Firebirds Assistant Bickel Could Replace Byslma, Or Join Him In Seattle

With the Coachella Valley Firebirds two wins away from an AHL Calder Cup title, we're closer to knowing how coaching vacancies in the Seattle Kraken system will be filled.

New Kraken coach Dan Bylsma will have to decide whether to bring one or both of his assistants, Jessica Campbell and Stu Bickel, with him to Seattle. Whoever stays behind could become Bylsma's replacement as Firebirds head coach.

Bickel (above photo) might be a natural to replace Jay Leach, who left to join Jim Montgomery's staff with the Boston Bruins. Like Leach, Bickel is a defensive specialist.

"He's done a great job of working with and developing our defense," Bylsma said about the Coachella Valley blueliners.

"You see it, not just in the 'young' guys but in the 'old' guys as well. He's a big part of how our 'D' plays, and developing players (like) Ryker Evans."

In his Game 3 postgame press conference Tuesday, Byslma actually paused a moment to smile before saying, slowly for emphasis, "He cares... deeply ... about the penalty kill.

"He wears it on the sleeve when the penalty kill doesn't do well. The PK has come up big for us. It's all due to Stu Bickel and his tutelage."

"Awesome To Learn" From Dan Bylsma

Bickel himself was a defenseman, logging 76 NHL games with the Rangers and Wild, and 310 more at the AHL level.

Bickel spoke about his coaching ambitions on the Forever Blueshirts podcast . "For me personally, it's been awesome to be able to learn from Dan. We get along really well.

"Any assistant coach in the American League, you hope at some point that you're able to move on to be a head coach, or get to the NHL from there. With both of those things, it's really important that you have a head coach that you can look up to, have conversations with, bounce ideas off of. Also, see how they do things.

"With our group, Dan's done a tremendous job. He's helped a lot of our young players in their development. Part of that is winning. We've been able to do a little bit of everything."

A couple of games from now, "everything" might include an AHL championship.