News Kraken Team Notes

[Seattle Kraken]

Down on the Farm – Junior seasons begin, J.R. Avon settles in

Welcome to “Down on the Farm,” your weekly Seattle Kraken prospects update. This week we’ll go over the latest prospect news from Kraken training camp, including a number of junior reassignments. We’ll also get into a few exciting professional debuts for Kraken prospects playing overseas.

For our feature this week, we caught up with Jon-Randall Avon (who prefers “J.R.”) the day after he made his Kraken preseason debut in Calgary. We touched on a variety of topics including the trade that brought him to Seattle, his friendship with Tucker Robertson (his counterpart in the trade), and his off-ice interests. Let’s dive in.

J.R. Avon is feeling like himself in fresh start with Kraken​

The Philadelphia Flyers traded the 22-year-old Avon to Seattle just a couple weeks before camp began. Avon told us he had “a little bit of a sense” that he could be on the move from Philadelphia after he sat during Lehigh Valley’s playoff run last season, but it was “still a shock.”

Flyers general manager Daniel Briere told him that “[Avon] and the guy that got traded [back to Philadelphia] were kind of in similar spots of, not necessarily getting pushed aside, but not looked at the same.” So it was an opportunity for a “fresh start” for both with a new organization.

After talking with his parents and agent after the trade, one of the first text messages Avon sent was to his former Peterborough Petes teammate Tucker Robertson, because he thought he was getting the chance to reunite with Robertson again after the two played together for four years in the OHL. Avon recounted, “I texted him saying, ‘Hey, I’m coming to Seattle,’ and then he texted me back saying ‘Hey, I’m going to Philly.'” Avon previously had no idea that Robertson was the return going back to Philadelphia in the deal.

Avon laughed and called the situation “honestly a bit weird” because the two are “good buddies” and “pretty close” after playing together for so long. They have talked a lot since the trade about what to expect in Seattle and Philadelphia.

Right after the trade, Kraken GM Jason Botterill told Avon the organization was “excited to have [his] speed in the lineup.” Avon agrees that his skating is a difference maker for him. “Speed is definitely my big advantage. [The preseason game in Calgary] wasn’t my greatest, but I definitely have speed as one that I can bring to get in on the forecheck, get pucks, and get scoring chances.”

As for his best position, Avon said that he feels like a natural center since that’s the position he played until he arrived in Lehigh Valley. That said, he has played almost exclusively on the wing as a pro, so that position also feels very natural to him at this point. In Tuesday’s preseason game in Calgary, Avon shifted from wing to center after Chandler Stephenson departed with an injury, and Avon noted his center instincts kicked in seamlessly.

Avon conceded he does feel some pressure going into the last year of his contract and with a new organization, but at the same time, he has enjoyed his time in Seattle and feels like he can “play free” with the Kraken. “I feel like I can be myself instead of trying to be someone else.”

Off the ice, Avon is primed to fit in with his Firebirds teammates—including his training camp roommate Jagger Firkus—because one of his favorite hobbies is golf. He said he has gone out to play with Firkus in the Seattle area a couple times already, but he declined to get into who played better because, as he noted with a laugh, they were both “using rentals.” I suspect we might have gotten a more direct answer, if not an unbiased one, from Firkus.

Kraken reassign six from camp to the CHL​

On Monday, the Kraken reassigned six 18- and 19-year-old junior-eligible players from the training camp roster back to their CHL clubs. The reassignments included 2025 first-round pick Jake O’Brien and second-round pick Blake Fiddler, both of whom played in Sunday’s preseason opener against Vancouver and performed well, as they have done throughout camp.

Two junior players remain in camp: Nathan Villeneuve, who is injured and currently rehabbing, and Berkly Catton. Neither player is AHL-eligible this season, so they will need to be offered back to their junior teams if they don’t stick around on the Kraken roster or injured list out of camp.

The #SeaKraken have reassigned the following players to their junior clubs:

Alexis Bernier (@DrakkarBAC)
Jakub Fibigr (@OHLSteelheads)
Blake Fiddler (@EdmOilKings)
Julius Miettinen (@WHLsilvertips)
Jake O’Brien (@BulldogsOHL)
Will Reynolds (@nlregiment)

— Seattle Kraken PR (@SeattleKrakenPR) September 22, 2025

Most of the six reassigned players are returning to highly competitive junior teams. The CHL’s Top-10 Ranking after Week 1 of the season put Fiddler’s Edmonton Oil Kings at No. 3, O’Brien’s Brantford Bulldogs at No. 5, Reynolds’ Newfoundland Regiment at No. 8, and Miettinen’s Everett Silvertips at No. 9.

Catton’s Spokane Chiefs also rank highly, coming in at No. 6 in the poll. Whether Catton joins Spokane’s WHL Championship chase this season is very much in doubt, though. On this week’s episode of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast, I explained the positives I saw in Catton’s play through two preseason games, particularly in Calgary, and why I’ve never been more confident in his ability to stick with the NHL club. My co-hosts John Barr and Darren Brown were more measured in their evaluations, and left the door open that Catton may not be ready for a full-time NHL role this season if he does not continue to progress. I suspect the best read of Catton’s standing falls somewhere in the middle, which makes this one of the top storylines to monitor as the regular season approaches in less than two weeks.

Notes on three Kraken prospects​

Maxim Agafonov | D | Salavat Yulaev Ufa (KHL)​

Last week’s notes section was riddled with injury updates. This week, we’re able to strike a more positive theme: professional debuts. Maxim Agafonov continued his ascent, taking a few shifts in the KHL last Saturday for Salavat Yulaev Ufa. Though his role wasn’t significant—he played just over three-and-a-half minutes in the game—Agafonov’s presence in the KHL alone is notable. Currently, he is the sixth-youngest player active in the KHL—a highly competitive professional league. Not bad for the 2025 fifth-round pick.

Karl Annborn | D | HV71 (SHL)​

Speaking of impressive ascents for a late-round pick, 2025 seventh-round pick Karl Annborn played in his first two games in the SHL, Sweden’s top professional league, over the last week. Similar to Agafonov, Annborn averaged about three-and-a-half minutes of ice time per game as HV71 managed his initial pro exposure.

Visa Vedenpää | G | Kärpät (Liiga)​

After missing almost all of last season, Vedenpaa is healthy and getting his first time in goal in Liiga, Finland’s top professional league. The 20-year-old Vedenpaa entered last Saturday’s game for Karpat when veteran Niklas Rubin departed less than four minutes in. Vedenpaa then earned the start in the team’s next game on Wednesday too. The stat lines aren’t overly impressive, but it is encouraging that Vedenpaa is getting these opportunities after a lost year of development.

Kraken prospects data update​

In our data updates moving forward, we’ll highlight in gold any league debuts. As mentioned above, we have three such debuts this week. Otherwise, the stat lines for Seattle’s overseas prospects were fairly uneventful this week.

Semyon Vyazovoi has played in only one of his KHL team’s seven games to date. He struggled in just 23 minutes in goal in his sole appearance. We’ll need to monitor for news whether his inactivity is injury-related, as I’m inclined to suspect, or due to performance.

Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week​

In what was probably the least-competitive week we have tracked for this “honor”—no skater prospect scored for his club team—goalie Kim Saarinen was legitimately excellent again, turning away 22 of 24 shots in an overtime win for HPK. This earns him a second consecutive early season Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week title. As is (probably) said when it comes to Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week, they don’t ask how, they just ask how many. And Saarinen now has two before most players in Seattle’s organization have even started playing.

Previewing the week ahead​

In our weekly previews moving forward, we’ll highlight in deep sea blue our “Deep Sea Hockey Game of the Week.” This week, Skellefteå’s game on Tuesday at 10:00 am PDT will be broadcast on FloHockey, offering an opportunity to check in on prospect Zeb Forsfjall. Elsewhere, we can expect most of the players Seattle reassigned to the CHL to begin their junior seasons this weekend, starting with Jakub Fibigr and the Brampton Steelheads Friday afternoon at 4:00 pm PDT. Remember that the WHL can be viewed on Victory+ this year and the QMJHL and OHL are on FloHockey now.

Curtis Isacke

Curtis is a Sound Of Hockey contributor and member of the Kraken press corps. Curtis is an attorney by day, and he has read the NHL collective bargaining agreement and bylaws so you don’t have to. He can be found analyzing the Kraken, NHL Draft, and other hockey topics on Twitter and Bluesky @deepseahockey.

Read more from Curtis

The post Down on the Farm – Junior seasons begin, J.R. Avon settles in appeared first on Sound Of Hockey.

Source: https://soundofhockey.com/2025/09/26/down-on-the-farm-junior-seasons-begin-j-r-avon-settles-in/

 

[Seattle Kraken]

Monday Musings: Rolling through the preseason

We’re still in preseason, but with so many thoughts and ideas bouncing around in my head, it felt like the perfect time to fire up the first edition of Monday Musings for the 2025-26 season. If you’re new around here, Monday Musings is where I pull together and share a handful of topics and themes from the past week across the Seattle Kraken world, and sometimes a little beyond.

First big round of cuts​

Last Monday we saw a small round of cuts, but Saturday brought the first real round of assignments. Apart from Nathan Villeneuve, every player was sent to Coachella Valley, and because none of them required waivers, the process was straightforward. Still, any time you see that many names move off the board, it feels like camp is starting to tighten up. Here’s the full list of cuts/assignments:

One name that stood out before the cut: Tyson Jugnauth. We talked about him on the Sound Of Hockey Podcast this week, but he really made the most of his opportunity. It wasn’t his first training camp, but it was his first one under contract, and you could tell he wanted to make an impression. He even got into his first preseason game against the Edmonton Oilers, an eye-opening experience for the 21-year-old defenseman.

"You might be wondering how I got here."

– Tyson Jugnauth (probably), facing TWO STRAIGHT 2-on-1's against Connor McDavid. #SeaKraken

Also, look at the THREE Kraken players running into each other to create the second opportunity. pic.twitter.com/OOnmrzy6FO

— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) September 25, 2025

Jugnauth was never really in the mix to make the Kraken out of camp, but he definitely climbed the organizational depth chart as he heads into his first pro season. On top of that, he’s got a great personality. If you missed his media scrum the day after the Edmonton game, it’s worth a watch.

Bubble players that remain​

With the first big cuts done, the Kraken’s camp roster is now down to 30 players. They’ll need to trim that to 23 by Oct. 6. By my count, that leaves about 10 “bubble players” fighting for the final spots:

Forwards: Berkly Catton, Oscar Fisker Molgaard, John Hayden, Tye Kartye, Ben Meyers, Jani Nyman, Mitchell Stephens, Ryan Winterton

Defensemen: Ville Ottavainen, Cale Fleury

All signs point to Seattle starting the season with three goalies, and with Kaapo Kakko’s injury news (he’s expected to miss six weeks with a broken thumb) this weekend, that leaves room for at most four of these 10 bubble guys. Given that seven defensemen are already locks, those four spots will come from the forward group.

So, who has the inside track? Nyman’s stock has skyrocketed thanks to four goals in three preseason games. Catton also feels destined for the Opening Night roster—the only question is whether he sticks past his nine-game limit or heads back to junior at some point. That leaves two more spots in the game of musical chairs, with Hayden, Kartye, and Winterton all in the running. Each has a legitimate case, but it’s worth noting that both Hayden and Kartye would need to clear waivers if they’re sent down to the AHL.

Other musings​

• As I mentioned earlier, all signs point to the Kraken rolling into the season with three goalies. It’s not ideal, but when you’ve got a stretch in October with seven games in 12 days, the extra insurance makes sense.
• The Kakko injury stings, but it could be worse. Shoulder, knee, and groin injuries always make me nervous—they have a way of nagging all year.
• I was a little surprised to see Jacob Melanson sent down. He looked good enough in camp that I thought he might sneak into the conversation for a fourth-line role. Head coach Lane Lambert talked about him Sunday and said his rookie camp performance was “just ok,” then his training camp showing was better.
• The Kraken spent a healthy chunk of their Sunday practice working on the power play.

Two #SeaKraken power play groups:

Dunn
Catton / Beniers / Nyman
Eberle

Evans
Tolvanen / Marchment / Wright
Schwartz pic.twitter.com/3va0JTtl8P

— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) September 28, 2025

• Some other news from Sunday: Jared McCann and Brandon Montour were back on the ice, skating separately from the main group. After practice, Lambert hinted to the media that both players are expected to be ready for opening night.
• If I had to guess, McCann probably slides into Catton’s spot, while Chandler Stephenson takes over for Tolvanen.
• I actually love preseason hockey. No stress, no stakes—just a chance to watch prospects test themselves against real NHL talent.
• The national media is down on the Kraken this year, and I get the reasoning. But without local insight into what went down last season, their projections miss the bigger picture. I’m not saying Seattle is a playoff favorite, but 76 points? Nah, that’s too conservative.

Goal of the week​

Sicker then your average #OHL #BFD #mnwild pic.twitter.com/7csj4N7jX4

— Brantford Bulldogs (@BulldogsOHL) September 28, 2025

Player performances​

• Julius Miettinen (EVT/SEA) – The Kraken prospect, who missed all of training camp, wasted no time making an impact with Everett. He posted two goals and two assists in his first two games of the season over the weekend.
• Kim Saarinen (HPK/SEA) – One of Seattle’s top-rated goalie prospects is off to a strong start in Liiga, going 3-0-2 with a .919 save percentage. Saarinen is still likely a few seasons away from North America, but the early signs are encouraging.
• Mathis Preston (SPO) – A projected top-10 pick for the 2026 NHL Draft, Preston is already producing in the WHL. He has three goals and four assists through Spokane’s first three games of the season.

Chart of the week​

Excluding empty-net goals, goal differential is a key sign of a team’s potential in the standings. By that measure, the Kraken weren’t too far off last season.

The week ahead​

The Kraken have two preseason games left before things start to count for real. With the roster trimmed down, here are a few things I’ll be watching for:

• Battle for the final roster spots – I’ll be keying in on the play of Hayden, Kartye, and Winterton. All three have a legitimate case to make the team, but at most, only two spots are realistically open.
• The goalies – Matt Murray went the distance in Vancouver, so it will be interesting to see if Lambert gives Philipp Grubauer and Joey Daccord a full game each in the final two. There’s even a scenario where Grubauer gets sent down to Coachella Valley if he can’t deliver the level of play the team needs this year.
• Kraken special teams – Sunday’s practice gave us our first real look at how the coaching staff is approaching the power play. While the personnel is easy to focus on, I’ll be watching closely for strategy: zone entries, puck movement, player rotations. This week could offer the first hints of their plan to start the season.

Closing thoughts​

With the first big round of cuts behind us and just two preseason games left, the Kraken are starting to take shape—but there are still plenty of questions. Who will earn the final roster spots? How will the rookies perform under the bright lights? And how will the coaching staff’s system tweaks and special teams strategy translate once the games actually matter? Preseason is always a mix of promise and uncertainty, and that’s exactly what makes this time of year so fun to watch. As we inch closer to opening night, I’ll be keeping an eye on how these storylines develop, and you can be sure we’ll revisit them in the next edition of Monday Musings.

The post Monday Musings: Rolling through the preseason appeared first on Sound Of Hockey.

Source: https://soundofhockey.com/2025/09/29/monday-musings-rolling-through-the-preseason/

 

[Seattle Kraken]

Three Takeaways – Berkly Catton scores in preseason loss to the Calgary Flames

The Seattle Kraken fell 2-1 in a shootout loss to the Calgary Flames on Monday night. Seattle carried the play most of the game, outshooting Calgary 36-21. The Kraken outshot the Flames in every period, including overtime, but eventually lost in the fourth round of the shootout, when Matvei Gridin scored the winner.

