Originally from Spokane, Kailer Yamamoto and Derek Ryan have taken different paths to achieve the same NHL goal
When Spokane’s Kailer Yamamoto laced up his skates in the locker room on December 10, just a short detour from the state-of-the-art ice rink in the Climate Pledge Arena, he was enjoying the moment.
After ice skating at Eagles Ice Arena, Spokane Arena, and rinks across Washington during his days in the Western Hockey League, Yamamoto was only hours away from his first regular NHL action in his home state.
The Spokane native jumped on the ice for a morning skate and turned to the other Oilers as he and fellow countryman Derek Ryan fired shots towards the gate.
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Ryan and Yamamoto, similarly underestimated by NHL terms, were both Spokane Chiefs who took different paths for Edmonton’s two December games against the Kraken.
Ryan, 34, spent four years with the Chiefs but never received a call on any NHL draft night.
He moved north of the border to play for the Alberta Golden Bears.
In 2011 he traveled overseas to play three seasons in Austria and one year in Sweden. In 2015 he made his NHL debut for the Carolina Hurricanes.
Yamamoto, 23, was drafted 22nd overall in Edmonton’s first round in 2017.
He made his NHL debut in October.
Eleven years difference in age, but only two years apart in NHL service – now they’re both wearing the same colors again.
“I’m sure this is pretty unexpected,” Ryan said. “The same NHL team from a small hockey community in Spokane. It’s something we enjoy. And I am sure we will look back on a few decades and appreciate that even more. “
The two trained during the off-season while both were free agents – Ryan unrestricted and Yamamoto restricted.
The news broke while Yamamoto was in Hawaii, but as soon as he heard about it, he texted Ryan.
“It’s been great to see him grow over the past few seasons,” said Ryan of Yamamoto. “To train with him and now see him grow a little closer while he’s on the same team. He matures. He’s obviously a young guy figuring out what it takes to stay in this league and be a star and I think it’s fun to watch. “
Ryan lives in the off-season north of Spokane, where he and his family built a house a few years ago.
Yamamoto also spends his off-season in Spokane at his parents’ house, where he and his brother Keanu can spend a lot of time together. Keanu attends McGill University in Montreal, where he plays hockey for the Redbirds.
While they hang out in the summer, hockey is rarely discussed. It is a time to decompress after its busy season.
“He was just a really good brother, a really good older brother that I definitely appreciate,” said Kailer.
All four Yamamotos will meet for the first time in a couple of years during the season when Edmonton travels to Montreal to play the Canadiens in late January.
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The Climate Pledge Arena was built with the idea that it could be one of the most coveted NHL arenas in the country and one day it could become a world-class NBA arena – in case the NBA decides to return to Seattle.
Oak View Group (OVG) and CEO Tim Leiweke own a 51% stake in Climate Pledge. OVG and its partners funded the entire $ 1.15 billion project – 92% more than the original estimate. $ 50 million was used for NBA-specific upgrades.
Yamamoto and Ryan were impressed with the new arena from top to bottom.
“Obviously doesn’t look like it,” said Ryan. “I remember it was pretty dark and didn’t love it too much, so it has a slightly different feel now and it’s better.”
All that remains of the old KeyArena is the listed roof, a holdover from the 1962 World’s Fair in Seattle.
“Your rink is phenomenal, it could be one of the best rinks I’ve seen in the National Hockey League,” said Yamamoto. “It’s a beautiful place, even for the visiting room. Some ice rinks are really nice, but the visitor room isn’t the best, but their visitor room was amazing, probably the best I’ve seen. And the atmosphere was great. I mean, Seattle fans are as wild as it is. “
Seattle has a long history of hockey.
The Seattle Metropolitans played nine seasons (1915-1924) in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association and during this period they scored the most wins in the league, including five league titles. They made it three times the Stanley Cup and won it in 1917. This championship was the first Stanley Cup victory by an American team.
“Having an NHL team is not only great for Seattle, but we’re really excited about my home in Spokane and Pacific Northwest in general,” said Ryan. “Cool experience to visit the rink for the first time.”
When Yamamoto and Ryan first saw the building, the experience became a real one. After nearly a century without professional hockey, the region has embraced the Kraken as much as it celebrated the expansion of the Seahawks and Mariners in 1976 and 1977, respectively.
“I really believe they have died for a team over the past few years,” said Yamamoto. “And I think it’s a really good hockey market. I think hockey is definitely going to thrive in the Northwest and it will be really good for them. “
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After Seattle officially became an NHL franchise in 2018, the opportunity for Ryan and Yamamoto to play in front of family and friends in Seattle became an option.
It was just a matter of time.
When the NHL schedule was released on July 22nd, which featured the Kraken for the first time, Yamamoto highlighted the Oilers’ trip to Seattle.
The chance to turn it into a spectacle was an easy decision for Kailer’s parents, LeAnn and Russ.
On the first trip to Seattle, his parents were seated in the second row, decked out in Kailer’s number 56. Kailer didn’t know where his parents were, but it helps that Edmonton’s orange against the blue and white background of the octopus colors.
Kailer, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, among other Oilers, discovered them.
This was the first time LeAnn and Russ had sat this close to the ice for an NHL game.
They weren’t the only ones in attendance for the youngest Yamamoto. His parents estimated that about 50 people sailed to Seattle to see Yamamoto glide across the ice. Yamamoto’s additional participation weighed in the back of his mind, but as a professional athlete he couldn’t measure this game any differently than the others. At the end of the day, it’s just another game.
“Of course you want to do well in front of your friends and family, especially when there are a lot of them,” he said. “I want to say the only game I really feel (the extra pressure) is the Battle of Alberta.”
This is the game between the Oilers and the Calgary Flames, one of the more aggressive rivalries in the sport.
Yamamoto had over 10 friends, his parents had about 20 in their group, a few former coaches, and then a few other friends were scattered around the arena.
Most of his pals are into hockey, but five of his longtime school friends from Spokane did attend.
One of the family friends present was Bill O’Brien, or Uncle Bill as the Yamamoto children call him. He has been close to the family for 30 years. It was his first NHL game.
While Yamamoto played the Kraken twice in Seattle, he also played once on the expansion team in the preseason.
The Kraken had a preseason tour that traveled to cities across the state. One of their stops was Everett, where they hosted Edmonton on October 1st.
This game enabled Yamamoto’s grandparents to see their grandson on the ice as a professional for the first time.