When former Kraken defenseman Justin Schultz signed up to be a player development consultant for Seattle, he was looking forward to mentoring a bevy of young defensemen already in the prospect pool. His new gig is suddenly even more robust as the Kraken drafted five more defenders over the weekend, highlighted by No. 7 overall pick Chase Reid, the first opening-round D-man pick in franchise history.
But fans should not overlook the next four selected Saturday. Schultz certainly won’t when the 2026 Kraken Development Camp, presented by Starbucks, drops the puck on Monday. Sessions are open to the public but it should be duly noted drills will dominate the first three days before Thursday’s traditional 3-on-3 “Stucky Cup” -- named to honor assistant equipment manager James Stucky, who worked 18 seasons for the Everett Silvertips before joining the Kraken.
“I've always wanted help players try to get to the next level,” said Schultz. 'I’m really excited to help these players. They're all obviously great players. They've been drafted or signed [as free agents]. I am just trying to help in whatever way I can. I've played a lot of games and won some Stanley Cups. Hopefully, I can relay some positive things to them.”
Kraken general manager Jason Botterill, coming off a high-energy, widely praised draft weekend, said Schultz is a perfect role model for Kraken defense prospects, including those at Coachella Valley not attending camp this week.
Why Justin Schultz, Why Now
“We traded for Justin [at the NHL trade deadline in 2106 when Botterill was with the Pittsburgh Penguins]. He was a solid third-pair defenseman as we won the Stanley Cup. The next postseason, when Kris Letang [a likely Hall of Fame defenseman] was injured, Justin filled the role on the power play and top defensive pairing. He’s exactly who we want working with our young defensemen.”
