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Revision as of 00:58, 8 October 2021 by GoodDay (talk | contribs) (→Assistant coaches: See other NHL team articles. We don't list the asst coaches)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) National Hockey League team in Seattle, Washington
| Seattle Kraken | |
|---|---|
 2021–22 Seattle Kraken season | |
 | |
| Conference | Western |
| Division | Pacific |
| Founded | 2021 |
| History | Seattle Kraken 2021–present |
| Home arena | Climate Pledge Arena |
| City | Seattle, Washington |
 | |
| Team colors | Deep sea blue, ice blue, boundless blue, shadow blue, red alert |
| Media | Root Sports Northwest Sports Radio 950 KJR |
| Owner(s) | Seattle Hockey Partners |
| General manager | Ron Francis |
| Head coach | Dave Hakstol |
| Captain | Vacant |
| Minor league affiliates | Charlotte Checkers (AHL) Palm Springs (AHL in 2022–23) Allen Americans (ECHL) |
| Stanley Cups | 0 |
| Conference championships | 0 |
| Presidents' Trophy | 0 |
| Division championships | 0 |
| Official website | nhl |
The Seattle Kraken are a professional ice hockey team based in Seattle. The Kraken compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference and began play during the league's 2021–22 season. They play their home games at Climate Pledge Arena.
In December 2018, the NHL approved a proposal by Seattle Hockey Partners to grant an expansion franchise to the city of Seattle. In July 2020, the Kraken's name and branding were revealed. The Kraken are the first professional hockey team to play in Seattle since the Seattle Totems of the Western Hockey League played their last game in 1975, and the first Seattle hockey team to compete for the Stanley Cup since the Seattle Metropolitans, who won the cup in 1917 and folded in 1924.
Establishment
Further information: Ice hockey in SeattleThe NHL Board of Governors voted unanimously to approve Seattle's expansion team on December 4, 2018. Seattle will begin play in the 2021–22 season as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference; therefore the Arizona Coyotes will shift from the Pacific Division to the Central Division to balance out the four divisions at eight teams each. An expansion draft was held on July 21, 2021, in a similar manner to a previous expansion draft held in 2017 for the Vegas Golden Knights, who were themselves exempt from the 2021 expansion draft.
On July 23, 2020, the franchise announced their team name, the Seattle Kraken, as well as their team colors, branding, and home jersey. The team's name comes from the mythical kraken of Scandinavian folklore and its resemblance to the native Giant Pacific octopus, which is found in the waters of the Puget Sound, near Seattle.
On April 30, 2021, the franchise paid the final installment of the $650 million expansion fee, officially making the Seattle Kraken the 32nd team of the NHL.
Team information
Arena
The team will play home games at Climate Pledge Arena. The arena, at Seattle Center, is a $930 million redevelopment of the former KeyArena and Seattle Center Coliseum. Amazon.com bought the naming rights to Climate Pledge Arena and chose to name the venue after its environmental goals.
The team's primary practice facility, named the Kraken Community Iceplex, is located at the redeveloped Northgate Mall and opened in September 2021. The facility has three rinks and is open to the public.
The Kraken's three home preseason games prior to the 2021–22 season were held at Spokane Arena, Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett, and the accesso ShoWare Center in Kent, which are all home to Western Hockey League (WHL) teams. Tickets were sold by the host WHL teams.
Broadcasting
Everett Fitzhugh serves as the team's radio play-by-play announcer. Fitzhugh had previously done play-by-play for the ECHL's Cincinnati Cyclones. He is the first full-time play-by-play announcer of African-American heritage in NHL history. Games are broadcast on 950 KJR with some games on 96.5 KJAQ.
Kraken games are broadcast regionally on Root Sports Northwest for the team's first five seasons. Former Hartford Whalers and Carolina Hurricanes broadcaster John Forslund serves as the team's television play-by-play announcer. J. T. Brown is the television analyst.
Minor league affiliates
The team's yet-to-be-named minor league affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL) will be based in Palm Desert, California. Due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and delays in building their new arena, the affiliate will not begin play until the 2022–23 season.
The Charlotte Checkers, the primary AHL affiliate of the Florida Panthers, will also serve as the AHL affiliate for the Kraken during the 2021–22 season due to the delay in the Kraken's AHL team. The Checkers, an independently owned AHL team, had been the affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes while the Kraken's general manager Ron Francis was working for the Hurricanes.
Players and personnel
Current roster
As of January 12, 2025.
