Kraken drop pre-season opener
Pre-season games, especially early ones, are more about individual performances than they are about the final score. The Seattle Kraken dropped a 6-1 decision to the Calgary Flames last night at Climate Pledge Arena - really a Flames' rookie team- but there were still some bright spots as the Kraken begin a new era under new head coach Dan Bylsma. The Kraken had their share of rookies on the ice in their first pre-season tilts, including the two top picks from the 2024 amateur draft - number-one pick Berkly Catton and number-two selection Nathan Villeneuve. Both made their presence felt in the game. First the positive. Villeneuve, who played for the Sudbury Wolves a season ago, recorded the Kraken's only goal in the second period. He took a pass from Oliver Bjorkstrand stationed along the right wing boards, and snapped a shot past Calgary netminder Dustin Wolf, a former American Hockey League Most Valuable Player. Wolf, a former Everitt Silvertip, stopped 33 of 3...