Western Hockey League Commissioner Ron Robison held a press conference a month ago and detailed his league’s Return to Play Protocol. Its an ambitious plan that includes a start date of October 2nd to allow for a full 68-game schedule.
The WHL’s plan is not very different than the Ontario Hockey League, Quebec Major Junior League, or the BCHL but with growing Covid numbers in the United States and in Canada, nothing is certain at this point.
Not having a junior, or NCAA and European, season would be a loss for the hockey world and will have an impact on the NHL and the Seattle Kraken. It’s these leagues that NHL clubs draft their futures from.
“It certainly would be a bit of a disadvantage where other teams have had some coverage of under 17’s this year,” Kraken general manager Ron Francis says. “Ours might have been a little bit less. It’s hard to speculate.”
There has been a lot of virtual ink and brain power spilled in breaking down, discussing, and predicting Seattle’s expansion draft possibilities.
That draft is where the Kraken will put together their initial roster but it’s the amateur draft that will have a bigger say in sustaining success by building a home-grown young core. If there is no amateur season, or a shortened one, Francis and his yet to be hired scouts will be drafting somewhat in the dark.
“It’s pretty much clear as mud right now,” Francis says. “We’re looking at if this happens, how do we react…so we’re prepared for that. Certainly, we’ll look at all the scenarios that are possible and react appropriately.”
The good news for the Kraken is that drafting is one of Francis’ strong points based on his track record as the general manager for the Carolina Hurricanes.
Not only did he take Sebastian Aho in the second round of the 2015 draft, but his last couple of drafts have produced young players who are now starting to pay dividends for the Hurricanes franchise.
In 2017, Francis took Martin Necas in the first round. After playing a big role in the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers 2019 Calder Cup victory, Necas moved up and turned in an impressive rookie NHL campaign this year. He found the back of the net 16 times while recording 36 points. He’s only 21-years-old and will be a big part of the Hurricanes future.
Morgan Geekie was a third-round pick by Ron Francis in the 2017 NHL Draft (Checkers photo)
In that same 2017 draft, Francis took Morgan Geekie from the Tri-City Americans in the third round. Geekie has put in two strong AHL seasons and got a late call up this year. In the two games he played, just prior to the pause, he scored three goals and is in the bubble with the Hurricanes for the playoffs.
Francis and his Hurricanes amateur scouts were able to get in a thorough number of viewings to select those players — viewings he may not get this go around.
Seattle did get to view some amateur hockey last year.
Francis got a look at some of the top U17 players, guys that will be eligible for the 2021 draft. But, watching 16-year-old prospects doesn’t give you a complete picture. Players develop from one season to the next and it is easy to overlook a younger player, two years prior to his draft season.
In 2015-2016 a 16-year-old Cody Glass played 65 games as a rookie with the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks. He scored 10 goals with 27 points. Respectable numbers for such a young player in a competitive league but the next season, his draft year, he exploded for 32 goals and 94 points and would be picked sixth overall by the Vegas Golden Knights.
Spokane Chiefs forward Adam Beckman spent his 16-year-old season playing in a lower level junior league. He joined the Chiefs the next season, a year older, and scored 32 goals and was drafted by the Minnesota Wild in the third round. This year he led the WHL in scoring with 107 points in 63 games.
Would Kraken scouts have rated either player high when they were 16?
Seattle has not hired a director of amateur scouting or scouts yet but would have if not for the Covid-19 disease shutting everything down.
Francis said the plan was to have a scouting team in place to cover the Hlinka-Gretzky tournament scheduled for August, in Edmonton. The annual tournament features the top draft eligible players from all over the world and is heavily scouted by NHL clubs.
This year’s tournament has been canceled.
“It’s a quick snapshot early in the season of who is potentially out there,” an NHL scout says of the Hlinka tournament. “It’s an opportunity to get the best schedule to start the season to see some of these young players. A lot of times with the Europeans you only get to see them in four big tournaments, when you take one of those tournaments away you’re limiting four or five views of some these Swedes or Finns, or whoever you’re watching.”
When the Kraken will hire scouts depends on when it appears the amateur seasons are going to get under way.
The WHL feels that it can get a full season if they can start no later than December. To do so, they’ll need approval from health and government officials in all six of its jurisdictions – Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba – for their arenas to allow fans in at up to a 50-percent capacity.
If the start is pushed back, the WHL – and every other development league – will be looking at fewer games.
“It’s going to be whatever it is, and we have to be ready to take advantage of whatever presents itself,” Francis says. “If its 30 games, 68 games, no games, we’ve got to find ways to get viewings and information and be prepared as we can be.”
