Future Teammates Face Off in WHL

When the Western Hockey League Everett Silvertips and first-year WHL franchise Penticton advanced to the league’s Western Conference Final, Kraken player development consultants Frans Nielsen and Katelyn Parker had to revise their use of pre-game/pre-series scouting reports on faceoff opponents for Seattle prospects Julius Miettinen and Ryden Evers. That’s because both players are the top centers for their teams, translating to being leaned on by their respective coaches to take the key draws in both the defensive and offensive zones. And those battles figured to be most often against each other.   

“We just said, ‘Hey, we're going to let you two battle that one out,’” said Parker, who expanded her duties to include coaching on-ice drills with injured Kraken players this season. “Both Julius and Ryden chuckled about that. Their teams did play each other late in the regular season. I think they got a little bit of a good preview. They faced each other 18-plus times that game, so they were somewhat familiar with each other.” 

Cory Murphy, Kraken director of player development, laughed gently about the situation created by the Kraken signing the undrafted Evers to an NHL entry-level contract in late February. Miettinen, a 2024 second-round draft choice, has been working with the player development staff on faceoffs since arriving in Everett from Finland for the 2023-24 season. Murphy praised the work ethic of both big-bodied, two-way centers. 

“Ryden has made the time each playoff series to go through his toughest matchups in the faceoff circle,” said Murphy. “Julius calls [Nielsen and/or Parker] before each series to review his recent faceoff performances.” 

As it turned out, Miettinen and his Everett teammates swept the series to win the Western Conference title for the third time since joining the WHL in the 2003-04 season and the first since 2018. The Silvertips now await the Eastern Conference winner between Prince Albert (SK) and Medicine Hat (AB). That best-of-seven series is tied 2-2. The WHL final will start May 8 in Everett.

Miettinen played a pivotal role on Everett’s top line, totaling two goals and four assists over four games, highlighted by three assists in a 5-4 double-overtime win in Game 2 at home. The 6-foot-3, 207-pound centerman earned the primary assist on the OT game-winner. Evers, 6-foot-4, 192 pounds, scored a goal in the series opener and notched a primary assist in a Game 3 comeback that fell short.  

Both players acquitted themselves quite well in the series, including at the faceoff dot, per the view of Seattle’s player development staff. For reference, Evers started the just-finished series with a 50 percent faceoff win percentage in Games 1 and 2, then notched 57.4 percent in the final two games of the series. After a sub-par night in Game 1, Miettinen averaged 57.6 over the next three games.  

Winning Faceoffs Ups Playing Time 

“One of the conversations we have with center prospects is winning faceoffs equals more ice time,” said Nielsen, known as a top faceoff man over nearly 1,000 NHL games played. “Lane [Lambert] or Lax [Coachella Valley head coach] won’t put you on the ice for defensive faceoffs and maybe not in the O-zone sometimes. The coach will jump the line for the next center. Young centers winning faceoffs is a trust area they want to gain.” 

Parker, who refers to colleague Nielsen as a “faceoff genius” took plenty of draws in her playing career as a forward at NCAA Division I Colgate. She said reading opponents is part of improving at the dot along with knowing how to tie up opponents when it makes sense. Both Miettinen and Evers project as bigger centers with potential to use their size and strength to win 50/50 battles, while smaller centers tend to need to develop additional moves to win the puck.  

Expert hockey observers point out that faceoff wins and losses are frequently more about which side’s teammates secure the puck when the centers tie up. Related to that team focus is that a centerman needs to be communicating where he or she will be looking to send the puck.  

“You don’t want to lose a faceoff clean,” said Parker. “If it’s a tie-up, your forwards and ‘D’ can help out. The center is the captain of the ice surface before the puck drops, getting everyone lined up.” 

Parker and Nielsen work with prospects all season long on faceoffs, using video to show how the player is faring, plus studying the faceoff tendencies of opponents. The meetings extend to other areas of improvement, such as playing with high pace, tracking back into the defensive zone, and the opportunities to be more physical.  

Evaluating the Two Center Prospects 

“Ryden opened a lot of eyes with his play this year in what he brings on a nightly basis,” said Murphy. “He’s a big-body center with a very good hockey IQ. He understands the game. He’s competitive and has really good pro details already in his game. There was a lot of [free-agent] interest in him. We're happy to bring him on board and look forward to working with him.” 

Nielsen feels that with Evers, American Hockey League affiliate Coachella Valley coach Derek Laxdal and his staff “will trust his game right away.”

“He’s a complete two-way player,” said the Europe-based Nielsen. “He’s a big guy, and his skating is coming along. He’s good at making plays in traffic and off the wall.”  

Murphy praised Miettinen’s consistent production for Everett this season and over his WHL career  but is even more positive about the 20-year-old’s attention to other areas of his game in anticipation of AHL play next season. But Miettinen is intent on first winning Everetta WHL title and advancing to the Memorial Cup tournament. He totaled 76 points (35 goals, 41 assists) in 52 regular-season games and has notched 18 points (10 G, 8 A) in 13 playoff games. 

“Julius is producing, but he's also doing a lot on the defensive side and has really taken the faceoffs seriously,” said Murphy. “He wants to get better at those parts of the game and works at it. I think the strength and conditioning side for him has been a major factor. We had a meeting with him around Christmas time, getting Kraken head strength and conditioning coach Nate Brookreson involved.  

“Nate prepared a program for him to follow. He's been doing that and has noticed a big difference [in his strength and endurance]. We are stressing his pace of play and his continuing to push in both directions on the ice. He's a competitive kid making sure he's a leader on that team every shift.”