Kraken fans – it’s the time you’ve been waiting for – hockey is BACK! While the regular season doesn’t start in Seattle until Oct. 8 (do you have your ticket to the game yet?), next week, players will start to take to the ice at Kraken Community Iceplex first to kick off the inaugural Rookie Camp beginning Sept. 12 followed by the fourth annual training camp which starts a week later on Sept 19!

This year’s camp has plenty to get excited about – let’s dive in to what to watch!

Behind the Bench

You’ll see some familiar faces in new places this year. Dan Bylsma, who led Seattle’s AHL affiliate (the Coachella Valley Firebirds) to two championship finals in their first two years of existence, takes over as head coach for the Kraken this season.

Bylsma is no stranger to NHL coaching. He won the Stanley Cup in 2009 and is also the fastest coach to get to 200 wins in the League. He’s also no stranger to Kraken players. Bylsma has been part of every training camp since the organization’s inaugural season, so he knows his team, and his team knows him. Having so many relationships already in place is sure to be a great asset when it comes to building a team concept on the ice.

Filling out Bylsma’s staff, Dave Lowry enters his third season as an assistant coach in Seattle, as does goaltending coach Steve Briere. They are joined by two new assistant coaches. Bob Woods brings 13 years of NHL experience and 11 years of NHL coaching experience with him, and Jessica Campbell, who was part of Bylsma’s coaching staff in Coachella, brings a gift for skills development as she becomes the first woman to work as a full-time NHL assistant coach.

Growing from Within

With four Drafts complete, the Kraken prospect pool continues to get not just bigger but also deeper in terms of talent. The cupboards are more and more stocked with players who can push to keep the Kraken strong year after year. Players like Shane Wright, Ryan Winterton, and Carson Rehkopf will be at camp showing what they can do on the ice along with some of the newest additions to the Kraken organization, like eighth overall pick this summer, Berkly Catton and his fellow draftmates, including Julius Miettinen, Nathan Villeneuve, and Alexis Bernier.

Focus on Development

With all that young talent growing in the Seattle organization, this year’s camp begins with Rookie Camp running Sept. 12-15. This is a dedicated time for recently drafted players to get to know one another more, check in with the organization on a plan for the coming season, and continue to deepen their understanding of what it takes to be a fixture in professional hockey.

Of course, a big part of being a hockey player is actually playing in games, so Rookie Camp will have that, too! Like many NHL organizations, Seattle is participating in a pre-season tournament against prospects from other teams. This year, the Kraken will travel to Los Angeles to play two games in the Kings’ Rookie Faceoff.

As of now, the Kraken are scheduled to play Colorado on Sept. 14 and Vegas on Sept. 15. Don’t worry if you aren’t in LA – both games will be live-streamed – watch for more details soon!

Bringing in Reinforcements

Kraken general manager Ron Francis didn’t just add talent to his roster through the draft; he also added skill to both ends of the ice through free agency.

Defenseman Brandon Montour brings durability as well as a scoring touch to the Kraken blueline. Center Chander Stephenson strengthens play down the middle of the ice through his impressive two-way play, and Josh Mahura deepens the defense with his ability to quiet opponents’ attack.

It also shouldn’t go unnoticed that each of these three players has won the Stanley Cup one of the past two years.

SEA it for Yourself

If all of this has gotten you even more excited for the upcoming hockey season, why not come check it out in person?

Throughout training camp, you can come to Kraken Community Iceplex and see all the coaches and players putting in the work to get ready for the season. And there might even be some surprises along the way – every day we’ll celebrate a different part of our community: Kids Day will be held on Sept 21; Military Day presented by Starbucks falls on Sept. 22; Kraken Hockey League members get priority viewing access on Sept. 27; and on Oct. 6, we’ll celebrate National Coaches Day. Throughout all the events of the Camp, you can expect special giveaways and maybe an appearance or two from Kraken VIPs (is that Buoy’s music we hear?).

And if you just can’t wait till Oct. 8 to see some game action, there are three pre-season games at Climate Pledge Arena to check out: Sept. 22 (Calgary); Sept. 27 (Vancouver); and Oct. 2 (Edmonton). You can get your tickets to these events when preseason and regular season single-game tickets go on sale on September 9th.

The next chapter of Kraken hockey starts now, be part of it. Season Ticket Memberships are available.