SEATTLE – After being selected by the Seattle Kraken in the Expansion Draft, forward Kole Lind began preparing for the season as he usually would. Little did he know that he would soon go viral. Lind, 22, had posted a video of him working out by jumping onto a giant tire and people took notice.
Box jumps, or in this case tire jumps, are commonplace among athletes, but Lind added a flair to his. He did it wearing skates.
“It’s something that my trainer came up with this summer,” Lind said after Thursday’s practice at the Kraken Community Iceplex. “I decided to just get freaky with it, I guess. We were doing box jumps and stuff like that. We usually do tire jumps in our shoes, so I just wanted to try it and I landed it, so I was pretty happy.”
The video made the rounds on the internet and spread outside the hockey world.
Reactions to it were a mix of awe and some questioning how safe that workout was. Self-proclaimed internet experts were sure it would result in injury.
“It was a lot of mixed emotions from what I heard,” Lind said. “But I did it like five times. I landed every single time. So, you know, 100% ratio of getting it done so the safety’s there.”
On the ice, Lind is in camp with the Kraken trying to earn a spot on Seattle’s roster.
Kole Lind had a frustrating season last year
He’s coming off a frustrating season with Vancouver. He began the year in the AHL with the Utica Comments and got off to a blistering start, scoring five goals and eight points over his first eight games of the season.
Then he suffered what he described as a “freak” injury.
“I got a high stick and broke my nose in a place where I wasn’t able to play,” Lind said. “Vancouver called me up and I did my recovery through there and as soon as I was skating for maybe three or four days, we got shut down again for the big COVID outbreak. It’s really tough to stay in a rhythm through all that.”
Lind was in the NHL, on the taxi squad, but wasn’t playing.
Skating with the team is one thing but not being able to play hurts. The games are where young players like Lind benefit the most.
“You cannot replicate it at all,” Lind added. “I think you ask anyone in professional hockey, there’s nothing replicated, even in summer training. You try to do whatever you can, but there’s nothing like playing an actual hockey game for sure.”
Lind played seven games with the Canucks down the stretch and ended the season with a total of 15 games between the AHL and the NHL.
All year long he was talked about as a player that for sure would be protected by the Canucks. He was one of Vancouver’s top prospects, he’s young, and he has talent. That all changed the day before NHL teams had to submit their protected lists. Vancouver made a few moves, most notably acquiring a forward in Jason Dickinson from Dallas, and suddenly Lind was on the block.
Once exposed, the Kraken jumped and selected Lind, something that he says is an “honor”.
“It was bittersweet because at the same time (Vancouver) brings you up and you’ve been with them the whole time,” Lind said. “There’s a lot of connections that way but it is nice to get the newest of starts you can get. It’s so fresh here, you know, new team, new organization. Everything about it is awesome.”
Lind looking to stick with Kraken
Lind is still young, and his best hockey may still be in front of him.
He’s in a fight to crack a Seattle roster that is deep with forwards, many of which have more NHL experience under their belts. Like all players, making the NHL roster is goal number one but at the end of the day, Lind wants to play a full season.
“Obviously I want to be here, but you know there’s a lot of different things that go into it,” Lind adds. “I’m just gonna do whatever I can, day to day to stay positive and try to do whatever I can to be an NHLer every day in my future.”
When he does play for the Kraken in Seattle, Lind knows what to expect from the locals.
Prior to being drafted by the Canucks in the second round of the 2017 NHL Draft he played in the Western Hockey League for the Kelowna Rockets. During his tenure with the Rockets, he played big playoff games in Seattle against the Thunderbirds.
He’s heard the roar and will be working to hear it again, this time in the NHL.
“I’ve had a couple tough encounters with the crowds out here in Seattle, that’s for sure. So maybe I’ll be on the other side.”
SEATTLE – For the first time ever, the Seattle Kraken skated on the ice together as the team opened its inaugural training camp Thursday.
It was just day one, but the event brought out a throng of eager fans dressed in all the latest Kraken gear and jerseys. The media was in force with cameras and recorders three or four rows deep during post-session scrums.
Day one is not about icing a finely tuned group of players. It’s about building. “You can’t do everything all in one day,” Kraken head coach Dave Hakstol said.
That’s true, you cannot, but Hakstol started to build during this first day. The team was split into two groups, white and blue – although both groups had players wearing dark blue, sky blue, and white practice jerseys – for separate practice sessions that consisted of a lot of uptempo drills.
