Dave Hakstol Named First Head Coach

Lore & Background

When the NHL Board of Governors green-lit Seattle's entry into the league, the organization needed a coach who could translate a blank page into a team. Hakstol fit that mold precisely. A former two-way defenseman who had worn the green-and-gold of the Vancouver Canucks late in his playing career, he understood the Pacific Northwest hockey community from the inside. His years as an assistant in Vancouver and then as head coach in Colorado—where he guided the Avalanche to a Stanley Cup in 2022—gave him a résumé steeped in patience, systems, and the long arc of building a contender from a rebuild.

The Kraken's inaugural 2021–22 season under Hakstol was a story of promise and growing pains. A young core of forwards and a group of defensemen were asked to execute a structured, possession-based game in a brand-new arena. The team's playoff appearance in its very first year validated the front office's patience, even as the roster's inexperience showed in the postseason. Hakstol's calm, measured press-conference demeanor became a quiet symbol of the franchise's early identity: unflashy, disciplined, and grounded.

His departure after the 2022–23 season closed a chapter. The Kraken had found their voice, their colors, and their city. What remained was the coaching blueprint Hakstol had laid down—the expectation that every shift mattered, that structure preceded creativity, and that a new franchise's first lesson was learning how to lose with dignity before learning how to win.

In Their Own Story

The morning before the first Kraken practice in the new arena, the ice was still fresh, the boards still crisp white. Hakstol stood at the center of the rink in his coaching sweater, stick in hand, watching the Zamboni's last pass. The building was empty except for a handful of equipment managers and a single cameraman from the local sports desk. He tapped his stick against the ice—once, twice—and called out a drill to no one, just to hear the sound carry off the boards. The smell of cold rubber and fresh paint hung in the air. Somewhere above, a PA system crackled to life with a low hum. He smiled, not at the camera, but at the empty seats that would one day roar. "Alright," he muttered to himself. "Day one." Then he skated to the blue line, set a puck at the dot, and began to explain the world to a team that didn't exist yet.

Reader's Guide

2018 – The NHL Board of Governors approves Seattle as the league's 32nd franchise. The city's decades-long wait for a homegrown NHL team begins to crystallize into reality.

2019 – The team is officially named the Seattle Kraken. Front-office work accelerates: arena finalization, player acquisitions, and the search for a head coach who can build a culture from scratch.

2020 – Dave Hakstol, fresh off his tenure as head coach of the Colorado Avalanche, is named the Kraken's first head coach. His hiring signals a commitment to structure, accountability, and long-term development over short-term flash.

2021–22 – The Kraken play their inaugural season. Hakstol's system takes shape: a structured forecheck, disciplined defensive zone play, and a young core given room to grow. The team reaches the playoffs, a milestone that validates the franchise's patient build.

2022–23 – The second season brings growing pains and roster adjustments. Hakstol's tenure concludes, and the Kraken enter a new coaching era carrying the foundational identity he established.

Legacy – Hakstol's era is remembered as the 'first draft' of the Kraken: the season where a city learned what its team sounded like, how it skated, and what it stood for on the ice.

Did You Know?

• Hakstol spent the final years of his playing career as a defenseman for the Vancouver Canucks, giving him a personal connection to the Pacific Northwest hockey community before his coaching career took him to Colorado.
• The Kraken made the NHL playoffs in their very first season (2021–22), a feat that underscored how much groundwork the front office and coaching staff had laid before the first puck drop.
• Hakstol's coaching career in Colorado culminated in a 2022 Stanley Cup championship, adding a ring to his résumé even as he was transitioning to Seattle.
• As a former two-way defenseman, Hakstol was known for his quiet, no-nonsense demeanor—a trait that became a defining feature of the Kraken's early public image.