Flames goaltender and Calder Trophy finalist Dustin Wolf stole the show with a .972 save percentage. Seattle generated 3.8 expected goals for, which usually leads to a win. If this had been the regular season, the Kraken at least would have earned a point. It’s not the result they wanted, but the important thing is it’s still preseason, and none of it matters.

Takeaway #1: Berkly Catton scores his first Kraken goal​

The 2024 No. 8 pick flashed his offensive skill and led all Kraken skaters with five shots on goal. He buried a rebound in the second period for his first NHL preseason goal and Seattle’s lone tally.

Berkly Catton buries his first in a Kraken sweater! Seattle jumps ahead 1-0. #SeaKraken pic.twitter.com/Pk0u51HMan

— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) September 30, 2025

Catton looked more confident with the puck and worked well cycling with linemates. He also led Kraken forwards with three blocked shots. His night wasn’t flawless, but it stood out as his best preseason performance yet.

Takeaway #2: Hopefully Dunn is not done​

Vince Dunn has a history with Calgary’s Martin Pospisil, who was suspended in 2023-24 for a dangerous hit on Dunn. For a preseason contest, this game turned physical, with scrums closing both the first and second periods.

In the second, Pospisil caught Dunn with a high stick. Dunn exchanged words while heading to the box and was assessed a minor for roughing. Pospisil received two minors for high-sticking and roughing. Tempers were rising, and it looked like more was coming, but before his penalty expired, Dunn headed to the dressing room and did not return to the game.

#SeaKraken Dunn has words for #Flames Popisill who get 2 minutes for high sticking and 2 minutes for cross-checking. Dunn gets 2 for roughing.

Kraken to the poweplay. pic.twitter.com/dMRqeYTTFP

— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) September 30, 2025

It’s unclear what Dunn’s injury might be. He took the high stick and, just seconds earlier, had blocked a shot that caused him to grimace. After the game, coach Lane Lambert said Dunn was being evaluated.

Seattle already has a growing injury list, and Dunn’s absence would be another significant setback. The Kraken cannot afford to lose him for any significant period.

Takeaway #3: Gruuuuu looked sharp​

Philipp Grubauer was tested early when Calgary forward Matt Coronato broke free for a wrist shot on the game’s first chance. The German Gentleman turned it aside and cleared the rebound, preventing Seattle from falling behind early. The Kraken responded with 17 first-period shots.

Big stop by Gruu!!! He’s sharp early. #SeaKraken pic.twitter.com/JymihwkNGH

— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) September 30, 2025

Goaltenders often say seeing pucks early helps them settle in. Grubauer was sharp from the start and finished with a .952 save percentage. This loss wasn’t on him, and Seattle will hope his strong play carries into the regular season.

Strong performance, but no result​

The Kraken played a physical, structured game, and on most nights would have come away with the win. In the NHL, though, all teams can win on any give night.

The forward lines looked steady, with Mason Marchment, Shane Wright, and Eeli Tolvanen standing out as a potential regular-season trio.

Seattle closes the preseason Wednesday against the Edmonton Oilers in a matchup expected to feature a roster closer to resembling the Opening Night lineup.

Blaiz Grubic​

Blaiz Grubic is a contributor at Sound Of Hockey. A passionate hockey fan and player for over 30 years, Blaiz grew up in the Pacific Northwest and is an alumni of Washington State University (Go Cougs!). When he’s not playing, watching, or writing about hockey, he enjoys quality time with his wife and daughter or getting out on a golf course for a quick round. Follow @blaizg on BlueSky or X.

Read more from Blaiz

The post Three Takeaways – Berkly Catton scores in preseason loss to the Calgary Flames appeared first on Sound Of Hockey.

Source: https://soundofhockey.com/2025/09/3...ores-in-preseason-loss-to-the-calgary-flames/

 

[Seattle Kraken]

Photo Gallery – Kraken vs Flames – Sept 29th

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The post Photo Gallery – Kraken vs Flames – Sept 29th appeared first on Sound Of Hockey.

Source: https://soundofhockey.com/2025/09/29/photo-gallery-kraken-vs-flames-sept-29th/

 

[Seattle Kraken]

Preseason 2026 NHL Draft data-only watchlist

With CHL seasons now underway, junior hockey leagues across the world are back on the ice for games. That means it’s time to publish our annual “preseason” NHL Draft watchlist. Several public scouting and analysis resources have published lists with a handful high-end players to watch. We’re digging deeper, giving you a list of 200 first-time eligible and 100 re-entry candidates for you to follow as the season progresses.

The “Data Score” approach​

This is not a traditional scouting assessment of prospects. Instead, as in years past, we built our watchlist using quantifiable data only. Think of it as a supplement to the scouting and analytical work on prospects being published by other sources like Elite Prospects. It can be revealing in its areas of agreement or disagreement with the work of traditional scouting services.

What does our data-only analysis involve? As I have done in years past when looking at NHL Draft prospects (or NHL-affiliated prospects), I have organized this player list by “Data Score”—a rough metric we came up with here at Sound Of Hockey. Data Score begins with the bedrock of an NHL equivalency (“NHLe”). NHLe is a method to compare the scoring proficiency of players in the various professional and junior leagues across the globe. I used Thibaud Chatel’s model, which is the most up-to-date public research in the area. Check out Chatel’s Substack for an in-depth discussion of NHLe. For this project, I used Chatel’s newest model, which has been updated to account for 2024-25 season data.

What’s new this year? In contrast with years past when I looked at only a one-year sample to create this list, this time I applied this NHLe to multiple years of scoring data for these prospects—specifically the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons. More recent play is given more weight. I think this is an important upgrade to the approach and one I will be continuing to iterate on moving forward.

After deriving an NHLe from the scoring data, I then make adjustments for age, height, and position, as well as a modest upward adjustment to the NHLe for low-scoring players playing in high-level professional leagues. I then normalize the resulting output and call it the prospect’s “Data Score.” This number no longer projects NHL scoring but is (hopefully) useful in describing the relative strength of prospects. I’ve gone through the methodology in more detail previously here and here.

After refining my data-gathering methods, the full watchlist, which will be made available to Sound Of Hockey Patreon members shortly, covers approximately 25,000 draft eligible skaters. This is up dramatically from the lists of approximately 10,000 skaters I have made in previous years.

The 2026 NHL Draft watchlist​

The draft has at least one elite player at the top in Gavin McKenna. I compiled all potentially draft-eligible prospects for the 2026 NHL Draft before filtering out those who had already been selected in previous drafts. Even if those drafted players were left in consideration, Gavin McKenna would be the second overall prospect on the list, behind only Macklin Celebrini, who played last year in the NHL. McKenna’s scoring profile, at his age, is rare.

Beyond McKenna, the top 10 to 15 of this draft looks quite strong. Forward Ryan Roobroeck’s name seems to get lost in the shuffle when discussing the high-end players in this class, but he has piled up 139 points in 127 OHL games over the last two seasons for the Niagara IceDogs. He has the chance to be a star. Beyond him, there are a number of interesting defense prospects, including two-way force Keaton Verhoeff and the QMJHL’s undersized point-producing dynamo Xavier Villeneuve.

Revisiting the 2025 NHL Draft preseason list​

How much can you learn about a player’s draft projection from looking at biometric data and scoring data from seasons before the draft year in question? As you might expect, it’s not perfect. Players—particularly first-time draft-eligible players—often take a very large statistical leap in their draft seasons as they continue to mature.

For example, Matthew Schaefer averaged only .30 points per game in his draft-minus-one year, which contributed to his placement at No. 57 overall on the 2025 NHL Draft preseason watchlist. He then proceeded to electrify scouts with his international play and piled up 1.29 points per game in the OHL in an injury-shortened draft season en route to becoming the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.

Could another elite player emerge from lower in the top 100 this year? It’s certainly possible. And there are always going to be players that teams and scouts “like” (or “dislike”) more than their scoring data would suggest.

That said, it is remarkable how much you can learn even from scoring data predating the draft year. Looking back at the top-32 first-time eligible prospects on our 2025 NHL Draft preseason watchlist, draftniks will see a lot of familiar names. Nine of the top-11 picks are there, as are 15 first-round picks overall. If you extend to look at the first-time eligible skaters ranked from 33 to 64 on our preseason list, you’ll find seven more first-round ricks, including Schaefer.

Similarly, if you rewind to our 2024 NHL Draft preseason watchlist, you’ll find that four-of-the-top five picks in the 2024 Draft were in our preseason top 32, as well as 15 first-round picks overall.

These results almost replicate the success rate of source-consulting prospect analysts evaluating the prospect landscape at this time of year. For example, last year at this time, Corey Pronman—who is as well-sourced as any prospect analyst currently working—correctly predicted 19 first-round skaters on his initial 2025 draft first-round board.

The accuracy of the watchlist as a predictive tool declines the deeper you go into it, but the success rate at the top of the list gives me confidence that the Data Score approach can serve its purpose as a guide to tracking players who could end being high draft picks.

Other watchlist takeaways and local connections​

The run of top prospects playing junior hockey in the Pacific Northwest has not broken yet. No. 11 ranked Mathis Preston and No. 18 ranked Chase Harrington will play for the Spokane Chiefs of the WHL this season. And even though the Victoria Royals lost Verhoeff to the University of North Dakota there are other intriguing prospects playing throughout the WHL’s Western Conference. No. 6 ranked defenseman Ryan Lin will play for the Vancouver Giants and No. 13 ranked defenseman Carson Carels will play for the Prince George Cougars.

Looking at the league landscape, eight players on our preseason top-32 first-time eligible prospects watchlist played their draft minus-one seasons in the WHL, which tied with the OHL for most overall. Add in 3 from the QMJHL and 19 of the top 32 played in the CHL. This underscores the strength of that league—at least before the NCAA rule changes that resulted in several prominent players opting to play college hockey in their draft years, including Verhoeff and McKenna.

* * *

Do you have any questions? Reach out to us in the comments below or on Twitter/X @deepseahockey or @sound_hockey or on BlueSky at @deepseahockey or @soundofhockey.com.

Header photo of Mathis Preston taken by Brian Liesse, courtesy Seattle Thunderbirds.

Curtis Isacke

Curtis is a Sound Of Hockey contributor and member of the Kraken press corps. Curtis is an attorney by day, and he has read the NHL collective bargaining agreement and bylaws so you don’t have to. He can be found analyzing the Kraken, NHL Draft, and other hockey topics on Twitter and Bluesky @deepseahockey.

Read more from Curtis

The post Preseason 2026 NHL Draft data-only watchlist appeared first on Sound Of Hockey.

Source: https://soundofhockey.com/2025/10/01/preseason-2026-nhl-draft-data-only-watchlist/

 

[Seattle Kraken]

Photo Gallery – Kraken vs Oilers – Oct 1st

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The post Photo Gallery – Kraken vs Oilers – Oct 1st appeared first on Sound Of Hockey.

Source: https://soundofhockey.com/2025/10/01/photo-gallery-kraken-vs-oilers-oct-1st/

 

[Seattle Kraken]

Three Takeaways – Ryan Winterton nets two in Kraken preseason win over Oilers

The Seattle Kraken wrapped up their preseason schedule with a 4-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday. Winning and losing doesn’t matter much in preseason, but it’s still nice to finish with a winning record at 3-2-1. This game also marked the end of training camp. The team will have the next two days off for team-building activities before returning to practice Saturday in preparation for the regular-season opener at home against the Anaheim Ducks on Oct. 9.

Here are Three Takeaways from a 4-2 Kraken win over the Oilers.

Takeaway #1: Special teams​

The Kraken special teams got plenty of work in this one. In the first period alone, there were eight penalties, four for each team. The period ended 3-1 in Seattle’s favor, and all three Kraken goals came on special teams. Josh Mahura and Eeli Tolvanen scored power-play goals with blasts from the point, while Ryan Winterton added a shorthanded tally after intercepting a poor pass by Edmonton goalie Calvin Pickard below the goal line and wrapping it into an open net. Tolvanen’s goal came during a 5-on-3. Jaden Schwartz provided the screen on both of the power-play goals by Mahura and Tolvanen.

EEEEELI Goalvanen rips a rocket! #SeaKraken take a 3-0 lead. pic.twitter.com/1XNOc25mqs

— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) October 2, 2025

Seattle’s penalty kill technically gave up just one power-play goal on five Edmonton attempts, including some 5-on-3 time. However, the Oilers’ second goal came seven seconds after a penalty expired, showing there’s still work to do in cleaning up those situations. Last season, Seattle occasionally allowed goals just after a kill or power play, an area that could still use improvement.

Berkly Catton had a rough night, spending time in the box for three stick penalties. Coach Lane Lambert said, “He’s not the only one who took stick penalties and hooking and this and that. We just have to clean that up overall, as a group.”

Takeaway #2: Slow start in the second​

Seattle jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period and almost looked like they expected Edmonton to fold. After the Oilers scored late in the first and started the second on the power play, momentum shifted. The Kraken struggled to clear the zone, and Edmonton cut the deficit to one. Joey Daccord held strong as Seattle adopted a bend-don’t-break approach for about 10 minutes before regaining some offensive push.

On one hand, it was good to see Seattle weather the storm, but this is not a formula for consistent success. Coach Lambert noticed the lack of spark and shuffled the right wingers, moving Tolvanen, Winterton, and Jani Nyman around. The change worked, and Seattle began generating chances again, finishing the period ahead 3-2.

Nyman hops up with Schwartz and Wright and nearly cashes in, but Pickard outwaits him. #SeaKraken still holding a 3-2 lead. pic.twitter.com/hqiJsFbhvt

— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) October 2, 2025

Takeaway #3: Winterton’s big night​

For a guy battling for one of the final roster spots, Winterton definitely left a solid final impression in the minds of the front office and coaches on Wednesday. The 22-year-old winger had two goals, including a shorthanded tally, despite getting just 10:07 of ice time. His second came early in the third to restore a two-goal cushion. Off a slick feed from Freddy Gaudreau, Winterton corralled the pass on his backhand, shifted to his forehand, and lifted it over Pickard’s glove. These were the first goals of the preseason for the 22-year-old forward.

Winterton started the night with Schwartz and Shane Wright, but with so many early penalties, he rarely played with them. He later settled in alongside Tye Kartye and Gaudreau, and the trio clicked well. Asked if he got what he wanted from shuffling the right wings, Lambert replied, “I did out of Winterton.”

Winterton earned first-star honors and yeeted the fish after the game.

Looking ahead to the regular season​

There are still roster decisions to come, but preseason is in the books. Now, the focus shifts to the regular season and hopefully getting a couple key players back from injury in time for the meaningful games. Despite dealing with injuries, Seattle finished with a winning record (3-2-1), and all three goaltenders turned in solid performances. Adding Matt Murray provides extra competition in the crease, which should help push everyone.

Nyman didn’t score Thursday but saw time with Wright and Schwartz, where he looked comfortable and got some scoring chances. He consistently gets into scoring positions, but he seems to need a playmaker to set him up.

How do you think this preseason went for the Kraken? Are you more or less optimistic about the upcoming season? Comment below.

Blaiz Grubic​

Blaiz Grubic is a contributor at Sound Of Hockey. A passionate hockey fan and player for over 30 years, Blaiz grew up in the Pacific Northwest and is an alumni of Washington State University (Go Cougs!). When he’s not playing, watching, or writing about hockey, he enjoys quality time with his wife and daughter or getting out on a golf course for a quick round. Follow @blaizg on BlueSky or X.

