The Seattle Kraken announced Thursday Morning that Dave Hakstol will be the team’s first head coach. The announcement comes after months of speculation about who would be leading the Kraken in their inaugural season.
Seattle Kraken general manager Ron Francis released the following statement about the style of play that the Kraken will have,
“Dave has a strong understanding of the technical aspect of the game-how he wants his team to play in all three zones [on the ice]. He’s up for the challenge.”
Seattle Kraken general manager Ron Francis
Dave Hakstol released the following statement after being hired as the head coach of the Kraken,
“I have paid attention to what’s happening here, how the organization is coming together with Tod [Leiweke] and Ron. What ownership has been able to do is nothing short of spectacular.”
Seattle Kraken head coach Dave Hakstol
With the hiring of the Haksol, the Kraken has a head coach with a vast amount of experience. Haksol has collegiate and professional coaching experience. Haksol’s first coaching job was in college as the head coach of the North Dakota Fighting Hawks. In his 11 seasons in North Dakota, he went to seven Frozen Fours.
After 11 seasons in Fargo, Hakstol got his first NHL coaching gig as the head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers. In his four seasons with the Flyers, he led the team to a record of 134-101-42. However, in his fourth season, he was fired after the Flyers started the 2018-2019 season with a record of 12-15-4.
So, with a veteran head coach at the helm in Hakstol, the Kraken are preparing for their first season in the NHL. However, Haksol will have the hardest job as he will be building a team from scratch. Therefore, this could potentially help the Kraken get off to a successful start with a veteran coach.
With the Kraken now having their head coach, the next big event will be the expansion draft on July 21st. This event will be when the Kraken builds the roster for the inaugural season this fall. The Kraken hopes to have the same success as the Vegas Golden Knights have had since joining the league. But starting this fall, the Kraken will be measured on wins and losses. So, as the Kraken have but a strong foundation of personal and now they are a few months before puck drop, the Kraken has Hakstol to lead the organization.
Check out our shop!
Follow us on Twitter!
Follow us on Instagram!
Like us on Facebook!
Subscribe to us on Youtube!