Seattle Kraken have named Dave Hakstol as their first head coach in franchise history!
The Seattle Kraken on Thursday announced Dave Hakstol as the first head coach in franchise history.
The NHL approved a proposal to grant an expansion franchise to Seattle in 2018. In July 2020, the team revealed the Kraken as the mascot as well as branding and team colors. Luke Henman recently become the first player in franchise history when Seattle inked three-year entry level contract with the center on May 12.
Hakstol coached at the University of North Dakota for 11 seasons. He was named the Philadelphia Flyers’ head coach in 2015, becoming the first head coach to go directly from the NCAA to the NHL since 1982.
Hakstol coached the Flyers for parts of four seasons before being fired in December 2018. The 52-year-old has coached the third-most games in franchise history (277), behind only Fred Shero (554) and Mike Keenan (320). In Philadelphia, Hakstol went 134-101-42 with a pair of first-round playoff exits.
The Flyers will lose a player to the Kraken in the July 21 NHL expansion draft.
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