AHL Firebirds On To Round 3, ECHL Mavs One Win Away, Firkus Adds Point

As TV networks say on election nights, whether the Seattle Kraken can build a championship-caliber NHL roster is "Too early to call."

When it comes to building a farm system capable of long playoff runs, though, results are in: the Kraken are winners by a landslide.

Friday night at Acrisure Arena, the AHL Coachella Valley Firebirds beat the Calgary Wranglers 3-0, closing out their 2nd round best-of-five series three games to one.

2022 fourth overall NHL draft pick Shane Wright had a 1st period goal to help the Firebirds advance in the Calder Cup playoffs. Another Kraken prospect who spent a bit of time with Seattle, Ryan Winterton, picked up one of the assists.

(In the 3rd period they'd combine on an odd-man rush, with Winterton shooting off the post.)

Coachella goalie Chris Driedger bounced back from allowing five goals in Game 3, pitching a 31-save shutout. Two of Driedger's best came back-to-back in the 2nd period, on Calgary's Matt Coronato and Jonathan Aspirot. He also rejected a Jeremie Poirier breakaway.

Cale Fleury in the 1st and Devin Shore in the 3rd had the other Firebirds goals. Cameron Hughes contributed two assists.

In the Pacific Division Finals - 3rd of 5 rounds needed to capture the AHL crown - Coachella Valley will face the Ontario Reign, farm team of the L.A. Kings.

Mavericks Continue Dominance In ECHL Playoffs

One rung down the minor league ladder, Seattle's ECHL affiliate has taken a commanding 3-1 lead in their 2nd round Kelly Cup series.

The Kansas City Mavericks - who fashioned the league's best regular season record - beat the Idaho Steelheads 5-3 in Boise on Friday.

K.C. improved to 7-1 in the postseason, as the Mavericks previously swept their opening round series with the Tulsa Oilers. A win Saturday afternoon at Idaho Central Arena would catapult Kansas City into the Kelly Cup semifinals.

The Mavericks last month extended their affiliation agreement with both the Kraken and Firebirds. A half-dozen Mavs were called up to the AHL during the regular season: goaltenders Jack LaFontaine and Cale Morris, defenseman Ryan Jones, and forwards Max Andreev and Jeremy McKenna, as well as 2022 Kraken fourth-round draft pick Tucker Robertson.

Firkus, As Usual, Makes His Points

Jagger Firkus, 2022 2nd round draft pick of the Kraken, continues to show why he was named this week as Western Hockey League player of the year.

The "Firkus Circus" contributed an assist as his Moose Jaw Warriors took a 3-2 decision Friday over the Portland Winterhawks in the opening game of the WHL Championship.

In the regular season and playoffs combined, Firkus is up to an eye-popping 154 points. Another 2022 Kraken draftee, defenseman Tyson Jugnauth, was a +1 and had two SOGs for Portland.