These weren’t drills for the sake of drills, however. They were the building blocks to what Hakstol wants to ultimately turn into his systems.
“Day one is (about) balance,” Hakstol said. “We have to take advantage every day and get as much detail as we can. We have to build systems from the ground up, but really on day one, as big a piece, or maybe every piece is just getting out and making sure that we’re at the right competitive level, playing with pace and pushing one another.”
Hakstol added that Thursday’s drills were to add to systems for both the defensive and offensive zones.
With a new team how long will it take for those systems to be built in?
It shouldn’t take long. While Hakstol certainly has a way he’d like to play in every situation on the ice, it won’t be completely foreign to the players. It will come quick.
“I think at the end of the day it’s about how we want to play,” defenseman Mark Giordano said. “The other stuff, we’ll learn quickly. Most forechecks and pace of play and all that stuff for me is similar, but there’s little tweaks in each team’s system so we’ll learn those quickly.”
Pace was not an issue Thursday. The practices were fast and intense.
Here are some of the highlights from day one of Kraken training camp:
Yanni Gourde skates while Colin Blackwell does not
Gourde, wearing a red no-contact jersey, was on the ice for the second session of the day. He is recovering from offseason shoulder surgery that looked like it would keep him out into December.
While he skipped some drills, he flew around the ice when he was allowed to. Clearly, there was no lower body injury here.
“I consider him to be ahead of schedule,” Kraken general manager Ron Francis said at the end of the day.
Getting Gourde back early would be a coup for the Kraken as he figures to be a fixture in the team’s top six and most likely would slide into the team’s number one center position.
Blackwell, whom the Kraken selected from the New York Rangers at the Expansion Draft, did not skate on Thursday due to what Hakstol said was a lower-body injury. Hakstol added that Blackwell is considered day-to-day.
Lines? Do we have lines?
Hakstol did keep certain lines together during practice, but it’s way too early to start writing out the lineup for Game 1 on Oct. 12 in Vegas. Sill, although Thursday’s lines may not mean much, who is playing where will start to show some significance soon.
“We’ve only got a certain amount of time so what we would like to do is put some combinations together.” Hakstol said. “See what that chemistry looks like in order to see that you have to give it two or three days to build together, possibly even leave it together through one exhibition game. Then we have the opportunity to look at a different combination. We just want to make sure that everything we’re doing has some sense of reason to it.”
The chemistry is getting there
There have been many questions about how the Kraken would come together. How would a bunch of random players who have not played together before be able to push in the same direction to make the Kraken move?
Turns out, it isn’t that hard.
“All the guys were here earlier than I’ve seen groups and other teams come in,” Jordan Eberle said. “We’re all here for two weeks in advance of camp so I think that was just everyone wanting to get here, get settled. Being new and getting a chance to meet the guys, joke around in the locker room and start some camaraderie within the group to me was good.”
Kraken winger Jordan Eberle likes the chemistry the new team has built (Brian Liesse photo)
While Thursday was the first official practice with coaches on the ice, the team had skated prior.
Daily, the Kraken Community Iceplex saw Kraken players skating. As more players trickled into town the informal skates – known as Captain’s Skates – gave the roster a chance to not only learn each other on the ice but bond off of it.
The skates helped set up a productive first day of camp.
“Those (skates) are great for timing,” goalie Chris Driedger said. “Everyone out there is at the NHL level. When you’re skating in the summer during your goalie oriented skates it’s more technique, footwork stuff. You don’t really get the timing of reading the releases and stuff like that. Those skates are huge and it’s just nice to get in a little bit early and kind of get settled in the city.”
Fashion or function for Brandon Tanev?
Already famous for his wide-eyed team photo, Kraken forward Brandon Tanev sported an interesting look at training camp Thursday.
Skating in the afternoon group, Tanev either took extra care to tape his shinpads or was looking for some unique hockey fashion.
Brandon Tanev may have the most secure shinpads in the NHL. Those aren’t going anywhere. pic.twitter.com/NHNvqjL5Qg
It’s here! It’s here! It’s finally here [insert “Michael Scott ‘It’s happening!’” gif]! The first-ever Seattle Kraken training camp is upon us. Thursday morning, Seattle’s players take the ice at the Kraken Community Iceplex to practice in a split-squad format with their coaches present and calling the shots for the first time.
There will be a lot of excitement over the next few weeks as we build closer and closer to opening night in Vegas on Oct. 12. But before that day comes, a lot of questions need to be answered for Seattle.