Owners
The team is owned by Seattle Hockey Partners, an organization originally consisting of David Bonderman, Jerry Bruckheimer and Tod Leiweke. Minority owners of the Kraken include Chris Ackerley, Ted Ackerley, Jay Deutsch, Mitch Garber, Adrian Hanauer, Andy Jassy, Len Potter, David Wright, and Jeff Wright.
Ron Francis and Dave Hakstol served as the Kraken franchise's first general manager and head coach respectively.
General managers
- Ron Francis, 2019–present
Head coaches
- Dave Hakstol, 2021–present
References
- Condor, Bob (July 25, 2020). "Color Guardians". NHLSeattle.com. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
- "Seattle Kraken". SeattleKrakenHockey.com. NHL Enterprises, L.P. July 23, 2020. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
- Cotsonika, Nicholas J. (July 23, 2020). "Seattle Kraken reveal nickname for NHL expansion team". NHL.com. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
- Condor, Bob (July 23, 2020). "Say It with Us: Release the Kraken!". NHL.com. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
- Rosen, Dan (December 4, 2018). "Seattle NHL expansion approved by Board of Governors". NHL.com. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
- Cotsonika, Nicholas J. (December 4, 2018). "Seattle expansion frequently asked questions". NHL.com. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
- Stolzenberg, Holger (December 20, 2020). "Seattle Kraken expansion draft set for July 21". MSN. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
- Booth, Tim (July 23, 2020). "Release the Kraken: Seattle unveils name for NHL franchise". The Washington Post. Associated Press. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
- "NHL's Seattle team unveils 'Kraken' name along with logo, jersey design - Sportsnet.ca". www.sportsnet.ca. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
- Cotsonika, Nicholas J. (April 30, 2021). "Kraken officially join NHL after final expansion payment". NHL.com. NHL Enterprises, L.P. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - "Seattle Kraken officially become NHL's 32nd team after final expansion payment". Sportsnet. April 30, 2021. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
- "NHL Seattle expansion team to play at Climate Pledge Arena". NHL.com. June 25, 2020. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
- Condor, Bob (June 24, 2020). "Making the 'Climate Pledge'". NHLSeattle.com. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
- Long, Michael (June 26, 2020). "Amazon deal sees Seattle's NHL venue renamed Climate Pledge Arena". Sportspromedia.com. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
- Baker, Geoff (June 30, 2021). "Seattle's NHL practice facility named Kraken Community Iceplex after partnership deal with Starbucks". The Seattle Times. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
- "Seattle Kraken announce preseason schedule". KING-TV. July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
- Douglas, William (August 7, 2020). "Kraken set to have first Black full-time NHL team play-by-play announcer". NHL.com. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
- ^ Clark, Ryan S. "Seattle Kraken hire John Forslund and announce TV broadcast deal". The Athletic. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
- "The Seattle Kraken and Climate Pledge Arena Announce Regional Partnership with iHeartMedia Seattle". PR Newswire. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
- Baker, Geoff (March 3, 2021). "Sports Radio KJR named Kraken flagship station". The Seattle Times. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
- McIntosh, Andrew (January 26, 2021). "NHL's Seattle Kraken signs multiyear TV broadcast rights deal". Puget Sound Business Journal. American City Business Journals. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
- Wyshynski, Greg (June 21, 2021). "Brown to retire, join Kraken as television analyst". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
- "AHL expanding to Palm Springs in 2021-22". theahl.com. September 30, 2019. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
- Powers, Shad. "'We were worried': Hockey to remain in the Coachella Valley despite arena move". The Desert Sun. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
- Pelletier, Justin (July 2, 2021). "No longer affiliated with the Canes, the AHL's Checkers now have two NHL parent clubs". The Herald-Sun. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
- "Seattle Kraken Roster". National Hockey League. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
- "Seattle Kraken Hockey Transactions". The Sports Network. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
- Barberio, Anthony (December 24, 2019). "Who Are the Owners of Seattle's Expansion NHL Team?". The Hockey Writers. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
- "Amazon Web Services CEO Andy Jassy joins NHL ownership group aiming to bring pro hockey to Seattle". GeekWire. September 5, 2018. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
- Baker, Geoff (September 5, 2018). "NHL Seattle minority owners include Sounders owner Adrian Hanauer and family of former Sonics owner". The Seattle Times. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
- "For Seattle NHL owner Mitch Garber, it's always been sports first". The Seattle Times. June 7, 2019. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
- Quinn, Patrick (July 18, 2019). "NHL Seattle names Ron Francis as first general manager of hockey franchise". KOMO. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
- Condor, Bob (June 24, 2021). "Getting it 'Right'". NHL.com. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
External links
| Seattle Kraken | |
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| Franchise | |
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