On Expansion Draft day, Kraken head equipment manager Jeff Camelio made his first list of the 30 newly selected players, in order of the jersey number those players wore for previous teams.
Next, General Manager Ron Francis and his hockey operations team drafted amateur players now invited to training camp. The team signed three big-name free agents on the first day of NHL Free Agency July 28. Camelio added defenseman Adam Larsson, goaltender Philipp Grubauer and center Alex Wennberg to his jersey number list.
Kraken Reveal Jersey Numbers
The first 37 players in franchise history, all invited to training camp in mid-September, have landed on their digits. Here's the full list and insight into the decision-making process
Reveal of 2021-22 Jersey Numbers
The team has also traded away players and not picked up the free agent contracts of some drafted players. Plus, the hockey operations group has been busy signing a number of NHL-tested players who can compete for roster spots during September's training camp, provide NHL roster depth in case of injury or illness and fill out the group of eight to 12 players who will play for shared American Hockey League affiliate Charlotte.
The list now stands at 37 with recent signings plus offering an amateur tryout to WHL Seattle Thunderbirds goalie Thomas Milic this past week.
It all adds up to an official list of jersey numbers -- and if you're preparing to order your jersey, you'll no doubt be examining the list in the next few weeks.
Jerseys go one sale on Sept. 15 with an exclusive presale opportunity through
"The Depths" membership program
.
One more distinction: If you're looking for a number that is emblematic of Kraken fans, 32 might be the choice for you. It won't be worn by a player and instead represents the deep appreciation the franchise has for the 32,000 depositors who showed the NHL that Seattle was worthy of being the league's 32nd franchise.
Maybe 32 is the right number for you or perhaps a favorite player already comes to mind. Here's the full list:
Player Jersey Numbers
| 1 | Thomas Milic |
| 3 | Will Borgen |
| 4 | Haydn Fleury |
| 5 | Mark Giordano |
| 6 | Adam Larsson |
| 7 | Jordan Eberle |
| 8 | Cale Fleury |
| 11 | Alexander True |
| 13 | Brandon Tanev |
| 14 | Nathan Bastian |
| 16 | Jared McCann |
| 17 | Jaden Schwartz |
| 18 | Carsen Twarynski |
| 19 | Calle Jarnkrok |
| 21 | Alex Wennberg |
| 22 | Mason Appleton |
| 23 | Gustav Olofsson |
| 24 | Jamie Oleksiak |
| 26 | Ryan Winterton |
| 27 | Dennis Cholowski |
| 28 | Carson Soucy |
| 29 | Vince Dunn |
| 30 | Antoine Bibeau |
| 31 | Philipp Grubauer |
| 35 | Joey Daccord |
| 37 | Yanni Gourde |
| 41 | Ryker Evans |
| 43 | Colin Blackwell |
| 55 | Jeremy Lauzon |
| 58 | Connor Carrick |
| 60 | Chris Driedger |
| 61 | Luke Henman |
| 63 | Jacob Melanson |
| 67 | Morgan Geekie |
| 72 | Joonas Donskoi |
| 73 | Kole Lind |
| 90 | Marcus Johansson |
| Number | Player |
| --- | --- |
Camelio explained once a player's jersey number is presented to the league offices, it can't be changed until the 2022-23 season. The only way a jersey number might be altered is if the Kraken were to acquire a veteran player who might desire a certain number and work out a switch with the current Seattle player wearing the number.
"After I made the expansion list with jersey number," Camelio said during a recent interview, "I noted NHL games played."
Games played is typically the deciding factor for NHL jersey numbers. More experience means first choice. Camelio sorted his list by games played to determine which players he called first to make jersey decisions.
Two veteran defensemen that will suit up for the Kraken, Adam Larsson (Edmonton) and Jamie Oleksiak (Dallas), at some point both wore No. 6 for previous teams. Larsson has logged 603 regular season games and 24 playoff games in the NHL compared to a corresponding 369 and 43 for Oleksiak.
"Adam wanted to keep the number and Jamie was great about it," said Camelio.
Oleksiak will wear No. 24 for the Kraken. Astute Seattle fans might recall Oleksiak sported a No. 6 Kraken jersey as one of six players attending the Expansion Draft live event ("What's up, Seattle?!" was his opening remark when handed the stage microphone). Larsson didn't sign until a week later when free agency opened across the league.
Kraken forwards Calle Jarnkrok (Nashville) and McCann (Pittsburgh) both wore No. 19 the last time they stepped on NHL ice for their squads. Jarnkrok's 508 regular season games and 63 playoff contests allowed him to keep the number while McCann (353/12 games) chose No. 16 when wearing the "S" this year.
Hockey traditionalists will recall the NHL numbers tended to stay at 30 or lower for decades. Goalies tended to wear either No. 1 or No. 30 until the late Tony Esposito donned No. 35.
Camelio started as a Nashville assistant equipment manager in 2005 when the number range mostly still kept under the 30-line.
"There were definitely not a lot of high numbers when I started with the Predators," said Camelio.
Notable exceptions date back to 1975-76 season when star player Phil Esposito (Tony's brother) started wearing No. 77 after a trade from Boston to New York.
Then phenom-prospect Wayne Gretzky was playing for juniors team Sioux Ste. Marie (Kraken GM Ron Francis also starred for what was his hometown team) and was wearing No. 19 because another teammate wore his preferred No. 9.
After the Esposito trade and jersey number improvisation, Gretzky settled on No. 99 with encouragement from his coach. Later, prominent NHLers Eric Lindros (88), Paul Coffey (77), Jaromir Jagr (68) and Mario Lemieux (66) copied Esposito and Gretzky in the double-digit trend. Not all teams allowed such creativity back then, but today's NHL squads tend to more open-minded.
In his first role as an NHL head equipment manager, Camelio has handed out a dozen jersey assignments higher than No. 35. Veteran forward Marcus Johansson tops the numerical list at No. 90.