The most common debates during just about every NHL training camp ever have revolved around which bubble players will break camp with their respective big-league teams and which players will instead be put on waivers and/or assigned to the AHL.
Being that we’ve never seen this group play together, there may be more question marks around this particular roster than we will ever see again. And with 44 total players in camp, there are a lot of decisions that will need to be made by head coach Dave Hakstol and his staff to get the group down to 23 in the next three weeks.
Trying to keep track of all the players and their performances could make your head spin, so we’re going to whittle this down to help you focus on a few key battles in the first Seattle Kraken training camp.
The locks
Here are the players that we are certain have a spot on the team. Some combination of Jaden Schwartz, Alex Wennberg, Jordan Eberle, Jared McCann, Yanni Gourde, and probably Calle Jarnkrok will make up the scoring lines, though Gourde will miss time as he continues to recover from shoulder surgery.
Beyond those six, there are Brandon Tanev, Joonas Donskoi, Marcus Johansson, and Mason Appleton who clearly will play significant roles, though probably not in the top six.
On the blue line, the obvious top pairings will be made up of Mark Giordano, Adam Larsson, Vince Dunn, and Jamie Oleksiak.
Jamie Oleksiak is a lock for a spot on one of Seattle’s top defense pairings (Photo Brian Liesse)
The probables
We’re calling this group “the probables,” because they’re all bona fide NHL players, so we fully expect them to end up with spots on the roster. The thing about this group is that it isn’t totally clear who from this lot will dress each night and who will watch from the press box.
Forwards
Colin Blackwell — 28 years old — Salary $725K in NHL or AHL. Blackwell emerged as a mainstay in the New York Rangers lineup last season, playing 47 of 56 games, registering 22 points and as many as 19 minutes of ice time on a given night.
Ryan Donato— 25 years old — $750K in NHL or AHL. We argued internally about which category Donato should be in here. We’re leaving him as a probable, though a case could be made that both he and Riley Sheahan are battling for a roster spot. Donato has played 50, 62, and 56 games respectively the last three seasons. His minutes have tended to dwindle as those seasons have worn on, and he’s now on his fourth NHL team, but he is clearly an NHL player at this point. With a good opportunity skating alongside good players, he should produce offensively.
Riley Sheahan — 29 years old — $850K in NHL or AHL. Sheahan is a classic depth veteran forward and has not been to the AHL since 2013-14. He will grind it out and provide energy and can likely take nights off on occasion without issue.
Donato and Sheahan are in similar boats here, so one could imagine a world in which they are battling one another for a spot in the lineup. Still, we believe they will both be on the roster when camp ends.
Defense
Carson Soucy — 27 years old — $2.75 million in NHL or AHL. Soucy is a very good defenseman, who can slide up to one of the top pairings in case of injury. He will not spend much time in the press box, unless the other two in this category are doing remarkable things.
Haydn Fleury — 25 years old — $1.3 million in NHL or AHL. He also hasn’t been to the AHL since 2018-19 and was one of the players the Kraken trotted out at the Expansion Draft, so they clearly expect him in the lineup regularly. He played north of 20 minutes most nights toward the end of last season in Anaheim.
Jeremy Lauzon — 24 years old — $850K in NHL or AHL. His presence on the roster is what makes things murky for the bottom pairing. Lauzon was very well respected on a very good Boston Bruins team last season, logging as many as 25 minutes of ice time. He will be afforded some opportunities to play.
Haydn Fleury was among the players present at the Expansion Draft in July (Photo Brian Liesse)
The battlers
That brings us to “the battlers,” those players that are fighting for a spot on the NHL roster when the Kraken break training camp in October. Based on our math—assuming that Gourde isn’t included on the initial 23-man roster and that we are correct with all of our above predictions—there are two spots left to fill. “The battlers” are the players that have a chance to fill those spots but will have to really perform well these next three weeks.
Here’s a curveball to consider, though. Let’s also assume that everyone previously mentioned (except Gourde) stays healthy all the way through to opening night. It generally makes more sense to carry two extra forwards and one extra defenseman, and we’ve listed seven defensemen above, so there is already going to be an odd man out from that group.
Based on this logic, unless one of those seven defensemen gets injured, anyone listed on the blue line below is likely destined to start the season in Charlotte. Still, they need to make a lasting impression, and nothing is written in stone, so these guys will all be competing hard regardless of their position.
Forwards
Morgan Geekie— 23 years old — $750K in NHL, $75K in AHL. Geekie cracked Carolina’s lineup more consistently last year, playing 36 games at the NHL level. But on a deep roster, he found himself in a fourth-line role, which really doesn’t suit his game. He’s still developing, but we think he will reach a point soon where his performance will command bigger minutes.
