Uncharted: Gone Fishing with Jared McCann

*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: stories on Alex Wennberg, Adam Larsson, and Philipp Grubauer.

The story usually is that professional athletes are always competitive. So, I had more than a small case of nerves as I, someone who's never gone fishing, pulled up to Spot Tail Seattle Fishing Charters to head out on a mini-expedition with Kraken forward, Jared McCann.

Jared isn't just the first player in Seattle's young history sign an extension with the club (2026-27), he's the first Kraken player to reach the 30-goal milestone in a single season. He's also led his team in goals for two seasons and has become a fan favorite for many a Kraken faithful.

And it turns out I didn't need to worry.

Jared brought along his childhood friend, Cam Garrow. The two met at kids -- through hockey of course - but it was their shared passion for being outdoors that forged their relationship.

All these years later, when Jared goes back to his hometown of Ontario in the summers, the two make sure to spend a day outdoors. The day starts off with "the best omelets" (courtesy of Cam's dad) and then the two friends hit the water for the rest of the day. So, it was natural for us to go fishing in the Sound with Cam visiting.

We started by filling out our fishing licenses and sped out into the Sound with our Captain Keith Ribbons. As we looked around at the expanse of water against a backdrop of mountains, it was easy to feel lucky to call the Pacific Northwest home.

When we arrived at the first spot of the day, we baited our hooks and lowered them all the way to just above the ocean floor since that is the best place to catch the flounders we were after. Watching the meters on our poles, we could match the depth to what we saw on Captain Keith's navigation systems.

The two friends continued to joke around as Jared teased Cam about the signature frosted tips that he had when the two met, "my mom took me to get them," Cam demurred.
Despite the ribbing, Cam had nothing but praise for his friend.

"You know, he hasn't changed since becoming a celebrity," Cam said. "I will say that. It's nice. He's still down to earth."

Cam has come out to Seattle a couple times since the team first came together. He loves the area and especially the atmosphere at Kraken games.

Jared's family has come for visits, too. As the youngest of four children (all of whom share the initials JMM), the winger has already welcomed his parents and two of his three siblings for stays in Seattle. It's a family that's built in a beautiful and unique way.

"My stepbrother, Jordan is the oldest in the family," Jared said. "And my mom has multiple sclerosis. So, originally, she was advised not to have kids. (My parents) went to Guatemala and they adopted my brother, Justin. Then a couple years later, my mom got pregnant with my sister, Jaimie. It was just kind of a miracle that happened and then I came along, like four years later. It was a little bit of a surprise, but I think a pleasant surprise for my mom."

Before long the fish started biting.

We pulled up the first couple of flounders off Jared and Cam's rods and marveled as Captain Keith showed us how flounders' eyes are both oriented on one side of their bodies.

Personally, I was just happy to be there and not make a fool of myself when alas… a fish! As I reeled in my line there it was, and to me, it was the most perfect flatfish ever caught.
The three of us gathered for a photo with our recent catches.

"Captain Keith! I thought you said we might not catch anything today?"

"It's always good to set the bar low," our guide chirped back.

We sped on to our next location. The crispness of the wind developed a little bite as our boat lifted its nose into the wind. Thank goodness for some warm Filson gear (if you like any of the Kraken x Filson merch, you can get your own
HERE).

Now the flounders we caught became the bait. We dropped our hooks to try and catch a shark, which proved to be a less successful endeavor. Luckily, the sights and shared stories kept the mood light and spirits high.

As we turned our attention and reels back to catching flounder, the conversation changed to how Jared and his now-fiancée, Val (Jared proposed in Hawaii during All-Star break) have acclimated to the PNW, how they enjoy the local restaurants and like swinging by the Public Market downtown to pick up fresh fish and vegetables.

"(Val) is just such a genuine good person," Jared said. "She's always nice to everybody no matter what. And that's something I've had to learn from her. She's always one of those people that takes the high road and I definitely have learned from her that way for sure."

In their downtime, the two love to take their corgi, Cheddar (who is famous enough in his own right to have an Instagram account), to a local dog park. They're even considering entering the pup in the annual Corgi races a fan told them about.

"I don't know if (Cheddar) has the focus to get to the end," Jared laughed. "I think he would just try to body all the dogs out of the way, which is a fair strategy. He grew up with farm dogs, so he thinks he's bigger than he actually is."

A few more flounders were caught, and then it was time to head back to dry land. As Captain Keith drove us back to the docks, we marveled at a bald eagle sighting and the few seals that came by to say hello.

Smiling and gratified, we said our goodbyes. Cam and Jared were off to enjoy the evening together and get some dinner.

"(Jared) is very easygoing," Cam said. "He's laid back. He's a good friend to have."

We're glad to have him too, Cam.