While the Kraken may be scrambling to view prospects, they will be in a similar situation as the other 31 teams in the 2021 draft. Those teams were at amateur games last season but their focus was mainly on the 2020 prospects. They may have a head start but it’s a minimal one.
Nobody knows how this will all play out, but it will be something that Francis and the Kraken are keeping an eye on.
“There’s a lot of speculation at this point and we try to take it one day at a time,” he says.
It has been the most debated, discussed, and anticipated decision for Seattle hockey fans over the past 18 months.
No, not who the head coach will be. Not what the arena name would be and not even who the general manager would be – that’s Hall of Famer Ron Francis by the way.
Rather, fans clamored to know what the team name was going to be.
Thursday morning the endless speculation and internet meme war ended as NHL Seattle officially became the Seattle Kraken.
Kraken CEO Tod Leiweke addressed construction workers at Climate Pledge Arena Thursday morning to make it official. He raved about the fans and stressed the team has had its collective ear to the ground all along.
“We’ve heard from tens and tens of thousands of fans and we’ve spent two years listening,” Leiweke said. “Everyday for the past two years we thought about this moment and we knew that if we did listen we couldn’t go wrong.”
With the hockey world watching along online, the Seattle Kraken was revealed thanks to a slick video while in the arena a giant banner was unveiled with the team name and logo.
Following the announcement, the Kraken live stream turned into an infomercial for the team. For hours there were interviews with team officials, all reveling in the moment.
With everything going on, it was easy to miss some stuff. With that in mind, here’s what you may have missed while dreaming of buying merch.
Who’s going to coach the Kraken?
In between all the logo love there was a bit of hockey talk.
Kraken general manager Ron Francis was on the live stream in an interview with Ross Fletcher.
Asked about hiring a head coach, Francis said that the team was “comfortable sitting tight” and waiting for the current NHL season to complete.
The NHL will re start it’s paused season with a 24-team post season beginning August 1st and will end early in October. While every year there are coaches who become available after the season, what does Francis’ statement say about Gerard Gallant or Peter Laviolette — two top coaching options who are available now?
Palm Springs update coming?
Oak View Group CEO Tim Leiweke appeared on the live stream late in the day and dropped a couple nuggets about the Kraken’s American Hockey League plans for Palm Springs.
The arena project in the desert has been on hold and the short timeframe to get it started, and built, in time for the start of the 2021-2022 season is in jeopardy.
While somewhat cryptic, Leiweke mentioned that he would have some “good news” regarding Palm Springs soon. Hopefully that news will be some dry, cracked desert ground being broken.
He also joked that with the NHL team becoming the Kraken, there was no plan to name the Palm Springs affiliate the Squid. Although, that would be fun.
The near leak of the Kraken
In these modern times, its amazing that the logo, colors, and jersey designs were kept secret for as long as they were.
ESPN’s Emily Kaplan penned a fantastic piece on the naming process and some of the steps the team took to keep it secret. The name was kept under tight lock and key.
That diligence was almost undone by a mis-delivered parcel.
Tod Leiweke hopped on KJR Sports Radio Thursday afternoon and detailed how Kraken gear nearly ended up in the wrong hands.
Wow. Leiweke says they shipped some Kraken gear to Ron Francis' house. Box went to the wrong address. Had to pay a courier to go fetch it before someone opened it up and leaked the name!
What would you have done if you opened a package on your doorstep and it contained a Kraken shirt?
Will we see a Metropolitan or Totems sweater afterall?
Third jerseys have long been a trend in the NHL.
With the jersey reveal Thursday it was easy to let the mind wonder to what Seattle will throw out when it came to alternative sweaters.
The anchor patch, with the Space Needle brilliantly hidden in the negative space, on the shoulders of the main jerseys scream to be made into an alternative sweater. That is one way the team could go.
But, could we something that is more of a throwback?
Tim Leiweke hinted that we could see just such a thing.
Tim Leiweke on Hockey Central just said there's a third and fourth jersey coming (eventually) for Seattle, w/ nods to history. So that'll be cool.
Does ‘nods to history’ mean Metropolitans? Totems? Both?
Local players react to the Kraken
Fans outside of Seattle – and many local casual fans – may not realize some of the hockey history that Seattle already has.
After the announcement Thursday, players who either grew up here, or who played WHL hockey locally, chimed in to offer congratulations. It was a fun reminder of the tradition already baked into the Seattle hockey scene.