Alex True — 24 years old — $750K in NHL, $200K in AHL. The former Seattle Thunderbird has 19 career NHL games under his belt with the San Jose Sharks. He’s been a consistent contributor at the AHL level, but has yet to get a real shot in the NHL.
Nathan Bastian — 23 years old — $825K in NHL or AHL. Bastian was impressive as a youngster in the New Jersey Devils organization and earned 41 games with the big club last year while avoiding the AHL. He only notched 10 points, though, and played very few minutes on the nights he dressed toward the end of the season.
Carsen Twarynski — 23 years old — $750K in NHL, $100K in AHL. He has 22 games under his belt with the Philadelphia Flyers, but it feels like a bit of a long shot that he’ll make the team over Geekie or Bastian. He will need to really bring it to stick with the Kraken.
Kole Lind — 22 years old — $874K in NHL, $75K in AHL. Lind got a seven-game cup of coffee with the Canucks last season and did not record a point, but he is a highly regarded prospect who is considered to be on the cusp.
Defense
Will Borgen — 24 years old — $900K in NHL or AHL. Borgen only has 14 NHL games under his belt, but he did become a regular at the end of last season for Buffalo. The one-way contract makes it more financially painful for Seattle to send him to the AHL.
Cale Fleury — 22 years old — $750K in NHL, $75K in AHL. The younger Fleury is just one year removed from playing an impressive 41 games as a rookie with the Montreal Canadiens.
Dennis Cholowski — 23 years old — $900K in NHL, $130 in AHL. He was a well-regarded prospect for the Red Wings, and split time between Detroit and Grand Rapids each of the last three seasons. In all, he has 104 career NHL games and 27 points.
Gustav Olofsson — 26 years old — $750K in NHL, $200K in AHL. Once a touted prospect with Minnesota, Olofsson’s career was derailed by injuries. He has 59 career NHL games but hasn’t been in the show since 2019-20 when he played three games for the Canadiens.
Connor Carrick — 27 years old — $800K in NHL, $350K in AHL. Everybody seems to love Carrick. He has 241 career NHL games, but he’s split time between the AHL and NHL the last three seasons.
Morgan Geekie has scored everywhere he’s played (Checkers photo)
Much like line projections, these training camp conversations always need to be taken with a grain of salt. Seattle could play one game, have an injury, and then need to call a guy up that doesn’t make the initial roster out of camp, rendering all of our impassioned debating moot. Still, it makes for some fun competition over these next few weeks as players look to solidify roles with the inaugural Kraken team.
Which bubble players make your initial roster?
Darren Brown is the Chief Content Officer at Sound Of Hockey and the host, producer, and editor of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast. He is an inconsistent beer league goalie who believes that five players have to make a mistake before the puck gets to him. Follow him on Twitter @DarrenFunBrown or email darren@soundofhockey.com.
SEATTLE – Monday night the ice at the Kraken Community Iceplex’s Starbucks Rink was filled with local beer league and amateur adult skaters. Nine of them were goalies. This wasn’t a rec league game or a practice but rather an evaluation skate held by the Seattle Kraken as they searched for a few goalies to serve as the team’s emergency backups during the season.
It was a chance for these nine netminders to live out childhood dreams of the big leagues.
The emergency back-up goalie (EBUG) is a unique feature to NHL hockey. No other sport sets up a situation where a guy off the street can step into a regular season game. If all your quarterbacks get hurt in the same NFL game you can’t call to the press box for a former high school star to step in.
In the NHL, you can do that exact thing if both your goalies go down during the same game.
“It’s about community,” Kraken director of hockey strategy and research Alexandra Mandrycky said of Monday’s skate.
Mandrycky organized the event by reaching out to the local hockey community last week to identify some goalies that might fit the bill. Emails went out Friday for a Monday try out.
It was a quick turnaround but didn’t assuage the excitement of the invitees.
“It was a totally surreal email that came out of the blue,” EBUG hopeful Tyler Zetting, 32, said. “I’m finishing up work, checking my email and I see that email come through and it’s just, you know, it’s like you blackout. And then you come back and it’s honestly almost tears.”
A gaggle of goalies gathered at the Kraken Community Iceplex Monday to try out as the Kraken EBUG (Brian Liesse photo)
Why do the Kraken need an EBUG?
The NHL requires its clubs to have an emergency back-up in attendance at every home game just in case either team loses both of its goalies to injury or illness.
