Uncharted: Discovering Lars

Welcome to UNCHARTED. Developed in partnership with Filson, this is a series of profiles showcasing the natural beauty and experiences found in the Pacific Northwest while getting to know more about our Kraken players away from the ice. Coming soon: a story on Philipp Grubauer. You can find other installments with Jared McCann and Alex Wennberg HERE.

If you take an informal poll around the Kraken locker room, there's no question Adam Larsson is one of the most respected players on the team. Asked to describe the assistant captain, teammates all look to the Swede's locker almost as a point of reference, whether he's there or not, as they praise his consistency of play, dependability, and importance as a centering voice.

And so, on a brisk but bright Seattle day, as Adam and I headed out to explore Discovery Park, it made sense that we'd go in search of another symbol of guidance and charting a safe passage, West Point lighthouse.

Adam hails from Skelleftea, Sweden. Located in the northern part of the country, people tend to stick more to themselves there. It's a quieter life but one intertwined with the environment in which it exists. There can be a lot of snow, mountains within reach. And there's access to water - something Adam loves: being out on his boat or enjoying a ride on one of his jet skis.

In Seattle, the Pacific Northwest feels a lot like home. "It fits me like a glove," Adam says. And it can give the defender the respite he needs from the demands of an NHL season. When he's away from the rink, he loves to go on a walk with his dog, Bane.

As we navigate our trail, Adam notes other dogs out and about and describes how Bane would love exploring here, too.

"Some days, (our walks) are more for me than for him," Adam says. "It's (a visit to) the dog park and then we might go up the mountains or whatever it might be. When (it's not a game day), you more often than not want to rest up for your next day, so you don't have time to go on huge adventures, but you try to get out there.

"I'm feeling better if I'm out doing stuff and moving around. I don't know, that just makes my body feel better and I feel like my recovery is better to when I am up and moving a little bit."

You can feel the connection Adam has to being off the beaten path. We both take in all the natural beauty unfolding as we turn to onto Magnolia Bluff and see the Sound revealed in front of us, Mount Rainier in the distance.

"It almost doesn't look real," Adam marvels. "I knew this was going to be beautiful nature on (the hike) but I honestly didn't expect this. It's been over expectations for sure."

As we take in the sights, you can sense why teammates revere the 30-year-old so much. He is fully in the moment. Genuine and taking time to distill what stands out, what matters. Those qualities have translated to how Adam has helped lead the Kraken to the success they are having this season.

Adam signed with Seattle as a free agent, and is the only player to have skated in every Kraken Game in franchise history.

Even through a tough inaugural campaign, he saw his teammates grow closer and closer. He knew that could pay off going forward and wanted to help deepen those connection and appreciation.

Adam was one of the veterans who led the way in making sure the team's player of the game award went to someone who should be appreciated beyond just recording points.

"We have so much skill in our locker room," Adam said. "But if you're not scoring goals, or whatever it might be, you might not get that reward that you should. We have players that bring the hard work every single game and everyone enjoys seeing them get rewarded too, maybe not on the score sheet but within the room. I think that's an approach that's really important in hockey."

Adam's impact is felt in more direct ways on the ice, too. In addition to being in the midst of a career year in terms of assists and points, the blueliner has been a mentor on and off the ice to his defensive partner, Vince Dunn.

The two started playing together last season after the trade deadline and the combination clicked. The pair developed a close relationship and playing with Adam heightened Dunn's motivation to put in hours of work this season to be ready to play top pair minutes at peak performance with the 12-year veteran.

"I can just see a different sort of drive in him this year and I'm very proud of him," Adam said. "I feel like he realized how good he can be this year.

"We have that relationship now where we can tell the other guy 'Let's go' a little bit and it's all to help each other out. I mean, you're not going to see in the same direction. . .every single day or every shift or whatever it might be. And I think he is he has that old school mentality where he doesn't take it to heart. He just sees it as helpful. I feel like he's raised (his game) at every level and that's shows. I really hope that he understands how good he can be."

When asked if he can see his impact on the 26-year-old, Adam humbly defers with a little smile. And that brings us to another topic - all the things that have endeared Kraken fans to Larsson, too.

There's no question, the defender has a presence to him (apologies to the other trail walkers who took notice of a striking 6-foot-3 man and asked who he was. We excused away our cameras by saying Larsson was a Swedish conservationist).

That presence translates to fans delighting in a picture of the man nicknamed "Big Cat" cracking a rare smile or loving the trademark V-neck cut Adam creates in his base layer shirts.
"Care to explain?" I ask.

"When it became a thing I tried not to smile," Adam laughs. "It's a lot of fun."

"And how about that 'Deep V'?"

"It's not a deep story," Adam said. "I don't like having something tight around my neck. You will never see me go into pregame pictures with a polo shirt on. That's why I cut it. Now some guys come and rip it a little bit more. I've always done it, but I feel like since it's been a thing here in Seattle it goes a little deeper and deeper."

We reach our destination, and Adam looks out over the water. You can almost feel him absorbing the energy from the nature around him as the lighthouse stands behind us. Just as that structure will stay a beacon to visitors by land or water, you can see why Adam serves that very purpose in the Kraken locker room and on the ice.

"I signed here as a free agent," Adam said. "That was by choice, and I don't regret it at all. It's a lot of hectic days, but (playing in the NHL) comes with a lot of great stuff as well. It's what we all dream of.

Check out our exclusive Kraken x Filson merch line here or explore more Filson items here.