last year and played games in front of an empty Yost Arena – normally one of the loudest in the NCAA.
The case for signing with the Kraken now
If Beniers is ready for the NHL game, then signing and playing right away would be beneficial.
Seattle can use help up the middle, and Beniers is a player whose ceiling is that of an elite center – the most important position on a hockey team. Obviously, at his age he’s not that player yet, but his two-way game means that he could play and be productive right away as a third- or fourth-line center. He plays at both ends of the ice already and could contribute solid minutes from the start.
There would be no pressure on Beniers to carry the club right off the bat. However, playing this year would get his feet wet in the NHL until his offensive game develops to where Seattle believes it can be.
Signing now would also kick his entry level contract into gear meaning he would be up for a raise in three seasons, something that could end up paying off for him financially. For the Kraken, having the franchise’s first NHL Draft pick on the club for day one, year one, would help cash in on the excitement for the neophyte team.
Will he or won’t he?
The drama, such as it is, will be over quickly with Beniers.
With Michigan hockey starting late in August, we should hear which direction Beniers plans on going soon. What most likely will happen is that he returns to Michigan but signs with the Kraken at the end of the season.
This is something that the NHL has seen before, and recently.
The Vancouver Canucks went with a Michigan guy, defenseman Quinn Hughes, with the sixth pick of the 2018 NHL Draft. Hughes decided to forego signing and returned to Michigan for his sophomore year in 2018-19. When his college season was over, he signed with the Canucks and finished the year in the NHL.
Don’t be surprised if that’s the route Beniers chooses and the Kraken first see him at the end of the season.
Growing up as a kid in Denmark, Kraken center Alexander True hadn’t thought much about the city of Seattle. That changed in 2014 when the Seattle Thunderbirds selected the 6-foot-5 center in the Canadian Hockey League’s import draft when he was 17. Now, seven years later, True’s a Kraken and his name is further etched into the history of Seattle hockey.
Seattle’s NHL club selected True in July’s NHL Expansion Draft from the San Jose Sharks, which puts him in the history books as an original Kraken and part of the franchise’s first roster. But before that, in May of 2017, he scored perhaps the biggest goal in modern Seattle hockey history with an overtime marker against the Regina Pats in Game 6 of the Western Hockey League’s Championship Series to give the Seattle Thunderbirds their first ever league title.
For a guy who grew up thinking he might have a shot at maybe playing pro hockey in Europe, Seattle has become a special place for the 24-year-old as he looks to be a full-time NHL player.
“That’s why life is so funny because you never know what’s gonna happen. It’s crazy,” True says.
One Year Ago. May 14, 2017.@ThomBeuning with the call of Alexander True's overtime game-winning goal in Game 6 vs. Regina.
— Seattle Thunderbirds (@SeattleTbirds) May 14, 2018
When the NHL teams released their protected lists True wasn’t surprised he was left unprotected by the Sharks after he spent the bulk of the previous four seasons in the AHL. He was visiting family when both his agent and San Jose Sharks general manager Doug Wilson called him to tell him the Kraken had selected him.
The emotions were mixed and True says he was happy in San Jose. But the idea of returning to Seattle had him happy as well.
“The first time we knew Seattle was going to get an NHL team one of my first thoughts was, it would be cool to come back and play in Seattle,” True says. “So, it was kind of a little bit of a cool dream to be back there one day.”
Alexander True’s journey to the Seattle Kraken
True’s first year in Seattle was the 2014-15 season with the Thunderbirds, but an injury cost him a big chunk of the year. The next two years he became an integral part of the Thunderbirds lineup and the team made two consecutive trips to the WHL Championship Series.
With a loaded team, True was relegated to playing the third center role – Seattle’s top center was New York Islanders star Mathew Barzal – but he still produced. He scored 39 goals over his last two seasons with the Thunderbirds, but it was in the playoffs that he had the most impact. In 2015-16 he scored six goals and 10 points in the postseason as Seattle fell to the Brandon Wheat Kings in the Championship.
The next year, True was even better. He stepped up into the top center spot while Barzal was out with an illness during the first round, and ended up with 12 goals and 22 points in 20 games.
While with the Thunderbirds, True was coached by 13-year NHL player Steve Konowalchuk.
“He didn’t get enough credit for what he did,” Konowalchuk says of True. “He kind of slid under the radar, but he was every bit as important to what we did. He was unbelievable as a net-front presence on that first power play unit and was so dangerous. The other strength he really had, as a center, he was so good at carrying the puck out of his own end and into the neutral zone… that’s something that is so important at the next level.”
After his first year in pro hockey, the Sharks would sign an NHL contract with True, and he would make his NHL debut in 2020. He’s only played in 19 NHL games to date, both over the past two seasons, but he has been a productive player in the AHL, chipping in offensively, killing penalties, and playing a strong two-way game.
Konowalchuk not only coached him, but as a pro scout with the New York Rangers the past two seasons got a look at True both in the AHL and in the NHL.
“He can definitely play in the NHL,” Konowalchuk says. “There’s no question that he went out and proved he could be a fourth line, penalty killer. The challenge for him to be a mainstay is what is he going to bring to the table? I think the way you do it is to be a responsible defensive center that can kill penalties and he can definitely kill penalties. So, he has to carve out a role by blocking shots, and doing those kind of things.”
What’s next for True and the Kraken?
True says he has heard from former Thunderbirds teammates Ethan Bear of the Carolina Hurricanes, and Keegan Kolesar of the Vegas Golden Knights as well as his Seattle billets to share in the excitement of being back in Seattle.
The attention now turns to the Kraken and what role he can play.
He’s a player who’s been on the cusp of staying in the NHL and will have a shot with the Kraken. Seattle is thin at center and with Yanni Gourde missing the first part of the season, True will have a chance to impress during training camp.
He’s got the size, is a strong defensive center who plays hard, and has some offensive flash. There’s a good chance that he’ll again split time between the AHL in Charlotte and the NHL, but don’t be surprised if he starts the season with the Kraken.
True’s had a taste of the NHL game and the speed and skill that’s needed. He’s well aware of what he needs to do in order to stick.
“It’s a good league and you have to play really well to stand out,” True says. “Especially when you’re playing against the best players in the world, so I need to play my ‘A’ game. Every single night, every shift I get and don’t take any nights off.”
He says that the only Kraken player he knows is Joonas Donskoi from their brief time in San Jose together. He’s taken part in a Zoom meeting to get to know the rest of the team, however, and is excited to meet his new teammates in person.
True will be playing some hockey before he returns to Seattle. He’ll be in Oslo, Norway, August 26-29 playing for Denmark’s national team – something he’s done in the World Junior Championships and this year’s World Championships – as they attempt to qualify for the 2022 Olympics.
He hopes to be in Seattle the first week of September to take his shot and try to break camp with the NHL team.
True has seen the Kraken preseason schedule and knows the team will be playing games in the WHL’s U.S. Division buildings that he’s familiar with. That includes a game on Oct. 2 against the Calgary Flames at the accesso ShoWare Center where he played as a Thunderbird.
He hasn’t been back to Seattle since his time with the Thunderbirds and hasn’t yet laid eyes on the championship banner that he helped win hanging from the rafters.
“I would like it a lot to play in that game,” True says.
Playing in that game would be a perfect way to connect what True has done for the Seattle Thunderbirds in junior to the present and future with the Seattle Kraken.
