The Seattle Kraken’s AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, will have a heavy rookie influence in 2025-26, with several 2023 NHL Draft picks set to embark on their rookie seasons.
The Seattle Kraken drafted 10 players in the 2023 NHL draft, seven of whom will play with the Firebirds this season. Of those seven players, Eduard Sale is the only skater with AHL experience, completing his rookie campaign last season, scoring six goals and 21 points in 51 games.
Entering their rookie seasons are Carson Rehkopf, Oscar Fisker Molgaard, Lukas Dragicevic, Caden Price and Kaden Hammell. Joining the 2025 rookie class is Tyson Jugnauth, a defenseman who the Kraken selected in the fourth round of the 2022 NHL Draft and Justin Janicke, a 2021 seventh-round pick who played four seasons with the University of Notre Dame.
“For the first-year Coachella Valley players, they will be laying down a foundation of growth and maturity as they adjust to the AHL level of competition,” said Firebirds head coach Derek Laxdal, who will be leading Rookie Camp. “Most of them are coming off success in juniors. Oscar Molgaard has played three pro seasons in Sweden and might have a smoother transition. It can be until Christmas before our first-year Firebirds players are entirely comfortable. Our job is to help them be their best, help them adjust. It’s why the AHL is such a great learning ground.”
It’ll be a difficult transition for these players, adjusting to the speed and physicality change from playing in junior leagues or in Europe. Laxdal and the training staff at rookie camp will attempt to emulate the pace of play, hoping to make the transition as seamless as possible.
“When you move to the pros, it’s about the speed on the ice and, importantly, the time you have to make decisions diminishes,” said director of player development Cory Murphy. “The players are stronger and faster, which leads to you having less time to make decisions with and without the puck. It forces young players to make decisions faster.”
In some cases, like Jani Nyman, the transition comes naturally, and they dominate from the get-go. For others like Jagger Firkus, it takes them a large chunk of games to get their footing, but when they do, everything begins to flow. But, in other cases, for players like David Goyette or Sale, they struggled to ever really get their feet under them. Both Goyette and Sale have a lot of pressure to rebound and perform at the level the Kraken organization believes they can perform at.
“A key point is our [first-year AHL players] are going to a place and franchise with a great staff that has a really good handle on development and working with these players individually,” said Murphy. “Our role is to support the prospects in that process. We know the players very well just from working with them [once drafted by the Kraken]. We’re in contact with the staff at CV and provide any feedback and help. It’s a big group making the (AHL) jump.”
