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.”
This very special BONUS EPISODE of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast is an instant classic. John, Andy, and Darren agree that Seattle Kraken netminder Joey Daccord is truly one of their favorite guests to ever appear on the show, so they hope you’ll feel the same after listening.
This episode is dedicated entirely to that interview, which runs longer than most guest segments, as the guys first dig into Joey’s viral interview after his first-ever NHL win, then get into his hockey journey, his experiences at Arizona State, and his first impressions of playing for the Seattle Kraken. Darren can’t help himself but to ask goalie-to-goalie about Joey’s mental processes that he uses to perform consistently, and… of course… his gear.
Here is the link to view Joey’s mask, which he discusses in detail during the interview. If you’re wondering, the hidden “Sparky” image he discusses appears behind the holes where Daccord’s left ear would go. A tentacle is pointing at the small, subtle caricature.
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.”
On the latest Sound Of Hockey, John and Andy recap their day at the grand opening of the Kraken Community Iceplex, then John and Darren share their experiences of playing at the arena. Then there’s plenty of other Kraken news to cover, including:
Ryan Donato signs one-year UFA contract
Helmet stickers revealed
ROOT Sports has a streaming partner
After Kraken news, Andy gives a WHL Update. Then John hits Andy and Darren with a tough but fun Let’s Get Quizzical.
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.
SEATTLE – The Kraken Community Iceplex at Northgate officially opens on Friday, but Thursday morning the team held a grand opening event for local partners, elected officials, and the media. Ground was broken on the facility in February of 2020. It is 180,000 square feet and features three publicly accessible rinks to skate on.
Thursday was a morning of Starbucks coffee, speeches, and just a little peek of Kraken hockey as about 15 players hit the ice for a workout known commonly as a ‘captains’ skate.’ For the first time we were able to see actual Kraken players skating on actual Kraken ice.
Kraken goalie Philipp Grubauer was on the ice at the Kraken Community Iceplex Thursday (Brian Liesse photo)
The complex is impressive and includes a Starbucks Community Store, a Kraken team shop, a Virginia Mason Medical Pavilion, and soon the 32 Bar and Grill – slated to open in the fall of 2021.
While seeing the Kraken skating was fun, and a bit surreal after the lengthy process to get us to this point in the process, the overarching theme of the morning and of the Iceplex is the impact it will have on the region. Specifically that impact is focused on youth hockey, adult hockey, and growing the game in the Seattle community.
“Now the real work begins,” Kraken director of youth and community development Kyle Boyd said.
That work has already begun, and the Kraken are currently registering youth for various levels of hockey. The team has already conducted remote ‘learn to play’ events throughout the state and will hold more at the Iceplex. But they also offer, and registration is open, for the Jr. Squid program which is an in-house hockey development program for youth ages 6-9.
Older and more experienced players can register for the Junior Kraken. The Junior Kraken will ice teams in U8 through U12 age groups. There will be evaluation skates in September to properly place players, and parents can sign their kids up now.
“We think about our offices being here, the team being here, practices, training camp, and obviously a great opportunity to engage with our fans, but 50 percent of the building, if not more, is really dedicated to that (local youth hockey) community,” Boyd said. “So, bringing in kids for learn to skate, learn to play, bringing youth hockey associations from around the state in for regional tournaments, it’s going to be an amazing facility. I think this is a great beacon for what we want to do in the hockey community here.”
The Iceplex won’t limit its ice to youth hockey, however.
Formerly known as the Greater Seattle Hockey League, the newly minted Kraken Hockey League will give the city’s robust adult rec hockey players a chance to play as well. The three rinks at the Kraken Community Iceplex will be the only three that are available in the city limits which will open up ice times for the adult hockey population.
“If you’re interested as an adult, now’s the time to sign up for the Kraken Hockey League,” Boyd said. “They’re gonna still continue to play out at some of the other rinks too, but it’s gonna be a real opportunity for those adults who also want to come and give it a try, and to feel like they can be out there one day and participate on the main rink and learn the skills that those NHL guys have.”
While hockey is the main focus, the Iceplex will have figure skating programming to offer, and yes, curling programs as well.
Kraken Community Iceplex photo gallery
Enjoy photos that Sound Of Hockey photographer Brian Liesse captured during Thursday’s event.
Krake goalie Philip Grubauer was on the ice at the Kraken Community Iceplex Thursday (Brian Liesse photo)
