Firebirds, Kartye Chase Cup

The feel-good story of forward Tye Kartye and the Kraken organization continues Thursday night at Acrisure Arena in the southern California desert. American Hockey League affiliate Coachella Valley hosts Milwaukee in the opener of a seven-game series to determine which squad represents the AHL Western Conference in the league's Calder Cup Final.

When Kartye scored his first-ever NHL goal in his first-ever NHL game on his first-ever NHL shot April 26 to help the Kraken win Game 5 of the victorious playoff series against defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado, the first thing he did after the game when he reached his locker? He grabbed his cell phone - well, he is a 22-year-old. But he wasn't checking his stats or texting friends or even taking a peek at his one-timer goal. The first thing he wanted to do was see how his Firebirds buddies fared in their second-round game in the AHL postseason.

The answer was as sweet as the Kraken winning, the rookie playing and scoring and Kartye's parents making it to Ball Arena in time to see their undrafted son score that goal off a prototypical creative assist from linemate and veteran Jordan Eberle. Coachella Valley won that night, 6-2, to defeat Colorado's AHL affiliate 50 miles away.

Kartye's road roommate, Firebirds captain Max McCormick, notched a three-point night (goal, two assists) while housemate Cameron Hughes earned the primary assist on CVF's first score of the ongoing playoffs. Hughes is the AHL leader in postseason assists with 13 and McCormick in the second leading scorer with 15 points (7G, 8A). Firebirds teammate Kole Lind leads the AHL with 17 points (7G, 10A). Hughes and first-team AHL Rookie Team defenseman Ryker Evans are tied for third place among all league scorers during the playoffs.

Kartye credits McCormick, Hughes and other NHL-tested Coachella Valley teammates for showing him how to make the transition from major juniors to the pro level.

"Just to be able to ask [McCormick] questions and see how he prepares for games and workouts is so helpful," says Kartye, whose torrid second half of the AHL regular season put him squarely on the Kraken hockey operations radar. "His and all the veterans' attention to detail about like how the body feels was important for me to see and understand."

Kartye, who attended both the Kraken's inaugural-season and second-season development camps, is clearly a quick study. Kartye's first 29 games produced four goals and 10 assists. He then busted out with 43 points in his final 43 regular-season games to win AHL rookie of the year honors and rank third in scoring on the Coachella Valley roster.

"The pro game is obviously a little different than juniors," said Kartye, whose standout season with the Ontario Hockey League's Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (45 goals, 34 assists for 79 points in 63 games) earned the winger an entry-level contract with Seattle after he was undrafted in two NHL drafts "The speed and the physicality are the biggest differences.

"Everyone's a man in this league and that's not the case in junior. Going to the corners and winning puck battles and battling in front of the nets is definitely a lot different."

To wit about Kartye's penchant to be a quick learner. Four games into the second round of this spring's Stanely Cup Playoffs, Kartye was leading all skaters in hits. He finished with 44 hits in 10 games, sixth among Seattle players despite playing four fewer games. Before coming up, he scored two goals for the Firebirds and added a vital assist in the big Game 5 win over Calgary for three points in five games. He will be looking to up the ante against Milwaukee.

Coachella Valley coach Dan Bylsma, who led CVF to the league's second-best overall record in Season 1 and, of course, won a Stanley Cup as Pittsburgh head coach in 2009, is quick to give props to his assistant coaches (Jessica Campbell and Stu Bickel) and the Kraken player development group, especially Coachella Valley director of hockey operations Troy Bodie, when asked about Kartye's rise from fourth line to top line to playing alongside Eberle and fellow rookie Matty Beniers in the NHL postseason.

"Tye represents a great development story," said Bylsma. "Undrafted, unheralded, he has done nothing but come to training camp, find out what he needs to work on, and put in the work on and off the ice. Tye is consistently working in practice on the details and habits of his game. The results are evident in his play."

Kartye, 22, is now firmly in the mix to make the Kraken roster coming out of this fall's training camp. Seattle GM Ron Francis admits Kartye surpassed even the most enthusiastic projections by his staff but admired the rookie's work in all three zones. Coach Dave Hakstol liked what he saw from the two development camps and even during Kartye's brief callup to be ready for Game 1 against Colorado in case fourth-liner Daniel Sprong wasn't physically ready.

"He was ready for this," said Hakstol after the Game 5 win in Denver. "Great night for Tye. He has really good poise. That's why we felt comfortable putting him in there tonight. It's not just about the goal-scoring, he has really good instincts."

When Kartye and his Kraken teammates were on the short end of a 2-1 loss to Dallas in Game 7, the 22-year-old wing repeated his first-thing-in-postgame-locker-room routine. He checked on his Firebirds friends who were playing Game 3 in a battle of AHL heavyweights between Coachella Valley and the Calgary Wranglers, who logged the best record during the AHL regular season. CVF was in the midst of a dramatic three-overtime win with fellow rookie first-teamer Evans scoring the game winner with road roomie McCormick getting the primary assist.

Coachella Valley is now in the fourth round of the AHL playoffs, facing a Milwaukee team that features center Luke Evangelista, who starred as a late-season callup with the Nashville Predators and now, like Kartye, has returned to be part of his AHL squad's deep run. Evangelista has 13 points (4G, 9A) in 10 games with Milwaukee.

The current series is a best-of-seven format with the first two games at home at the boisterous Acrisure Arena before heading to the Midwest for Games 3 and 4. Thursday's opener and the AHL playoffs can be watched at

AHLTV.com

.

Note to readers: Check back on the Firebirds Cup Run blog as the Milwaukee-Coachella Valley series unfolds.