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The post Three Takeaways – Ryan Winterton nets two in Kraken preseason win over Oilers appeared first on Sound Of Hockey.

Source: https://soundofhockey.com/2025/10/0...nets-two-in-kraken-preseason-win-over-oilers/

 

[Seattle Kraken]

Down on the Farm – Catton makes his case for the NHL roster

Welcome to “Down on the Farm,” your weekly Seattle Kraken prospects update. This week we’ll cover the latest prospect news from Kraken training camp, as well as the week that was for Kraken prospects playing in junior leagues and overseas. For our feature this week, we reviewed every shift from Berkly Catton’s five preseason games to evaluate where he stands in his quest to become an NHL regular. Let’s dive in.

Catton proves he is ready for NHL time, but must continue to develop​

Though the Kaapo Kakko injury likely ended any conversation on whether Berkly Catton will make the NHL roster to begin the year (he will), Catton has been very active this preseason attempting to show that he is ready for a full-time NHL role. From my perspective, there has been far more good than bad.

Catton began camp playing center where he showed the speed necessary to traverse the rink end-to-end, getting low in support in the defensive zone before joining or leading the rush the opposite direction. This is an important trait for a center in new coach Lane Lambert’s system, which asks a lot of its centers defensively. From the center position, Catton was all over the ice hunting the puck. He won more than his share of puck battles and was undaunted physically even if he wasn’t able to body defenders away from the puck due to his stature.

Offensively, Catton regularly set up his teammates with crisp, pinpoint passes to take open ice in transition or for shots in the offensive zone. There were shades of rookie Shane Wright in Catton’s passing game where Catton would rush a no-look feed not realizing he had another split second to make a more accurate pass. As with Wright, this is correctible with repetitions at pro pace.

Similarly, Catton was overly aggressive at times, particularly with east-west passes along the offensive and defensive blue lines. The NHL game is all about speed and pressure, and those plays could lead to bad turnovers as opponents scout and key in on it. Taking the simpler north-south play more often and trusting his puck possession skill a bit more will help him there.

In transition, Catton is one of Seattle’s best players already with the pace, puck handling, and vision to dice up opposing forechecks and get into the offensive zone with possession. This was even more notable when he was playing on the wing in the latter portion of the preseason. At the wing position, Catton is more likely to find himself high in the defensive zone when a turnover occurs, and this gives him a chance to create breakaway chances or other transition advantages (as he did early in the Vancouver game, see below).

Catton has a quick release on his shot and good offensive instincts to get to the scoring areas where he can find rebounds, deflections, or passes from his teammates. That said, the shot is not particularly hard or pinpoint by NHL standards right now. This is something that a 19-year-old player can continue to develop.

Most concerning from an NHL perspective is his instinct to tie up an opponent with his stick after losing a puck battle. We talked about this as something that showed up in his junior games. It was particularly glaring in the team’s final preseason game when he took three minor penalties on plays of this kind. Put simply, that cannot happen. Catton will be off the team if he’s taking penalties with regularity. The solve for Catton is in more conservative body positioning that protects against a breakaway, even if he loses some advantage in a puck battle, and in trusting his feet more defensively. He can catch just about anyone if he’s skating.

Kraken reassign 20 players to the AHL, waive Meyers and Stephens​

Last Saturday the Kraken reassigned forwards J.R. Avon, Jagger Firkus, David Goyette, Justin Janicke, Andrei Loshko, Ian McKinnon, Jacob Melanson, Logan Morrison, Carson Rehkopf, Lleyton Roed, and Eduard Sale, defensemen Lukas Dragicevic, Kaden Hammell, Tyson Jugnauth, Ty Nelson, Gustav Olofsson, and Caden Price, and goaltenders Nikke Kokko, Jack LaFontaine, and Victor Ostman to the Coachella Valley Firebirds.

All of these players could be reassigned to the AHL directly without waivers because they were either signed to AHL contracts (Janicke, McKinnon, Olofsson, and Lafontaine) or waivers-exempt. Melanson is the only player in this group that I thought had a legitimate chance at the Opening Night roster. I still believe he has a shot to play NHL games this year if he can keep pushing.

On Thursday, Oct. 2, the team waived forwards Ben Meyers and Mitchell Stephens for the purpose of reassigning those players to the AHL. If no other teams claim them, they will join the Firebirds too. Waiver claims will be reported at 11:00 am PT on Friday, Oct. 3. Meyers and Stephens are top depth players who will play in the top-six for Coachella Valley and should see NHL games at some point during the year.

[Author’s Note, Fri, Oct. 3, 2:00 pm PDT: Meyers and Stephens cleared waivers and will report to Coachella Valley.]

Within the last week, the team has also placed injured forward Kaapo Kakko (out six weeks) and defenseman Ryker Evans (out six-to-eight weeks) on injured reserve, which opens their rosters spots for other players.

These moves, along with one more noted below, leave the team with 26 players in camp for 23 spots. Forwards Oscar Fisker Molgaard, Ryan Winterton, and Jani Nyman, and defenseman Ville Ottavaien, could all be reassigned to the AHL without waivers. Forwards John Hayden and Tye Kartye, defenseman Cale Fleury, and goalies Matt Murray and Philipp Grubauer would all require waivers to be reassigned. One or both of the backup goalies will stick to begin the year. (I suspect the answer will be “both.”)

It’s also worth reminding that Catton cannot go to the AHL because of his age and the CHL/NHL transfer agreement that bars 19-year-old CHL players from the AHL.

Notes on three more Kraken players​

Max McCormick | F | Coachella Valley Firebirds (AHL)​

On Tuesday, Sept. 30, the Coachella Valley Firebirds announced that the team’s first and only captain, forward Max McCormick, would miss the season with a hip injury. This is a difficult blow for the AHL club, both from a leadership and production perspective. McCormick had a knack for getting to the goal front and producing when the Firebirds most needed it. The team made it to the Calder Cup Finals both years McCormick was healthy and in the lineup for the AHL playoffs before faltering without him last year.

The Kraken television broadcast mentioned John Hayden as the captain of the Firebirds during a preseason contest earlier this week. It would be a worthy title for Hayden, assuming he’s not needed on the NHL roster to begin the year.

Nathan Villeneuve | F | Sudbury Wolves (OHL)​

In addition to the AHL reassignments noted above, the team also reassigned injured forward Nathan Villeneuve to his junior team, the Sudbury Wolves of the OHL, leaving Catton as the only 18- or 19-year-old junior-eligible player still in camp. While Villeneuve was always a long shot to remain with the team after camp, the injury was a disheartening development for a young player who was pushing for the second-straight camp displaying some pro-ready aspects of his game. Instead, he’ll look to finish his junior career on a high note before turning pro after his OHL season ends.

Julius Miettinen | F | Everett Silvertips (WHL)​

Julius Miettinen missed all of Kraken camp with an upper-body injury, but he was back in the lineup for the Everett Silvertips right away, and he made an immediate impact. He scored twice and added an assist in last Friday’s game against the Wenatchee Wild. After adding another assist on Saturday, Miettinen is your Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week.

[Author’s Note, Fri, Oct. 3, 2:00 pm PDT: Miettinen’s new week is off to a good start too, with the Kraken announcing that they have signed him to an entry-level contract.]

The Finnishing touch
Julius Miettinen's 2nd of the night puts @WHLsilvertips up 3-1. #WHLOpeningWeek | @SeattleKraken | #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/0uwz9xCpPz

— Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) September 28, 2025

Kraken prospects data update​

Loke Krantz also had a case for player of the week, scoring two goals and recording an assist in his only game for Linkoping HC U20. The degree of difficulty involved in tallying three points immediately after missing a few weeks with an injury tipped the scales in Miettinen’s favor, though.

Beyond Miettinen, Jakub Fibigr, Jake O’Brien, Blake Fiddler, and Will Reynolds also returned to their junior lineups last weekend. Fibigr, O’Brien, and Fiddler wasted no time getting on the scoresheet.

Semyon Vyazovoi returned to the crease for Salavat Yulaev Ufa for the first time in more than two weeks. The raw results were not spectacular (five goals against on 37 shots), but it was good to see him back in net and playing a full game for the first time this season. He’ll look to build on this performance moving forward.

Kim Saarinen continues to draw regular starts for HPK and perform well. He was 2-0-1 this week with a 1.99 goals-against average. Among all Liiga goalies with at least five starts, Saarinen is first in GAA (1.79) and second in save percentage (.912).

Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week tracker​

2: Kim Saarinen

1: Julius Miettinen

Seattle’s Finnish prospects are now three-for-three, though you could argue the Swedish Krantz was unjustly denied this week.

Previewing the week ahead​

Barrett Hall and St. Cloud State kick off their NCAA season today, Oct. 3, against Augustana University. Zaccharya Wisdom will likely debut for his new NCAA team, Western Michigan University, next Thursday, Oct. 9, against Ferris State University.

The Deep Sea Hockey Game of the Week is a matchup in Sweden’s U20 league between Krantz’s Linkoping HC and Karl Annborn’s HV71. Annborn had been playing up with the senior HV71 team, but he was absent from the senior lineup on Thursday, Oct. 2, which could indicate he’s back with the U20 team. If so, we’ll get our first Kraken prospect head-to-head game of the 2025-26 season.

Tracking 2026 NHL Draft prospects​

If you’re here, you likely have an affinity for following players who will be the next stars of the NHL game. We recently published our preseason 2026 NHL Draft watchlist. Consensus top prospect Gavin McKenna will make his NCAA debut for Penn State University on Friday. You can watch the game on NHL Network or the NHL YouTube page.

Recent prospect updates​

September 26, 2025: Junior seasons begin, J.R. Avon settles in

* * *

If you have a prospect-related question you’d like to see featured in a future column, drop us a note below or on X or BlueSky @deepseahockey.

Curtis Isacke

Curtis is a Sound Of Hockey contributor and member of the Kraken press corps. Curtis is an attorney by day, and he has read the NHL collective bargaining agreement and bylaws so you don’t have to. He can be found analyzing the Kraken, NHL Draft, and other hockey topics on Twitter and Bluesky @deepseahockey.

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The post Down on the Farm – Catton makes his case for the NHL roster appeared first on Sound Of Hockey.

Source: https://soundofhockey.com/2025/10/03/down-on-the-farm-catton-makes-his-case-for-the-nhl-roster/

 

[Seattle Kraken]

Monday Musings: The return of Seattle Kraken hockey

The preseason is done, and we’re just days away from the season opener at Climate Pledge Arena on Thursday night, when the Seattle Kraken take on the Anaheim Ducks.

Every season starts with a sense of optimism, and this one is no different. With seemingly every media outlet down on the Kraken’s playoff chances, Seattle should come into the year with a chip on its shoulder and a “prove them wrong” mindset.

I’m not saying this is a no-doubt playoff team, but I do think they’ll be more competitive than pundits are giving them credit for. One of the biggest challenges last season was defensive structure, and the arrival of new head coach Lane Lambert should help tighten that up. The Kraken also made some subtle but strategic moves this offseason, acquiring Mason Marchment and Frederick Gaudreau, along with free-agent signings of defenseman Ryan Lindgren and goaltender Matt Murray. None of these moves are flashy, but each one addresses a specific need.

The return to depth scoring?​

One of the keys to success for the Kraken this season will be rediscovering the depth scoring they had in 2022–23. That season, Seattle was one of just six teams with six or more players scoring 20-plus goals. During 2024–25, four teams hit that mark—and all four made the playoffs. There’s nothing magical about the 20-goal threshold, but it’s a solid indicator of depth scoring.

In fact, the Kraken’s 2022–23 success went deeper than just their top scorers. Beyond their 20-goal players, another seven skaters had 13-plus goals that year.

To see how Seattle’s current depth stacks up against the Pacific Division, I did a quick analysis. I looked at each team’s current roster, summed total goals over the past three seasons, and divided by total games played to get an average goals-per-game rate. I filtered out anyone with fewer than 50 games over that stretch, then isolated the top 12 forwards and top six defensemen for each team to visualize potential depth scoring.

The chart below gives a quick snapshot of where each Pacific team’s goals are likely coming from by using the players’ historical scoring rates as a proxy:

This is a simple analysis, but it highlights how the Kraken are light on elite goal scoring (the “dark red” tier) yet well stocked in the middle tiers. Collectively, their roster averaged the fourth-most goals per game (3.201) in the division over the last three seasons. The blank cells indicate players with fewer than 50 NHL games during that span—guys like Berkly Catton, Jani Nyman, and Ryan Winterton.

Berkly Catton has made the team… for now​

One of the biggest preseason questions was whether Berkly Catton would make the roster and play more than nine games, the threshold for burning a year off his entry-level contract. Step 1 was simply being on the roster at the NHL’s deadline, and as one of 23 players who made that cut, he’s cleared that first hurdle.

a Berkly Catton goal to bless your timeline ‍ pic.twitter.com/DwfxLiq6tL

— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) September 30, 2025

Catton has shown flashes that he can play at the NHL level. He looked terrific in the preseason game against Calgary, but also had a rough outing against Edmonton, taking three penalties in the first period and committing a couple of turnovers. The talent is clearly there, but the jump from junior to the NHL is huge, and he’ll need time to adjust to the pace and physicality. He’s still learning, but every shift he plays this season is another step toward becoming a cornerstone piece for Seattle’s future.

It’s worth noting how rare it is for a 19-year-old rookie to play a full NHL season. Last year, only two did: Matvei Michkov (26 goals, 37 assists) and Will Smith (18 goals, 27 assists). If Catton sticks and produces at Smith’s level, that would be a massive success.

Other Musings​

• The Kraken trimmed the roster to the NHL-required 23 players on Monday, meaning Catton, Nyman, and Winterton have made it, for now. The team isn’t required to stay at 23, though.
• The real intrigue will be how those three slot into the lineup. At least one should dress on Thursday.
• Fun fact: Ryan Winterton has played the most NHL games of any third-round pick from the 2021 Draft.
• Frederick Gaudreau scored in the shootout last Monday. He’s a shootout dynamo, converting 52.6 percent of his career attempts, the best on the Kraken and fifth-highest in the NHL.
• Seattle’s 2025 first-round pick, Jake O’Brien, was injured in the final 20 seconds of Brantford’s game against Windsor on Saturday and needed help off the ice.
• In case you missed it, Joey Daccord had his jersey retired by Arizona State University. Watch here.
• The much-anticipated PWHL schedule dropped earlier this week, with PWHL Seattle’s home debut set for November 28 (Black Friday).
• Only four home games in October! That must mean it’s road trip season.
• The AHL kicks off this week, and Coachella Valley’s young roster is packed with Kraken prospects. This should be a fun Firebirds season to keep tabs on.

Goal of the week​

Let’s see what one of the Geekies has been up to.

This was nasty pic.twitter.com/NqOwSoKsF8

— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) October 3, 2025

Player performances​

Julius Miettinen (EVT/SEA) – The newly signed Kraken prospect was on fire this weekend, posting four goals and three assists in three games.

Kim Saarinen (HPK/SEA) – The Finnish netminder and Kraken prospect is off to a strong start in Liiga, going 4-0-3 with a 1.82 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage.

Ryan Winterton (SEA) – It’s only preseason, but Winterton impressed with two goals in the finale. He might slot into the fourth line, but don’t expect it to be a “traditional” grinding fourth line. He has also skated on the third line in recent practices, with Jani Nyman on the fourth.

The week ahead​

The Kraken open their season at home with two great matchups: the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday and the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday.

With Joel Quenneville back behind the bench in Anaheim and a promising young core, the Ducks are expected to take a step forward this year. Both teams want to be in the playoff hunt come April, so even though it’s just one game, this matchup matters for early division positioning.