Playing 4 years of Junior in such an amazing city, it’s long overdue but really exciting to see @NHLSeattle_ made a reality! Best of luck except for when they’re playing us @Capitals of course 😏 Everyone will find out soon enough that Seattle is a Hockey Town! pic.twitter.com/IW95gryOLd
Having grown up in Seattle, what an exciting day to see @NHLSeattle_ become a reality! Want to wish them the best of luck in the future… except when they play the @SanJoseSharks
Welcome to the league @NHLSeattle_ and congratulations to the city of Seattle. It was a great spot for me with the @SeattleTbirds and extremely happy for the northwest to have some more hockey! pic.twitter.com/5VUma2mr5o
Congratulations to @NHLSeattle_ on announcing their new team name the Kraken! Having spent 2 years playing in Seattle for the @SeattleTbirds, I always thought an @NHL team would thrive there! Excited for the people of Seattle, you deserve this!!
The guys recorded this week’s Sound of Hockey episode on Monday, but intentionally held off on releasing it, knowing that the team name could be coming this week. So, at the beginning, you get John, Andy, and Darren’s same-day reactions to the news, then you get a full episode of standard banter and good times.
Aside from all the Seattle Kraken talk, the guys discuss the latest on the NHL’s progress toward returning to play. They also consider the NHL Award nominees and which awards in particular are downright silly.
Segments this week include Re-Torts, Goalie Gear Corner, Weekly One-Timers, and Tweets of the Week.
After years of pestering NHLtoSeattle.com founder, John Barr, with questions like, “Name?” and “What’s the team name?” and “Who cares about pictures of your dog, what’s the team name?” you finally have your answer.
It’s mean. It’s mysterious. It’s authentically Seattle. It’s the Kraken.
Before we go any further, can we pause for a moment and comment on some of the fantastic little details in the team’s logos? The tentacle in the negative space on the primary logo? [Chef’s kiss]… “Muah!” The sneaky little Space Needle on the secondary anchor logo? [Chef’s kiss] [chef’s kiss] [chef’s kiss]… “MUAH!” Even the color scheme is quite beautiful and on brand with the city, without being blatantly predictable.
The hockey world went into a frenzy back in January, when it was reported by Russian Machine Never Breaks that the name was believed to be Kraken. The rumors seemed to be unfounded at the time, as NHL Seattle did everything it could to downplay the report, cheekily stating on their official Twitter account on January 29th:
“While we’re aware of some fishy rumors surrounding our team name, please rest assured we’re doing our due diligence by scouring the depths of the ocean, the tallest mountains, and the densest parts of the forest to find the right name for our great, green city.”
Well, fast forward six months, and it turns out there was some smoke to go with that fire. On Thursday, Tod Leiweke and Heidi Dettmer of NHL Seattle finally confirmed the rumors and unveiled the team’s marketing plan at the newly monikered Climate Pledge Arena. The presentation, which was attended by the workers who are still constructing the franchise’s future home, was streamed online and officially revealed the team’s color scheme and jerseys, in addition to the long-awaited name.
Of course there are some naysayers getting in their comedic jabs…
…and that’s to be expected, but the vast majority of reactions to the name and uniforms seems to be quite positive. It’s a unique look and scheme that strays far from anything that’s out there in the NHL or the other major professional sports, and yet the branding accomplishes this deviation from the norm without being gaudy.
A peek at the full kit, which was revealed during an online interview with the Adidas team that helped design the Kraken uniform.
Leiweke said on his streaming interview with Ross Fletcher, “Our game experience should be second to none with this mark,” and he’s absolutely right. There is so much that the team can do with this from a gameday ops standpoint. It’s actually a bit chill-inducing to imagine the many different directions they can take to spark the atmosphere in the arena when the Kraken finally takes the ice in 2021.
The Kraken has been released. What say you, Seattle?
The guys recorded this week’s Sound of Hockey episode on Monday, but intentionally held off on releasing it, knowing that the team name could be coming this week. So, at the beginning, you get John, Andy, and Darren’s same-day reactions to the news, then you get a full episode of standard banter and good times.
Aside from all the Seattle Kraken talk, the guys discuss the latest on the NHL’s progress toward returning to play. They also consider the NHL Award nominees and which awards in particular are downright silly.
Segments this week include Re-Torts, Goalie Gear Corner, Weekly One-Timers, and Tweets of the Week.
EASTERN CONFERENCE #5 Pittsburgh Penguins vs #12 Montreal Canadiens Scotiabank Arena Toronto, Ontario
We keep seeing folks around the hockey Twittersphere referencing this series as one that can get stolen by Montreal’s goaltender. One could argue that such a phenomenon can happen in any of these best-of-five qualifying rounds, especially considering that we simply don’t know how netminders will respond to the long layoff, and whether the months of unexpected recuperation will end up being beneficial or detrimental to their respective performances. But there’s no denying that a healthy, rested, and focused Carey Price can be a gamebreaker—heck, he’s one of only seven goalies in history to win the Hart Trophy—especially if things go his way in the opening games of this series.
