The Seattle Kraken didn’t spend much of training camp talking about themselves. They spent it talking up each other.
That’s usually how it goes in hockey, and the comments coming out of camp offered a pretty clear window into the room. Players kept circling back to the same themes: compete level, leadership, work ethic, and the kind of details that separate a useful player from a real piece of a winning team.
Vince Dunn had plenty to say about Matty Beniers, and he didn’t hold back. Dunn called Beniers “a really great young man” and said he has “all the characteristics of a winner and a leader.” He pointed to the way Beniers plays every night, the edge he brings, and the way he carries himself in the dressing room.
“You can see someone who’s going to be a leader when they’re that young and we saw the characteristics of that right away. It shows now with him wearing a letter. Every single day he’s always trying to be better.”
Dunn also stressed how hard Beniers is on himself, saying that matters in a leadership role. In his view, that self-critique is part of what makes Beniers such an important player for Seattle.
“He’s a huge piece to winning hockey here.”
Freddy Gaudreau had a similar outlook when he talked about Oscar Fisker-Molgaard. Gaudreau said Fisker-Molgaard is already “another step better,” but also noted that even last season he saw a player with a polished all-around game.
“I think he’s another step better, but even last year I thought he’s such a complete player. He competes, he skates, he has good skills, he sees the game. It feels like all those things I just mentioned got elevated throughout the summer.”
Brandon Montour, who knows Mackie Samoskevich from their time together with the Florida Panthers, described a player who brings speed, bite, and offense. Montour said Samoskevich was only there briefly during Montour’s first year in Florida, but that he’s clearly ready for more.
“He was there briefly when I was there his first year. So I know he’s excited.
He skates fast. He’s got a nastiness to him.
He likes to compete and obviously likes to play with the puck and score goals. He should have every opportunity to do that here.”
Montour also addressed his own role after being named an assistant captain. He said the conversation was part of the process when he signed with Seattle, and he appreciated the recognition.
“When I signed here, we had conversations about it. It’s nice to obviously be recognized. Hopefully my teammates feel the same way.”
He said the leadership side comes naturally because of the older players he learned from early in his career.
“When I first came to the league, I had a lot of older guys to grow and learn off of. I’m lucky and fortunate to have had that. I try to share my experience and help out as much as I can.”
Montour also tied that to what coach Lane Lambert has been asking for.
“(Coach) Lane (Lambert) has preached a lot of energy. I enjoy being at the rink and I think I bring that (energy) every single day. As for on ice, I try to show up every day and compete and bring the competitive edge.”
Ryan Winterton rounded out the praise by talking about Logan Morrison, and his message was simple: none of this is surprising.
“I’m not surprised. He’s done it ever since junior, ever since I’ve played with him. At every level, he’s kind of found a way to do it.”
Winterton said Morrison has a feel for the game and a natural touch around the net.
“That’s what I say about ‘Mo.’ He just finds a way to do great stuff. He’s got a knack for the net, sees the ice really well, and makes it easy on his wingers.”
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Shane Wright Still Faces One Big Test With The Kraken
Shane Wrights place in Seattle looked unsettled earlier this offseason, when the former fourth-overall NHL draft pick was on the trade block but ultimately stayed put after no deal came together. Since then, the conversation around Wright has shifted from whether he would be moved to what he still needs to show with the Kraken, and that starts with giving the organization more offense to believe in.
His agent now says Wright is fully committed to the Kraken, which only raises the pressure on the 20-year-old to turn that commitment into production. For a player with his pedigree, the path forward is pretty clear: Seattle wants to see his game translate more consistently on the scoresheet, and his long-term future there may hinge on whether he can make that leap. [Read more 🡒]
Brandon Montour Is Already Setting The Tone For The Kraken
The Kraken wrapped up their four-game preseason slate against the Vancouver Canucks, but the attention from their exhibition run had already drifted to Brandon Montour. In a recent game against Calgary, the defenseman flashed the kind of urgency Seattle hoped to add when it brought him in, making a notable stop in front of a scrambling crease and then speaking in the plain, no-frills way that has already started to define his place in the room.
Montours role carries extra weight because he is wearing an assistant captains letter, and the early read is that he is settling into the leadership group quickly. Around the same time, the organization also marked a notable sendoff for Bob Condor, who covered his final game as Kraken editor-in-chief and was honored with a personalized jersey, a reminder that this stretch of preseason has been about more than just line combinations and final roster decisions. For Seattle, the interesting part is how much of the tone-setting is already coming from a player still learning the contours of his new team. [Read more 🡒]
Former Panthers First Round Pick Hits Early Setback In Seattle
Mackie Samoskevichs first days in Seattle have already hit a small snag. The Kraken forward, who arrived from Florida and has been settling in after a recent move, is dealing with an upper-body injury and will not suit up for Saturdays preseason game against the Vancouver Canucks.
It is an early interruption for a player Seattle brought in with more than just camp depth in mind, especially after handing him a three-year contract to join a group that expects him to be part of the mix. Samoskevichs path has already taken him from the University of Michigan to the Panthers and now to the Kraken, and the next question is simply when he can get back on the ice and start building toward his first season in Seattle. [Read more 🡒]