“Obviously, you worked for this from the time you put on your first skates,” the 22-year-old forward said following Seattle’s morning skate. “Obviously, just excitement going through me right now.”
Firkus has 12 points (four goals, eight assists) in 12 games with Coachella Valley of the American Hockey League this season. The Kraken (9-7-1) are seeking a spark after they lost 4-1 to the Hurricanes in the first game of the Global Series on Thursday.
“I guess a little bit of everything from that standpoint,” Kraken coach Lane Lambert said when asked what he hopes Firkus can bring. “New blood, new energy. He's been playing well for a while down in the American Hockey League. The puck kind of follows him around a little bit. It's not by accident and he has the ability to shoot it and shoot it in the net.”
Playing his first NHL game in the Global Series made it a bit of a challenge, but Firkus said his parents had enough notice that they were able to travel to Helsinki to see him play.
“It's a whirlwind,” the Irma, Alberta native said. “Obviously, you don't really picture playing your first game in Finland, but obviously, it's a unique experience that you'll look back on and be grateful for.”
He will be the 38th player to make his NHL debut outside North America.
A second-round pick (No. 35) by Seattle in the 2022 NHL Draft, Firkus needed to be patient while awaiting his first opportunity to play in the NHL. After being drafted, he played two more seasons for Moose Jaw of the Western Hockey League and led the league with 126 points (61 goals, 65 assists) in 63 games in 2023-24 before turning pro.
Firkus had 36 points (15 goals, 21 assists) in 69 games as an AHL rookie with Coachella Valley in 2024-25 and was second on the Firebirds with 56 points (21 goals, 35 assists) in 63 games last season,
“You get drafted at a young age, to be honest, 18 years old, you have a lot to learn at that age,” Firkus said. “Obviously, just going through the (Coachella Valley) program and having the coaches there, the guys that you can lean on, and you can ask questions that have coached and played at the levels that you want to be at. You have lots of players back home. (Kraken forward and fellow Alberta native Bobby McMann), lots of people that you can reach out to if you have questions.
“There's been a lot of people. The support group that I have, I think, is a big, big reason that, looking back, is why I'm able to make (his debut) tonight.”