Saturday’s tilt with Vegas will be a real test. The Golden Knights are, in my opinion, the best team in the Pacific and maybe the entire NHL. It’ll be fascinating to see how the Kraken’s depth and Lane Lambert’s system stack up against Vegas’s firepower.

And finally…​

A huge thank you to everyone who came out to Sound Of Hockey Fest over the weekend, and to all of our incredible guests. I’m constantly blown away by this community’s passion; it’s what keeps us inspired to do what we do here at Sound Of Hockey.

Good morning! What a weekend!

The first part of our Sound Of Hockey Fest live recording is out, featuring @TheVoiceFitz.

Everett did a heel turn early on, but man we had some laughs.

The rest of the recording will publish tomorrow.

https://t.co/yB0PNUTzCD pic.twitter.com/f5mMGpDiOJ

— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) October 6, 2025

Let’s have a great season—and as always, Go Kraken!

The post Monday Musings: The return of Seattle Kraken hockey appeared first on Sound Of Hockey.

Source: https://soundofhockey.com/2025/10/06/monday-musings-the-return-of-seattle-kraken-hockey/

 

[Seattle Kraken]

Kraken Notebook: Opening Night roster set, Joey Daccord’s big night at ASU

Here we go! The Seattle Kraken’s Opening Night roster is officially set, with the team making its final cuts on Sunday. John Hayden cleared waivers to get to the Coachella Valley Firebirds, while Ville Ottavainen and Oscar Fisker Mølgaard were also assigned to the AHL affiliate. With Kaapo Kakko and Ryker Evans beginning the season on injured reserve, Seattle now sits at the 23-man roster limit, keeping one extra forward, one extra defenseman, and three goalies.

In this Kraken Notebook, we’ll examine where some of the young players (and Cale Fleury, who is not exactly a “young” player anymore) fit into the mix, and we’ll hear from Joey Daccord about what it meant to him and his family to have his number retired by Arizona State University over the weekend.

“The kids” will play a big role​

Seattle’s front office has maintained since the end of last season that it wanted to improve the roster over the summer while also leaving opportunities for young players to break into the NHL lineup.

Indeed, the Kraken kept Jani Nyman and Berkly Catton—something that always seemed likely from the start of training camp—while Ryan Winterton played his way into the conversation and ultimately secured a roster spot with a two-goal exclamation mark in the preseason finale against the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday.

While these players’ inclusion on the Opening Night roster doesn’t guarantee they’ll stick around for the entire season, it’s significant to be part of this initial group. And even for players like Fisker Mølgaard and Ottavainen, simply reaching the final round of cuts is noteworthy.

“It means a lot because you’re in the final stages here,” head coach Lane Lambert said on Sunday. “And let’s be clear, this is an NHL season, which is 82 games. It’s an Olympic year, which condenses those 82 games, and you’re going to need players. There’s a lot of games in a short period of time, and so anyone who’s here at this point in time… it bodes well for them, for sure.”

Exactly how the remaining young players will be used remains to be seen. 19-year-old Catton took a step in the wrong direction in his final preseason game, getting called for three separate stick infractions and turning the puck over multiple times. 22-year-old Winterton, meanwhile, took another step forward with his strong performance, and Nyman has apparently landed in a fourth-line role.

Since that final exhibition, practice lines have given us a clearer idea of how Lambert plans to deploy his youngsters early on.

#SeaKraken lines:

Eberle / Beniers / McCann
Schwartz / Wright / Tolvanen
Marchment / Stephenson / Winterton
Kartye / Gaudreau / Nyman
Catton / Fisker Molgaard (Extras)

Dunn / Larsson
Lindgren / Fleury
Oleksiak / Mahura
Ottavainen
(Defense rotating) pic.twitter.com/uGknRTBgK6

— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) October 5, 2025

Try to limit your outrage when Catton is a healthy scratch early in the season. Staying with the Kraken is valuable for his development, even if it means primarily practicing with the team and only getting into occasional games.

It’s also notable to see Winterton slotted on a third line with Mason Marchment and Chandler Stephenson. The winger clearly made major strides in his offseason training, and after knocking on the door in previous years, he’ll now look to prove he belongs in the NHL full time.

This is the time for Cale Fleury​

On the back end, an opportunity has emerged for 26-year-old Cale Fleury to finally stick in the NHL—at least for a while.

With Evans out for at least the first month and Brandon Montour’s status still uncertain (he did not skate Sunday, and Lambert said he remains day to day as he recovers from a procedure to remove a bursa from his ankle), Fleury has made the roster.

“I think he’s shown himself very well in camp,” Lambert said. “First of all, he’s done a pretty good job on that second unit power play in the absence of [Vince] Dunn and Montour overall. He’s shown me the ability to defend, and he is at his best when he keeps it simple and moves pucks. And I think he’s had a pretty good training camp.”

Fleury knows this is a pivotal moment in his career—one where he needs to seize the opportunity and prove he belongs as a full-time NHL defenseman.

“As far as how it’s been the last few years, it’s just been close, but not there,” Fleury said. “And I’m at the point in my career where I need to be there. Like, if I’m down [in the AHL] again, it’s just— it’s not where I want to be. So for me, I just need to continue to be consistent and show that I can compete at this level each and every night.”

Fleury added that he significantly changed his body composition this offseason, adding lean mass to help him better handle the grind of an NHL season and the type of role he’s expected to play—which differs from his top-pairing duties in Coachella Valley.

“The role that I would play in the NHL is a lot of defending hard against bigger, heavier guys on the bottom line. So just trying to improve speed by improving strength.”

It appears he will be leaned upon in the first month of the season to help Seattle through its injury woes.

Joey’s big night at ASU​

Over the weekend, Joey Daccord was honored before an ASU game against Penn State as the first player in the history of the program to have his jersey number retired.

The images circulating on social media of Daccord and his family traveling to and from Tempe were remarkable—the entire crew made the trip from Seattle and back on a private jet. It was a whirlwind weekend, but that was the only way Daccord could fit the ceremony into a packed schedule that also included a Kraken team-bonding getaway to Port Orchard, Wash., the night before.

The Mayor’s in town #BeTheTradition /// @JDac35 pic.twitter.com/d4ychzu62m

— Sun Devil Hockey (@SunDevilHockey) October 4, 2025

“We got back from [the team bonding trip] around one o’clock on Friday afternoon, and my flight was at 2:30,” Daccord said. “So I just raced home, grabbed my stuff, my clothes, my jacket, and picked up my parents, my family, my brother and all my friends, and we went right to the airport. And then, I got back around midnight.

“Arizona State hooked it up. They sent a plane to come get me, which was great. I kind of told them, ‘Hey, the only way this is gonna work is if I can be back to practice the next day.’ There’s no commercial flight at midnight to come back to Seattle, so they made it happen. I really appreciated them taking care of me and my family, so that was sweet. Great, great travel experience.”

Daccord has never been shy about his love for ASU. Since completing his third season as the program’s starting goaltender—when it was still in its infancy as a Division I team—he’s never missed an opportunity to share his passion for the school and its hockey program.

Back in the building where his foundation funded “Dacs’ House,” a suite for families of children undergoing medical treatment, Daccord and his family stood on the ice for a pregame ceremony and watched as his number was raised to the rafters of Mullett Arena.

Sun Devil for life pic.twitter.com/p3A0A6QhYg

— Joey Daccord (@JDac35) October 4, 2025

“I never really envisioned [having my number retired],” Daccord said. “When I did my official visit, Coach [Greg] [Powers’] vision for me was I was gonna go there, I was gonna help the team kind of get to where the university and the program wanted to be, and he was like, ‘You’re gonna come here, you’re gonna sign in the NHL, play in the NHL, and one day we’re gonna retire your jersey.’ So just over 10 years later from my official visit, having that moment kind of come full circle, the chills when it was happening… Just a really special night.”

Darren Brown​

Darren Brown is the Chief Content Officer at soundofhockey.com and the host of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast. He is a member of the PHWA and is also usually SOH’s Twitter intern (but please pretend you don’t know that). Follow him @DarrenFunBrown and @sound_hockey or email [email protected].

Read more from Darren

The post Kraken Notebook: Opening Night roster set, Joey Daccord’s big night at ASU appeared first on Sound Of Hockey.

Source: https://soundofhockey.com/2025/10/06/kraken-roster-joey-daccord-asu-jersey-retirement/

 

[Seattle Kraken]

First two home games feel oddly critical for Kraken

With the NHL’s regular season starting in just a couple of days, and as I begin my writing here at Sound Of Hockey, I thought it was worth adding some gravity to the first two home games of the season for the Seattle Kraken—because they feel more important than those opening games typically do.

Those two contests, against the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday and the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday, feel oddly critical despite the long, 82-game marathon ahead. After those matchups at Climate Pledge Arena, the Kraken immediately head out on a grueling six-game road trip against tough opponents. A couple of early wins could give them a much-needed edge before that challenge begins.

These games also give the fanbase a rare opportunity in the early part of the season to cheer on the team before two more weeks without home hockey. And after a disappointing finish last year—when Seattle placed seventh in the Pacific Division—both the players and their supporters are hungry for a positive start.

Slow starts have been the norm​

From a fan’s perspective, winning those first two home games would mean seeing the Kraken start a season in a way they haven’t before. Historically, Seattle has struggled out of the gate.

Even in 2022-23—by far their best season standings-wise—the Kraken won just three of their first eight games, with two of those victories coming on the road. In 2023-24, they managed only two wins in their first eight, one at home and one away. They improved slightly in 2024-25, going 4-4 in their first eight, with two wins at Climate Pledge Arena and two on the road.

The trend is clear: fast starts haven’t been Seattle’s strong suit. And that’s without factoring in the added difficulty of this year’s schedule, which is compressed because of the Olympics. The Kraken will rarely get more than one day off between games, so setting a positive tone early is more critical than ever. That six-game road swing through Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Philadelphia, Washington, and Winnipeg will feel even more daunting if the first two games don’t go well.

A brief chance for in-person fandom in October​

With new head coach Lane Lambert and several new faces on the roster, everyone hopes those first two games will show that Seattle’s rigorous training camp approach has paid off. After a long offseason and preseason, the regular season is finally here—and these home games represent the only chances fans will have to see their team in person before the Kraken disappear for weeks.

By the way, since this is my first time writing for Sound Of Hockey, I’ll also share a bit about my own fandom for the game.

For me personally, one of the things that made me fall in love with hockey was the energy inside an arena. I’ve been craving that excitement since Seattle’s season ended far too early last year.

The first hockey game I ever attended was an Everett Silvertips game, and I was instantly hooked by the incredible atmosphere. I couldn’t believe how electric the building felt—and that was just at the WHL level. What really drew me in was the passion of hockey fans, which is impossible to ignore, especially in an NHL arena. The players and fans feed off one another’s energy, creating a competitive environment that everyone in the building can feel.

Back to the Kraken: a win on the road is great—it means you’ve overcome a tough environment without much support. But a win at home is even better because it energizes the fanbase.

A hockey crowd can be one of the loudest and most electric in all of sports, thanks to the intensity already present on the ice. And because the Kraken have only two home games before heading out on the road, the energy inside Climate Pledge Arena in those matchups will be crucial in setting the tone for what’s ahead.

While the first eight games of the season aren’t make-or-break in terms of playoff hopes, starting on the right foot could mark a real shift for Seattle. As history shows, they haven’t had the best track record early on—but who’s to say that a hot start wouldn’t improve their odds?

Strong performances this week would give the team some much-needed confidence before their daunting road trip, and they’d boost fan morale, too. With that challenge looming, the Kraken must focus on these two home games first—and the fans will need to bring nearly a month’s worth of energy to Climate Pledge Arena to help push them across the finish line.

The post First two home games feel oddly critical for Kraken appeared first on Sound Of Hockey.

Source: https://soundofhockey.com/2025/10/07/kraken-first-two-home-games/

 

[Seattle Kraken]

10 burning questions for the 2025-26 Seattle Kraken

The preseason is officially in the books, and Opening Night is practically here. It’s the best time of year—hope is high, the standings are clean, and nobody’s been mathematically eliminated yet. The Seattle Kraken come into this season looking to bounce back, clean up their defensive play, and maybe (just maybe) surprise a few of those national pundits who’ve already written them off. But as always with this team, there are plenty of storylines to watch.

Here are 10 questions we’re asking as the Kraken dive into the 2025-26 campaign.

How many games does Berkly Catton get this season?​

Berkly’s made the roster—for now—which was almost expected after his strong camp and preseason. The real question is whether he sticks around past the nine-game mark that would burn a year of his entry-level contract. Does he earn a full-time NHL spot at 19 or head back to Spokane for more seasoning? Either way, it will be fascinating to see how long he stays with the big-league team. He’s been practicing as an extra the last few days, so we’re guessing his NHL debut will have to wait beyond Thursday’s game against Anaheim.

How does Lane Lambert’s system impact the goals against?​

The 2024-25 Kraken were not exactly defensive stalwarts, allowing 3.2 goals per game—24th in the NHL. Compare that to 2.83 in 2023-24 (eighth-best), and you see how much they regressed. Enter Lane Lambert, known for his structure and defensive discipline. If the team buys in, the Kraken could tighten things up significantly, which is essential if they want to hang around the playoff race.

How do they manage the goalies?​

The Kraken are rolling with three goaltenders to start the season, which is… unconventional. With a jam-packed October, it makes some sense, but come November, things lighten up. Joey Daccord was probably overworked last season, so finding a better rotation will be key. How Lambert and company juggle this trio, while keeping everyone sharp, will be one of the early season intriguing storylines.

The Seattle Kraken are one of six teams currently carrying three goalies to start the season.

[image or embed]

— NHLtoSeattle (@nhltoseattle.bsky.social) October 7, 2025 at 8:37 AM

What kind of year does Matty Beniers have?​

Matty hasn’t quite matched his rookie production since that stellar debut season. He scored 20 goals last year, respectable but a step back from the 24 he netted as a rookie. With Kaapo Kakko sidelined early, Beniers will need to drive more offense on his own. He’s still young and plenty talented, but this could be the year that defines what kind of player he’s going to be long-term. He’s been skating on a familiar line with Jared McCann and Jordan Eberle lately.

What changes are going to be made to the pregame show?​

Alright, this one’s for the in-arena diehards. After more than 150 games at Climate Pledge Arena, I still make it a point to catch the full pregame show—and every season it gets a refresh. The Kraken’s production crew always finds new ways to top themselves. What surprises are they cooking up this time?

Who re-signs and who moves on?​

The answer to this question probably depends on whether the Kraken are still in the playoff hunt come late February. Four key forwards—Jaden Schwartz, Jordan Eberle, Eeli Tolvanen, and newcomer Mason Marchment—are all on expiring deals. That group combined for 80 goals last year. Expect at least one or two to be re-signed, but the rest could be valuable trade chips if the postseason looks out of reach.

Does Jared McCann bounce back?​

McCann’s 22 goals last year weren’t bad, but they were his fewest as a Kraken in any single season. He played through an injury that required offseason surgery, which likely explains some of the dip and may have been related to him missing a good chunk of training camp. Don’t expect another 40-goal explosion like 2022–23, but a healthy McCann hitting 30 again feels realistic, and it would go a long way toward stabilizing the Kraken’s scoring.

How do the Kraken control zone entries against?​

One of last season’s biggest frustrations was how easily opponents gained the Kraken’s defensive zone. Too many clean entries led to too much time defending—and too many goals against. This issue was glaring on the penalty kill, where Seattle often looked a step slow. Lambert’s emphasis on structure should help here, but it’s going to take commitment from all five skaters.

