Coachella Valley Firebirds

Lore & Background

The Firebirds were established after the Seattle Kraken's ownership group chose Palm Springs, California, over Boise, Idaho, for their AHL affiliate. The expansion franchise was approved by the AHL Board of Governors on September 30, 2019, but delays in arena construction pushed the debut to the 2022–23 season. The team's name, Coachella Valley Firebirds, was revealed in November 2021, chosen as another mythical creature to complement the Kraken. Dan Bylsma was named the inaugural head coach on June 21, 2022, and Max McCormick was announced as the team's captain on the day of their first game, October 16, 2022.

The Firebirds played their first game on October 16, 2022, a 6–5 win against the Calgary Wranglers. Their first home game at Acrisure Arena took place on December 18, 2022, a 4–3 win in front of a sellout crowd of 10,087. During the 2023 Calder Cup playoffs, the Firebirds set an AHL record for total playoff attendance with 138,053 fans over 16 postseason games. The team finished as runners-up in the Calder Cup Finals in both the 2022–23 and 2023–24 seasons, losing to the Hershey Bears each time—first in overtime of game seven, then in overtime of game six.

Reader's Guide

The Coachella Valley Firebirds are significant as the top minor league affiliate of the Seattle Kraken, serving as a development pipeline for the NHL club. In their inaugural season, the Firebirds ranked second overall in the AHL with 103 points, behind only the Calgary Wranglers, and advanced to the Calder Cup Finals, where they lost in overtime of game seven to the Hershey Bears. They repeated as runners-up in their second season, again reaching the Finals and losing to the Bears in overtime of game six. The team's early success established them as a competitive franchise, and they won their first Pacific Division title in the 2023–24 season. The Firebirds also set an AHL record for total playoff attendance in 2023, highlighting strong fan support. The team's arena, Acrisure Arena, was built at an estimated cost of $290 million and opened in December 2022. The Firebirds are scheduled to host the 2025 AHL All-Star Game.

Did You Know?

• Tye Kartye led all AHL rookies in scoring with 57 points during the 2022–23 season and won the Dudley 'Red' Garrett Memorial Award.
• The Firebirds' first home game at Acrisure Arena was a 4–3 win against the Tucson Roadrunners on December 18, 2022.
• The team was originally planned to begin play in the 2021–22 season but was delayed due to arena construction issues.

From Kraken to Firebirds – The Birth of a Desert Franchise

The story of the Coachella Valley Firebirds begins not in California but in Seattle. When the NHL Board of Governors unanimously approved the Kraken's expansion on December 4, 2018, the new ownership group immediately set about securing a minor-league affiliate. By early 2019, two paths remained: elevating the ECHL's Idaho Steelheads from Boise or launching a brand-new team in the Palm Springs area. On June 26, 2019, the Seattle group made its choice, selecting the Coachella Valley largely because the Boise option would have demanded a costly arena renovation. The AHL Board of Governors gave the green light on September 30 of that year, originally targeting a 2021–22 debut. Construction delays, however, pushed the opening to the 2022–23 campaign, forcing Seattle to share the Charlotte Checkers with the Florida Panthers for one season. In November 2021, the organization unveiled the Firebirds' name, logos, and colors at a ceremony on the arena's construction site—a deliberate pairing of one mythical creature (the Kraken) with another.

A Rookie Season That Shocked the League

When the Firebirds took the ice for the first time on October 16, 2022, beating the Calgary Wranglers 6–5, no one expected the expansion club to immediately contend. Yet by season's end, the Firebirds had amassed 103 points to claim second place in the Pacific Division, trailing only the Wranglers. The early months were unconventional: the team played its first home games in the Seattle area at the Kraken Community Iceplex, Climate Pledge Arena, and Angel of the Winds Arena before finally hosting at Acrisure Arena on December 18, where Cameron Hughes scored the franchise's first home goal in front of a 10,087-person sellout. Rookie Tye Kartye emerged as a standout, playing all 72 games, leading all AHL rookies with 57 points, and earning the Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award. In the Calder Cup playoffs, goaltender Joey Daccord posted back-to-back shutouts in the Finals, but the Firebirds ultimately fell to the Hershey Bears in overtime of a grueling Game Seven.

Two Finals, One Empty Trophy – and a Coaching Departure

The 2023–24 campaign brought a new milestone: the Firebirds captured their first Pacific Division title, earning a first-round playoff bye after a 3–1 victory over the Ontario Reign on April 10, 2024. They again swept through the Western Conference and set up a repeat Calder Cup Finals matchup with the Hershey Bears. Once more, the championship slipped away, this time in overtime of Game Six. The heartbreak was compounded by a coaching change: on May 28, 2024, Dan Bylsma—the 2009 Stanley Cup-winning coach from Pittsburgh—was elevated to lead the Seattle Kraken, and Derek Laxdal stepped in as the Firebirds' new head coach. The transition marked a natural progression for a franchise that had, in just two seasons, established itself as a perennial contender in the Pacific Division, yet remained one game short of the league's top prize.

Building Depth – Rookie Goaltenders, Scoring Defensemen, and Playoff Grind

As the Firebirds entered their third and fourth seasons, the focus shifted to developing young talent and sustaining playoff relevance. In 2024–25, rookie goaltender Nikke Kokko anchored the defense with 20 wins and an AHL All-Rookie Team selection, helping the team finish fourth in the division with 84 points. The Firebirds swept the Calgary Wranglers in the first round behind a Kokko shutout but fell to the Abbotsford Canucks three games to one. The following season brought another breakout: defenseman Tyson Jugnauth tallied 70 points and earned AHL All-Rookie Team honors, propelling the Firebirds to a fourth-place finish with 88 points. They advanced to the second round of the 2026 Calder Cup playoffs before dropping to the Colorado Eagles. Across these seasons, the franchise has demonstrated a consistent pattern—solid regular-season play, deep playoff runs, and a growing bench of young players ready to push the team toward the championship it has so narrowly missed.

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