Fans attending Thursday’s 3-1 win over Vancouver at Climate Pledge Arena no doubt noticed defenseman Ryker Evans' presence on the ice, especially in the offensive zone. Same for Kraken head coach Dave Hakstol, who praised the 2021 second-round draft choice for the second time this week.
Hakstol liked what he saw Monday in the 5-3 victory at Calgary, especially after Evans settled into the game after a shift or two. Thursday, the left-shooting Evans worked right ‘D’ alongside top-four defenseman Jamie Oleksiak. The 2023 American Hockey League All-Star did not look out of place.
“Ryker’s game tonight with the puck, on their side of the ice, was outstanding,” said Kraken head coach Dave Hakstol. “He’s playing the right side as a lefty ... I loved his competitiveness.”
Understandably, Hakstol allowed that Evans, like any young defenseman, still has work ahead of him on consistently busting out of the Kraken zone, when carrying or passing the puck.
“When you’re trying to get out of tight spots on the breakout and get up ice, there are some really good teachable moments there for him,” Hakstol said.
Evans says he worked on a quicker “first three steps” and “not ever feeling tired” with his long-time Calgary-based trainer over the summer. Friday, he was back at Camp improving his rising game in the Blue Group’s practice mid-day. Evans was again paired with Oleksiak (the latter’s partner from last season, Will Borgen, practiced with the earlier group) and had one long, instructive talk during drills with assistant coach Jay Leach. Evans and Oleksiak worked frequently against the Yanni Gourde line, a line with familiarity and A-game passing skills.
Kartye Vying for Regular Season Spot
When Kraken forward Tye Kartye returned home to Kingston, ON, last spring after making it to the AHL’s Calder Cup Finals with Coachella Valley and appearing in his first-ever NHL games during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, he was met with a range of reactions and opening remarks from family and friends about his leap from an undrafted free agent to postseason hero. During Kartye’s 10 playoff games with Seattle, he scored three goals, with his first coming on his first-ever shot in his first NHL game.
“Some people said, ‘Wow, that's great,’ and others were a little surprised because it's been a different path for me and wasn't always straight and linear like a lot of other guys,” said Kartye, smiling during a pre-training camp conversation. “But I mean, that's alright though because I agree – it was kind of a little bit of a surprise but also pretty cool.”
After Friday’s practice, Kartye seemed at ease again. He scored an unassisted shorthanded goal in Calgary on Monday night, leveraging a takeaway to stake a lead his team didn’t squander. You wouldn’t know the 2022-23 American Hockey League Rookie of the Year is in the midst of trying to make the Seattle opening night roster and proceed to his NHL regular-season debut.
“I’m just looking to show why I was successful in the playoffs and competing as hard as I can to earn a spot here and show I belong,” said Kartye. “I always try to be a good teammate and work hard because that's a big piece of it, too.”
As a potential fourth-line forward, Kartye said he is focused on being a high-intensity performer in all zones on the ice, especially as it pertains to defensive systems of Kraken play: “Being in the right spots in the D-zone, especially as a winger, is important. Knowing what to do and having your stick in the right lanes is really important. I try to be in the right spots and learn fast when I'm not in the right spot. If I make mistakes, I want to learn from that and not make those same mistakes again.”
Underrated Stat from Kraken’s 2022-23 Success
During a media availability earlier in the week, Hakstol zeroed in on an important trait of last season’s second-round playoff team. Six different times during the regular season the squad halted a losing streak at just three games, not once extending to four L’s in a row.
Hakstol mentioned the statistic while discussing the importance of consistency and resiliency over the arduous 82-game NHL regular season.
“It’s about taking advantage of every day,” said Hakstol. “That's one of the real strengths of our group last year. We were able to create some good momentum and get on some great rolls and put some wins back-to-back [including a historic seven-game winning streak on the same road trip, a record unmatched across both the NHL and NBA].
“More importantly, we're able to limit the stretches where things didn't go well. We didn't lose more than three in a row all year. That's a really important piece and speaks to the demeanor of the group, kind of water off a duck's back [approach]. We're able to flip the page a little bit, figure out a way to get out of a rut before it got too deep.”
Hakstol hammered a similar point talking to the media after Thursday’s 3-1 home preseason tune-up win over division and geographical rival Vancouver, this time putting the Seattle power play into focus.
He first defended his 2022-23 power-play units as getting questioned more than deserved, then allowed, “we had too many stretches last year hitting dry spells” and “you always want to find a way to regain momentum [and score].” Hakstol and his coaching staff [assistant coach Paul MacFarland still oversees the power play] have devoted just one day – Wednesday’s practice – to special teams. The personnel skating on the power play is something for fans to note during the remaining three preseason games, same for who is out on penalty kills.
Camp Roster Cuts
An impressive group of Kraken prospects were reassigned to American Hockey League affiliate Coachella Valley before Friday’s practice. In no particular order, forwards Logan Morrison, Tucker Robertson, Ryan Winterton, and Jacob Melanson, plus defenseman Ville Ottavainen, and goalie Jack Lafontaine are all headed down to the desert and the start of Firebirds camp on Saturday.
Melanson scored the opening goal Thursday while Robertson achieved a similar home-crowd thrilling moment by scoring the first goal of Monday’s preseason opener against Calgary.
Morrison, a free agent signee, along with Melanson, Robertson, and Winterton are all coming off high-scoring junior careers and will no doubt fortify a Coachella Valley roster (and early training camp) with speed, skills and drive to get back in a Kraken uniform, whether this season or in future seasons.
Ottavainen arrives in Coachella Valley buoyed by stellar work in his home country Finland’s top pro league, logging five goals and 11 assists in 51 games while playing a physical, responsible defensive game that aligns with his 6-foot-5, 218-pound frame. He did play in two Firebirds games last spring after his pro season back home, getting him familiar with the training center, coaches, and teammates alike.
Lafontaine, who played goal for both NCAA powers Minnesota and Michigan, split time between the AHL and ECHL last season while also appearing in two games (one start) with Carolina. The 25-year-old was drafted by Carolina in 2016 (third round, 75th overall) when Kraken GM Ron Francis was in the same role with the Hurricanes.
