The inaugural season for the Coachella Valley Firebirds couldn’t have gone much better. The team turned a broad mixture of NHL/AHL veterans and inexperienced prospects into a cohesive unit that made it to the Calder Cup finals.
The Seattle Kraken reaped some benefit from the success of the team’s AHL affiliate. Firebirds standouts Jesper Froden and John Hayden contributed when needed. Even 2022 fourth overall draft pick Shane Wright got his eight game cup of NHL tea. Of most impact, undrafted Tye Kartye went from unknown to major contributor in the Kraken’s playoff run – and he’s parlayed that into a solid bottom six NHL roster spot.
The Firebirds most popular player, Joey Daccord, is now Philipp Grubauer’s backup in net – leaving Seattle with a $2.35 million buried cap penalty for keeping Chris Driedger as the Coachella Valley number one.
But this is the AHL, and nothing stays the same year to year. Prospects graduate and career AHL veterans (most of whom are on one year contracts) change teams, either because of base pay or the potential for an NHL call-up.
Fortunately for the Firebirds, a few positive trends have emerged after the teams first year in the league. For one, after their playoff run; Acrisure Arena has turned out to be a fabulous home venue. The team has 5,800 season ticket holders – many of them local. In the new season, the team is averaging over 8,000 fans, well above the standard AHL franchise average. Turns out, if you put a good product on the ice, you don’t need to depend on the valley’s many seasonal snowbirds to fill the stands.
In addition, who wouldn’t want to spend the winter season in golf central. Hockey players have been known to play, and who wouldn’t want to hit the links in January while most of the great white north is frozen over. Seems like the Coachella Valley is quickly becoming a popular player destination as well.
The Prospect Pipeline
Ultimately, the AHL is a development league. Firebird players are looking to find a niche or develop an all-around game that will give them opportunities in the NHL.
Coachella Valley has two types of players who could find their way to Seattle this season. There are a handful of younger, high-end prospects looking to put up big numbers in the AHL to demonstrate that they’re ready. There are also a good number of reliable veterans – guys who are 25+, some who have seen some NHL action, looking for another opportunity to find a role.
Seattle has already seen one call-up for the year. Devin Shore is quite definitely of the reliable veteran variety. He hasn’t had a full time NHL role since the 2018-2019 season, but for the last four years, he’s played in around 40 NHL games per year. For the Kraken, he’s probably more valuable as a mentor in the AHL, but with Andre Burakovsky and Brandon Tanev out for significant time, Shore is the safe NHL choice.
Within the forward group, Shane Wright is the only high end prospect. He’s scored four goals with two assists after seven games as third line center for the Firebirds. He’s showing progress, but for now he’s sheltered and is probably in Coachella Valley for the season.
Beyond that, the Firebirds are loaded with players with limited NHL experience who could get a call up. Number one on that that list is likely Kole Lind, who found his way into the Kraken lineup 23 times in the team’s first season. Last year, he was full-time in the desert. Lind just turned 25, and has put up good AHL numbers (a team leading 30 goals in the regular season last year). There’s a bit of sandpaper to his game and he can play both power play and penalty kill minutes.
Newcomer Marian Studenič is the other intriguing option. Studenič signed after a full season with the Texas Stars, but has 44 NHL games to his credit. What makes the winger a good option is his speed and his potential on the forecheck. With the Kraken’s up tempo style, Studenič could be a perfect fit on an aggressive fourth line. Like Lind, the 25 year old Studenič is still on the prospect side of the call-up equation.
If you’re looking for a newcomer to follow, keep an eye on Ryan Winterton. The early third round draft pick has good size and speed, and he is centering a Coachella Valley fourth line that has been productive while featuring rookies.
On the blue line, the Firebirds have options on both left and right sides. For now, the Kraken are loaded on defense, so barring injury, there probably isn’t a roster slot available for anyone from Coachella Valley.
On the left side, Riker Evans continues to improve his defensive game while maintaining offensive upside. He’s off to a somewhat slow start after a great rookie year, but at some point, he’s destined for the NHL. On the right side, Cale Fleury is a more experienced option. He brings offense, and at 24 years of age, he’s booked 62 NHL games.
If the Kraken take the conservative route and make a veteran call up, after only seven games, Connor Carrick has taken on an on-ice leadership role, and has backed it up with two goals and three assists. He’s 29, so certainly not a prospect, but with 242 NHL games to his credit, he’s a call-up option if the Kraken want to go reliable.
Finally, in net, the Firebirds feature Chris Driedger. Driedger is in a tough position in Coachella Valley; replacing Joey Daccord in net. Driedger joined the team mid-season last year after returning from an extended ACL rehab. Last season, his play with the Firebirds was solid – but watching him, it took a while for him to get completely back to form. Daccord grabbed the net for the Calder Cup playoffs, and then the backup NHL slot.
That leaves Driedger on the last year of a three year NHL deal with a $3.5 million cap hit. The Kraken are eating a $2.35 million buried cap hit penalty for keeping him in the AHL – while still paying Daccord $1.2 million on his NHL contract. Ideally, the Kraken could move Driedger’s contract – and if his start to the season is any indication, he’s back 100%. As the season progresses, the contract should be moveable.
The problem is that the Firebirds don’t have any tested backup options with Driedger in the lineup. If the Kraken move him, part of that deal needs to be a quality AHL goaltender. Nothing against current backup Ales Stezka – but his first AHL (and North American) professional action includes a 3.85 goals against average and a save percentage of just over 87%. The 6’4″ Czech may have a future, but he’s going to need to work to get there.
Long term, this may mean that 2022 second round pick Niklas Kokko is destined to move from Liiga to the AHL for next season, but like it or not, this year’s Firebirds are going to fly or crash based on Chris Driedger. Plan B is being built while the plane is in the air.
The Firebirds have put together a team that should make the AHL playoffs, and could make another deep run. There are a handful of players, whether prospects or high performing AHL veterans, who could find themselves with the Kraken this season.
The team is only seven games in, so by December a bigger sample size should bring things further into focus.
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