‘Big Group’ of AHL Rookies  

As the 2025 Kraken Rookie Camp opens Wednesday with physicals and fitness testing followed by on-ice sessions Thursday and Friday, a bevy of prospects will take initial strides toward playing their first seasons with the American Hockey League affiliate Coachella Valley Firebirds. These potential AHL rookies form a who’s who list of sorts derived from the 2023, 2022 and 2021 Seattle draft classes.

Six players from the 2023 draft populate most of the newbies, including second-rounders Carson Rehkopf, Oscar Fisker Molgaard and Lukas Dragicevic. Rehkopf and Molgaard are joined by fellow forward Andrei Loshko (fourth round) while Dragicevic will see more of his rookie D-men teammates Caden Price (third round) and Kaden Hammel (fifth round). Tyson Jugnauth, a 2022 fourth-rounder and overachiever who was just named Western Hockey League Defenseman of the Year, represents his draft year while forward Justin Janicke, a four-year letter winner for NCAA Division I Notre Dame, vies to become the sixth member of the franchise’s 2021 inaugural NHL Draft to play for the Kraken and/or Firebirds.

“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.”

Adjusting to Speed on Ice, Less Time to Make Decisions

Kraken director of player development Cory Murphy said adjusting to AHL play is “about the speed of the game” with both physical and mental dimensions that challenge young players.

“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 Murphy, a former defenseman who appeared in 91 NHL games for Florida, Tampa Bay and New Jersey and played 17 pro seasons in North America and Europe. “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.”

Murphy was promoted this summer from his player development consultant role, specializing in working with Seattle defensemen prospects, an assignment he will retain with the four defensemen selected among the Kraken’s 2025 draft class. When discussing the adjustment period for AHL rookies, he pointed to last season’s success of first-year Firebirds defenseman Ty Nelson, a third-round pick in 2022.

“Ty is a really good example of making that adjustment,” Murphy said of Nelson, who earned top four defensive pairing and special team minutes while finishing top eight in team scoring. “He improved and made the adjustment and finished the year so strong. Ty really showed he had adjusted and implemented the parts of the position that he and (assistant coach) Stu (Bickel) were working on daily. The biggest thing is just being able to make decisions quicker than Ty and other juniors are accustomed to.

“There’s also a physical component. Now these prospects are playing against grown men night in, night out. That presents a whole other set of challenges. Some things that prospects are able to do at the junior level don't translate immediately because of the strength factor that they're up against.”

CVF Staff Pro-Active with Individual Players

Laxdal, Bickel and the rest of the Firebirds coaching staff and support personnel embrace the developmental nature of guiding young prospects. This year’s incoming group of AHL rookies has already worked with Firebirds staff at prior camps while most also reported to a Coachella Valley spring indoctrination camp after their junior hockey or European seasons ended.

“We all work together on individual development plans for each player,” said Murphy.

He added that the AHL staff's embracing of the organization’s collaborative development model is pivotal to the Kraken's rating among the top 20 percent of NHL teams in prospect pool potential.

“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.”

To further help prospects traverse the AHL learning curve, Murphy noted that Zac Dalpe, the newest member of the Kraken player development team, will spend time with first-year CVF players at this week’s Rookie Camp and during the season in the Southern California desert.

Dalpe just retired as a player this July after notching 32 points in 168 NHL games and 392 more points over 574 AHL games in a 15-year pro career as a centerman. The onetime Ohio State standout jumped from the NCAA to the AHL in the spring of 2010, and his future NHL stops would include 13 playoff games for the Stanley Cup finalist Florida Panthers in 2023.

“Zac will be integrating into our process with all of his experience and can share it with these players transitioning to pro hockey,” said Murphy. “Zac is just removed from it and has lived it.”

Kudos to Culture of Firebirds Players

Murphy said Coachella Valley’s team culture, built over three successful regular seasons and playoff runs, is another big plus for Kraken prospects. There are good reasons the Kraken organization keeps extending players such as defensemen Cale Fleury and Gustav Olofsson, and forwards John Hayden and captain Max McCormick. Beyond serving as NHL-ready callups, Fleury and Hayden are two of the hardest workers and most dedicated participants in the Firebirds’ group workout space. Olofsson and McCormick similarly welcome newcomers and make them feel like valued members of the team.

“Those guys are all culture drivers,” said Murphy. “They lead the way on how to act as a pro, both on and off the ice. Our young players see how hard those [veterans] work on a daily basis and how hard they compete in every drill and practice. Just how important each rep is... It's a culture of just being a pro every time you walk through those doors.”