While the likelihood of an EBUG having to suit up and get into the game is extremely low, the EBUG has an interesting history in the NHL. On several occasions there have been games with one goalie injury which forces the emergency backup to get dressed and sit on the bench.
Getting a great view of the game is one thing, but actually playing is another.
In 2018 the Chicago Blackhawks saw starter Anton Forsberg get hurt during warmups. His backup, Collin Delia, would then get injured in the third period leaving the team with no healthy goalies. In stepped 36-year-old accountant Scott Foster. The EBUG played 14 minutes that night and made seven saves without allowing a goal to the Winnipeg Jets.
Foster would be outdone in 2020 when 42-year-old Zamboni driver David Ayres served as the EBUG in Toronto as the Maple Leafs hosted the Carolina Hurricanes. The Hurricanes built a 3-1 lead but suffered injuries to both James Reimer and Petr Mrazek. Ayres entered the game midway through the second period, and while he gave up goals on the first two shots he faced, he made the next eight saves and became the oldest goalie to record a win in his NHL debut.
Ayres became an instant celebrity after the win and a hero to beer league goalies everywhere.
“That was great,” 41-year-old goalie Tom Marcella said Monday. “I have a Google alert for EBUG so I get it every time they just get someone to dress up and sit in the locker room. The times they get on the ice, it’s pretty hysterical.”
Ayres enjoyed his 15 minutes of fame but some in the league didn’t like the optics. The league would discuss the EBUG policy during league meetings but ultimately decided it was such a rare occasion that the rule didn’t warrant any changes.
How the Kraken evaluated their EBUG invitees
Marcella and his fellow goalies were not alone on the ice Monday. Kraken goalie coach Andrew Allen was skating and evaluating the talent pool. The team also invited a group of 20 skaters, made up of men and women who play locally to take shots on the prospective goalies.
There were plenty of saves to be made Monday during the Kraken EBUG evaluation skate (Brian Liesse photo)
The NHL does not allow professional or former professionals to serve as an EBUG, so the nine goalies on the ice were guys whose ‘careers’ ended prior to making it to the pro ranks, and they came in all shapes and sizes.
“If you were an ex-NHL goalie living in Seattle, you could not be our main backup emergency at the game,” Mandrycky added. “A lot of these guys have some junior experience. These goalies are never going to be NHL goalies or at the AHL level or the ECHL level. If they were, they would be in a different profession right now. Ultimately, we’re just looking for someone who is willing and will have a good attitude about stepping in.”
The evaluation started with Allen putting the nine hopefuls through some agility drills to see how mobile and quick they are. Some were more mobile and quick than others. That was followed by the skaters firing shots at them from about ten feet away, one at a time.
Seattle Kraken goalie coach Andrew Allen gives instructions to EBUG hopefuls Monday (Brian Liesse photo)
To finish off the night the group played an informal three-on-three cross-ice game. The action was non-stop with goalies and skaters changing on the fly. There was little to no defense played allowing for plenty of top-notch scoring chances.
“You got the adrenaline to push you through,” Zetting, who’s hockey career reached as far as Junior A in the BCHL with the Burnaby Express, said. “But yeah, you’re just trying to control what you can control. Don’t worry about who’s looking, you know, don’t worry about the other guys, you just play your game. Honestly, it’s all about just soaking in the experience, and just enjoying the moment, because how often do you get to be out here for this?”
What’s next for the Kraken EBUGs?
Mandrycky and Allen will compare notes and see if there was anyone worthy at the skate. They will have a rotation of EBUGs ready to go by the home opener on Oct. 23. Mandrycky added that there were probably good local goalies who weren’t there and they may hold future evaluations to find them.
Once selected, one EBUG will attend Kraken home games and sit in The Climate Pledge Arena press box waiting and wondering if their time will come.
And if their time does come, and they watch two goalies go down?
“Just enjoy the moment and just realize you’re in a once-in-a-million opportunity,” Zetting said. “It’s just so crazy to me. There’s no other professional sports thing where an average Joe can come off the street and jump into a professional game. It’s just wild and I love it.”
The goalies were on the ice Monday for the love of hockey and to take advantage of a fun opportunity. One chance to maybe, just maybe, live out those long-lost childhood dreams of playing, or suiting up, for an NHL game.
There’s no pay in it for the eventual roster of EBUGs but that doesn’t matter.
“They’re amateurs,” Mandrycky reminded. “I think they get the game worn jersey and some good memories.”
