Gone Camping

Visit the 2023 Kraken Training Camp pres. by Starbucks hub for camp schedules, rosters, and news.

The seasons are changing. The air is a little more crisp, leaves are falling, and that means it’s time for hockey to return!

On September 21, the Kraken will take to the ice at Kraken Community Iceplex and kick off the third Training Camp in the franchise’s history.

In total, 60 players will be participating in this year’s camp that, in just over two weeks, includes eight practice sessions and five pre-season games before the 2023-24 campaign begins.

There’s a lot to be excited about as the Kraken prepare to defend the deep - what are some key things to watch for?

Coaching Consistency

As camp gets underway, players will have familiar faces guiding the way in terms of the evolution of the team’s systems individual demands. The entire coaching staff from last year’s record-breaking years (in both Seattle and Coachella) are returning to lead their teams and that’s a good thing because standards and communication channels are already in place.

In Seattle, Dave Hakstol, a finalist for NHL coach of the year last year, and assistant coaches Jay Leach and Paul McFarland start their third seasons behind the Kraken bench. Last year’s significant additions of Dave Lowry and goaltending coach Steve Briere also return.

For the Coachella Valley Firebirds, bench boss Dan Bylsma along with assistants Stu Bickel, Jessica Campbell, and Colin Zulianello (who works with the goaltenders) will begin their second year together and first full season in southern California.

New Faces in New Places

General manager Ron Francis has been deliberate and diligent in his approach to developing a winning team from within. But he and his team also continue to astutely identify the right opportunities to bring a player onto the team via trade or free agent signing.

That continued this summer.

This season, two-time Stanley cup winner Brian Dumoulin joins Seattle to keep the defense strong; skilled forward and Spokane native Kailer Yamamoto returns to his roots; and veteran center and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, who is strong on the faceoff dot, headline a group of new players looking to make an impact on the ice for the Kraken. (Watch for more on these three players in the coming days!)

Diving Deep

This summer’s draft added ten players to the Kraken’s prospect pool which has grown not just in size but talent over the past three years. Augmented by prudent signings like Tye Kartye, Francis and his team have continued to add layers of skill that can fortify the Kraken roster year after year.

Before Training Camp officially begins, 25 of those prospects will participate in a two-day Rookie Camp September 18-19 (not all players in the Kraken system are able to join due to NCAA regulations or schedule conflicts with their current team). Through practices and other on-ice work, this mini-camp will provide an opportunity for some of Seattle’s newest players to continue to learn the ins and outs of what it takes to make it to the NHL level while deepening their connection to the Kraken organization.

Friendly Competition

And those 25 players aren’t in Seattle just to go through drills. By design, training camp is a time for players to make their best case for a spot in the opening night lineup. We already know about the talent within 2022 fourth overall draft pick, Shane Wright, or Kartye, who had three goals and five total points in 10 playoff games with the Kraken last year. But there’s also the promise within defender Ryker Evans who earned 44 points in Coachella last season and added 26 points (5-21-26) in 26 playoff games.

And keep an eye on 20-year-old forward, Ryan Winterton. He has the size to compete in the NHL and scored the most points of any OHL player in the post-season last year (13-16-29). Jacob Melanson (2021 draft pick) also commands attention at 6 feet tall and 206 pounds and just capped off another 50-point season in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

Net Worth

As we mentioned, training camp is always a time to evaluate the optimal lineup for the season ahead. And this year, that means also taking a look at who will make up the goaltending tandem when the 2023-24 campaign kicks off. This year, there are three strong options for Hakstol and staff to consider.

Philipp Grubauer is, of course, back coming off an incredible performance in the Kraken’s inaugural playoff run; so too is Chris Driedger. Now fully recovered from an ACL injury that kept him off the ice for most of last year, the Winnipeg, MB native played in 14 games for the Kraken’s AHL affiliate in Coachella Valley last season and posted a .908 save percentage. Also in the mix is the Firebird’s primary goaltender from last year, Joey Daccord. The 27-year-old backstopped his team all the way through a playoff push that saw them come within one win of an AHL championship in their first year of existence.