WHL dominance done, Kraken prospect Jagger Firkus preps for first pro season
Seattle Kraken prospect Jagger Firkus entered rarefied air when he won the David Branch Player of the Year Award as the Canadian Hockey League’s most outstanding player. He also captured the CHL Top Scorer Award .
He was the CHL’s top producer, piling up 61 goals and 126 points in 63 regular-season games with the Moose Jaw Warriors before aging out of the Western Hockey League.
He skimmed the David Branch trophy with his dad and brother, taking in the names.
“I feel pressure, but that’s kind of what comes with it,” he said.
It’s a short, important summer for the forward, who’s stuck with that dreaded word: undersized.
“Last year, you wanted to train like a pro. But this year, I have to. There’s no other option, really,” Firkus said.
Thanks to his identifiable flaming red hair and mustache, catchy “Firkus Circus” nickname and ever-growing resume, he’s probably the third best-known Kraken prospect after Shane Wright and Ryker Evans, who’ve both spent meaningful time with the big club. Firkus was the one name dropped in a news release announcing development camp, luring attendees to Kraken Community Iceplex during a holiday week.
Fans are eager to see him bring his scoring touch to a roster that badly needed one last season. But Firkus is a long shot to make the roster in the coming year, and perhaps beyond. The knock on the 20-year-old junior hockey superstar is the same as it was two summers ago, when he was Seattle’s second-round pick, 35th overall: He’s generously listed at 5-foot-11 and 161 pounds.
He’s quick, creative and had his way with the WHL last season. That size worked fine for him in juniors. But it could easily get him into trouble in the NHL, venturing into the corners with 6-foot-6, 240-pound, bruising defensemen. He’s seemed reluctant to do that in training camp.
“Any time you have an undersized guy who’s not 6-2, they have to show that their speed and their strength can go against pros as well,” Kraken director of player development Jeff Tambellini said.
“He’s shown he can score at a great rate. Hopefully that translates. We’re going to put him in a good spot to have success next year.”
He’ll have a shot to make the Kraken in training camp, but he’ll more likely join the Coachella Valley Firebirds of the American Hockey League, under new management after Dan Bylsma was promoted to Kraken head coach. Derek Laxdal was hired this week to develop the future of the franchise.
“It’s gonna be a learning curve for him for sure,” Kraken director of amateur scouting Robert Kron said at the 2024 draft. “These kids sometimes don’t realize how hard it is to transition from junior hockey to pro hockey. Not many kids can step right into the NHL.”
Firkus has already spent time in Coachella Valley, appearing in one playoff game last season.
Firkus is from Irma, Alberta, population roughly 500, where playing sports year-round is on the short list of activities. It’s produced a crop of high-level hockey players including former Kraken defenseman Carson Soucy, a family friend, and Seattle Thunderbirds goaltender Scott Ratzlaff. Everyone knows everyone, and what they’re up to. Irma instilled Firkus’ passion for the game, and he considers himself lucky and grateful to have grown up there.
His technical ability is impressive, his timing practiced, his release precise. He credits his big brother, Ambrose, who helped him work on shooting in stride during the pandemic when most others were figuring it out on their own. With a lifetime’s worth of communication and trust, he still works with Ambrose’s groups. But now Adam Huxley is in charge, training Jagger in nearby Wainwright. After development camp concluded Friday, he headed right home.
“If I want to make the jump to pro, I’ve got to make some movement in the gym,” Firkus said.
His Memorial Cup run with Moose Jaw, while an experience no Canadian hockey player in his right mind would trade, cost him valuable weeks of preparation. The Warriors made the semifinals, so Firkus played until the last possible weekend.
The WHL season “felt like a dream,” the perfect combination of personal and team success. Early on, he was aiming for that scoring title.
“I’m a confident guy. I play with a little swagger. I always knew I was capable,” Firkus said.
“It’s something cool to have, but it’s behind me now. I’ve got to move forward.”
Many of the Kraken’s best prospects didn’t attend Seattle’s development camp. The group still included some of the top scorers of their respective leagues – an impressive number, Tambellini said.
They’re making moves, which the Kraken top brass loves to see.
“If you’re going to be a top-six player in the NHL, we expect you to be at that level,” Tambellini said of the CHL players. “They’re showing that they’re still on the track.”
He’s certainly on track, but will Firkus’ considerable potential translate? He’s eager to show them it will. This summer is important.
“(Pro hockey) is a different animal,” Firkus said.