Here’s the very best reason the Seattle Kraken should be excited about the future: because their AHL farm team is excited about the present.
“The Kraken have drafted so well, allowing us to bring in such great players and they’re developing well,” Coachella Valley Firebirds general manager Troy Bodie told The Desert Sun. “We’re seeing that and we’re really excited about the young guys in the organization.”
New Firebirds assistant coach Scott Ford adds, “They all move well and that’s a big part of the game now. Skating is huge. Up and down, you’ve got a good mix. I think the sky is the limit for some of these guys.”
Much of the 2025-26 Firebirds roster, youngest in the AHL, returns a year wiser after winning two playoff rounds. That includes players who may be part of the Kraken future – or possibly the present, depending on how much they impress coaches at September’s training camp.
Skaters like Logan Morrison (#96 in above photo), J.R. Avon, Lleyton Roed, Ville Ottavainen, Kaden Hammel, Oscar Fisker-Molgaard, Jani Nyman, Jagger Firkus, Tyson Jugnauth and Ty Nelson. And there’s the impressive young goaltending duo of Nikke Kokko and Victor Ostman. Expected newcomers include Alexis Bernier and Jake O’Brien.
The Kraken don’t need all of these players to have breakout seasons. If half, or even a third, evolve into contributing NHLers and possibly stars, the future inside Climate Pledge Arena will be considerably brighter.
If Kraken Retain Wright, Will He Return To ’24-’25 Form?
Chris Kane of Dobber Hockey looked under the hood to find reasons Shane Wright’s promising 2024-25 season with the Kraken wasn’t duplicated last year.
“Given his short career thus far it is fair to wonder which of his seasons is the outlier. He had a 46-point pace in 24-25, but after three scratches in November he put up a 56-point pace to finish off the season. Unfortunately, there was some unsustainability in those numbers. He had a high personal and five on five shooting percentage, which fell back down in 25-26.”
It’s the chicken-and-the-egg question. Did Wright’s drop in production (from 19 goals to 12 last year) cause the coaching staff to lose faith in him, or did misuse cause the drop in his numbers?
“His time on ice actually decreased between 24-25 and 25-26 to under 14 minutes a night. Things don’t seem to be great for him with the Kraken right now and he has apparently requested a trade, so while the data here suggested he could be a bounce back candidate, context indicates that is pretty unlikely unless he is moved or receives some unexpected change in deployment.”
Kraken Investor Morphs From ‘Beast Mode’ To ‘Ball Hockey Mode’
Only one Kraken investor would have been asked to host a football clinic this weekend. Sorry, CEO Tod Leiweke, even though you once held the same title with the Seattle Seahawks, it wasn’t you.
Seahawks legend Marshawn Lynch was in Toronto for a youth hockey event, Summerfest, organized by the Hockey Diversity Alliance. Lynch took part in a celebrity ball hockey game, but the HDA also accessed the sport he’s best known for.
“I’m really excited about him and the football aspect of it,” HDA chairman Akim Aliu said to CBC. “Where we’re able to have success as an organization is tapping into the culture and personality aspects and using people’s audiences from different sports.
“Why I’m so proud of our work is because it’s really for the most vulnerable that would never have access to the sport,” Aliu said. “Over 2,000 lives have been positively impacted by our work, and we’re just getting going.”
Earlier Kraken:
— No No Kraken, It Ain’t Happening This Season
— Kraken Silver Lining Would Be Landing DuPont In the 2027 Draft
