Uncharted: Shipping Out with Joey Daccord 

Welcome to UNCHARTED. Developed in partnership with Filson, this is a series of profiles showcasing the natural beauty and unique experiences found in the Pacific Northwest while getting to know more about our Kraken players. You can find previous installments HERE.

For the majority of his pro career, Kraken goaltender Joey Daccord has gone by the nickname “the mayor” in acknowledgment of his outgoing and engaging personality. So, it was a perfect fit to invite him on a boating expedition through Seattle waters so he could add another title: “captain.”

Daccord isn’t unfamiliar with boat life. As captain Chris Freshwater introduced us to the 75-foot Fleming that will be our home for the next few hours, true to his character, Daccord is quick to share a little bit about himself while displaying an endearing confidence.

“I have my Massachusetts boating license,” Daccord says, laughing. “So, I know everything that's going on here.”

Freshwater leads us to the 82-ton vessel’s controls inside the pilot house of the boat, he turns on a bevvy of other systems (navigation, communication, engines). Daccord is asked to flip on the boat’s six breakers, and as we look at the course charted for us today, Daccord openly displays his wonder about driving a watercraft much bigger than his friend’s wake surfing boat that makes up the entirety of his aforementioned boating experience.

“Am I actually driving this boat today?” Daccord asks with surprise.

We assure him that he is, and now the questions come quickly. As Freshwater outlines what each control does, Daccord listens intently, and if he ever needs clarification, he seeks it patiently and diligently. When ready, you can feel the focus set in as Daccord begins to navigate us through Montlake Cut en route to Kirkland.

“I drive the 520 every day,” Daccord says. “I see the boats out there and I'm like ‘oh, it'd be sweet to get out there on a boat,’ and now here we are.”

As Daccord continues to guide our boat along the charted course, nerves start to settle, and we reflect on adding one more thing to a long list of “firsts” the netminder has experienced in his life. He helped build the NCAA program at Arizona State; is the first Sun Devil to sign an NHL contract; was the backbone of the Coachella Valley Firebirds’ inaugural season as they came within one win of a Calder Cup championship; and has been a member of the Kraken organization since its inception when he was selected from Ottawa during the 2021 expansion Draft. He even backed up Philipp Grubauer in the first-ever Kraken win at Climate Pledge Arena (Oct. 26, 2021). “I didn’t even play in the game and that was still one of the coolest moments of my life,” he says.

But does the goaltender seek out first-time opportunities, or do they find him?

“What sold me on going to Arizona State was the fact that you get to write your own history, and we got to be the first ones,” Daccord says. “Now like anytime someone is talking about going to ASU coach (Greg) Powers calls me up and says, ‘can you talk to this kid? You're our NHL guy,’ and I feel like I am part of the tradition of ASU.

“I felt like I was able to be a pretty big part of starting Coachella last year and along with our whole group, we had the most amazing season.

“I look at already just what's happened this year with playing at T-Mobile and then getting the first-ever Winter Classic shutout. Things keep happening and you're thinking ‘what is going on? It's hard to hard to fathom.”

But as Daccord talks, it’s very clear that he is humbled by each of these “firsts,” and he is intentional in reflecting on everything that happens to him – good and bad. In fact, the hard times he treats like “calluses” things that build up to make you more prepared for what comes next - a lesson he learned from his goaltending coach father, Brian.

“You have to go through the adversity,” Daccord says. “You have to go through the struggles, or otherwise you're never going to know what the highs are, right? If you never go through that down, you're never going to get stronger from it. You're probably never going to learn from it in the best way possible. So, sometimes what doesn't go your way, you just look at and say, ‘hey, you know what? It is what it is. I'm going to learn from it, get better from it, and move on.”

We turn our attention to the east side of Seattle that we see off the bow of the boat. Always open to the moment, always reflecting, Daccord marvels at how the layers of houses reveal themselves and Freshwater tells us the history of the area.

“Living here it's just been a totally different vibe,” Daccord says. “We love it. It's such a cool place to live. Personally, I feel like it's the west coast Boston. I feel right at home. It doesn't get quite as cold, which I like, but I feel like it reminds me a lot of Boston.”

We turn up the speed as we navigate around the buoys in the water. Freshwater teaches us the rules of crossing with other watercraft and who has the right of way.

I ask Daccord about his ability to play the puck as a netminder – something that developed in his game because as a child, goaltending gear was too heavy to use if he wanted to practice taking shots. He just kept working the ability to move the puck effectively as he grew into wearing goaler gear at all times.

Today, when the game situation calls for it, Daccord says moving the puck in support of his teammates’ breakout is one of his favorite things to do. And he invests a lot of time working with his fellow players to make sure they are effective and understand how he can help.

“It's an easier play if (a defender) gets a pass (versus having to battle for the puck),” Daccord says. “If they can get open and I give it to them and they have their eyes up, they can make an easy play. It always takes probably about 10 to 12 games with a new team for everyone to kind of get on the same page. And then once we figure out every kind of scenario, based on the other teams' forecheck and how they play different situations, then it really hits its stride, and then it's like clockwork.”

It's time to head back. Freshwater does the detailed work of steering our boat back into the dock and then directs us to re-hang the bumpers and I toss the bow line back to Daccord where he expertly fastens the front of our craft to its home base. You realize that the 27-year-old flourishes working with others – and so I have one last question before we go: you work to connect with your teammates and also with fans. Why is that a priority?

“I think it's important to try to build that relationship with fans because, at the end of the day, they're the ones that are supporting us, and they're the ones that we play for,” Daccord says. “I'm a fan of all different kinds of sports teams. For example, I'm a big Manchester United fan and their matches can determine how my day goes. I know that it's the same for people that are fans of the Kraken and so, just as much as it means to them, it means the same to (our team), and I try to connect with them as much as possible.

“It really means a lot to see their support. We have had some really special moments this year and just to see them embrace those was absolutely amazing and just blew me away.”

We thank Freshwater for all he’s taught us…” this was so awesome,” Daccord says, a big smile on his face.

Another first under his belt, the mayor has officially become the captain.