Hakstol hired as coach of expansion Kraken
Has 'once-in-a-lifetime opportunity' with Seattle, which becomes NHL's 32nd team for 2021-22 season
Dave Hakstol named first-ever Kraken Head Coach
"Detail, communication is going to be very, very important, not only over the phase over the next few weeks of building the roster, but from there, it's planning on how everything fits together," Hakstol said. "It's planning for training camp, it's preparation for the detail of not just day-to-day, but the minute-to-minute, hour-to-hour details that are needed in training camp to bring a group of guys together that haven't played together before. So it's a very exciting challenge. It's a very exciting opportunity."
The 52-year-old was an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs the past two seasons. Prior to that, he coached the Philadelphia Flyers for parts of four seasons from 2015-18, getting fired 31 games into the 2018-19 season.
The Kraken will enter the NHL as its 32nd team for the 2021-22 season. The 2021 NHL Expansion Draft will be held July 21, and Seattle has the No. 2 pick in the 2021 NHL Draft on July 23.
"I view it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in order to be part of something that we have an opportunity to build from the ground up," Hakstol said.
Kraken general manager Ron Francis said there were 50 to 100 names on the list when the coaching search began. Francis said eight candidates were interviewed for the position, some multiple times. He first talked to Hakstol about the vacancy last summer.
"We wanted someone who had experience, had been a head coach in the NHL before," Francis said. "There are so many things, learning the players, learning the teams, learning the systems, and quite frankly the pace of the NHL is unlike anything else, so we wanted someone who had been through that experience.
"We wanted someone who had good hockey acumen, who understood systems and how to play all three zones and if we had to tweak things, we could do that along the way. We wanted somebody who could communicate that message very clearly and very concisely to our players and the last thing is, we wanted to find an individual who we genuinely felt cared about players and wanted them to reach their potential. When we went through the interview process, the guy we're hiring checked all those boxes continually."
Hakstol went 134-101-42 with the Flyers and led them to the Stanley Cup Playoffs twice, losing in the Eastern Conference First Round in 2016 and 2018.
"There are a lot of things that I solidified and were really cemented in terms of my philosophies," Hakstol said. "There are other things where you grow, you learn and you develop, and all of those experiences -- not just over the last six years (in the NHL) -- all of my experiences are very valuable in terms of how I apply those going forward."
Hakstol said he couldn't put a timeline on when his coaching staff would be completed.
"I can tell you we'll begin working on it immediately," he said. "There's going to be a lot of communication between Ron and myself. I will say as soon as possible, while getting it right for our group."
Hakstol was an assistant coach for Canada at the 2019 IIHF World Championship, when it finished second. Francis was part of the management group, as was Kraken assistant GM Jason Botterill, then the GM of the Buffalo Sabres.
Prior to coaching in the NHL, Hakstol spent 11 seasons as the coach of the University of North Dakota, going 289-143-43. His teams made the NCAA tournament each season and reached the Frozen Four seven times. A defenseman, Hakstol scored 46 points (10 goals, 36 assists) in 107 games during three seasons at North Dakota from 1989-92 and was captain in his final two seasons.
When the Flyers hired him, Hakstol became the third college coach to go straight to the NHL without previous professional coaching experience. Bob Johnson was hired by the Calgary Flames from the University of Wisconsin in 1981, and Ned Harkness went from Cornell University to the Detroit Red Wings in 1970.
"Experience is valuable," Hakstol said. "The first time around that I had the opportunity to be in this spot, I had a great deal of experience working with real good players, working with very dedicated, motivated players, working with great coaches, but I hadn't had the experience of working at the National Hockey League level. There's a different rhythm to the National Hockey League."
Francis said all of Hakstol's body of work, especially at North Dakota, will help him with the Kraken.
"[College hockey] is an environment when you're changing your team on a yearly basis and definitely every four years as guys graduate and move on," Francis said. "That bodes well for building the base and being able to communicate. Then you come into the NHL and gain that experience. He's worked the last couple of years in Toronto with a very young team and been a big part of their growth and progression toward having more success. We think that all bodes well for him in this situation for us."