Who plays in the Olympics from the Kraken?​

Philipp Grubauer (Germany) and prospect Oscar Fisker Mølgaard (Denmark) are the only real locks for February’s Olympic tournament. Kaapo Kakko has a solid shot at making Finland’s roster (though his broken hand doesn’t help those chances), while Eeli Tolvanen could sneak in with other injuries to Finland’s roster. Brandon Montour (Canada) and Joey Daccord (USA) are in the extended pools, but both would need blistering starts to the season to make the final cut.

Will we get a return of Seattle Kraken depth scoring?​

In 2022-23, the Kraken could roll four lines that could all hurt you. That team had 13 players with double-digit goals and one of the most balanced attacks in hockey. Over the last two seasons, that spark faded. This season, with new additions Frederick Gaudreau and Mason Marchment plus rookies Jani Nyman and Berkly Catton, Seattle is hoping to bring back that “anyone can score” identity. Can they rediscover that magic? We’ll find out soon enough.

Wrapping it up​

Every season brings its fair share of questions, but this one feels especially juicy. Between a new coach, a hungry young core, and a few “prove-it” veterans, the Kraken are a fascinating team heading into 2025-26. Whether they surprise people or struggle again, it’s bound to be an entertaining ride.

What about you? Any burning questions you have about this 2025-26 Seattle Kraken team?

The post 10 burning questions for the 2025-26 Seattle Kraken appeared first on Sound Of Hockey.

Source: https://soundofhockey.com/2025/10/08/burning-questions-for-2025-26-seattle-kraken/

 

[Seattle Kraken]

41 reasons to catch a Kraken home game

As the season kicks off, I thought it would be a perfectly productive use of my time to come up with 41 reasons to check out a Kraken home game—one for every game to be played at Climate Pledge Arena. Some reasons are serious (kind of), some are completely ridiculous, and all are valid excuses to grab a ticket, a college soda, and watch some hockey.

10/9/2025 vs ANA – Opening Night! I’ve been buzzing all week waiting for meaningful Kraken hockey that actually counts in the standings. Nothing beats that first Climate Pledge roar.

10/11/2025 vs VGK – Mitch Marner’s third regular-season game with Vegas. Still feels weird typing that sentence.

10/25/2025 vs EDM – Sure, you could come for Connor McDavid—the sixth-highest-paid player in the NHL—but that’s too easy. Instead, watch former Seattle Thunderbird Noah Philp, who made his NHL debut at 26 after taking a year off from hockey. Gritty comeback stories hit different.

10/28/2025 vs MTL – Montreal fans get weirdly defensive when I mention Shane Wright has more goals and assists than Juraj Slafkovsky in their respective first 95 games. Not our fault they didn’t draft Shane with their first overall.

11/1/2025 vs NYR – Will Borgen returns to Climate Pledge for the first time since being traded to the Rangers. Expect at least one thunderous hit to remind us what we’re missing.

11/3/2025 vs CHI – Andre Burakovsky’s back! But so is Ryan Donato, the first goal scorer in Kraken history. You’re legally obligated to cheer for him (until puck drop).

11/5/2025 vs SJS – The Sharks’ young core gave the Kraken fits last season, including those brutal back-to-back losses in November. Let’s not do that again.

11/11/2025 vs CBJ – Columbus is a sneaky fun team: a lot of young talent, plenty of chaos. Should be a good one.

11/13/2025 vs WPG – If everyone’s healthy, you’ll see two U.S. Olympians in Kyle Connor and Connor Hellebuyck. Bonus points if you can spell “Hellebuyck” without peeking.

11/15/2025 vs SJS – Most national analysts have written off San Jose this year, so let’s help them stay right about that.

11/26/2025 vs DAL – The Kraken are giving away gravy boats to the first 10,000 fans. Gravy boats!

11/29/2025 vs EDM – A 1 p.m. game on Thanksgiving weekend, perfect for bringing the family, also gives you an opportunity to take a break from leftovers.

12/6/2025 vs DET – Patrick Kane may have lost a step, but those hands still belong in a museum. Always worth watching.

12/8/2025 vs MIN – I could see Minnesota missing the playoffs this year after squeaking in last season. This game might mean something real for both teams.

12/10/2025 vs LAK – The first bobblehead giveaway of the season. Collect them all!

12/14/2025 vs BUF – Seattle is 7-1-0 all-time against Buffalo. The Kraken just seem to have the Sabres’ number, and we’re fine with that.

12/16/2025 vs COL – Cale Makar. You either love to watch him play or still hold some animosity toward him for taking out Jared McCann in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. I choose the latter.

12/28/2025 vs PHI – The Flyers might not be contenders, but seeing Trevor Zegras in a Flyers uniform after a summer trade will be interesting.

Trevor Zegras takes an ill-advised four-minute cross-checking penalty.

Strange, though, the official put his arm up on the original hit but only called 4 minutes for cross checking. pic.twitter.com/6RCVUI2Je4

— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) March 29, 2024

12/29/2025 vs VAN – The Kraken went 3-0-1 against Vancouver last year, including that glorious 5–0 win in the middle of their playoff chase. Wouldn’t mind seeing a repeat of that embarrassment.

1/1/2026 vs NSH – There’s no better place to be on New Year’s Day than watching Kraken hockey. Resolutions can wait until the second period.

1/6/2026 vs BOS – Morgan Geekie.

1/8/2026 vs MIN – If the Kraken are pushing for a playoff spot, this could be a big one. Minnesota might be the team standing in their way.

1/19/2026 vs PIT – The Kids Game! Always a fun game to check out with or without the young ones in tow.

One of my favorite #SeaKraken games of the year…the KIDS GAME!!!

More pics to come throughout the game. pic.twitter.com/kYrg751GGi

— NHLtoSeattle (@NHLtoSeattle) January 25, 2025

1/21/2026 vs NYI – If everything goes as expected, this could be Matthew Schaefer’s first game in Seattle, the first overall pick from the 2025 NHL Draft. It should also be former Seattle Thunderbird, Mat Barzal’s first game in Seattle in over two years.

1/23/2026 vs ANA – By this point we’ll know if Anaheim is a legit playoff contender or still a fun-but-not-quite-there team. Either way, Leo Carlsson might be worth watching.

1/25/2026 vs NJD – New Jersey is a sneaky Cup contender this season. If the Devils stay healthy, look out. Should be one of the better hockey nights of the year.

1/27/2026 vs WSH – There’s a real chance this is your last chance to see Alexander Ovechkin in Seattle.

1/29/2026 vs TOR – Toronto is 4-0-0 all-time at Climate Pledge Arena. They’re the only team the Kraken have never gotten a point against. When the Kraken win this one, you’ll witness actual history.

2/28/2026 vs VAN – The first home game after the Olympic break. After weeks of Olympic and junior hockey, it’ll just feel good to be back watching the Kraken again.

3/2/2026 vs CAR – With Aleksander Barkov out for the season in Florida, Carolina might be the team to beat in the East.

3/4/2026 vs STL – No idea where the Kraken will be in the standings by this point, but it’s the last game before the trade deadline. Expect some drama.

3/7/2026 vs OTT – Ottawa’s another trendy “they’ll take a step” team. Let’s make sure that step is backward.

3/10/2026 vs NSH – Remember last year when people picked Nashville to win the Stanley Cup? That was cute.

3/12/2026 vs COL – Colorado will be out for revenge after an early season loss. Too bad they’re not getting it.

3/15/2026 vs FLA – The two-time Stanley Cup champs come to town. The Kraken are a tidy 2-1-1 at home against the Panthers, so there’s that.

3/17/2026 vs TBL – This one will sting. Yanni Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand’s first game back in Seattle. It’s also my birthday, so Kraken, please win. For me.

3-1 #SeaKraken

Gorgeous passing series among the Gourde line after a Bjorkstrand steal gains possession. Tremendous work by all three skaters. pic.twitter.com/RNoMVtk6l9

— Alison (@AlisonL) January 27, 2024

4/2/2026 vs UTA – Assuming Adam Larsson keeps up his ironman pace, this could be his first home game after hitting 1,000 career NHL games. Expect a well-deserved pregame celebration for one of the OG’s.

4/4/2026 vs CHI – Chicago’s loaded with young talent: Bedard, Nazar, Levshunov, Rinzel and maybe even ex-T-Bird Kevin Korchinski will be playing for them by this point in the season.

4/9/2026 vs VGK – I hate the Golden Knights with a passion and fully expect them to be elite again this season. That’ll just make beating them even sweeter.

4/11/2026 vs CGY – Calgary’s only trip to Seattle this year. Good news for Martin Pospisil: Vince Dunn (and Kraken fans) definitely haven’t forgotten.

Calgary’s Martin Pospisil has been suspended for three games for boarding Seattle’s Vince Dunn. pic.twitter.com/txyHOXc7Rp

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 7, 2024

4/13/2026 vs LAK – Final game of the season—before the postseason, ideally. How poetic would it be to eliminate the Kings from playoff contention right here?

So, there you have it: 41 very scientific, deeply thought-out reasons to check out every Seattle Kraken home game this season. Whether you’re a diehard fan, a casual observer, or just someone who likes seeing Buoy shine a bald guy’s head, there’s always something to enjoy at Climate Pledge Arena.

And hey, beyond the theme nights and visiting stars, there are plenty of reasons to tune in every single game. You never know when you might witness Jani Nyman or Berkly Catton’s coming-out party, a random hat trick, a ridiculous comeback, or maybe—just maybe—that elusive goalie goal we’ve all been waiting for from Joey Daccord.

The post 41 reasons to catch a Kraken home game appeared first on Sound Of Hockey.

Source: https://soundofhockey.com/2025/10/09/41-reasons-to-catch-a-kraken-home-game/

 

[Seattle Kraken]

Three Takeaways: Kraken rebound from ugly 1st period to snag 3-1 Opening Night win over Ducks

Well, how about that? The Seattle Kraken can win on Opening Night! And they did so for the first time in their relatively short history Thursday, beating the Anaheim Ducks 3-1.

Seattle overcame a painfully sluggish first period, one in which Vince Dunn opened the scoring at just 2:21 before the team went heavily on its heels for the rest of the frame.

“Besides yell at each other a little bit?” Jared McCann joked when asked what the group did to change the momentum after the first. “Honestly, I think we just kind of dumbed it down a bit. Obviously, getting used to the ice again, and all that stuff. We just tried to keep it simple.”

Eventually, the Kraken found something resembling the type of game they want to play this season—tight structure, relentless forechecking, and a commitment to details. It took a while, but they started to show it in the later stages.

Lane Lambert earned his first win as Kraken head coach, Joey Daccord saved Seattle’s bacon 31 times, and Dunn, McCann, and Mason Marchment each potted goals.

Here are Three Takeaways from a slow-starting but ultimately solid 3-1 Kraken win over the Ducks.

Takeaway #1: Ugly first period​

If not for Daccord being razor-sharp early, the Kraken would have been staring at a steep uphill climb heading into the second period. Instead, while they fumbled practically every puck they touched in their end—where they spent almost the entire period—Daccord kept bailing them out and got them to the break tied 1-1.

“I think we played well, even though, I mean, the shot counter was a little lopsided at first,” Daccord said. “But I thought we played well. I thought we just found a way to battle through it as a group, and then eventually, as we started to get our legs there in the second period and then eventually dominate the third was great to see from my end.”

I may respectfully disagree with Daccord’s assessment that the team played “well” in the first 20, but things were noticeably different in the second—especially after Brandon Montour’s hustle play that we’ll get to in Takeaway No. 2.

Credit the Ducks, too, who came out… flying… under new head coach Joel Quenneville. Their jump and structure made me wonder if Anaheim might be significantly improved this season, while Seattle initially looked like it was carrying over many of the same issues from the past two years.

But give Lambert’s bunch credit as well. They stuck with it, got out of the muck, and slowly tilted the ice back in their favor as the night went on.

Takeaway #2: Montour willed the Kraken into the lead​

Marchment’s goal in his first game as a Kraken was nice, but the play Montour made to set it up was even better. He chased Troy Terry from the defensive goal line to the blue line, stripped him of the puck, then blew past him and gained control again deep in the offensive zone.

Meanwhile, Marchment quietly slid into the slot, which Jacob Trouba had vacated chasing Montour. Montour put the pass right on the money, and Marchment buried it.

THE MUSH PUSH!

Mason Marchment is the beneficiary of an outstanding 200-foot play by Brandon Montour, and he pots his first as a #SeaKraken.

Somehow, it's 2-1 Seattle. pic.twitter.com/OJ0BltOEob

— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) October 10, 2025

“That was great,” Marchment said. “Great play [by Montour]. He broke up a play, made a great play to me in the slot. I just tried to find a hole for him, and he put it right on my tape.”

Lambert has often talked about turning strong defensive plays into offense, and this was as good an example as you’ll find.

“He did exactly what, I guess, we wanted him to do,” Lambert said of Montour. “Of course, he made an elite play, so it certainly was well done from that standpoint. But the whole sequence was pretty well defended, and then you’ve got an elite player making an elite play, and that’s always nice to see.”

After Montour’s determined sequence four minutes into the second, the Kraken suddenly looked like a different team—and never really looked back.

Takeaway #3: Is Jared McCann back?​

McCann’s goal may have been even prettier than Marchment’s. What looked like an innocuous play turned into a perfect sequence of execution by the top line of McCann, Jordan Eberle, and Matty Beniers, who set McCann up at the top of the crease. The puck was on and off McCann’s stick and under the bar in an instant.

The play started in the neutral zone, with Jamie Oleksiak and Josh Mahura forcing a turnover and quickly transitioning back to offense. Eberle sent a perfectly weighted cross-ice dump-in to the far corner, where Beniers had a step on Drew Helleson. He got one touch on the puck—a chop to the slot—where McCann one-timed it into the top shelf.

MCCANN CAN!

What a beautiful goal! Perfectly weighted dump-in by Eberle, Beniers one-touches it to McCann, and he roofs it.

3-1 #SeaKraken pic.twitter.com/UlExxxWNfX

— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) October 10, 2025

“Beautiful,” McCann said. “I’m a very lucky guy to play with two players like that who have skill and are obviously great leaders.”

I still don’t know exactly what injury led to McCann’s procedure after last season, which caused him to barely skate during the summer and even training camp. But based on Thursday’s evidence, his shot looks as wicked as ever.

His goal totals have dipped from 40 in 2022-23 to 29 and 22 in the two seasons since. But if this performance is any indication, maybe McCann’s back on track for the higher end of his production capabilities.

---

It was far from a perfect night for the Kraken, who still have a lot to work on. But getting the season off on the right foot with a win felt important.

Darren Brown​

Darren Brown is the Chief Content Officer at soundofhockey.com and the host of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast. He is a member of the PHWA and is also usually SOH’s Twitter intern (but please pretend you don’t know that). Follow him @DarrenFunBrown and @sound_hockey or email [email protected].

Read more from Darren

The post Three Takeaways: Kraken rebound from ugly 1st period to snag 3-1 Opening Night win over Ducks appeared first on Sound Of Hockey.

Source: https://soundofhockey.com/2025/10/10/kraken-defeat-ducks-opening-night/

 

[Seattle Kraken]

Down on the Farm – Firebirds drop the puck on the 2025-26 season

“Down on the Farm” is your weekly Seattle Kraken prospects update. This week we’ll dig in on the 2025-26 Coachella Valley Firebirds as they prepare for their AHL season opener, while also passing along news and notes, data updates, and scouting video from across the Kraken prospect landscape. As always, if you have a Kraken prospect-related question you’d like to see featured in a future column, drop us a note below or on X or BlueSky @deepseahockey. Let’s dive in.