It’s roughly a nine-hour flight, spanning over 4,400 miles, from Skelleftea, Sweden, to Seattle. That’s the distance Seattle Kraken defenseman Adam Larsson traveled to join his new team at the Kraken Community Iceplex to prepare for the upcoming season.
Larsson, 28, figures to be a key player on the Kraken blue line but first needs to acclimate to the time zone, something he says he is just now getting used to.
“It’s been a couple of nice days here,” he said last week after an informal skate. “I’m still trying to figure out the city a little bit and everything around.”
A right-shot defenseman who routinely logs 20-plus minutes a game, Larsson is a veteran of 603 NHL contests with the New Jersey Devils and the Edmonton Oilers. It’s that experience and leadership that will be counted on as Seattle tries to meld together a group of players both young and old.
After being selected by New Jersey with the fourth overall pick during the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, Larsson would be traded in the 2016 offseason to the Edmonton Oilers for former first overall pick Taylor Hall. That trade garnered a lot of attention and forced Larsson to adapt to a new team.
Larsson signed with Seattle as a free agent during the NHL Expansion Draft and is adapting to a new organization once again. Only this time, the entire roster has to adapt to each other quickly.
“It’s different, maybe the outside of hockey part is a lot different,” he said of the transition to Seattle. “Nobody really knows where to live or where to look and stuff like that, but most of these guys are regulars in the NHL. They know what a training camp is like and know what the NHL is like. We’ll figure it out pretty quick, but obviously it’s teammates who have never played together before so it’s gonna be an interesting training camp. We all got 25 new friends now. So, yeah, it’s fun.”
He spent five seasons in Edmonton and the decision to leave wasn’t easy. The Kraken were afforded the ability to talk and negotiate a contract during their exclusive 72-hour free agency window prior to the Expansion Draft. Larsson would eventually sign a four-year contract at $4 million a season with Seattle.
“It was obviously looking and seeing what they built here and being part of something new is always fun,” he said of his decision. “It’s always exciting and I think the right people are running it. I was jumping on this opportunity right away when I knew they wanted me here.”
Larsson has been on the ice with the Kraken since he arrived in town. The team has gathered at the Iceplex for informal skates, referred to as ‘Captains’ Skates,’ to begin the preparation for the season.
These types of skates, which are free of coaches per NHL rules, are not unique to the Kraken. They occur throughout the league, but in Seattle, they’re more critical as the 25 new friends get used to each other on and off the ice.
“I think it’s more important to get to know each other and kind of build a team environment and the friendships that we need to be successful. We’ve had some good practices,” Larsson said.
Adam Larsson the player
Larsson is not going to fill up the stat sheet with a ton of goals and assists.
He’s never topped the four-goal mark in any season and his career high in points is 24, recorded with the Devils during the 2014-15 campaign. But goals and points are not where Larsson’s value lies.
Playing at both ends of the ice, he is the quintessential two-way defenseman. He can retrieve the puck, is a good passer, and plays a physical game while not being afraid to initiate contact with the opponents. He hasn’t played a ton of minutes on the power play but will see the ice for crucial penalty kills.
Edmonton valued his defensive play last year and of his 418 on-ice starts 147 were in the defensive zone and 204 were in the neutral zone compared to just 67 in the offensive zone. Most importantly for the Kraken is that he’ll eat up minutes for head coach Dave Hakstol no matter where he starts on the ice.
Adam Larsson will give the Kraken a ton of minutes on the ice this season. (Brian Liesse photo)
Larsson is quick to point out that it is too early to say where he’ll play in the lineup or who his defensive partner will be. It’s safe to say that he’ll be in one of the top two defensive pairings for the Kraken, and there has been a lot of speculation suggesting he’ll play with fellow veteran Mark Giordano on the top group.
The two have never played together but are quite familiar with each other, having squared off in the Battle of Alberta over the past five seasons. There is no love lost between Calgary and Edmonton but there is respect.
“I felt like I played him 400 times last year, so I know him pretty well,” Larsson said of his rival turned teammate. “I think it’s everything (that makes him good). The way he plays with the puck, without the puck and he leads the team the right way. That’s why he was the captain of the Flames so long. He’s a very important piece on this team as well.”
Giordano is the more offensively minded of the duo which suggests an intriguing pairing. While Larsson is more of a two-way player, he’s not going to weigh down Giordano but rather compliment him. Where the two play will be one of the items to watch as training camp and the preseason kick off this week.
