Milestone Moment: Going Above and Beyond

When a professional hockey player takes to the ice, fans delight in their speed on their skates, the head-to-toe fit of the helmet, jersey, pants, gloves…and their skill as they fire pucks into the net from unbelievable angles. The foundation of all of that lies in the work of a team’s equipment staff, and on Sunday, the Kraken celebrated their own equipment manager, Jeff Camelio as he worked the 2000^th professional game of his career.

“Nobody really knows how much work they do. And out of everyone in the building, they probably work the hardest out of all of us,” Vince Dunn said. “All the credit always goes to them. People who get the chance to see the behind-the-scenes…it's pretty cool for them to realize how much work really goes into preparing for games and practices and just the team’s day-to-day life. For me, having a guy like (Camelio) who's so easy to talk to and makes things so easy for us, it's it makes our job just so easy to just go out there and do it. I think (Camelio) and his staff are the best of the best.”

So, on a night where the team rightly put the spotlight on the equipment manager who’s been with them since day one, we went around the Kraken room to learn more about what makes Camelio such an important part of the team.

On the Clock

Long before any player arrives at the rink, Camelio and his team are hard at work. They usually arrive at 6 AM to make sure that everyone’s gear is exactly as it needs to be for whatever is on the schedule. If it’s a practice day, Camelio is usually working through to 2:30. If it’s a game day, they’re not wrapping up until 11 PM, and if it’s a travel day, no matter what time the team plane lands, tack on two more hours of work for the equipment staff.

Tasks can range from stitching up a tear to sewing numbers on a newly added player’s jersey to having to climb up onto the roof to make sure that the lint vent is clear for the team’s laundry room. It’s “gritty work,” as Matty Beniers described.

“The times where it's 2 AM and we're getting back and everyone's going on the bus or going home, getting in their bed,” Beniers said. “(The equipment staff) is staying behind for another 2-3 hours, taking gear off the plane, putting it on a truck, driving into the rink, setting all of our gear up so we come in the next day, and it's all there, ready and dry. Those are the little things that people don't realize. They are just so important. We're so thankful for him.”

Details. Details.

Jordan Eberle said he learned early in his career that those who maintain your equipment are some of the most important people on the team, especially the head of that department.

“Your gear is your tools to your craft,” Eberle said. “They're the guys who maintain it and take care of it. So (Camelio) is imperative to what we do and what we get done out there.”

But that isn’t always the easiest task.

By his own admission, a smiling Jared McCann admits that hockey players “are a little bit crazy” about their gear. The all-time leading goal scorer for the Kraken confessed that he has a certain length he wants for the laces on his pants so his hands don’t get caught in them. Eberle is very particular about his gloves and sticks. Beniers prefers more protection in his elbow pads.

For each of these requests, Camelio has always worked with the player to find a solution sometimes offering suggestions based on his years of experience.

“Each guy has their own little quirks,” Eberle said. “I think (the equipment staff) does a really good job, especially Jeff, of understanding each guy's needs and what they want. (Some people) might call them superstitions, or I call them routines, but each guy's got their own little thing, and (Jeff’s team) does an amazing job of catering to those needs. And a lot of the times we're probably asking too much, but they never complain.”

And what stands out to a lot of players is how Camelio figures out what players need. He doesn’t just wait for an ask or a concern to be voiced, he’s noticing what needs attention.

“He's really good with that,” McCann said. “He works with guys and makes sure everything is to their liking. He's going to worry about 23 guys and the goalies at the same time. I don't know how he's got the patience. It's pretty incredible.”

That includes when new players join the team. Camelio is proactive in making sure that everything is ready when they come to the Kraken. After leaving the University of Michigan in 2022, before he ever got to Seattle, Beniers got a text from Camelio.

“I remember (Camelio) asking about, my stick, what I use for my skates, gloves, the whole nine yards,” Beniers said. “And he's always checking in, making sure everything's good, checking your gear. For me, I have some old gear. He's sewing things up and making sure I have all the right things to go out there and perform.”

Beyond the Gear.

And because Camelio listens to what players need to do their job, that means he’s there for talk about more than just the curve of your stick blade or the visor on your helmet.

“He's a great listener, a great ear to have, and just an easy guy to talk to,” Jamie Oleksiak said. “Jeff is just so stable and steady. He'll listen to guys. He's just a very eager listener when guys want to vent and whatnot. It's nice having that. When we're kind of going through things mentally and switching things up or overthinking things, he just is a cool head.”

Add in a Dash of Fun.

Dunn mentioned that a lot of equipment staffs focus on the details of getting gear right but that under Camelio’s leadership, there’s some fun, too. There have been custom bobbleheads for those who, decals for shirts, custom shirts (no one would confirm or deny if Camelio had a hand in the infamous Adam Larsson haircut shirt prank last season), and sometimes even some baked goods made by Jeff’s daughter. “That’s something nice for us, too,” Dunn said.

And thanks to Camelio – who goes by the nickname “Jefe” or “Shoots” if you’re Jaden Schwartz - every player’s skate blades have the Kraken logo, the player’s number, and even the player’s last name etched into them. Some (Larsson, Eberle, Oleksiak) even have the player’s nickname.

“It's the little things that he does that you really appreciate,” Oleksiak said. “He's great to have around.”

Team Player.

Camelio isn’t only adored by the players. Perhaps no one understands what he has meant to the game and to the Kraken more than his teammates – assistant equipment managers Kris Stierwalt and James Stucky. Stierwalt praised how detail-oriented and organized Camelio is about everything and said there hasn’t been a problem that his boss hasn’t been able to find an answer to.

“‘In our world, we put in crazy hours and the balance of work life and family life gets blurred by the insanity of the schedule,” Stucky said. “Jeff has modeled a healthy balance of work and family life, and I am very grateful for that example. Mix in him reaching 2000 games and it’s something I truly respect and appreciate.”