Firebirds to take the ice with young, exciting roster, and lineup questions​

The Coachella Valley Firebirds will drop the puck on their fourth season on Friday. Remarkably, in each of the team’s first three years of existence, the Kraken AHL affiliate’s final loss has come in the playoffs to the eventual Calder Cup champion.

In the team’s first two seasons, that success was built on a veteran lineup that ranked among the oldest in the league. Powered by proven AHL players like Andrew Poturalski, Kole Lind, and Cameron Hughes, and guided by Dan Bylsma and his staff, the team went to the Calder Cup Finals each year.

Last season was one of transition. The team integrated a new bench boss in Derek Laxdal and a number of younger Kraken drafted players, including Ty Nelson, Jagger Firkus, and David Goyette. Notwithstanding all of that change, the season was a success as the Firebirds advanced to the second round of the playoffs before falling to Abbotsford.

This year, the youth movement is complete. With a wave of drafted prospects on entry-level contracts reaching the professional ranks, the Firebirds will rank as one of the youngest teams in the AHL, if not the youngest.

Data compiled by Elite Prospects has the current Firebirds roster as the third youngest and third least experienced in the AHL. Yet, this does not account for the season-ending hip surgery for veteran captain Max McCormick. Removing McCormick from the equation, the Firebirds Opening Day average age dips to 23.04, which would be—by far—the lowest in the AHL.

The challenge ahead to repeat the team’s previous success is evident. “It is a young roster,” Firebirds vice president of hockey and business operations Troy Bodie conceded in an interview on the Fire & Ice Podcast, but “it’s a talented group.” Bodie noted “the team has drafted well,” before calling out forward Oscar Fisker Molgaard and defenseman Tyson Jugnauth as new players primed for important roles. “They’re going to be fan favorites quite early.”

The current Opening Day lineup projects to have only three players that qualify toward the five veteran player limit: Forwards Mitchell Stephens and John Hayden and defenseman Gustav Olofsson. Beyond that group, forwards Ben Meyers and Ian McKinnon figure to be influential figures, but, as Bodie conceded, leadership and high-leverage minutes are going to have to come from elsewhere too.

The team is going to lean on a group of second- and third-year players who “are going to step into highly offensive roles and important shutdown roles. We’ve been preparing for this in the last few years,” Bodie said. “It will be interesting to see how things shake out in terms of line combinations and roles, power play time.”

Just hours before Opening Night, we know more about what the roster will look like than we did a month ago, but the specific groupings will likely evolve in the early going. Here’s one potential look at how the team could line up:

The loss of McCormick is felt by the team because Coach Laxdal may like to have a veteran forward line he can rely upon in crunch time. With no other strong veteran candidate for the first-line left wing role, I moved Ben Meyers—who can play center or on the wing—up to the top line. Ideally, he’d bring his talent and savvy to the center position on the second line, and perhaps they start that way. But if Meyers does move into a wing role, at least in crucial situations, we could see rookie Andrei Loshko at center. Loshko—who played center and wing in his junior career—was utilized at center during Kraken training camp and in the Firebirds preseason game.

In this construction, the second line would trade on skill, while the third line would represent an intriguing blend of speed, grit, and goal scoring. The fourth line is not your standard grinding unit, but it is comprised of three center-capable forwards with plenty of forechecking speed on the wings. It is possible McKinnon could sub in for Goyette on Opening Night. I’d expect that McKinnon plays at least 40 games.

On the blue line, Ty Nelson seems primed for heavy usage at 5-on-5 and on special teams—particularly with Cale Fleury in the NHL for at least the season’s first month. Ville Ottavainen is more NHL ready than Nelson—he was among the last reassignments from NHL camp—but it makes sense to separate him from the team’s other best stay-at-home blueliner, Olofsson.

Jugnauth could be a newcomer in the top-four defensemen group and add a power-play role, which would make him an important player from the jump.

What are Bodie’s expectations for this young squad? “I’d like to see our players adapting to pro hockey quickly. There’s going to be some learning curve, some mistakes made along the way. I understand that.”

“I want to see our players compete, work hard, not give up an inch. Competitive nature is a non-negotiable for the Firebirds. We work hard here. That’s not something we take lightly.”

Notes on four more Kraken players​

Ryan Winterton | F | Seattle Kraken (NHL)​

Winterton is a player fans may have reasonably expected to slot into the top six of the Firebirds lineup discussed above. Instead, he skated with the NHL team in Seattle’s season opener, logging 12:02 time on ice, including one penalty-kill shift. Jason Botterill told Winterton he would be up with Kraken for “the foreseeable future,” so we should expect the young forward to remain on the NHL roster at least through Kaapo Kakko’s return, if not longer.

Nathan Villeneuve | F | Sudbury Wolves (OHL)​

When Nathan Villeneuve left Kraken camp with an injury, the team said only that Villeneuve would miss the remainder of camp. Left to speculate about worst-case scenarios, it was a pleasant update to hear that Villeneuve will be back on the ice for his OHL team, the Sudbury Wolves, as of Friday. He will also be the Wolves’ captain for the 2025-26 season. I’m curious to see if this causes him to change his play-on-the-edge style that has led to heavy penalty minutes and a fighting-related suspension in the past.

Visa Vedenpää | G | HPK (Liiga)​

Visa Vedenpää earned his first Liiga win on Saturday, Oct. 4, stopping 32 of 33 shots in a game against Kiekko-Espoo. Recognizing the moment, the team feted the young goaltender postgame. Some highlights and Vedenpää’s locker room speech were captured by the team-issued video below.

Karl Annborn | D | Västerås IK (HockeyAllsvenskan)​

On Thursday, Oct. 9, HV71 loaned defenseman Karl Annborn to Västerås IK of HockeyAllsvenskan. It is likely that the team and player determined Annborn was too advanced for the Swedish U20 league, yet he could not establish himself as a regular in Sweden’s top pro league, the SHL, either. HockeyAllsvenskan is the second-level pro league in Sweden, which may be a good developmental home for Annborn at this stage. (We’ll update the schedule below to include Västerås IK‘s games by next week.)

Kraken prospects data update​

Fresh off signing an entry-level contract with the Kraken, Julius Miettinen scored four goals and added three assists in three WHL games over the last week. This earns him his second-consecutive Sound Of Hockey Player of the Week.

Jake O’Brien left Brantford’s last game during overtime, but the team quickly reported that O’Brien was dealing with cramping and should not miss any additional time. O’Brien has one goal and four assists in his four OHL contests so far and should be out there for the Bulldogs tonight in their matchup with Villeneuve’s Sudbury Wolves.

Semyon Vyazovoi earned a KHL start for the second week in a row, which is good to see. Given his track record, I suspect the results will start trending in the right direction soon.

Kim Saarinen continues to perform amongst the best Liiga goalies as HPK’s clear starter.

Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week tracker​

2: Kim Saarinen, Julius Miettinen

1: None

Seattle’s Finnish prospects are now four-for-four, giving the small hockey-playing nation a commanding early season lead in its quest to bring home one of the sport’s most prestigious awards.

Previewing the week ahead​

We have two Deep Sea Hockey Games of the Week this week. Villeneuve’s return to the OHL lineup will come at 4:00 pm PT on Friday, against O’Brien’s Brantford Bulldogs. Should be a fun matchup of two of Seattle’s very best prospects. After that, at 7:00 pm PT, the puck drops on Coachella Valley’s AHL season. Great off-day content for a Kraken fan. Both games are on FloHockey.

Tracking 2026 NHL Draft prospects: Keaton Verhoeff​

Defenseman Keaton Verhoeff is widely regarded as one of the top prospects in the 2026 NHL Draft not named Gavin McKenna. Verhoeff played his 2024-25 season with the Victoria Royals of the WHL, scoring 21 goals—by far the most among 16-year-old WHL defensemen—and adding 24 assists in 63 games. Verhoeff will play college hockey this year alongside Kraken prospect Ollie Josephson after both enrolled at the Univ. of North Dakota following the NCAA rule change that rendered CHL players eligible. Verhoeff’s draft season starts with a home game against the University of St. Thomas.

Recent prospect updates​

October 3, 2025: Catton makes his case for the NHL Roster

September 26, 2025: Junior seasons begin, J.R. Avon settles in

Curtis Isacke

Curtis is a Sound Of Hockey contributor and member of the Kraken press corps. Curtis is an attorney by day, and he has read the NHL collective bargaining agreement and bylaws so you don’t have to. He can be found analyzing the Kraken, NHL Draft, and other hockey topics on Twitter and Bluesky @deepseahockey.

Read more from Curtis

The post Down on the Farm – Firebirds drop the puck on the 2025-26 season appeared first on Sound Of Hockey.

Source: https://soundofhockey.com/2025/10/10/down-on-the-farm-firebirds-drop-the-puck-on-the-2025-26-season/

 

[Seattle Kraken]

Kraken Roundtable – It’s Opening Night for the 2025-26 season

The wait is over—the season officially begins Thursday as the Seattle Kraken host the Anaheim Ducks on home ice. Offseason additions Mason Marchment, Ryan Lindgren, and Freddy Gaudreau will make their debuts, while new head coach Lane Lambert steps behind the bench for the first time. Goaltender Matt Murray is on the roster but likely won’t get the start on Opening Night.

National media hasn’t been kind to the Kraken heading into the season, so we wanted to take some time to talk about what gets the Sound Of Hockey crew excited for what’s ahead. Many outlets have Anaheim projected to leapfrog Seattle in the standings, making Thursday a good chance for the Kraken to send a message that they’re better than last year’s results suggest.

In preparation for puck drop, our own John Barr, Curtis Isacke, Blaiz Grubic, and Darren Brown got together to discuss a few hot topics.

What’s your biggest reason for optimism heading into this Kraken season?​

Curtis: The renewed focus and urgency brought by the new coaching staff, and Lane Lambert in particular, has me feeling optimistic. The new Kraken bench boss is dialed in on the details at every practice, seemingly hanging on the correct execution of every support pass or close out. Lambert is quite calm and reflective in an interview setting, but when he’s on the ice the zeal of a drill sergeant is evident.

One could imagine his hard-charging approach wearing on a team if maintained throughout the year, but Lambert is setting the standard early, and I expect he’ll calibrate his approach as the season progresses. A fast start is imperative with the difficult opening stretch the team is facing. Lambert has me hopeful that the details will be dialed in from puck drop, and that could be the difference.

Darren: Well, hope springs eternal when a new season is on the horizon, “why not us?,” and a variety of other new-season cliches. But seriously… The front office thought the Kraken were going to be better last season, and with good reason after a couple splashy offseason signings. I also think the 2025-26 on-paper roster is–when fully healthy–better and more competitive this season than last.

So, if last season’s expected improvement actually comes to fruition now, AND the more recent tweaks to the roster help push the group forward even more, then I could get my head around a huge jump in the standings this season. I do remain cautious in my optimism, though, because I think a lot of things have to go right for this team to really compete for a playoff spot.

John: I’ve been beating this drum all summer, but the Kraken finished last season with a minus-11 goal differential. For context, teams sitting between even and plus-five in that stat make the playoffs about half the time. With a new coaching staff that seems locked in on structure and details, I think we’ll see fewer goals against—and maybe a swing into the positive. On top of that, I really like the complementary pieces the front office added over the offseason.

Blaiz: The kids are coming. It’s exciting to see Berkly Catton, Jani Nyman, and Ryan Winterton make the roster to open the season. Heading into the franchise’s fifth year, the Kraken have developed three NHL players from their own draft classes—Matty Beniers, Shane Wright, and Ryker Evans. This season doubles that total to six drafted players on the roster, including Evans, who starts on injured reserve.

The three youngsters may not stay the entire season, but each earned their spot in training camp. It’ll be great to see them get regular-season NHL ice time.

Who’s the player you think will surprise people with their performance this season and why?​

Darren: How about Eeli Tolvanen? He quietly had a really impressive 23-goal campaign last year with limited power-play opportunities. If he gets more usage on the flank with the manpower advantage, I could see him sniffing around the 30-goal mark this year and commanding a big-time pay raise on his contract for next season, whether that be with the Kraken or elsewhere.

John: I’m not sure I have a clear pick for a surprise player, but let’s just say… backup goaltending. Call it blind optimism, or maybe something I just want to will into the universe. I don’t want to read too much into it, but both Matt Murray and Philipp Grubauer looked solid in their preseason games. Plus, Lambert’s defensive structure should give the backups some extra support.

Blaiz: I’m expecting big things from Shane Wright. For a while now, I’ve said Wright will eventually take over as the Kraken’s top-scoring center, and I believe this is the year. After a slow start in 2024-25, with two points (one goal, one assist) in 18 games, he was healthy scratched was sent down to Coachella Valley to find his game(shame, shame, shame). When he returned, he produced 42 points in his final 61 games, averaging 2.83 points per 60 minutes. To put that in perspective, Jared McCann led the team in that category at 2.59. I can easily see a scenario where Wright not only leads all Kraken centers in scoring but challenges for the team lead overall.

A bonus player I’ll mention is Jaden Schwartz, who led the Kraken in goals last season and has looked sharp throughout the preseason. He’s never hit the 30-goal mark in his career, but that milestone feels within reach this year.

Curtis: I’ll say Freddy Gaudreau. The least-heralded of this season’s offseason acquisitions, he should quietly make an impact from the bottom of the lineup scoring goals, killing penalties, and, perhaps most importantly of all, shepherding along some of Seattle’s young talent.

Kraken assistant general manager Alex Mandrycky told us at Sound Of Hockey Fest that Gaudreau topped the team’s internal board for a fourth-line center acquisition because he could bring more of a scoring element to that role, while also being solid defensively. The team has found most of its success historically when rolling four lines capable of scoring and, with Gaudreau, the team hopes to return to that identity.

Gaudreau’s presence also allows the team to deploy a younger player in a fourth-line role—be it Catton or Nyman—but still with an offensively capable linemate. It may not show up in the box score all the time, but I’d wager fans will look back on Gaudreau’s first season in Seattle pleased with the addition.

With a 10-game opening stretch that includes six on the road and five against 2024 playoff teams, what would you consider a successful first month for the Kraken beyond wins and losses?​

John: With two significant injuries—Kaapo Kakko and Ryker Evans—likely sidelining them for the full 10-game stretch, I’d call it a success if the Kraken can grab 12 of a possible 20 points. Beyond that, I just want to see them compete every night. We’ll see plenty of backup goaltending during this run, so let’s add “solid play from the backups” to the list of success criteria.

Darren: To John’s point, I think the Kakko injury could be fairly crushing, especially considering the impact he had on Beniers after joining Seattle last season. So between the brutal early schedule and that critical absence, I’m looking for a .500 record coming out of this stretch. Anything over that is gravy and at least keeps Seattle in the conversation long enough to get hot in November and beyond.

Blaiz: With a six-game road trip early in the season, this is the perfect opportunity for the team to come together and focus on the defensive structure that Lambert keeps emphasizing. I’d love to see them finish with a winning record, but for me, success in the first month is about process. Are they defending as a five-man unit? Are they limiting high-danger chances? And are the backup goaltenders giving the team enough confidence to stay committed to their system in front of them?

Curtis: Setting aside the record, I think we need to see the team’s highly drafted young players start to assert themselves as the core players for the lines around them. There was no mistaking the Yanni Gourde line when he was out there, and I’d like to see that from Beniers, Wright, and (hopefully, optimistically) Catton.

