Above Photo: Even Jaden Schwartz can’t believe Kraken hockey is back.
Jani Nyman, who apprenticed with the Seattle Kraken last season, is one of two prospects with an excellent shot at making the opening night lineup – in large part because of his excellent shot. (Berkly Catton is the other.)
Nyman, a 2022 Kraken 2nd round draft choice, played his first dozen NHL games in Seattle in 2024-25, scoring three times. Former Kraken coach Dan Bylsma commented multiple times about Nyman’s “NHL quality” shot.
In the first preseason game of the 2025-26 season, Nyman strengthened his case with a pair of 2nd period goals. Those two, part of a trio in a 3:31 span, helped the Kraken run away from Vancouver Canucks, 5-3 on Sunday at Climate Pledge Arena. Defenseman Vince Dunn assisted on all three middle-period goals.
The fun wasn’t limited to the kids. 30-year old John Hayden was all over the scoresheet, with a fight, a goal, four shots and more. A Coachella Valley Firebirds mainstay, 29 of Hayden’s 269 NHL games have come in Seattle over the past three seasons. “It’s fun to play with the young guys,” he said in a postgame interview.
1st Period
12 minutes in, the best two of Seattle’s 10-1 shots advantage came off the stick of Hayden. Both grade-A chances were turned aside by the star of the period, Vancouver goalie Nikita Tolopino. Later, Hayden drew 19 minutes in penalties in and around a fight with Canucks forward Joseph LaBate.
1st round Kraken draft picks put Seattle on the board first. Eduard Sale (2023) breaks in two-on-one with Catton (2024), a potent decoy. Sale holds, holds, until reaching the bottom edge of the right circle, then snaps a laser top shelf, inside the right post and past Tolopino. 1-0 Kraken at 14:06.
With three minutes left, Tolofino flashes a left pad to deny a Shane Wright breakaway, as the 2022 Kraken 1st rounder tried to go forehand-backhand across the crease.
2nd Period
Hayden’s 1st period penalty-fest included a double-minor (instigating and cross-checking, as well as a fighting major and 10-minute misconduct). The four-minute Canucks power play spilled over into period 2.
Two second before Hayden’s minors expired, Jaden Schwartz was called for high-sticking. Seattle got within seven seconds of killing that one off too, before Vancouver’s Victor Mancini wired a shot from the right circle past Kraken goalie Joey Daccord to tie the game 1-1 at 3:25.
Nyman didn’t have to unleash his rocket of a shot to retake the lead for Seattle. Nyman snuck down left wing while the Canucks weren’t watching. Fellow Finn Kaapo Kakko was, threading a long pass cross-ice and down the wing. Though it got deflected en route, Nyman angled his stick to push the puck past the new Canucks goalie, Ty Young, at 10:54.
As a Kraken power play was ending, Wright sent a pass down low to Schwartz. One of the benefits of experience is knowing where the net is, even if you can’t see it. Schwartz shoveled a turnaround backhand under the crossbar for a 3-1 Kraken lead at 13:45.
Nyman padded the lead to 4-1, 40 seconds later. This one was his patented bomb, released from the top of the right wing circle. Kakko drew assists on both of his countryman’s tallies.
Vancouver got one back on a penalty shot goal by Chase Stillman at 19:44. Vince Dunn, trying to chase down the Canuck from behind, whacked Stillman on his mitts to draw the call. From center ice, Stillman went wide through the right circle, then aimed for Daccord’s 5-hole. Even though the netminder had his stick down and deflected the puck, it had enough “oomph” to squirt through him.
3rd Period
Befitting the first preseason game, the Kraken and Canucks stocked their benches with a heavy concentration of prospects. (Visiting teams in preseason consist almost exclusively of prospects.)
Perhaps to better relate to those younger players, four of the 10 Kraken “veterans” who dressed also were 24 or younger (Kakko, 24, Ryker Evans 23, Matty Beniers, 22, and Wright, 21.) The forward “graybeards” were Schwartz and Jordan Eberle. The experienced blueliners were Adam Larsson, Jamie Oleksiak, and Dunn, along with Daccord in goal.
Seattle’s prospect group included forwards Nyman, Catton, Sale, Oscar Fisker Molgaard, Jake O’Brien, and Jagger Firkus, and defensemen Blake Fiddler and Gustav Olofsson.
Oh, and goalie prospect Nikke Kokko, who replaced Daccord to start the 3rd – and turned away two challenging Canucks shots in the first two minutes.
Hayden didn’t let his 19-minute exile get him down. Standing in front, he redirected Molgaard’s centering pass for a 5-2 Kraken lead at 3:07. A couple of minutes later, he was felled by friendly fire, a Larsson slapshot, but didn’t miss a shift. Dunn, who had two assists, put his body in harm’s way as well to block a scoring chance. (Hey, guys, it’s preseason!)
A pretty passing play gets Hayden’s goal back for Vancouver. Sparring partner LaBate found Nils Aman camping in front at 7:25.
A Schwartz tripping penalty at 18:33 afforded Vancouver a 6-on-4 skaters advantage with their goalie pulled, but they could pull no closer.