Reports out of Montreal’s summer training camp indicate that the former Tri-City American is in prime form, but even Price says that he can’t win this thing by himself, and he’s probably right. After all, the Penguins are waayyyyyyyy better than the Habs, and Montreal being included in this tournament at all came by the hair on Claude Julien’s chinny chin chin.
Besides, Pittsburgh has two really good goalies, which simple math says is better than just one really good goalie, so the odds are clearly in favor of the Pens on this one. Nonetheless, let’s dive in and see what we can unearth on this intriguing matchup of best versus worst of the Eastern Conference qualify-or-potentially-win-the-Draft-Lottery teams.
PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
1Certainly nobody outside of Pittsburgh is rooting for the Penguins to go on a deep playoff run (right?), but this franchise does fall into the “Please, God, no!” category of teams that still have a chance to win the lottery and the gift of selecting Alexis Lafrenière. Of course, if Pittsburgh wins this and punches its ticket to the real playoffs – which it certainly should do – then it won’t be included in the final eight teams in the sweepstakes, and perhaps that wouldn’t be a bad thing. After all, this team is still scary good, and as far as the rest of the hockey world is concerned, the last thing Pittsburgh needs is another generational talent. So sliding by the inferior Habs in the Qualifying Round would probably be fine for all non-Pittsburghers.
Wait, is that what they’re called? Pittsburghers?
Anyway, one of the reasons the Penguins are so scary is because their stars have the experience and know exactly what it takes to win the Stanley Cup. It’s generally believed that Sidney Crosby doesn’t allow his robot body to run at 100% until the end of the season, when he finally flips the switch to full power and takes control of every shift he plays. This season is a little different, though, because Sid missed 28 consecutive games after surgery to repair a core muscle in November. He also apparently left practice early on Saturday and did not practice on Sunday, though according to The Athletic, this is “only a precaution,” and Crosby refused to even use the word “injury.” Something tells me he’ll be ready to go when the puck drops on this series on August 1st.
Another reason that Pittsburgh is scary is because one of its top playoff performers of the past few seasons – Jake Guentzel – has been given a new lease on the life that is this season, thanks to the long layoff. Guentzel had shoulder surgery after getting injured in December, and was then ruled out for the remainder of the regular season and part of the Playoffs, had they gone on as normally scheduled. The original prognosis was that he may be able to return if his team went on a long run, but obviously returning from such a malady likely doesn’t lead to an instantaneous impact. Instead, he’s had four extra months to recover, and now can be expected to fully contribute. Remember, this is the guy that burst onto the scene with 21 points in 25 playoff games during the march of the Penguins (get it?) to the Cup in 2017, then followed that up with 21 more points in just 12 games in 2018. Getting Jake N’ Bake back alongside Sid earlier than anticipated is a huge boon for the Penguins.
Meanwhile, the combo platter of outstanding goaltenders in Matt Murray and Tristan Jarry is quite intriguing. It was Murray that took over the net from Marc-Andre Fleury en route to the Penguins winning the 2017 Cup. But Murray has now tasted his own bitter medicine this season, and ended up splitting time almost equally with the 25-year-old Jarry, who posted an impressive 2.43 GAA and .921 save percentage in 33 games. Jarry cooled a bit just before the pause, and Murray ended up starting five of the last seven games, so we shall see which direction Mike Sullivan goes. Either way, we can hope that Pittsburgh loses one of these great goalies to Seattle next summer, so from the local perspective, keep an eye on this crease.
Another interesting angle for Pittsburgh is the old man angle. Patrick Marleau has never won a Stanley Cup, and at 40 years old, one would have to think that this former Seattle Thunderbird is likely getting his last chance.
MONTREAL CANADIENS
A huge question mark surrounding Montreal was whether or not Max Domi would end up participating in this return-to-play process. He is a type 1 diabetic and a celiac, making him high risk for COVID-19, so the original decision was that he would wait a week or so to see how things were going in Phase 3. Domi did return to the ice with his teammates on Monday, indicating that he and the Montreal medical staff have decided that it’s safe for him to participate.
Domi’s inclusion makes this a much deeper team, which is important, because there simply are no individual superstars here. Tomas Tatar and Brendan Gallagher led the way with 22 goals each during the regular season, while Domi added 17 goals and 27 assists.
As mentioned, to have a chance, Price will have to play out of his mind, while everyone up front will need to contribute in little ways for the Habs, with secondary and tertiary scoring being key.
PREDICTION
There’s just too much firepower in Pittsburgh’s lineup. We didn’t even talk about Evgeni Malkin, Jason Zucker, or Patric Hornqvist, but those guys are all in the mix as well. Montreal is lucky to be involved, and while it’s still very possible that Price can have an outstanding series, it won’t be enough to knock off the mighty Penguins.
