Leadership Secrets From Kraken Captain

Seattle Kraken forward Jordan Eberle was named the second captain in team history just before the start of the 2024-25 season.

Kraken, Eberle

“I don’t have that Hall of Fame pedigree. For me to be successful as a leader, I have to contribute.

“I have to be one of our best players, for guys to listen to me and follow my lead. I’ve always taken that approach. And I enjoy it as an older guy.

“I’ve seen a lot of things. You try to mentor young guys with experiences (I’ve had) that they may be going through. You try to push leaders along.

“We have a good leadership group; Adam Larson, Brandon Montour, Vince Dunn, Jared McCann. Matty Berniers, who’s a young guy, seems like he’s been in the league a long time.

“And also a good group of younger guys who are chomping at the bit. It’s about bringing the group together, as cliche as it is. I’m creating an atmosphere here that guys enjoy coming to the rink.

Kraken ‘Enjoy Competing’

“They enjoy competing. They enjoy working, but also, having fun doing it. It’s a long season. The ups and downs of a year are always quite high and quite low. So you have to try and find a middle ground and enjoy doing it. If you can create that atmosphere and that culture, that goes a long way.

“From day one, I fell in love with being around my teammates. If you can create a bond within a group, you talk to anyone who’s won, I’m sure they’ve created that bond. When you do it through a full season, you’re with these guys every day, it’s what makes it enjoyable. You want to be competitive and you want to be enjoying it while you’re doing it.”

“I love being vocal. I’m a very cerebral player. I love talking, getting guys’ opinions of what they see within games, talking to my linemates. The facilities, the food, everything here is first class. I have absolutely zero complaints. I think anyone who’s played here can say the same thing.”

Quotes from the “100% Hockey” podcast.