Release The Kraken! NHL Back In Seattle – Everett Post

Kraken fans take part in the NHL Expansion Draft at Gas Works Park in Seattle.

It is official; The Seattle Kraken is the 32nd franchise in the National Hockey League (NHL). Seattle is no stranger to professional ice hockey. The Seattle Metropolitans dominated the Pacific Coast Hockey Association from 1915 to 1924, won the Stanley Cup in 1917 and competed a total of three times. The team closed in 1924 after an unsuccessful search for a home track to replace the Seattle Ice Arena.

The Seattle Kraken chose One player each from 30 NHL teams (Vegas was excluded but not participating in the $ 650 million expansion fee paid by Seattle’s owners).

The players were announced in a live event at Gas Works Park, attended by around 2,000 fans and hundreds more sailing gates just offshore.

Ron Francis, the general manager of the Kraken, is no stranger to the NHL. Francis ranks second all-time in NHL assists behind the great Wayne Gretzky, fifth all-time in scores and fifth all-time in games played. In addition, the two-time Stanley Cup winner was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in November 2007.

Dave Hakstol has been named the Kraken’s first head coach. Hakstol reached the Stanley Cup playoffs in two of his first full three seasons as head coach in the NHL. He rose as the NCAA coach for North Dakota, took them seven times to the Frozen Four, and was named a finalist for National Coach of the Year in eight of his eleven seasons.

Hakstol coached the Flyers from 2015-2016 and a bit from the 2018-2019 season. He went 134-101-42 in the regular season and reached the playoffs twice, winning a single series unsuccessfully. But with his collegial record, there is a chance that he will be equal to the situation.

The Kraken is owned by David Wright, Jerry Bruckheimer, and Andy Jassy. The hope for the new expansion also brings the idea to take the Sonics to a whole new level. With a newer stadium and energetic city, the future of sport in Seattle is unstoppable.

Over the years, many fans have gathered around the Seattle Thunderbirds and Everett Silvertips to enjoy a game of hockey and become part of their hardcore fan base. You can listen to the tips game radio broadcast on our KRKO station. Because of these teams, sports fans in Seattle got a glimpse of just how great hockey can be.

Some of the city’s best ambassadors took to the stage, both virtually and in person, to introduce some of the newest members of the Kraken family. Sue Bid, four-time WNBA champion, 12-time WNBA All-Star and Seattle Storm captain, announced Jordan Eberle, a New York Islanders striker. Former Sonics Point Guard, nine-time NBA All-Star and NBA Champion Gary Payton announced John Quenneville, a Chicago Blackhawks striker. And Payton’s teammate, six-time NBA All-Star, Shawn Kemp, also announced Colorado Avalanche striker Joonas Donskoi. Bobby Wagner, Kyle Lewis, Marshawn Lynch and Macklemore also graced the stage to announce different picks.

With the new expansion and upgrades in the former Key Arena Sonics and Storm facility, the Climate Pledge Arena is a breath of fresh air for sports fans everywhere in Seattle. The top-of-line arena cost over $ 850 million and was unanimously approved 8-0 by the Seattle City Council. It has space for 18,100 spectators and is said to be the first professional sports facility in the world to be certified by the International Living Future Institute Zero-Carbon.

The Kraken will play their home game against the Vancouver Canucs at the Climate Pledge Arena on October 23. Season tickets sold out in less than 12 minutes. The team will play three preseason games in three different locations across Washington. The first game will take place on Sunday, September 26th at 6pm against the Vancouver Conucks at the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena. The second will take place on Friday October 1st at 7pm against the Edmonton Oilers in Everett at the Angel of the Winds Arena. The last preseason game will take place on Saturday, October 2nd at 7pm against the Calgary Flames in Kent at the Accesso ShoWare Center.

Here is the list of players chosen in last night’s draft expansion:

Jeremy Lauzon, D, Boston Bruins
William Borgen, D, Buffalo Sabers
Dennis Cholowski, D, Detroit Red Wings
Chris Drieger, G, Florida Panthers
Cale Fleury, D, Montreal Canada
Joey Daccord, G, Ottawa Senators
Yanni Gourde, C, Tampa Bay Lightning
Jared McCann, C, Toronto Maple Leafs
Morgan Geekie, C, Carolina Hurricanes
Gavin Bayreuther, D, Columbus Blue Jackets
Nathan Bastian, RW, New Jersey Devils
Jordan Eberle, RW, New York Islanders
Colin Blackwell, C, New York Rangers
Carsen Twaryenski, LW, Philadelphia Flyers
Brandon Tanev, D, Pittsburgh Penguins
Vitek Vanecek, G, Washington Capitals
Tyler Pitlick, C, Arizona Coyotes
John Quenneville, C, Chicago Blackhawks
Joonas Donskoi, RW, Colorado Avalanche
Jamie Oleksiak, D, Dallas Stars
Carson Soucy, D, Minnesota Wild
Calle Jarnkrok, C, Nashville Predators
Vince Dunn, D, St. Louis Blues
Mason Appleton, C, Winnipeg Jets
Haydn Fleury, D, Anaheim Ducks
Mark Giordano, D, Calgary Flames
Adam Larsson, D, Edmonton Oilers
Kurtis MacDermid, D, Los Angeles Kings
Alexander True, F, San Jose Sharks
Kole Lind, RW, Vancouver Canucks