Coachella Valley Firebirds: 10 things to know as training camp begins in the desert
In a way, it feels just like yesterday that the 2022-23 American Hockey League season came to an end inside Acrisure Arena in front of a sold-out crowd of 10,087 in Game 7 of the Calder Cup Finals.
In the three months since then, players and coaches have left the valley and headed back to their hometowns to spend time with family and friends and train for the upcoming season, which is now just days away.
The Coachella Valley Firebirds arrive back in the Coachella Valley on Sunday for a short training camp, following camp with the team's NHL affiliate, the Seattle Kraken. The Firebirds will continue training in the valley for a pair of home preseason games on Oct. 6 and Oct. 8. Then, the nine-month roller coaster will begin again with the season opener.
Before the Firebirds begin their own training camp, here are 10 things to know as the team returns to its desert home:
Campbell makes more history
Firebirds’ assistant coach Jessica Campbell, who last season became the first woman to be a full-time coach in the American Hockey League, made some more history Monday. Campbell and Firebirds’ head coach Dan Bylsma were part of the staff that coached a Seattle Kraken NHL preseason game Sept. 25 against Calgary, allowing Campbell to join a growing group of women to coach an NHL game.
Campbell, 31, followed Kori Cheverie, who was invited to be a guest coach for a Pittsburgh Penguins game on Sunday, in reaching the milestone. Cheverie was recently named the head coach of the Montreal team in the new Professional Women’s Hockey League.
Campbell, a Rocanville, Saskatchewan native, and Bylsma coached the Kraken in a 3-2 shootout loss in Seattle while Kraken head coach Dave Hakstol was in Calgary for a split-squad game on the same day.
Preseason games at Acrisure Arena
Before the season opener, the Firebirds will play a pair of preseason games at Acrisure Arena. Those games will be 6 p.m., Friday Oct. 6 against the Ontario Reign and at 3 p.m., Sunday Oct. 8 versus the Henderson Silver Knights.
Preseason tickets are available via the arena box office on game days or on the Firebirds’ mobile app and website. Prices start at $20/ticket.
Don't expect to see stars early on
With several players vying for spots with the NHL’s Seattle Kraken this season, the Firebirds are not expected to have their full lineup available until the start of the regular season. Some players have been and will be playing with the Kraken during their preseason.
That likely means that players such as Joey Daccord, Tye Kartye, Kole Lind and Shane Wright, among others, will not be inside Acrisure Arena for the Firebirds’ two preseason games.
Final rosters
We'll know which Firebirds players will be returning this season starting with those early preseason games. The roster will then be finalized just prior to the start of the regular season.
Daccord, the Firebirds' goalie last season, was arguably the team's best player in their inaugural season. In the Calder Cup Finals, he did something that hadn't been done in the league in 84 years: He opened the Finals with consecutive shutouts, becoming the first goalie to do that since 1939. It appears likely that Daccord will play with the Kraken this season, behind starting netminder Philipp Grubauer.
Tye Kartye, last season's AHL rookie of the year, is also a strong candidate to play with the Kraken. He scored his first NHL goal last season in the playoffs for the Kraken, becoming just the eighth player to score his first NHL goal in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Kartye and Firebirds' leader in points during the postseason, Kole Lind, are pegged as strong candidates to play with Seattle this season.
Shane Wright, a Kraken prospect who was selected fourth overall in the 2022 NHL Draft, is also a player to watch. He'll either play for the Kraken or the Firebirds this season, depending on whether the Kraken feel the 20-year-old is ready for the NHL.
Look to the Maine Mariners
The Firebirds will be trying to do something that hasn't been done since the 1983-84 Maine Mariners did it, and that is to win the Calder Cup the year after losing in the Calder Cup Finals.
The 1982-83 Mariners were swept by the Rochester Americans in the Calder Cup Finals. The next year they turned the tables. The Mariners beat the Americans 4-1 to hoist the Calder Cup themselves. So it has been done before, but not for 40 years.
Note: The Chicago Wolves lost the Calder Cup in 2019 and then after the 2020 and 2021 finals were canceled by COVID-19, they won the Calder Cup in 2022. So while they did win the "next" Calder Cup after losing it, that's not quite the same thing as winning it the next year, is it?
Tenny's Talks
In case you missed it over the summer, Matt Tennyson, a key defensive player on last year's Firebirds team who is still a free agent and has not latched on with a team for this upcoming season, was the host of a comedic series of YouTube videos where he interviewed his Firebirds teammates.
The interviews took place on a sun-soaked back porch somewhere and featured Ryker Evans as his sidekick spending the entire time in a kiddie pool. You just have to see it to understand.
If you're nostalgic for the original Firebirds, it's a good way to remember the good old days (four months ago) and get ready for the new season.
The series is called Tenny's Talks. Search that on YouTube. You'll be happy you did.
Fuego's bio
According to the team's website, here is the hockey-player-style bio information for the mascot Fuego.
Number: 22
Debut: Aug. 4, 2022
Position: Center (of attention)
Shoots: And scores!
Weight: Featherweight
Favorite food: Spicy bird seed
Favorite song: California Love
Least favorite song: The Chicken Dance
Team store now open at Acrisure Arena
The Firebirds closed their team store on El Paseo in Palm Desert during the summer but have re-opened the store at the arena in preparation for the upcoming season.
The store is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4-8 p.m. and on Saturdays from 2-6 p.m. The store will also be open on gamedays during the 2023-24 season.
For those visiting the store, parking is free except on gamedays.
The Firebirds have new merchandise this season, though some items from last season have returned. Among the popular items that are back are the Fuego stuffed animals that sold out before last season ended.
Tickets
Season ticket packages are also available on the website and mobile app. The team is offering full-season tickets, half-season tickets, flex plans, group and individual game tickets.
Season ticket packages start at $20/game in the upper defensive zone, with prices at $107/game for Row A on the glass. There are nine different pricing and seating options.
Flex plans include 12 tickets to games of your choice, with prices starting at $26/ticket in the upper defensive zone. Center ice tickets are $75/ticket, and there are two other options in between.
Regular season opener
The Firebirds’ regular season will be underway on Friday, Oct. 13 inside Acrisure Arena versus the Bakersfield Condors. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.
Andrew John covers the Firebirds for The Desert Sun and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at andrew.john@desertsun.com.
Shad Powers is a sports columnist who covers the Firebirds for The Desert Sun and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at shad.powers@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Coachella Valley Firebirds: 10 things to know as training camp begins
