Jani Nyman’s Adventure 

For many of us, going on a trip can be as simple as booking flights and hotels and getting on our way. But when you’re a 19-year-old NHL prospect from Finland looking to take the next step in your career by playing in the AHL, things get a little more complicated. So, after a season with Ilves (Liiga) in which Jani Nyman won the award for most points by a junior (26-17-43) and set a record for most goals by a player under 20 years old, it was a natural progression to join the Coachella Valley Firebirds.

And the Kraken got to work.

“We want to do anything we can to make our organization and our players feel like what we have here at the Kraken is different and special,” said Brooke Tanner, executive assistant to the general manager. “We want to show them whether they're a draft pick, one of our AHL players, or one of our pros, they're all valued throughout the organization.”

To that end, the process of helping Nyman reach the next step in his career began well before he even stepped onto a plane.

Moving from one country to another introduces a whole other set of challenges than just doing your job. When it comes to doing that in hockey, that’s something the Kraken development staff understands intimately. Jeff Tambellini, Cory Murphy and Frans Nielsen have all moved between Europe and North America as players. As Nyman worked on his craft in Finland, it was Nielsen who fortified the relationship between Nyman and the Kraken: building confidence for the young forward in a new language and strengthening communication channels with the player and his family.

Once Nyman’s playoffs were done, it was time to take the next steps and bring him to Coachella Valley. Tanner is the linchpin in the process that helps non-American players get to the US not just logistically, but with proper immigration and labor paperwork.

“I usually sit down towards the beginning of April or mid-March with management, and we go through the players we're hoping to bring up to Coachella once they finish their junior seasons,” Tanner said. “That gives me time to plan immigration-wise what I need to take care of to get them here in a timely fashion. We want to provide all of the resources that a player needs to feel comfortable because, for a lot of these young players that have never done this, it can be a really intimidating process.”

As Tanner was working on flights, hotels, and visa appointments in Ottawa, Tambellini rounded out a team of people who could support Nyman on his travels. European scout Sasu Hovi assisted with the mountain of required paperwork; Troy Bodie, vice president of hockey operations for the Firebirds, would meet Nyman when he arrived in Coachella Valley; and amateur scout Chris MacDonald was the Kraken prospect’s “host” in Ottawa for the few days he’d work through his immigration process.

Everyone involved – including Nyman – was invited to a group chat titled “Jani Nyman’s Adventure.”

The chat started simply enough. Sunday, Nyman touched base as he made it to his connecting flights. Tanner shared updates on airline changes and asked MacDonald, “Make sure you send some texts as soon as he’s landed (and made it to you).”

MacDonald took the suggestion seriously and “figured I’d add a little content to it.”

Right after Nyman had texted, “I got my bag!!!” there was a photo of a smiling Nyman, Kraken hoodie on, gear acquired and in Ottawa.

MacDonald, who has experience as a teacher and joked that he signed a try-out with the development staff for this assignment, didn’t stop there.

The first priority was getting Nyman to the US Consulate to process his visa.

But then there was time for a little fun, too. Nyman practiced his English, MacDonald practiced his Finnish and along with help from Google Translate, the pair were able to tour Canada’s capital.

There was a visit to the Centennial Flame on Parliament Hill, “We were only two blocks away, and we had to walk right by the Embassy,” MacDonald said.

And then a break for an “iconic” Canadian dessert, a Beavertail.

As well as an enjoyable steak dinner before Nyman would have to wake up early Tuesday morning for the next phase of his travels to Coachella.

The final photo would come from the home of the Firebirds when Nyman set his feet on California soil.

“It was a very fun group chat that was for sure,” Tanner said. “It kept me entertained all weekend.”

The pictures weren’t only fun, they made their way back to Nyman’s family and made her happy to see that her son was safe and looked after. “Credit to the whole Kraken team on that,” MacDonald said.

Asked to reflect on his time with the 2022 Draft pick, MacDonald was thrilled to have played a part in bringing the young player to the United States. He praised the work of his development colleagues and had just one regret: he forgot to give his extra pair of sunglasses to the young Finn before he went to such a sunny locale.

“(Nyman) was really positive,” MacDonald said. “He was very open to learning a lot of whatever he could take in and every now and then, he would pop into (a very) serious mindset where he was focused on ‘how do I what do I need to do to play well in Coachella and be a part of that playoff run?’ And I said ‘that's a great question. It's a better question for the coaching staff in Coachella!’

“But it was good to see him focusing on that. He wanted to go down and workout the next day. (Even after all the tiring travel), Jani wanted to get into his routine and that was very impressive. He had a very free and open mind about getting the most out of this experience.

“He's chomping on the bit for sure.”

And it didn’t take long for that enthusiasm – and the player’s skill – to shine through.

Nyman played with the Firebirds both Friday versus Bakersfield and Sunday against San Diego. In just his second game in the AHL, the “adventure” turned into a little bit of a fairy tale.

With just a few minutes left to go, it was Nyman who scored the game winner. He received first star honors for his efforts.

You have to believe the “Jani Nyman Adventure” chat blew up after that.