Evolution of Evans: Arrives and Thrives

A couple of summers ago, Kraken defenseman Ryker Evans, then 20 years old, shared a singular and startlingly mature training goal with his long-time trainer Glenn Vergie back home in Calgary: “I don’t ever want to feel tired in a game.”

That audacious intent paid off in Evans’ first pro season with American Hockey League affiliate Coachella Valley. The 2021 second-round draft choice scored six goals and notched 38 assists in 71 regular season games, then turned it up a few anaerobic notches to be a star contributor in a 26-game playoff run. Evans averaged a point per game with five goals and 21 assists, helping the Firebirds to win a Western Conference title in the franchise’s inaugural season.

This season, after logging 36 NHL games last year when called up midseason, Evans is a regular in the lineup and impressing all comers. And he’s clearly not tiring on shifts or late in games. In Tuesday’s 7-3 win in Nashville, Evans scored the game’s first goal, racing off the bench to the Predators zone as a sub for Vince Dunn, coming off due to a broken stick. Evan took a pass from D-man Adam Larson without breaking stride, moving to the top of the left faceoff circle to beat elite goalie Juuse Saros clean. Vergie, his trainer, texted congratulations on the goal. They connect regularly, and his “friend of 12 years" will certainly be monitoring the Saturday night match against Calgary at Climate Pledge Arena.

During the third period with a 5-3 score, Evans, looking fresh and steady as his first shift, was man-on-man against star forward Filip Forsberg and rode the play and player outside and away from danger. Forsberg’s move was effectively Nashville’s last threat to get back in the game.

‘Everyday NHLer’ Grows with Every Game

In the second period against Nashville, Evans was back on defense during a quick-turn Predators transition. With D-pair partner Will Borgen having pushed up into the offensive attack, Evans was left solo to defend a developing 2-on-1. With the poise of a veteran, Evans positioned himself to prevent a clear shot by forward Cole Smith, who was carrying the puck. Evans’ patience allowed teammate Matty Beniers to get back into the play to cover new Predator and long-time Tampa Bay scoring star Steven Stamkos. Evans stick-blocked Evans’ belated shot to kill the play and any Nashville momentum.

On the Kraken Hockey Network, analyst JT Brown broke down the replay, praising Evans for waiting on Beniers to come help cover Stamkos. Play-by-play John Forslund called it the 22-year-old D-man’s best game of the season so far.

“He belongs in this league,” said Brown during a morning skate in Nashville. “His defensive instincts are already there and will only get better. He can jump up [into the offensive mix] at the right times. He can beat players with his legs, but can also make the right passes.”

For his part, Kraken and ex-NHL player Dan Bylsma agrees with Brown, another ex-NHL veteran. Now in his third season as Evans’ head coach, Bylsma said the young D-man is “an everyday NHLer.”

Back on the Scoresheet and More

As for offense, Evans picked up his third assist Thursday against Philadelphia on the game’s opening, making it four points in five games. Fans watching Evans will notice he is getting more and more comfortable jumping into the offensive attack and carrying the puck in transition from the defensive zone to the opponent’s end.

On Jordan Eberle’s second-period goal (the captain’s fourth goal already) to make it 4-2, Evans started the sequence by passing from inside the Kraken to Yanni Gourde in neutral ice. Gourde moved the puck to McCann, who found Eberle at the side of the goal with a gaping net. Gourde and McCann earned the assists but Bylma made a point in the post-game media conference to point out Evans started the play. Eight seconds later, Shane Wright scored his first goal of the season to provide a three-goal cushion heading into the third period.

“My work in the D-zone is the key part,” said Evans at his locker this week. “You take care of that, and you get your offensive chances.”

Evans’ defensive partner, Will Borgen, is equally unafraid to jump into the play. Evans says he and Borgen have talked about reading when the other moves up: “It's all about communication, talking to your partner and who's going up in the rush. I think we do a great job of reading off each other. You can get a feel for if you're in the play or you realize that your partner's going to go up, then you gotta stay back.”

Making Progress and Earning Minutes

It’s clear the coaching staff, including assistant coach Bob Woods overseeing the defensemen, likes the Borgen-Evans skating ability and high hockey IQ enough to send them out against any opponent’s top lines when the situation demands. Bylsma has talked over the last week about the depth on the blue line and that he looks to get all six D-men plenty of time on ice each game. Bylsma likes the growing presence of Evans’ game on the ice.

“I'll go back to just those last two exhibition games as well,” said Kraken coach Dan Bylsma at Thursday’s morning skate when asked about Evans’ performance and progress in the first four games of the fledgling season (now five after Thursday’s victory). “He's clearly establishing himself as a s player who's comfortable here, knows what we're doing [system-wise] and playing that way in the games. Maybe in his mind, he’s s, not an everyday NHLer yet, but he's proven it every day. He goes out there and executes.”

In Thursday’s 6-4 final, Evans’ plus/minus rating was plus-5. The stat has been questioned for how much it accurately portrays the contributions of all players on the ice. But when asked about it Thursday, Bylsma didn’t hesitate to enlighten that Evans did indeed do his part in this particular impressive plus-5 rating.

“I put a lot of weight into plus/minus,” said Bylsma. “It means you’re on the ice for more goals than you give up. He didn’t show up on the scoresheet [with the 5-plus stat] because he happened to be standing on the ice. He was involved in most of those plays and positive on those plays.”

Find His Voice Off the Ice

Late in training camp, Kraken leading scorer Jared McCann had nothing but positives to share about Evans’ prowess in all zones. He did add that Evans is still a little quieter than perhaps is his nature. “We might need to loosen him up,” said McCann, smiling.

Bylsma knows the prospect-turned-formidable-pro from two AHL seasons (the second a half-year, then a full return for another long Calder Cup Playoffs run and repeat conference title). He has urged Evans to be more the vocal teammate he was in Coachella Valley.

“I’ve been getting on him to open up more,” said Bylsma. “To play his game, not necessarily be a leader but to speak up.”