Seattle Kraken stars visit Anchorage for youth hockey camp, community days

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Kids 12 and under are lacing up the skates with some extra help this week.

The Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League made their return to Anchorage for the third year in a row, hosting community events in partnership with the Bristol Bay Native Corporation.

“In many ways, Seattle is just down the street here from Anchorage,” BBNC President and CEO Jason Metrokin said. “Having the team and the players come up and hang out in Anchorage and get exposure to our state is just a great way to build that connection and that relationship that we hope lasts for a long time.”

Youth coaches affiliated with the organization, alongside defenseman Jamie Oleksiak, team mascot Buoy, and the Anchorage Hockey Association will spend the next week hosting hockey training practices at the 8, 10, and 12U level, giving the youngsters the opportunity to learn from a former first round draft selection.

“It’s been really cool getting to know the city and everyone’s hockey journey”, Oleksiak said. “It’s nice to be able to take time and really talk to everybody and feel the community and what not. It’s been a really cool experience.”

In addition to the training, fans and families were given opportunities to take photos and get autographs on June 16 at the teams community barbecue.

“It’s fantastic, you don’t see it very often, supporting the states that don’t have an NHL team,” event attendee Christopher Donahue said. “It’s always good to see some of these big guys come down.”

The newest franchise in the leagues history, the Kraken began play in 2021 with Oleksiak joining the squad by way of the expansion draft after spending time with the Dallas Stars and Pittsburgh Penguins. But despite the team’s young age, the hope is that events and partnerships like this could lead to more.

“There’s talk about maybe bringing a NHL game to the state of Alaska. I don’t know the possibilities of that but we’d love to host an NHL game,” Metrokin said. “Maybe that dream will come true some day.”

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