Training camp will move quickly. The Kraken open camp Thursday, just a handful of days before their first preseason game Sunday against Vancouver. Don’t be shocked if the veteran Larsson gets plenty of ice time.
“I like the preseason,” he said. “It’s the way to get the timing, the touches, the battles and everything. Even with these Captains’ Skates, you’re still battling against your own teammates, so it’s not the same.”
Will Larsson represent the Kraken and Sweden at the 2022 Winter Olympics?
He’s never played in the Olympics but has represented Sweden before in prestigious tournaments such as three appearances at the World Junior Championship – 2009, 2010, 2011 – and at the IIHF World Championship in 2016, 2018 and 2019.
Will he be hearing the Olympic march this February?
“I think every hockey player would love to play in the Olympics,” he said. “It’s obviously pretty far away right now. I think everybody is focusing on training camp coming up and the NHL season to start, but I think you will see the league kind of ramp up closer to Olympics.”
Sweden boasts some high-end defensemen when it comes to an Olympic team. Most of those players, like Tampa Bay Lightning stalwart Victor Hedman, are elite offensive blueliners but there is room for a solid, two-way defenseman such as Larsson.
“We’ll see if I even fit in there,” Larsson added with a chuckle.
The Olympics are a nice carrot down the road, but for now, Larsson and his Kraken teammates are going to continue to get skates in this week. Then it’s training camp, preseason, and the inaugural voyage of a Seattle hockey team that has been a long time in the making.
“I think everybody will be super excited,” Larsson added. “All the fans, players to coaches, the whole organization and the city. It’s gonna be a lot of fun.”
Whether it was Dominik Hasek dominating at Nagano in 1998, or T.J. Oshie’s shootout prowess at Sochi in 2014, or the amazing 1980 Miracle on Ice, the Winter Olympics have provided us with some of hockey’s most memorable moments. With the September announcement that NHL players would be returning to play during February’s 2022 Olympics in Beijing, we could be treated to more big moments, and for the first time ever, there just may be some Seattle connections as the Kraken have players who will fight for medals.
Seattle isn’t loaded with Olympic hopefuls, but it does have players that will be in the Games and others who are in the mix to represent their countries. Who are those players and what nations’ jerseys will they be sporting during the Beijing Olympics?
Here’s a look at which players to keep an eye on during the leadup to the 2022 Winter Olympics.
Kraken locks to play in the Olympics
Philipp Grubauer – Goalie – Germany
Granted there is not a lot of NHL competition for the German net at the Olympics, but Grubauer would be the top choice even if there was. The only other active German goalie in the NHL is Thomas Greiss who played 34 games with the Detroit Red Wings last season.
No slight on Greiss, who could make a nice veteran back-up for Germany, but Grubauer is better and coming off a season that earned him a nod for the Vezina Trophy.
Grubauer has not played in the Olympics before but has a long history of playing in international tournaments for Germany. He started back in 2006-07 when he played for the German U16 team and has since suited up in the black and gold for his country in the U17’s and U18’s in 2008 and the World Junior Championship in 2009, 2010, and 2011. Since turning pro he’s played in the World Championship and with Team Europe during 2017’s World Cup of Hockey.
Last season in Colorado was one of Grubauer’s best and the Rosenheim product boasts a career save percentage of .920 in the NHL. Sorry Thomas Greiss, it’s going to be Grubauer.
Germany has not fared well in the Olympics historically but has medaled three times and is the reigning Olympic silver medalist after 2018’s second-place finish in Pyeongchang – a year that NHL players were not involved in the Games. Germany also had bronze finishes in 1932 at Lake Placid and 1976 at Innsbruck. Can Grubauer extend their medal streak to two?
Alex True – Center – Denmark
How can a player who has played 19 NHL games, as True has, be a lock to play for his country in the Olympics? Well, while Denmark is an emerging hockey country, there aren’t a ton of Danes flooding the NHL.
Denmark qualified for the Olympics at the end of August and is appearing in the Games for the first time ever. The nation does boast a handful of NHL regulars, led by Winnipeg’s Nikolaj Ehlers, who was huge in this summer’s qualifying rounds. True, who is Ehlers’ cousin, is on the NHL bubble but has played for Team Denmark at every high-level tournament the Danes have played in recently. That includes the U16’s in 2012-13 where he scored eight points in 11 games. His international play also includes two appearances in the World Junior Championship in 2014 and 2015, and for the latter of which he was team captain.
