The Kraken’s 2026 hockey calendar starts turning on Friday, when rookie camp opens at noon at Kraken Community IcePlex and a new wave of prospects gets its first real run at Seattle’s system.
This is the front end of a 15-day stretch that splits neatly into two parts: five days for the “kids” to work on their own, then a crossover with NHL roster players once main training camp gets rolling. Seattle’s current camp roster is built for that grind, with 31 forwards, 18 defenseman and five goalies in the mix for the trials, tribulations, and try-outs running from Thursday, September 17th through the 26th.
The new NHL agreement limiting players to appearances in no more than two of the four preseason games has made depth more important than ever. It also gives the coaching staff and management a wider lens, letting them look at a bigger pool of skaters before decisions start tightening up.
Among the names worth tracking is Jake O’Brien, Seattle’s 1st-round NHL Draft pick, 8th-overall, in 2025. He’s set to take part in both rookie camp and the main camp, and there should be plenty of curiosity around where he stands physically after the summer.
O’Brien, a right shot center, is headed to the Coachella Valley Firebirds in the American Hockey League (AHL) this season, but he remains one of the most intriguing prospects in the system. He finished his final major junior season in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) with 93 points in 53 games for the Brantford Bulldogs.
For fans hoping to watch the prospects up close, it sounds like most, if not all sessions are open to the public. The weekend rookie games are set for Abbotsford, British Columbia against the Canucks, with Monday as the off day. That leaves Tuesday as the second and final chance to see their progress in person.
Once main camp begins, the schedule gets even more crowded, with off days listed for Saturday the 19th, when the Kraken host the Canucks at Climate Pledge Arena, Sunday the 20th on the road against the Flames, Monday the 21st, Thursday the 24th for a home game against the Flames, and Saturday the 26th on the road against the Canucks.
Then the waiting really ends. The NHL regular season opens September 29th, and Seattle’s first game comes October 1st against the Flames in Calgary.
In Other News...
Kraken Just Turned Camp Season Into A Fan Reentry Moment
The Kraken are turning the start of camp into more than a hockey checkpoint, folding in a full slate of fan-facing events under their Train Like a Fan idea. Rookie Camp and Training Camp will be part of the mix at Kraken Community Iceplex, but so will the opening of a new Sport Court through the One Roof Foundation, watch parties at local bars and a 5K run on Oct. 3, all aimed at giving supporters a reason to reconnect with the team before the 2026-27 season.
There is also a digital layer to the rollout, beginning Sept. 11 with fan trivia that keeps the engagement going beyond the rink. For a team trying to reintroduce itself to its audience in a crowded sports market, the strategy is clear: make the build-up to the season feel communal, active and a little more interactive, with one of the bigger prizes still waiting on the other side of the questions. [Read more 🡒]
Seattle Hockey History Includes A One-Of-A-Kind Star Fans Should Know
Long before the Kraken brought NHL hockey back to Seattle, the city had already been part of a remarkable piece of sports history through Jim Riley. Born in 1895, Riley was tied to the old Seattle Metropolitans and helped that club win the Stanley Cup in 1917, giving the region a championship link that still stands out more than a century later.
Rileys path was unusual even by the freewheeling standards of early pro sports. He also showed up in six big-league baseball games with the St. Louis Browns and Washington Nationals, then later resurfaced in the NHL with the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Cougars in the 1926-27 season. For Seattle fans, his story is a reminder that the citys hockey roots run deeper than the modern era, and that one of the sports rarest crossover careers had a real connection here. [Read more 🡒]