Kraken Connection

MONTREAL - Friday morning, Ambrose Firkus was in a Bell Centre suite celebrating brother Jagger's NHL Draft second-round selection at No. 35 overall by the Kraken. Saturday, the older brother headed out of town to attend his best friend's wedding.
The best friend? Kraken defenseman Carson Soucy, who also happens to be new Kraken prospect Jagger Firkus' offseason workout partner. Soucy and the Firkus brothers all grew up in Irma, Alberta, a town of 500 people that clearly has crushed the get-drafted-by-an-NHL-team odds.
"When his name was called, Jags gave me a hug and he said, "Wow, I can't believe it, 'Seuss!'" said Ambrose Firkus, smiling as he recalls the moment. "That's what I was immediately thinking too. Carson was calling and texting right after that - he's really excited."

Let's take Ambrose Firkus' word for it. No bothering the Kraken D-man during his wedding weekend.
"Carson and I have had quite a few conversations about Jags in the past," said Ambrose Firkus. "Mostly about encouraging and pushing him through the workouts at the gym. He's already a bit of mentor to Jagger, just to watch Carson's work ethic day in and day out. It's definitely one of the reasons why Jags got to where he is right now."

Friday for Jagger Firkus included hearing his name called, meeting with Kraken hockey operations staffers, going through a series of league stations to promote the prospects and then meeting up with his parents and siblings and relatives in an appointed Family Room before then heading to the Kraken team suite to grab a bite with family and five friends who all flew into Montreal to see their childhood buddy put on an NHL jersey.
"I'm so happy," said Jagger Firkus, who was deemed a possible first-rounder by plenty of scouts. "Before the draft, you think I don't care know what team picks me, especially as it gets closer. You just kind of want to get drafted.
"But now that I'm with the Kraken, it's so great. It's obviously an unbelievable organization and I have someone I can lean on a little bit. I get to work with all day every single day. It's a pretty cool setup."
The setup has skipped a few days, but only for Saturday's wedding and another one in three weeks when Ambrose Firkus gets married. In fact, the two grooms, best friends since the youngest days of organized hockey, decided to combine their bachelor parties into a shared golf weekend.
Saturday morning, Jagger Firkus was heading to Seattle for the inaugural Kraken Development Camp now that the franchise doubled its prospects count by selecting 11 players over two days in Montreal.
"I want to go there and make sure they know they made the right choice," said Firkus.

The 18-year-old forward did plenty for Western Hockey League Moose Jaw to prove his NHL draftee case, enjoying a breakout season with 36 goals and 44 assists in 66 games. Scouts across the league rave about his above-average, NHL-caliber shot along with quickness on the puck to win possession.
On top of that, he was named player of the game in the annual Canadian Hockey League Top Prospects Game. That all adds up to comparisons with Seattle-area native and Stanley Cup-winning Washington Capitals forward T.J. Oshie.
When asked about his big-time progress last season, Firkus was matter-of-fact but not boastful: "I think the biggest thing was my confidence. I was not afraid to shoot the puck. I wasn't afraid to make a pass. If I made a mistake, I could bounce back from it because I knew it's a part of my game. There's lots of mistakes out in the hockey game.
"It's just, you have to be able to bounce back from. I think I did a really good job think throughout the year. My confidence just kept growing, growing. That's what kept leading to my progressing."
Ethan, cousin Jagger and Kraken fans everywhere no doubt had more draft fun than three different customs officers at the Montreal airport. As this reporter, wearing a collared Kraken polo shirt, advanced through the exit from Canada Saturday, all three men wistfully asked the same question: "Why didn't the Canadiens pick Shane Wright?" The last officer bid 'adieu' with a closing comment: "Seattle picked the right guy!"