While most hockey fans are following the Stanley Cup Playoffs, many players are busy with other challenges at this time of year. In that spirit, we look at what the Seattle Kraken regulars and prospects have been doing at the IIHF Men’s World Championship, the Calder Cup Playoffs, and elsewhere.
Coachella Valley Firebirds Are Heating Up
Earlier this season we dedicated an entire article to Seattle’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds. The club is operating in its second season of existence and is on track to replicate the success of its maiden campaign when it played the Calder Cup Final.
Coachella Valley, led by former NHL head coach Dan Bylsma (who we might be writing about soon), had such a good regular season (46-15-6) that they automatically qualified for the postseason’s second round, known as the Pacific Division Semifinals. After falling behind to the Calgary Wranglers in the first match, the Firebirds erupted for three consecutive victories to claim the best-of-five series 3-1. As of this writing, they lead the Western Conference Final 1-0 versus the Ontario Reign.
Related: Seattle Kraken Need to Turn to AHL Firebirds for Help
Several players adorning Firebirds red and orange also stepped onto the ice for the Kraken in 2023-24, including Cale Fleury (one game), Kole Lind (one game), Gustav Olofsson (one game), Max McCormick (one game), Logan Morrisson (four games), Shane Wright (eight games), Ryan Winterton (nine games), Devin Shore (21 games), and Ryker Evans (36 games).
Forward Devin Shore, an 11-year veteran who has bounced between the NHL and AHL, has four goals and one assist through five games. He also scored the overtime winner in Game 2 against Calgary. Defenseman Evans, about whom we wrote glowingly in the latter stages of the regular season, has three points via a goal and two assists. Fleury is right alongside him with the same numbers. Wright, Seattle’s 2022 first-round draft selection, hasn’t made his presence felt as much as some might have expected (three points, minus-2), but there is still plenty of hockey to be played. Morrisson only has one point but has a plus-3 goal differential.
Kraken Around the World
The Kraken’s tentacles extend as far as Czechia where the 2024 IIHF Men’s World Championship is underway. Seven Seattle players were called upon to represent their nations in this year’s competition: G Philipp Grubauer (Germany), LW Pierre-Edouard Bellemare (France), LW Tomas Tatar (Slovakia), LW Andre Burakovsky (Sweden), LW Brandon Tanev (Canada), LW Jared McCann (Canada), and D Jamie Oleksiak (Canada).
Canada’s Kraken contingent has played a role in the team’s relative success so far (two regulation wins and another in overtime). Oleksiak doesn’t have a point but is plus-1, whereas McCann and Tanev have a point each (one goal and one assist, respectively). McCann was one of the goal scorers in the bonkers 7-6 OT win over Austria earlier this week in the group stage.
Grubauer’s tournament has been mediocre. Although he’s won twice, his goals-against-average is an alarming 3.75, and his save percentage is a forgettable .894. On the other hand, Burakovsky is lighting it up for Sweden. He has two goals and three assists and is a plus-6 so far.
Over in France’s camp, Bellemare has two goals but has been a bit of a liability on defense, sporting a minus-3 goal differential. Finally, Slovakia has largely benefited from the services of pending unrestricted free agent Tatar, who has one goal and three assists to go with a plus-4 differential.
It’s understandable to spend most of one’s time in the spring and early summer enjoying the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It’s the very best hockey has to offer. It’s also worth having a peek at other leagues and international tournaments to see how players are working to improve for next season, like Jagger Firkus of the Western Hockey League’s Moose Jaw Warriors. The 20-year-old Kraken prospect was recently named the 2023-24 Player of the Year. In 63 matches, he netted 61 goals and 62 assists.
It goes to show that even when a team is technically idle, there are always things happening that are worth paying attention to.
