PALM DESERT, CA—At 18, Kraken 2024 fifth-rounder Clarke Caswell took on a pivotal role as team captain for the Western Hockey League Swift Current (SK) Broncos. He learned “so much” about supporting teammates and grew as both a leader and player.
“It’s not something that I set in stone to accomplish,” said Caswell, who quickly credits his older teammates/alternate captains for their guidance. “I just put my head down and worked. I think it's just something that I got noticed for, just kind of keeping everybody else elevated. To make everybody feel part of the team is the biggest thing, especially because we had a lot of younger guys on the team this year.”
Over the last 10 days, once Swift Current was eliminated in a hard-fought first-round series in the WHL playoffs, Caswell has continued traversing the learning curve. This time, he’s the young guy, part of the annual rite of passage for Kraken prospects at Coachella Valley. It’s one that current and past participants rave about, getting to know the facility and future teammates, and experiencing the pro life.
“It’s an unreal experience,” said defenseman Jakub Fibigr, the Kraken’s 2024 seventh-round pick who arrived in the southern California desert after his Brampton Steelheads squad was ousted in a six-game first-round series in the Ontario Hockey League. “I've never been here before, so it's good to see how it works, get to know the players a little bit more, and get involved in the team practices and workouts. It’s nice to see the facilities. It's all brand new. It's like NHL level.”
Game-Time Decisions
As for playing in an American Hockey League game, some prospects have been slotted into the lineup. It’s a balance, since Coachella Valley competes in a deep Pacific Division for playoff positioning. The Firebirds clinched fourth place and home-ice advantage for the first round of the AHL Western Conference playoffs when Calgary lost to San Jose Friday afternoon. The home ice is a huge factor; the first-round series are best-of-three, and all games are on the home team’s rink. As a result of the clinch, some prospects may be added to Friday’s or Saturday's lineup for valuable game experience.
“There are two parts to it,” said Firebirds head coach Derek Laxdal, who has done a masterful job this season with a team that featured the third youngest roster in the 32-team AHL after being among the oldest in the first two CVF seasons. “If it's a player that's probably ready to step in and contribute to the team, we'll try and get them in and start getting some experience in the American Hockey League level and pro level going forward."
Oscar Fisker Molgaard, a 2023 second-rounder, has played three pro seasons in Sweden, earned a chance to appear on AHL ice, impressing over the last five CVF games, especially with his two-way play and executing within the Firebirds' systems of play. After Saturday’s regular season finale, Molgaard will return to Europe to train and play with Team Denmark in the upcoming IIHF Men’s World Championships. Nathan Villeneuve, a 2024 second-draft choice who just finished his OHL season, “has brought something to our team that we lack a little bit, physicality and energy, fitting right in with Stevie [Mitchell Stephens] and Mel [Jacob Melanson] on a grind line,” said Laxdal.
“The big thing is playing or not playing,” said Laxdal, “it's an opportunity for these kids to come in and be a part of the culture that we have with the Seattle Kraken and Firebirds. It's a chance for them to see what it takes to go forward in the summer. If kids are going back to juniors, they get a chance to see how hard these guys work out, the work they put in every day when they play. When they come in [for a first full pro season in North America], they’re ahead of the game. It springboards them into the summer and the next season.”
Janicke Mans the Wheel, Habits on Display
For Caswell, the 10 days in Coachella Valley have featured some meaningful bonding (including the prospect's hotel and in the rental van driven by former NCAA Division I Notre Dame captain and 2021 seventh-rounder, Justin Janicke, who signed an amateur tryout offer with the Kraken this spring after his college career concluded. But what will enhance Caswell’s mindset even more is “the details everybody puts in” from players to coaches to staff.
“Whether it's off-ice nutrition, recovery, and then on-ice habits. Just making hard plays, making crisp passes, just knowing the on-ice habits emphasized has been the biggest thing for me.”
Working out under the supervision of CVF strength and conditioning coach Brandon Wickett has provided Caswell with a specific goal that promises to add endurance and speed.
“What we've been doing is just testing aerobic fitness, keeping the heart rate I have at higher levels of working out,” said Caswell. “That’s the most important message I took away from the gym.”
Like the other prospects visiting Coachella Valley for the first time, Caswell, who flies home Saturday afternoon, got a conditioning to-do list for the summer: “Put on weight, increase my lower body power,” said Caswell. “That’s a big thing for me, improving my skating.”
Former WHL Foes Now Friends
Speaking of skating, Caswell said it was definitely fun to skate with the Firebirds and particularly enjoyed being on the ice with Jagger Firkus, Kraken 2022 second-round winger (35th overall).
“When you play against him in the ‘dub,’ and see how dominant he was, it's really fun to just be on the ice with him and take the tidbits and tips from him. It's been really nice for me.”
Firkus is one of those former newbies who is paying it forward by helping the springtime first-timers with the Firebirds. After his 2022-23 season with Moose Jaw in which he notched 88 points (40 goals, 48 assists) in 63 regular-season games and then 21 points (10 G, 11 A) in the 2023 playoffs, he joined the Firebirds, appearing in one game, for the rest of long playoff run that resulted in a second straight Western Conference title.
“The biggest thing being there for the [Coachella Valley] run was seeing the work ethic,” said Firkus in the early months of a season in which he totaled 126 points (61 G, 65 A) during the regular season and then 32 more (14 G, 18 A) leading Moose Jaw to the WHL title. “That [Firebirds] room was absolutely incredible. After playoff games, the guys are still working out and not just light workouts. They are going their hardest. What I took away from it is you have to make sure every single day you come into the rink and go to the gym, you're trying to get better and not wasting a day.”
