Blake Fiddler has already told us, “It’s the work you put in that’s going to get you to the NHL and help you stay there.” Well, a brand new assignment lies just ahead for the Seattle Kraken 2025 2nd round draft pick.
The teen defenseman from Frisco, TX has been invited to join Team USA at this month’s World Juniors Summer Showcase. The four nation, 11-game round-robin event will take place July 25-Aug. 2 in Minneapolis.
From the Team USA website: “The Showcase, which will also include players from Canada, Finland and Sweden, serves as an evaluation for athletes seeking to make their respective national teams for the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship, Dec. 26, 2025-Jan. 5, 2026 in Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota.”
Kraken Player Development Promotions
The Kraken have announced organizational moves necessitated by director of player development Jeff Tambellini becoming assistant general manager in Tampa Bay.
Seattle Kraken social media screengrab
Cory Murphy, a Kraken player development consultant working primarily with defensemen, moves into Tambelli’s role. Murphy made NHL stops for a combined 91 games on defense in Florida, Tampa Bay, and New Jersey. Internationally, he played in Finland, Sweden, Switzerland and Russia.
“I was an assistant coach in Sweden for three years and then two years in Finland,” Murphy explained on the Rinkside podcast. “I work closely with all of our defense prospects – our drafted players, as well as the OHL, Quebec League, eastern colleges. I go see those games live, and wherever (Kraken prospects) are playing in the world, I’m keeping tabs on them.
“We want to provide them with all the tools that they need to develop. It’s such a dream job, using just my experiences as a player and coach to help these kids navigate going from junior to drafted and then trying to make the NHL and stay in the NHL.”
Justin Rai was named head of player strategy. According to a team release, he will work on coach Lane Lambert’s staff, “where he will focus on player development for Seattle’s roster players.”
‘Hak’ Is Back
Dave Hakstol has proven that even if you CAN beat ’em, you can still join ’em. The former Seattle Kraken coach, who led a playoff upset of the defending champion Colorado Avalanche in 2023, was hired by the Avs this week as an assistant coach.
I only wish Colorado had used an image that didn’t make Hakstol look like a passing car had just splashed water on his pants.
As I’ve maintained since the Kraken fired Hakstol in 2024, a year after giving him a contract extension, dismissing him was a mistake. Maybe Seattle agrees, having hired a coach in the Hakstol mold to replace the coach who replaced Hakstol.
Lane Lambert is no-nonsense, defense-first, cordial but not effusive, requires accountability from his players, got fired from his first head coaching gig before joining the Kraken. Sounds familiar, right?
Grading Lindgren Acquisition
Talia Sprague-Imagn Images
ESPN’s Ryan Clark gives the Kraken a “B” grade for the four-year, $18 million free agent contract given to defenseman Ryan Lindgren.
From Clark’s review: “Defensive inconsistencies were a chronic issue throughout the 2024-25 season. Lindgren could be a top-four or No. 5 defenseman for the Kraken, who could also play a significant role on the penalty kill.
“(Brandon) Montour gives the second paring another puck-mover (à la Vince Dunn) who is a right-handed shot. It creates an opening for another stay-at-home defenseman with a left-handed shot.
“But is that Lindgren or is that (Jamie) Oleksiak?” A growing chorus is wondering whether the next shoe to drop will be trading Oleksiak, who’s on the fifth and final year of his own $4.6 million AAV contract.
Kraken Assistant Campbell Still In High Demand
@Jennthulhu_Photos
The value of retaining Jessica Campbell as a Kraken assistant coach goes beyond her ability to draw up power play schemes on a whiteboard. She’s an important team and league ambassador, as the first female coach behind an NHL bench.
Campbell will be the keynote speaker next month at a conference in Montreal, held in conjunction with the National Bank Open tennis tournament.
According to the Montreal Gazette, “‘Unmatched’ (is) a conference on gender equity in sports. Campbell will have a conversation on stage with Chantal Machabee, VP of communications for the Montreal Canadiens.”
“I’m new to the space,” Campbell said in an interview, “just in the sense of it traditionally being more of a male-dominated space.
“It brings a huge sense of responsibility for me just knowing that the success we can have will shine a light hopefully for others to look at the game and look at the growth of the game … and I know more doors are going to be opened for others like me. So I’m proud of that.”
Marketing Agency Delivers Bounty To PWHL Seattle
A Chicago-based marketing agency has volunteered a name and branding for Seattle’s new pro women’s hockey team.
The suggested name: Seattle Mutiny. The logo, utilizing the cream and green color scheme of PWHL Seattle: the word “Mutiny,” with letters flaring out at each end; a dark green background enclosed by an orange circular line; and a lighter green Space Needle that morphs into a pirate sword at its base. The tag line: “Defy The Tide.”
“There were a few favorites for us: Fog, Seismic, Emeralds,” VSA Partners’ Janelle Blasdell told Marketing Communication News. “But Mutiny was our favorite. It’s fierce, exciting and a great seaworthy complement to the Kraken. Plus, fans could then call themselves the Mutineers.”
Kraken Release Statement Re: Tim Leiweke Indictment
Regarding the federal indictment of Oak View Group CEO Tim Leiweke, a story our Zaiem Beg reported earlier, a spokesperson for the Seattle Kraken wrote the following to KING 5’s Jim Nelson:
“Today’s news has nothing to do with Climate Pledge Arena or the Seattle Kraken and does not impact the day-to-day operations of the arena, our team, and our other Seattle projects, including Memorial Stadium and the potential return of the NBA to Seattle.”
Tim Leiweke is the older brother of Kraken president and CEO Tod Leiweke.