For Beniers, that likely means a hard-working, responsible unit that is locked in on the details. For Wright, that means a group that trades on skilled plays in the most dangerous areas of the ice. As for Catton, of course, it starts with getting the ice time; then I want to see a pressure identity that forces defenses onto their heels and creates space all over the rink.

Which offseason addition (player, coach, prospect or system tweak) will make the biggest difference?​

Blaiz: I’m going with the obvious one—the addition of head coach Lane Lambert. There’s been a lot of talk about structure, and I believe that will dramatically help a team with a growing young core and no true superstar talent. Lambert wasn’t shy about moving players around in preseason to get the type of play he wanted. He expects his team to play within his system, and if you’re not playing your role, you’ll move down the lineup. That kind of message is straightforward and easy to follow, which creates accountability and consistency up and down the lineup.

Darren: Would you call yourself a Laniac, Blaiz?

Blaiz: No, I’m on the Lane Train.

Curtis: Yes! Lane Train! I think Mason Marchment could be a very valuable complement to Chandler Stephenson in the top nine. The two have been attached at the hip while Stephenson has been on the ice this preseason, and it makes sense to me.

Marchment is comfortable working net front or even below the goal line in both the offensive and defensive zones. This frees Stephenson to operate more in space and from the exterior where he can dice up opposing defenses with his skating and precision passes.

Even through the neutral zone in preseason, Marchment’s presence driving the center lane allowed Stephenson several clean zone entries on the left wing that got the offense set up. He could be revelatory for Stephenson in the same way Kakko was for Beniers last season. (On that note, we have to hope Kakko returns as soon as possible. If Beniers’ line struggles in the interim, Marchment could help Beniers in much the same way I’ve described above.)

Darren: I agree wholeheartedly with Curtis. Thanks for cooking that up.

John: We’ve already mentioned him, but I’m really excited about Gaudreau. The Kraken haven’t had a right-shot center on the penalty kill in the past few seasons, and having him available for strong-side face-offs in the defensive zone should be a nice boost. That could improve the penalty kill, cut down on goals against, and ultimately help that goal differential I talked about above. It’s a subtle but smart move that fills a real need. Oh, and Gaudreau’s over 50 percent in shootouts, which doesn’t hurt either.

Let’s jump in the DeLorean and race forward to April. The Kraken have made the playoffs. What went right to get them there?​

Curtis: If the Kraken are in the playoff mix, it is because the defensive identity that carried them through the Hakstol era has returned, Joey Daccord continues to prove his doubters wrong, the backup goaltending has stabilized, and the team has won a lot of 3-2 or 2-1 games.

Darren: After Ryker Evans and Kaapo Kakko return from injury right on their expected return dates, the Kraken will have stayed almost completely healthy throughout the rest of the season. While the team arguably has more depth now than last season, it also cannot withstand absences from key players, especially being that it will rely heavily on young players like Jani Nyman, Ryan Winterton, and (perhaps) Berkly Catton. The injury bug that bit early and often during training camp will have been held at bay.

John: Stinginess. The Kraken ranked 24th in goals against last season, allowing 262. If they’re going to seriously compete for a playoff spot, that number has to come down—and if it does, it’ll be a sign that the players have fully bought into Lane Lambert’s systems.

Blaiz: I think it’s a combination of everything I’ve mentioned. The players have bought into Lane Lambert’s system, the backup goaltending has stabilized, Shane Wright has taken a step forward, and the young core is contributing. Just as important, the Kraken are starting games ready to go from puck drop—something that hurt them last year.

With 13 back-to-back games on the schedule, one more than a season ago when they went 0-12 in the second leg, the Kraken need to battle through those situations and find ways to win. Spotting the league 13 games isn’t a recipe for success. If they can stay structured, get timely saves, and maintain energy throughout those stretches, that’s what gets them to April hockey.

Blaiz Grubic​

Blaiz Grubic is a contributor at Sound Of Hockey. A passionate hockey fan and player for over 30 years, Blaiz grew up in the Pacific Northwest and is an alumni of Washington State University (Go Cougs!). When he’s not playing, watching, or writing about hockey, he enjoys quality time with his wife and daughter or getting out on a golf course for a quick round. Follow @blaizg on BlueSky or X.

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The post Kraken Roundtable – It’s Opening Night for the 2025-26 season appeared first on Sound Of Hockey.

Source: https://soundofhockey.com/2025/10/09/kraken-roundtable-its-opening-night-for-the-2025-26-season/

 

[Seattle Kraken]

Three Takeaways – Kraken outlast Golden Knights for 2-1 overtime win

Look, I’m not saying the Seattle Kraken will go 82-0 this season, but… it remains on the table after they defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 2-1 in overtime at Climate Pledge Arena on Saturday.

Matty Beniers had an outstanding performance, earning both a crucial goal and an even more crucial assist, while Jared McCann banged home the game-winner to cap an incredible weekend for Seattle sports.

Speaking of which, who was in the building on Saturday, cheering on the Kraken? The legendary HUMPY! After Humpy’s performance shocked the world at the Mariners game on Friday, he appeared at CPA on Saturday—where the Kraken promptly came away with an impressive win over an excellent opponent. Coincidence? I think not.

Global superstar and local hero, HUMPY is in the building!!! ELECTRIC!️ pic.twitter.com/Owtly1Pl08

— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) October 12, 2025

Here are Three Takeaways from a big 2-1 Kraken overtime win against the Golden Knights.

Takeaway #1: Matty looks different​

Beniers had a notably slow start to last season but seemed to find himself once Kaapo Kakko arrived and started creating some space for him. So when Kakko broke his hand in training camp, I wondered how big of an impact that would have on the start of Matty’s season.

Through the first two games—especially Saturday against Vegas—Beniers has looked fast, confident, and downright crafty. Even before he scored, I was commenting to others in the local media about how he looked.

When I asked him if he’s feeling good about his game Saturday, he said, “Yeah, I feel good.” (It was a funny exchange that’s worth watching below.)

Hear from Matty Beniers on what the win means for the #SeaKraken and his confidence early on. pic.twitter.com/YqOMqy42bc

— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) October 12, 2025

There’s a determination in his game right now that we haven’t always seen from him over the past couple of seasons. The way he’s dangling through the neutral zone, the way he’s defending, and even the way he’s carrying himself with the media—it all suddenly looks and sounds like a veteran NHLer.

Against the Golden Knights, he was the beneficiary of an unbelievable between-the-legs pass from Jordan Eberle from below the goal line to set up a power-play goal seven minutes into the second period. But he also made an elite play on his own, pulling the puck to his backhand and sliding it around Adin Hill’s outstretched left pad.

MATTY MAGIC!

Sick setup, sick finish, sick celly.

Power-play goal, and it's 1-0 #SeaKraken. pic.twitter.com/AfVFcsAmxz

— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) October 12, 2025

“It was an awesome pass [by Eberle],” Beniers said. “He’s an extremely gifted passer, we all know that, and he put that on display right there by going between his legs. I’m right in front all alone, so he set that whole thing up.”

He’s still just 22 years old, but it feels like it’s time for Matty to become Seattle’s best player. If that happens this season, the Kraken could go a long way.

(By the way, I missed Matty’s goal in real time, because I was busy looking up how many career shutouts Adin Hill has. So, you’re welcome for that.)

Takeaway #2: Overtime dominance​

After Pavel Dorofeyev sent the game to an extra frame with his fifth (!!!) goal in three games, Seattle showed it knows how to play at 3-on-3—despite not practicing it much.

The Kraken won seemingly every battle and held the puck for nearly the entire five minutes of overtime. When the Golden Knights did manage to get possession, they’d rush up ice, take a shot from distance that Joey Daccord confidently kicked away, and then Seattle would go right back to work. It was an impressive display.

“Very good,” coach Lane Lambert said of the overtime performance. “Watching [Kraken teams] in the past, there’s a pretty good understanding there, and I thought we won some battles, and I thought we did some really good things in 3-on-3. We reorganized with the puck, we didn’t— we took shots that we felt were good opportunities, which you have to do. So we managed it very well.”

Of course, it’s all for naught if you don’t ultimately score. But with the clock ticking down and Beniers dancing around at the top of the slot, he finally pushed his way down Lenny Wilkens Way and snapped a shot into Hill’s chest. The rebound popped out and landed right on McCann’s stick, and he won the most important battle of the night, sending the crowd home happy.

MCCANN CAN!

WITH 3 SECONDS LEFT IN OT, JARED MCCANN WINS IT! #SeaKraken pic.twitter.com/y38BJQvz5A

— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) October 12, 2025

“I knew there wasn’t much time on the clock,” McCann said. “Matty made a great play, obviously, turned back and created space from the guy, and I just tried to do the same at the net.”

Takeaway #3: All aboard the Lane Train​

After practice on Friday, Lambert reflected on the third period of Seattle’s season-opening win against Anaheim. “We feel like if we play like that, we’re going to give ourselves a chance to win. Are we going to win all the time? No, but if we play like that, we give ourselves a chance to win. And I thought that period was good.”

The Kraken played three of those periods (four, if you count OT) on Saturday. Sure, the game against Vegas could have gone either way, but Seattle had victory well within its tentacles all night.

Of course, Daccord has been very solid in both of these first two games, and the puck management in the opening frame against the Ducks was atrocious. But there have been very few defensive breakdowns so far, and against Vegas, odd-man rushes almost never happened. Even Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy commented on that after the game.

“They had a game plan, and they weren’t going to lose D up the ice,” Cassidy said. “Even though I think they did a pretty good job of getting involved in the offense, it didn’t allow us a lot of odd-man rushes to get through the neutral zone clean. So I think it took us a while to figure that part out.”

Lambert doubled down on his earlier sentiments after the game.

“It’s important for our team to understand that what we’re doing is a formula to have success,” Lambert said. “You’re not always going to win, and that’s the way it goes. The outcome was great, but had it been slightly different, I wouldn’t have been unhappy with our hockey team’s effort.”

For all the talk about tighter defensive structure from the Kraken, I’m not sure I believed we’d see it this early in the season. But Seattle just totally shut down a Vegas Golden Knights team that has dominated them throughout their four years of existence.

All aboard?

Darren Brown​

Darren Brown is the Chief Content Officer at soundofhockey.com and the host of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast. He is a member of the PHWA and is also usually SOH’s Twitter intern (but please pretend you don’t know that). Follow him @DarrenFunBrown and @sound_hockey or email [email protected].

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The post Three Takeaways – Kraken outlast Golden Knights for 2-1 overtime win appeared first on Sound Of Hockey.

Source: https://soundofhockey.com/2025/10/12/kraken-win-over-golden-knights-overtime-matty-beniers/

 

[Seattle Kraken]

Monday Musings: Strong start to the Lane Lambert era

With two wins in two games, both against Pacific Division opponents, it was a strong opening week for the Seattle Kraken. It wasn’t perfect, but honestly, I don’t think anyone could’ve scripted a better start to the Lane Lambert era.

For the first time in franchise history, the Kraken not only won their season opener but their home opener as well, taking down the up-and-coming Anaheim Ducks 3–1. The first period was rough; Seattle was outshot 17–5, but Joey Daccord was stellar, and the game was tied 1-1 after 20 minutes.

To Seattle’s credit, most of Anaheim’s shots came from the outside and were low-danger looks, but that kind of shot differential still jumps off the page. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t at least a little worried after that first period, even with the score level.

Things turned around in the second. The Kraken tilted the ice when Brandon Montour stole a puck with some slick stick work, battled to keep possession, and set up Mason Marchment for Seattle’s second goal. At that moment, shots were 20–5 for Anaheim. The rest of the way? 25–16 for Seattle.

A different kind of game against Vegas​

The matchup with Vegas had a completely different vibe, more balanced, but still a strong showing. The Golden Knights are loaded up front, so holding them to just one power-play goal (after they scored nine in their first two games) was no small feat.

Heading into overtime, Vegas had a 24–15 edge in shots, but the Kraken dominated the extra frame, controlling play and outshooting the Knights 7–3.

Alison Lukan had a great nugget in her postgame instant analysis:

“On the game as a whole, in 5-on-5 play, the Kraken generated 43.8 percent of all shot volume but 57 percent of all shot quality. In regulation, the first period was the team’s strongest in each metric.”

And that doesn’t even include overtime, where the Kraken clearly built on that shot-quality advantage.

Speaking of overtime… let’s relive that winner that was buried with just 3.4 seconds left on the clock.

MCCANN CAN!

WITH 3 SECONDS LEFT IN OT, JARED MCCANN WINS IT! #SeaKraken pic.twitter.com/y38BJQvz5A

— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) October 12, 2025

Power play progress​

The Kraken have one power-play goal in five opportunities, not a big sample size, but there’s plenty to like so far. They’re working the puck below the goal line more, setting up options in the slot, and finding cross-ice seams for dangerous looks.

Here’s a look at the power-play time on ice so far:

Chandler Stephenson is logging heavy minutes while Kaapo Kakko remains out of the lineup. One name missing from the mix, though, is Jani Nyman, who was used in the one-timer spot late last season.

Other musings​

• The Kraken’s win over the Anaheim Ducks marked their 10th all-time victory against Anaheim, the most they’ve recorded against any opponent.
• Conversely, heading into the Vegas game, the Kraken were just 3–11–1 all-time against the Golden Knights. But over the past three seasons, Seattle has flipped that script, going 3–0–1 against Vegas, including that memorable first-ever win at the Winter Classic.
• The Kraken scored first in both games to open the season. That’s notable, considering they struck first in just 43 percent of their games last year, the third-lowest rate in the league. They also won less than 30 percent of the games in which they gave up the first goal, so playing from ahead is huge.
• I’d really like to see Shane Wright get going on this upcoming road trip through eastern Canada. The opportunity is there, and a little momentum early could do wonders for him.
• The ice has felt tilted in Seattle’s favor whenever the Jared McCann-Matty Beniers-Jordan Eberle line has been on together. That trio looks sharp and seems to be finding its rhythm again.
• Ryan Winterton has also really impressed me through two games. He’s been noticeable breaking up plays and playing a strong two-way game. The coaching staff clearly trusts him too, as he didn’t miss a shift in the third period of the Vegas game.
• On the flip side, Jani Nyman has averaged just 8:14 of ice time with no power-play minutes over the first two games. It’s not anything to panic about, but it’s quite a contrast from last season, when he averaged 14 minutes a night and played in almost half of Seattle’s power-play opportunities during his 12-game stint.
• I’m also glad to see the Kraken organization welcome Joel Quenneville back to the league in the right way.
• As much of a slog as that third period was against Vegas, that’s probably the kind of grind-it-out hockey the Kraken will need to play to beat elite, high-skill teams.
• Overseas, 2025 seventh-round pick Loke Krantz made his SHL debut for Linköping HC and notched an assist in his first game.
• Meanwhile, down in the desert, the Coachella Valley Firebirds got off to a rough start, dropping their home opener 5–0 to the San Diego Gulls. It could be a challenging season ahead for the Firebirds; they’re one of the youngest teams in the AHL.

Goal of the week​

There were plenty to choose from with the Kraken this week, but this whole sequence was just too good to pass up.

always bet on beniers pic.twitter.com/zLMSIJxeMi

— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) October 12, 2025

Player performances​

Matty Beniers (SEA) – Has a goal and two assists on the Kraken’s four goals so far this season.

Joey Daccord (SEA) – Sporting a .968 save percentage through the Kraken’s first two games and came up big in key moments of both. According to MoneyPuck.com, he ranks fifth in the league in Goals Saved Above Expected.

Jake O’Brien (BFD/SEA) – The Kraken’s first-round pick in the 2025 draft exploded for four goals and four assists in two games over the weekend.

