EVERETT — The future of the NHL’s Seattle Kraken is coming to town, and it’s bringing a pair of Everett Silvertips legends along for the ride.
The Coachella Valley Firebirds, who are the Kraken’s AHL affiliate, take on the Calgary Wranglers in a regular season game at 7 p.m. Friday night at Angel of the Winds Arena. It is the first time an AHL game will take place at the arena since it opened in 2003.
This is the first time the Kraken, who are in their second season, have had their own AHL affiliate. The undisputed jewel on Coachella Valley’s roster is 20-year-old defenseman Ryker Evans, who was Seattle’s second-round pick in the 2021 NHL draft. Other noteworthy prospects include 22-year-old winger Ville Petman, 21-year-old winger Tye Kartye and 22-year-old defenseman Peetro Seppala, while the rest of the roster is comprised of veteran minor leaguers.
The Firebirds are 3-1 and tied for third place in the AHL’s Pacific Division.
In Calgary (1-3) the Firebirds found an opponent with strong Everett ties as Silvertips legends Mitch Love and Dustin Wolf are members of the team.
Love, who was a central figure during Everett’s run to the WHL finals as an expansion team in 2003-04 and later was a Silvertips assistant coach, is Calgary’s head coach. He is the reigning AHL Coach of the Year after guiding the Stockton Heat to 45-16-6-2 record last season.
Wolf, a 21-year-old goaltender who starred for Everett from 2017-21, is the reigning AHL Goaltender of the Year after going 33-9-4 with a 2.35 goals against average and .924 save percentage for Stockton last season. This season he is 1-1 with a 4.05 goals against average and .890 save percentage.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
