Seattle Kraken learning system, teammates during first week of training camp
For the second day in a row, fans donning Seattle Kraken sweatshirts and hats piled into the stands at the Community Iceplex in Northgate for a glimpse at the NHL’s newest team.
The next opportunity to see the Kraken in action will come on Saturday, when the team will play an intrasquad scrimmage before the start of the preseason against Vancouver on Sunday. That means Seattle will take the ice against the Canucks after just three training camp practices.
Head coach Dave Hakstol said they’ll be “far from a finished product” by Sunday.
And the rest of the preseason, for that matter.
“We try to add blocks to the foundation every day as we go forward — whether it’s practice day or a game day, we try to build a little bit,” Hakstol said after practice on Friday. “We’re not trying to get to the finish line. We’re just trying to build consistency each and every day. You can only do so much each day and you can only accomplish so much. So far, I like the attention level and the work level of the players. They’ve been outstanding.”
For the Kraken players, the top priorities in training camp are getting comfortable with a new system and developing chemistry with teammates. Most of the roster has never played together before.
“It’s just about learning guys’ tendencies,” said defenseman Vince Dunn. “It’s a little bit of a different system than I think a lot of us are used to. It’s all about adapting to change right now.”
Defenseman Jamie Oleksiak said there are basic similarities between systems. While teams make tweaks, the structure tends to stay consistent.
“There’s different reads you have to make,” Oleksiak said. “I think that’s the key going to camp is just, little things that we tweak that you might not usually do. You just kind of have to learn to read off each other and communication is obviously key, making sure that we talk to each other.”
Hakstol said the coaches are working systemically to build a foundation, focusing on different areas each day. Friday’s practice was a continuation from the opening day of camp with the addition of more breakouts and zone coverage as well as tracking and transition added to the mix.
Training camp also gives Hakstol time to try different line combinations. Piecing together the right players means finding the right mix of skills and chemistry. Sometimes that chemistry builds off the ice and then translates — and Hakstol said that has been the case for the all-Swedish line of Calle Jarnkrok, Marcus Johansson and Alex Wennberg.
“I want to try to give most of the combinations that we’re starting with, give them the opportunity (to grow) — not just one day at a time, that’s not enough to see the ups-and-downs,” Hakstol said. “I’m trying to give each and every combination a few days together and maybe one or two exhibition games to see how it all comes together.”
Said Oleksiak: “A lot of guys haven’t played together. It’s a lot of new things for us. It’s just a matter of making sure we’re ready when the season comes.”
Starting with Sunday’s game against Vancouver, the Kraken will play six preseason games in 10 days. After facing the Canucks, they’ll travel to Edmonton on Tuesday and Calgary on Wednesday. They’ll then play two home games — against Edmonton on Friday in Everett and versus Calgary on Saturday in Kent. Seattle will close the preseason at Vancouver on Oct. 5.
The team will trim its 37-man training camp roster to 23 before the season opener against at Vegas.
“We’re just learning our systems right now,” said winger Jaden Schwartz. “I think it’ll be good to put them in a game and see how that goes, make some adjustments … That and just get familiar with some of the players and seeing how they play and what they like to do. It will be good to just get a scrimmage in (on Saturday) before preseason.”
This story was originally published September 24, 2021 at 5:23 PM with the headline "Seattle Kraken learning system, teammates during first week of training camp."