The week ahead​

The Kraken hit the road for a six-game road trip, starting Tuesday in Montreal for the Canadiens’ home opener. When the schedule came out this summer, this stretch jumped out as a tough early-season test, especially with players learning new systems under a new coaching staff.

Getting two wins at home probably helped accelerate the buy-in from the group which should be valuable heading out on the road. This week, Seattle faces Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto. It’s still tough to gauge how good any of these teams really are and all three of these opponents already have losses. I’d be fine with three points out of a possible six, though four sure would feel nice.

What I’m watching:​

• Goaltending: Joey Daccord has started the first two games, but it’s hard to imagine the team wants him playing all three this week while Philipp Grubauer and Matt Murray gather dust.
• Berkly Catton: I’m guessing Catton gets into a game after being a healthy scratch for the first two at home. I don’t mind the scratches, but you’d think he gets a look soon. Not sure if it means anything, but Beniers, Wright, and Winterton all made their NHL debuts on the road.

This trip should be another solid test for the Kraken. As I mentioned during the Kraken Roundtable, I just want to see them compete and be in every game.

Final thoughts​

It’s early, but the vibes around the Kraken feel good — structure, effort, and a couple of new faces already making an impact. There’s still plenty to clean up, but two wins out of the gate and some promising trends under Lane Lambert? You’ll take that every time.

The post Monday Musings: Strong start to the Lane Lambert era appeared first on Sound Of Hockey.

Source: https://soundofhockey.com/2025/10/13/monday-musings-strong-start-to-the-lane-lambert-era/

 

[Seattle Kraken]

Strive for 95 (points) – Seattle Kraken 2025-26 playoff tracker

As the Seattle Kraken’s fifth season gets underway, the Strive for 95 series returns. Most teams that reach 95 points qualify for the playoffs, making it a strong benchmark to track Seattle’s progress.

Like last season, the Kraken begin with a new coaching staff, but this year’s focus is on regaining their defensive identity. Last year, Seattle ranked 16th in goals scored (247). Among teams that made the playoffs, the Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, and New Jersey Devils actually scored fewer goals than the Kraken. Defense was the issue—the Kraken ranked 24th with 265 goals against. Head coach Lane Lambert was brought in during the offseason and is focused on tightening the team’s defensive structure.

Team tiers​

For those new to this series, we at Sound Of Hockey split NHL teams into three categories: Playoff Bound, Bubble, and Tankers. To reach 95 points, a team needs a .579 points percentage. No game in the NHL is a gimme, but tiering teams helps gauge the difficulty of the Kraken’s schedule and level-sets expectations.

• Playoff Bound – Teams expected to comfortably make the playoffs, generally among the league’s top performers last season.
• Bubble – Teams fighting for a playoff spot, most likely battling for wild-card positions.
• Tankers – Teams likely to miss the playoffs, making them Seattle’s most favorable matchups.

The biggest category is the Bubble teams, which includes 17 clubs. With a new season underway, many are still finding their footing as offseason moves settle in. I expect a few Bubble teams to slip into the Tankers category as the season progresses, and perhaps a couple will rise to the Playoff Bound tier.

These tiers are fluid and will update as the season progresses. In the NHL, only 16 teams make the playoffs—eight from each conference. Currently, 10 teams fall into the Playoff Bound category, leaving six playoff spots up for grabs: three in the East and three in the West.

Breakdown of point percentages​

The NHL schedule consists of 82 games. When aligned with the team tiers, the Kraken play 27 games against Playoff Bound teams, 41 against Bubble teams, and 13 against Tankers. While no matchup is an automatic win, victories against Tankers should be more attainable than those against elite teams. Therefore, we can expect higher point percentages against Tankers, moderate against Bubble teams, and lower against Playoff Bound opponents.

These projections will adjust throughout the season based on Seattle’s pace. For now, the projected breakdown looks as follows:

October targets​

After two home wins to start the year, Seattle is off to its best start in franchise history. The vibes are high, but perspective matters—it’s only two games. The Kraken now embark on a six-game road trip that will give them an early-season test. The trip includes their first of 13 back-to-back games this season, meaning a backup goalie will see action. Seattle went 0-12 in second legs of back-to-backs last year, a glaring area for improvement. This trip ties for their longest of the season, with another six-game swing coming in March.

Seattle plays 10 games in October: five against Playoff Bound teams, four against Bubble teams, and one against a Tanker. With two wins already under their belt and eight games remaining, Seattle has set the stage for a potentially bountiful October.

• Playoff Bound teams (four-point target) – Seattle has already defeated the Vegas Golden Knights in an overtime thriller on Oct. 11. Remaining opponents in this group include Toronto (Oct. 18), Washington (Oct. 21), Winnipeg (Oct. 23), and Edmonton (Oct. 25). The Capitals game will be an early measuring-stick game, as it’s the second leg of a back-to-back against a strong opponent. Target: four points. With two already secured, the Kraken have a chance to build momentum.
• Bubble teams (five-point target) – Seattle opened with a win over Anaheim despite getting heavily outshot in the first period. The target here is five points. The Kraken face Montreal twice this month (Oct. 14 and Oct. 28) and Ottawa once (Oct. 16). Ottawa has struggled early, allowing an average of 4.67 goals against through three games.
• Tanker teams (two-point target) – Seattle’s lone game in this group is Oct. 20 against Philadelphia, the first leg of a back-to-back. This could be a good spot to start one of the backup goalies.

Overall, the bar to stay on pace is 11 points, and with four already secured, October is shaping up as an opportunity to get ahead of schedule.

Monthly updates​

Each month, I’ll update this series to track Seattle’s progress toward the 95-point goal. After an offseason with no flashy additions, the Kraken have quickly reignited optimism with only two games played. This road trip comes at a perfect time—it’s long enough for the team to jell and provides a chance to evaluate the backup goaltending situation. Plus, Seattle’s 2024 first-round pick, Berkly Catton, remains with the team and could make his debut this month (perhaps on the road trip?).

The Kraken’s best October to date was 11 points last season, though that came in 11 games. With 10 this year, matching or surpassing that total would put them ahead of pace as they strive for 95.

Comment below with your thoughts on the Kraken’s start and your expectations for October and the season ahead.

Blaiz Grubic​

Blaiz Grubic is a contributor at Sound Of Hockey. A passionate hockey fan and player for over 30 years, Blaiz grew up in the Pacific Northwest and is an alumni of Washington State University (Go Cougs!). When he’s not playing, watching, or writing about hockey, he enjoys quality time with his wife and daughter or getting out on a golf course for a quick round. Follow @blaizg on BlueSky or X.

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Source: https://soundofhockey.com/2025/10/14/strive-for-95-points-seattle-kraken-2025-26-playoff-tracker/

 

[Seattle Kraken]

Meet Meghan Turner, PWHL Seattle general manager

My first impression of PWHL Seattle’s general manager Meghan Turner was that she’s a whip smart, confident leader who prioritizes culture and fit in the way she’s building Seattle’s first-ever professional women’s hockey team. Tessa Bonhomme called Turner “a brilliant hockey mind who’s gonna be a problem.”

I am still relatively new to hockey myself, but the job of general manager seemed pretty straightforward: build a successful organization by winning trophies and making money. Turner’s duty as an expansion team general manager, though, is to build that team and culture from nothing.

Turner used an analogy to explain the intricacy of her job to me, which is not as cut and dried as I had assumed. “I’m a big puzzle nerd, and so that’s how I view it. How do I, as a GM, find the right pieces that complement each other to work in concert together?” As a fellow puzzle nerd, her explanation helped me make sense of what she has been up to for the past few months, and the task ahead as we inch our way toward PWHL Seattle’s inaugural season, which officially starts Nov. 21.

A winding road back to hockey​

Turner’s route to PWHL general manager was circuitous, but it helps give perspective to how she views the ‘puzzle’ before her. She jokingly gives both blame and credit to Boston Fleet general manager Danielle Marmer for where she’s ended up. Marmer and Turner grew up playing against each other, since Turner is from New Hampshire, and Marmer was in Vermont. The pair then played together for four years at Quinnipiac University, where Turner graduated with a BS and an MBA.

After graduation, Turner got a consulting job at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Boston. On top of working 55 hours per week at PwC, she played professional hockey, first in the CWHL and later the PWHPA. She told the Boston Globe that she’d often leave her house at 7 a.m., work all day, head to practice, get back home at 10 and work some more. Eventually it came time for Turner to hang up the skates.

“I pretty much decided that I was gonna move forward in my consulting career, and that’s what the next 30 years of my life would be,” Turner said. She was happy and loved her job and coworkers, and she had signed up for service in the Army National Guard. When the PWHL was announced, Turner was excited but didn’t expect to be involved. During our conversation she laughed at her past naivete. “You make a decision, and life just throws a total curve ball at you.”

This particular curve ball was thrown by her old friend Marmer, who had also moved to Boston to work in player development and scouting for the Bruins. The week before Turner was set to ship off to basic training, Marmer, who had been offered a job as PWHL Boston’s inaugural GM, asked Turner to come with her. Though Turner described her decision as “a leap,” she felt supported in her transition. From her family, from Marmer, and from her colleagues at PwC who pushed her out the door, telling her, “You’ve got to do this. This is like a once-in-a-lifetime thing.”

Does she regret her decision to return to hockey? “I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she said.

OTTAWA, CANADA – JUNE 25: Turner and PWHL Seattle head coach Steve O’Rourke at the 2025 PWHL Draft (Photo/Arianne Bergeron, courtesy of PWHL Seattle)

Turner worked two years for the Boston Fleet as assistant general manager. When expansion was announced, league executives asked the current GMs, including Marmer, if there was anyone they would recommend to lead the two new teams. Marmer told the Boston Globe that in her mind, Turner was not only the obvious choice, but the only choice. “They were like ‘Great, glad you said that, because we were going to talk to her anyway.’ ”

Building the puzzle​

Now that we have the context, we can get back into how Turner has approached building the puzzle that is PWHL Seattle. She starts, as many of us do, by looking at the picture on the box. For her, this means deciding on an image of how a successful PWHL team looks. Unlike the inaugural six PWHL general managers, who built their teams with no real knowledge of what the league would become, Turner has the benefit of looking back at the past two years of the league.

With hindsight, she sees that picture clearly. Turner was not shy to admit that it looks a lot like back-to-back league champions, the Minnesota Frost. “There’s a lot to pull from in terms of what they’ve done in [both] seasons. They weren’t the clear front-runner, but they got hot at the right times, and they pushed through playoffs. They had speed, and they had endurance and stamina, and some of the things that they do more tactically on the ice to spread teams out and make it difficult for teams to play against them.”

The picture of a successful team is a championship-winning team, yes, but Turner knows that isn’t the whole story. “Beyond that, for me, it’s making sure that we are building a good culture.” For Turner, it’s not just the results that make a successful team, but it’s also how they get there. “I want to win in a way where I feel good about us winning and feel like we are jelling as a group. That means a lot to me, too, just to make sure that the culture is good, and players want to come to Seattle and they want to stay in Seattle.”

From our discussion, the image that the finished puzzle will show became clear: Turner is planning on building a winning team with a great culture.

So how does she go about figuring out which pieces will fit? “Hockey’s a unique sport,” Turner said. “You really need your full roster to play their parts. You can’t just rely on a few good players, you need everyone to step up and fill in the capacity that they’re put in to fill.”

PWHL Draft & Awards 2025 – (Photo courtesy of PWHL Seattle)

Drafting and signing to create a team from scratch​

Turner had three main opportunities to find the right pieces for her puzzle: the initial/exclusive signing window, the expansion draft, and the entry draft.

“The initial signing window was interesting,” Turner said. “I was confident going into it, and I knew the players… But it was a really fast pace, and I knew it was going to be, but I maybe underestimated just how competitive it was.”

After a “crazy” Day 1, Turner felt more confident moving forward with the rest of the process and felt she knew what to expect. And why wouldn’t she be confident? The first player she signed to PWHL Seattle was Hilary Knight, one of the greatest hockey players ever. She then rounded out the window by signing the maximum five players and was praised for her work during the window.

For Turner, the initial signing period was about getting her core pieces together, and then she went about building around them, making sure the additional pieces were a good fit with the foundation she had started. She went into draft day with multiple different strategies, prepared to “play off of what Cara [Gardner Morey] is doing in Vancouver, in literally five minutes or so in the moment.” She was happy with the plan they ended up using, and with the outcome, telling me that her team crafted the roster in the way that she had hoped.

Then, in the entry draft, unlike the NHL conventional wisdom of drafting the best prospect available, Turner said she and her staff “drafted with specific needs in mind,” and felt good about where they ended up. They pulled some surprising moves, like drafting a goalie in the second round, but the plan was the same. They selected “who we thought was the best available and also fit what we needed.”

When asked if there was a consistent thread that tied all her selections together, Turner said: “The first one that pops into my head is just competitiveness, and then maturity.” They looked for athletes who are willing to learn and grow and fill different roles. Turner thinks that she has that with her current roster. “A lot of the personalities from my perspective are just gritty and competitive. They want to win every single day, and they’re going to push each other.”

Some hiccups still expected​

Turner knows the road to success will not be smooth 100 percent of the time.

“It’s difficult when you put a player that’s been on the top line their whole life and try to retrofit them into maybe a third- or fourth-line role and vice versa, so sometimes you have to ask players to kind of reinvent themselves and then help them with that process. So to me, It’s a big puzzle, and all the pieces fit together. And in many different ways, just finding the right way that fits and understanding that there’s no one way that that’s going to work.”

It seems, then, that hockey is a bit different from a puzzle in some key ways. For one, you can change the pieces slightly to fit what you need. You can also find a different solution and end up with a different picture than what you thought you were building. This type of flexibility is crucial for a team that has never played together.

Throughout our interview, Turner showed that she has the keen eye and instincts of a great leader, but at the end, her answers showed a bit of her heart. With her experience in two other failed leagues, I had to ask her what made the PWHL different. “Oh gosh,” she told me, smiling, “It’s everything about it, I guess.” She described the PWHL as “leveled up.” Players, investors, leadership, the people behind the scenes who don’t get the credit they deserve, are all 100 percent in… They didn’t dip their toes in. It was, ‘We’re doing this, and we’re going to make it good.'”

Turner is no stranger to Seattle. She told Daily Faceoff, “My wife lived out there for a year after college, and then her twin sister joined her after college. Her sister ended up staying there for about nine years. So, we would go out there a lot to visit. So, it’s still kind of a secondary home base for my sister-in-law, who I’m really close to. It’s cool to kind of go back in a different capacity.”

The PWHL expansion cemented Seattle’s status as a big player in women’s sports. There’s no doubt that Turner is committed to making this team a part of the city.

“I really want to make this great for Seattle. I say it all the time… how excited [the fans] are, and I am genuinely so excited to bring the women’s side of the sport to Seattle. And I am really excited to meet people and meet fans and be out in the community. So I’m just excited to see everyone, I’m excited to meet everyone, Excited to be at [Climate Pledge Arena], see the fans and everything, so I’m just very excited. And it comes from a genuine desire to make Seattle the best market for our league and obviously hoist a championship trophy at the end of the year.”

Her excitement was infectious and made us Sound Of Hockey feel ready to run through a wall. It’s clear that Turner is ready to lead Seattle into a bright future.

When asked about Turner moving on, her friend and former boss Danielle Marmer told the Boston Globe “she’s going to have something really special in Seattle.” And I agree.

The post Meet Meghan Turner, PWHL Seattle general manager appeared first on Sound Of Hockey.

Source: https://soundofhockey.com/2025/10/15/meghan-turner-profile/