Coachella Valley Firebirds Head Coach Talks About Kraken's Top Prospects

Derek Laxdal spoke to the media before the beginning of training camp to discuss the 2024 NHL Rookie Faceoff and the Kraken's top prospects.

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In the eyes of Laxdal, rookie camp and the tournament went exactly how he had hoped. He was able to get some of the veteran young guys into a game and allow the 18 and 19-year-olds to play in both games. The older rookies got their feet wet before they turn their game up a level at training camp and the rookies got a taste of what they need to do to eventually compete for a roster spot.

The Coachella Valley Firebirds head coach first spoke about Eduard Sale and how he thought his rookie camp and tournament went.

"It’s hard to say," said Laxdal. "I was a winger when I played and if you don’t get the puck a lot it’s hard to evaluate a player. I thought that as the tournament went along, I thought everyone got better. There’s a couple of little areas where I might talk to players about trying to implement certain teaching points and I thought for him particularly, I thought that he did a really good job of--there's one point I made about rolling into pucks and making plays on the wall and in the second game I have one clip where he did a great job of getting off the wall and joining the rush. It shows me that there is a bit of a hockey IQ there and that’s what you want to see."

His first season in the OHL didn't go the way he or the Kraken were hoping for. The adjustment to North American ice wasn't as seamless as they thought it could be and his compete level wavered from game to game but Sale has the talent to a great player.

Related: The Curious Case Of Kraken's Prospect Eduard Sale

Laxdal then was asked about Jagger Firkus' stellar display at the tournament which saw him finish with a goal and three assists. The puck seemed to find the WHL and CHL MVP more than anyone else and it's a testament to his highly-skilled game. Laxdal acknowledges his offensive abilities but wants him and David Goyette to add defensive structure to their games.

"I thought he took a huge step from his second game to his first game. When you’re a high scorer like that you have a lot of defensive deficiencies and that’s one thing we’re going to have to correct with some of these players. For these players to play in the National Hockey League they have to be able to survive defensively in the game. We know the offence is going to be there so I thought as the two games went along for Jagger he paid attention to some of the little structure details of his game defensively and allowed him to be a little more successful offensively. We used him on the penalty kill and it’s going to be a learning experience for a lot of these kids and David Goyette is a great example coming out of the OHL. He’s a high-end scorer and we’re going to have to incorporate some defensive structure into his game to allow him to survive and get those chances to go in on the offence."

He also believes Firkus can use his size to his advantage, using Tampa Bay Lightning superstar and two-time Stanley Cup winner Brayden Point as a reference. He wants Firkus to use his size to get underneath his opponents and dart in and out of battles.

Related: Young Kraken Prospects Looking To Make An Impression In Training Camp

Lastly, the newly hired AHL coach spoke about the ultra-talented Berkly Catton. An immensely gifted offensive talent who wasn't able to show his entire toolset but believes training with the Kraken will allow him to do so.

"High-end skill. He’s going to be a franchise player for the Kraken. We just saw snippets of his game, he was kind of just trying to get his feet wet but you can see that the head, the skill, it’s there. Even today in practice he had a lot of jump and probably looked better today than he did in the two games. I’m really looking forward to seeing him get on the ice with some of the NHL players and that’s where you’re going to see his skill shine and his game take a step."

Laxdal's goal is to prepare his young players for the challenges of the NHL. He wants each player as ready as possible so they can begin their NHL careers with confidence and trust in their all-around game and skill set.

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