Seattle Kraken Announce Contract Extension for Head Coach Dave Hakstol

SEATTLE - July 19, 2023 -The Seattle Kraken today announced that they have signed Head Coach Dave Hakstol to a two-year extension that will run through the 2025-26 season.

"We believe we are heading in the right direction with Dave as our head coach and it was important to show that confidence with this contract extension," said Seattle Kraken General Manager Ron Francis. "Dave and his staff have done a great job of creating a close-knit, team-first mindset in our locker room and their work ethic helps set the tone for our team. Dave helped guide this team to a 40-point improvement and was a Jack Adams finalist for coach of the year. That recognition is well deserved."

The 2022-23 season marked Hakstol's second behind the bench for the Kraken after being named the team's first-ever head coach on June 24, 2021. He guided the Kraken to a 46-28-8 record in their second season, finishing the regular season with 100 points and securing the first Wild Card spot in the West, with the team's 46 wins and 100 points both being the most by a Hakstol-coached team at the NHL level. Hakstol's guidance saw the Kraken set several NHL records for an expansion team in its second season since the Original Six era (1967-68), including most points and most wins. The team's 40-point improvement from 2021-22 to 2022-23 was the greatest point improvement by an expansion team from its first to its second season and was also the second-best point improvement from 2021-22 to 2022-23 of any NHL team.

"We are building something special here in Seattle. We have a committed staff, a great group of players and an incredible fanbase," said Hakstol. "We took a lot of positive steps last season and we have much more to achieve. I'd like to thank Ron Francis, Tod Leiweke, as well as Samantha Holloway and the Kraken ownership group, for their continued faith in me."

In addition to wins and points, Hakstol saw both individual players and the team as a whole make several significant statistical jumps from 2021-22 to 2022-23. The team scored 76 more goals, allowed 32 fewer goals, averaged 0.92 more goals per game and 0.39 fewer goals against per game. The team's 27.0 shots against per game was second-best during the 2022-23 regular season. The Kraken also had nine veteran players set career highs in scoring: Will Borgen, Vince Dunn, Morgan Geekie, Adam Larsson, Jared McCann, Jamie Oleksiak, Daniel Sprong, Brandon Tanev and Eeli Tolvanen.

"It has been a pleasure getting to know Dave over the last two years," added Samantha Holloway, Co-owner Seattle Kraken. "His achievements last year were remarkable, and his leadership skills and work ethic are admirable. I look forward to continued collaboration."

Before joining the Kraken, Hakstol was head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers for three-plus seasons from 2015 to 2018, qualifying for the playoffs in two of three full seasons, including his first year. He joined the Kraken from Toronto, where he served as a defense-minded assistant coach to Mike Babcock, followed by Sheldon Keefe. In 2020-21, the Leafs were the league's fifth best in preventing shots against per 60 minutes of 5-on-5 play. As the University of North Dakota men's head coach, he took his alma mater to the NCAA Frozen Four in his first year and seven times total in 11 seasons, finishing with a 289-143-43 record. He captained two seasons as a player at UND, and also had a five-season IHL pro career before a knee injury prompted him to become a USHL head coach.

About Seattle Kraken

The Seattle Kraken are the National Hockey League's newest franchise. The team recently completed their second season at Climate Pledge Arena. Visit www.nhl.com/kraken for the latest news and information including press releases, multimedia content and the latest hires.