Kraken to Start AAA Program

Over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, the Kraken's vision for growing the sport of hockey in Seattle and across the Pacific Northwest was hard at work. At the USA Hockey Junior Council meeting, Kraken Youth Hockey Association was granted approval to launch a AAA/Tier 1 program next season.
The AAA/Tier 1 designation is the highest level of youth hockey in the United States. This level of play allows for greater player development, as well as more opportunities for advancement to juniors, college, and professional levels of the sport. The inception of a AAA program in Seattle is a major step toward keeping the best young athletes in Washington state to pursue their hockey dreams without having to look elsewhere.

The Kraken will fill rosters for 14U, 16U, and 18U Tier 1 teams. Those squads will be among the national-bound teams and play at the highest level of hockey before the Junior designation.
"We want to retain and develop as many players as possible," said Martin Hlinka, youth hockey director for the Kraken. "Right now, many of the top young players are leaving the state for more competitive programs. We aim to build a strong AAA program as a pathway for players - not just the players in our building, but for players across our region. A program of this caliber allows more players to stay with their families, remain part of their communities, and attend their home schools.

"Everyone has a different path of development, but we are excited to offer a new unified AAA path here in Washington. We would like to see players from our program have opportunities to play at the collegiate level and perhaps someday we will see a player from our program drafted into the NHL. We're a long way from that, but the USA Hockey council's approval is a huge step in the right direction."
The Kraken's AAA approval in just its second year of operating a youth hockey association was greatly facilitated by the overwhelming success of the NHL grassroots Learn-to-Play programs, the wide interest among families in the Seattle area, as well as the NHL team's clear intention to provide access to all youth who want to skate and/or play hockey.
"Last season when we started, 270 kids attended our Learn to Play program," said Hlinka. "Since inception, we have over doubled in size and are steadily growing our development opportunities. Our program now includes 19 total teams."
This season, Hlinka and his staff started Jr Kraken select teams at the 10U and 12U levels and grew the youth hockey association from six to nineteen teams overall. In addition to the select teams, the Kraken offers a Jr Squid program that serves the level between Learn-to-Play and Jr Kraken, plus a recreational program for pre-teens and teens who are late starters to skating and hockey. Layering on the AAA teams creates a natural progression for players excelling in the sport and gives them the opportunity to stay and play as the overall competitiveness of the state trends upwards.

No matter what level youth hockey players attain, recreation, college, or professional, Hlinka insists that enjoying the game needs to be the resounding message. Hlinka said he never lost his love for the game over a 15-year professional career and coaching stops in the NCAA and across Europe. He wants all players to play with passion, including his own sons, who happen to all be right-handed defensemen, even though Dad was a lefty-shooting forward.
"It's absolutely about enjoying the game," said Hlinka. "I have played and coached all over the world, experiencing different ways to develop. My passion lies in growing the game with the right energy and focusing on supporting players where they are in their development. We want to retain the top talent in our area," said Hlinka. "Right now, when players turn 14, they begin looking to go elsewhere. Our plan is to offer a program that allows players to play against top competition across the country while living here. We intend to develop players and assist in identifying pathways that open more doors for them."
AAA tryouts will take place at Kraken Community Iceplex April 4-8. Registration is now open and more information can be found at
krakencommunityiceplex.com
.