Kraken Hopeful Ryden Evers
… and why the heck is he presently listed on the Kraken’s NHL.com roster??
Also, what’s with having a name that sounds so much like Ryker Evans. Who do they think they are; Bobby McMann and Jared McCann or Kaapo Kakko and Nikke Kokko??
Any hoo hoo, it turns out Evers has aged out of his brief Western Hockey League (WHL) career and should figure into the young line-up of the Coachella Valley Firebirds of the American Hockey League (AHL) next season.
Undrafted into the NHL, the 6-foot-3, 195-pound Burnaby, British Columbia native spent the last two seasons with the Penticton (BC) Vees, first in the BCHL and then in the WHL after the club hopped up to the major junior level, where he posted 69 points in 58 games in 2025-’26.
There must have been some demand for the sturdy, defensively conscientious forward as the Kraken forked over an entry-level contract 15% more generous than most, averaging $1.075-million over three years. It’s a two-way deal; playing at the AHL level will pocket him the standard $85-thousand for the season.
“We’re excited to have Ryden join our organization,” Kraken GM Jason Botterill said in a statement back on March 1st when Evers signed. “His development has continued to improve over the years, turning him into a responsible two-way center that brings size and skill to the group.”
There’s a decent chance Evers goes on to be what’s referred to in baseball as an “organizational player”, filling out a young AHL roster and hopefully getting an occasional taste in the big show.
That of course is not why he’s around at this point. The hope is he’ll join the ranks of other undrafted stars, like pest Yanni Gourde or defenseman Mark Giordano, both former Kraken, or like littler guy turned clutch scorer Jonathan Marchessault of the Predators. That NHL over-achievement list goes on and on.
Let the journey begin.
(Part of a series of articles featuring lesser known names presently on the expanded Seattle roster. Does it mean they’ll be at the NHL training camp … ?)
Earlier Seattle:
— 2026-’27 Kraken Not Ready For Prime Time
