First-round pick Eduard Sale on his initial Kraken camp showing: ‘Not the best’

SEATTLE – First-round draft pick Eduard Sale, 18, was tough on himself after his Kraken on-ice debut.

“Not the best,” he said. “I feel a little bit bad about it. I think a (few more days) and I’ll be good.”

The Kraken’s 20th overall pick in Wednesday’s draft had a good dish for a goal in two-on-one drills, then ran out of runway as he looked to bury one himself at the other end. But he was quickly pushed off the puck twice by Barrett Hall in one-on-one work and had his pocket picked.

Shedding a little rust, perhaps.

“I think this is probably the first time he’s been on the ice since the end of the season,” Kraken coach Dave Hakstol said. “Which I think that’s the case for a lot of kids out there.

“He’s upbeat. His skill set is very obvious. You don’t want to do much evaluating out there.”

From Brno, Czech Republic, Sale, who has spent almost his entire career playing in or for his country, said he was seeking new experiences, improvement and fun as the Kraken opened development camp Sunday at the Kraken Community Iceplex.

Only two days of on-ice work are open to fans and media. Sale, Shane Wright, Jagger Firkus and other Kraken prospects and invitees are set to scrimmage at noon Wednesday.

If he isn’t one of the rare few to make an immediate jump to the NHL as a teenager, Sale confirmed reports there’s a plan to play junior hockey in Canada this season. The Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League drafted him 29th overall in the Canadian Hockey League import draft.

Two of the players most likely to take an NHL leap this fall were absent. American Hockey League rookie of the year Tye Kartye, who joined the Kraken for most of their 2023 playoff run as an injury replacement, won’t attend development camp. Neither will defenseman Ryker Evans, who was a point-per-game player during the Calder Cup playoffs. Both just finished a deep playoff run with the Kraken’s top affiliate less than two weeks ago. They were dinged up and excused, according to Seattle general manager Ron Francis.

That freed up attention for Sale and his new draft class. Before he even laced up his skates, Sale raised eyebrows. He wore a No. 12 Mariners jersey with his name on the back as he and eight other Kraken prospects took in Seattle’s 8-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday.

Despite never having thrown a baseball before – “It’s not popular there,” he said of his home country – and zero practice attempts, Sale tossed the first pitch right down the middle. He plays tennis at a high level, he said, and that might have helped.

Of all the Kraken development camp attendees, only one other is a countryman – goaltender Ales Stezka, whose one-year, two-way contract with the Kraken was announced May 2. But Sale might have the most history with fellow first-rounder Wright.

Seattle’s fourth overall pick in 2022, Wright captained Team Canada to World Junior Championship gold on Jan. 5. On the other side that night, Sale and the Czech Republic settled for silver.

Wright scored Canada’s second goal on his 19th birthday and teammate Dylan Guenther sealed it in overtime.

“I remember him being one of their best players. He was tough to play against,” Wright said of Sale. “I was on the ice a lot against him, and I remember noticing him out there.

“He had a cage on, so he’s (underage), and he’s still making that big of a difference at the World Junior level with guys one or two years older than him. He’s a really talented player, and definitely excited that he’s here in Seattle.”

Sale, who had the primary assist on the Czech Republic’s first goal, spoke fondly of the encounter. The nation won its first medal in the tournament since 2005 and appeared in the title game for the first time since 2001.

“Good memories and experience,” he said.

Hakstol said Sale communicates well and the language barrier doesn’t seem to be an issue. Wright mentioned his humor.

Day 1 wasn’t everything he wanted, but not every first pitch sails across home plate.