For the Coachella Valley Firebirds, Seattle Kraken AHL affiliate, October’s forecast calls for a heavy dose of Reign – as in their Pacific Division rival Ontario Reign.
The Firebirds host Ontario Friday at Acrisure Arena in the 2026-27 season opener. Saturday, they rematch in Ontario, and the two teams will meet a third time at Acrisure on Sun., Oct. 11.
That’s not even counting the one preseason game on CV’s schedule, a 2-1 Reign victory on Sept. 27. In that game, the Firebirds killed off all five of their penalties, but surrendered the tying goal with 1.3 seconds remaining and lost in the shootout.
2026-27 Firebirds Loaded With Kraken Prospects
Firebirds coach Derek Laxdal told NBC Palm Springs he doesn’t mind this year’s truncated training camp. “I think the shorter the better. If you look at the NHL camp, we were in there for about a week and a half. Back down here, we had a 3-4 day camp, played a (preseason) game, and now we’re in the full season mode.”
Before he left Seattle, I asked Laxdal for his expectations icing such a young team, loaded with Kraken prospects. “One, the energy the kids are going to bring every day, to the back-to-back (games), to the three games in four nights. They’re going to have the young legs, the exuberance to step up and play every night.
“The second part is, we know they’re going to make mistakes. Those are the areas they’re going to learn. There’s no difference in the games. There’s difference in the execution, the size, the speed, the details of the game.
“But if we get them in the right areas, doing the right things, like making our first breakout pass, getting pucks deep, that allows them to gain the trust of the coaches, gain the trust of teammates, and put them in a position to succeed. With that growth, you have that next level of Seattle Kraken going forward.”
Firebirds Ready For Season
“It’s another year of guys getting older, guys figuring out their games a little bit more and, you know, the development of everyone, too,” forward Mitchell Stephens said to KESQ-TV.
“We love the desert. Love playing in front of the fans here. It’s awesome,” said defenseman Ty Nelson, a 2022 3rd round Seattle draft pick. “We want to run it back to where we want to go even further this year.”
Defenseman Alexis Bernier gave a self-scouting report to NBC Palm Springs. “I like to play a physical game, I’m good in my own zone, shutdown defenseman. I’ll do anything to help the team win.”
Bernier hails from Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, where Friday’s high will be a rainy 65 degrees. Friday, Palm Desert will peak at a bright, sunny, 98 degrees. That suits the Kraken 2024 3rd round pick just fine. “I’m a big golf guy, the golf courses are amazing, so I’m excited to be here.”
Earlier Kraken:
— Simmer’s Turbo-9; Canucks, Kraken, PWHL, USA Vs. Canada
