Seattle Kraken Visit to the Rotary Club

The Rotary Club gym was filled with hockey sticks clashing and kids cheering on August 25, as Coach Kyle from the Seattle Kraken, the new NHL team, came to excite Club members about hockey and teach them some basic skills.

About thirty youth ages 9 – 12 participated in the hockey lessons and games, all eager to share what they knew about hockey. “Be careful you don’t fall because hockey is usually on ice!” one girl shouted. “I already know that a Kraken is a mythical sea creature!” a boy interjected.

With Kraken-branded sticks, balls, and nets guarded by stationary goalies, Coach Kyle started with stick safety before handing out equipment and allowing youth to practice on their own.

The young hockey players excitedly practiced back-and-forth dribbling, proudly announcing their new records. They’d next need to race across the gym while dribbling their ball – and beat Coach Kyle! Kids then broke up into groups of two to practice passing. The trick is to gently catch it before returning the pass. And of course the final skill to practice – and everyone’s favorite –  is shooting into the net, dodging past the intimidating Kraken goalie.

Once they practiced all the basic skills, Club members broke up into two groups to scrimmage! Much like professional hockey players, youth scrambled to defend their goal and score on their opponents’.

By the end of the day, everyone had learned something new and were excited to cheer on their new local hockey team. Coach Kyle handed out passes to a free family day at the Kraken’s Community Iceplex and invited all Club members to follow the Kraken’s inaugural season starting this October!