Seattle’s Alex True should continue to represent Denmark at the Beijing Olympics. (Brian Liesse Photo)
This past spring, he played for Denmark in the World Championship, scoring a goal and an assist in seven games. The former Seattle Thunderbirds import player has been a regular with Denmark, and there’s no reason to think he won’t get the invite for Beijing in February.
Kraken who could be in the mix for the Olympics
Adam Larsson – Defense – Sweden
The 28-year-old Larsson has some competition in making a Swedish team that is one of the power nations when it comes to international play. He has represented Sweden before, including at the World Junior Championship in 2010 and 2011. Larsson has not made an Olympic appearance but has participated in three World Championships – the latest was in 2019.
Larsson is not a scoring defenseman but plays a solid two-way game and is a right-handed shot which might get him a look. International teams like to load up on offense which might hurt Larsson’s chance, but there is still room or a guy who takes care of his own end.
Sweden has some outstanding defensemen to choose from led by players such as Victor Hedman, Erik Karlsson, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. It could be tough for Larsson to crack the top seven or eight Swedish blueliners, but he has a shot and a hot start with the Kraken would go a long way to helping his cause.
Joonas Donskoi – Forward – Finland
The 29-year old Donskoi is a player who keeps getting better each season. Last year he was on pace to top the 20-goal mark for the first time in his NHL career by scoring 17 times in 51 games. Seattle selected the winger from the Colorado Avalanche, and he can be penciled into the Kraken top-six forward group.
Donskoi has played for Team Finland in the past. He represented his country once at the U16’s and twice in the U17’s. Along with that, he made three appearances – 2010, 2011, and 2012 – at the World Juniors for Finland.
Finland shows strongly in international tournaments like the Olympics, and Donskoi does have some NHL competition for a spot on the roster. The Finns feature guys like Florida’s Aleksander Barkov, Carolina’s Sebastian Aho, and Colorado’s Mikko Rantanen at the top of their lineup. But Donskoi doesn’t need to beat those guys to make the team. Of all the active Finnish forwards in the NHL, Donskoi has scored the ninth-most points. That feels good enough to put him in the Olympic running.
Calle Jarnkrok – Forward – Sweden
Making Team Sweden could be a long shot for Jarnkrok, but it’s not impossible. He has played for Sweden in the past including a couple of U18 appearances in 2009 and 2010, a World Junior Championship run in 2011, and two times as a pro in the World Championship.
Seattle Kraken Calle Jarnkrok will have to start well to solidify a spot on Team Sweden in the Olympics (Brian Liesse photo)
Jarnkrok is a two-way forward with some offensive upside and could very well end up in the Kraken top six this season. He’ll need a good start to be selected along with Swedish locks like Gabriel Landeskog, Nicklas Backstrom, Mika Zibanejad, and others.
That might be an uphill battle for Jarnkrok, but the Swedes could do worse for a bottom of the order winger who can play at both ends of the ice while providing secondary goal scoring.
The long shots
Yanni Gourde – Center – Canada
Team Canada is loaded. When aren’t they? No matter what the international tournament, Canada is among the favorites with rosters that resemble all-star teams.
The Olympics are no different, and while Gourde is a strong player, there may be too many players ahead of him. The 29-year-old won his second-straight Stanley Cup last year with Tampa Bay but also suffered a torn labrum which required offseason surgery. He is the stereotypical 200-foot player who has offensive pop and can play in every situation for you.
But the Olympics, right or wrong, is a short tournament that is tailored for the big stars and big scorers. If it were a long tournament, Gourde’s value would rise. It also hurts him that he’s going to miss that start of the year while his shoulder recovers.
Also hurting Gourde is that he’s never played for his country in an international tournament and had not been in Hockey Canada’s system. He would need to be healthy and off to an explosive start to seriously be a threat to crack Canada’s roster.
Matty Beniers – Center – United States
Ok, so techincally Beniers is not a member of the Seattle Kraken yet. But he is a Kraken prospect after the club selected him second overall, so we are including him on this list.
His chances of making the U.S. Olympic team? It’s pretty slim but the 19-year-old University of Michigan star not only helped the Americans win gold at this past winter’s World Junior Championship, but he played for the U.S. along with pros at the World Championship this spring.
Beniers played well in both tournaments. The United States is now one of hockey’s power countries and can ice a contending roster without throwing a bone to the young Beniers. On top of that, the Olympics are in February at a time when Beniers and Michigan will be ramping up for the NCAA Tournament. So, Beniers won’t play for the U.S. this winter but don’t rule out future Olympic appearances for the Kraken’s top prospect.
