Jani Nyman knelt on the Kraken logo at center ice on Tuesday, tasked with leading the post-practice stretch following his first practice as an NHL player while his more experienced teammates circled around and provided stick-taps as recognition for the moment.
Another part of the future for the Kraken is about to debut on the NHL stage.
“I’m feeling great. It’s nice to be here. I’m super excited,” the young Finnish forward said following Tuesday’s practice.
Following the trade deadline and with the playoffs out of the picture, the Kraken are expected to give some of their prospects a look over the final 17 games as part of the calculus in determining how the roster could look by the time next fall arrives.
Jacob Melanson made his debut in a game during the previous road trip. Now it’s Nymans’s turn, and he certainly looks the part of a future NHL winger.
He’s 6-foot-4 without skates and listed at nearly 220 pounds. On a roster without many imposing figures on the forward line, Nyman fits the mold of the kind of player the Kraken could use.
Size and stature are only valuable if used properly and that’s where Nyman is still learning. His shot is without question powerful and heavy. Kraken coach Dan Bylsma saw it firsthand last year when Nyman was added to the Coachella Valley roster late in the regular season and during the playoffs. In those 14 games, Nyman scored three goals as a 19-year-old.
That opportunity and experience with the Firebirds late last season carried over into this year. Nyman is expected to make his debut with the Kraken on Wednesday night against Montreal on the strength of 26 goals and 41 points in 55 AHL games. And Nyman has improved significantly in the one area Bylsma was hoping to see gains — his skating.
“Almost immediately you have to notice the shot. That’s a big part of him being an effective player. But the feet, the skating, in order for him to be able to do that you got to see him skating,” Bylsma said. “You got to see him moving his feet. It can’t be a stationary game. And that’s really kind of (what) he’s developed this year, an all-around game and a skating game, moving his feet, getting to spots where you can see that shot over and over again.”
Following the trade deadline last Friday, general manager Ron Francis didn’t want to give many specifics on players that could be brought up from Coachella Valley to get a look with the Kraken, but he did make a point to mention the season Nyman was having with the Firebirds. When Nyman’s call-up became official on Monday, he was tied for third in the AHL in goals scored and the leader among rookies.
It’s been a major year of transition for Nyman. While he got a taste of the AHL last season, he didn’t join the Firebirds until April 2024, meaning he’s been playing in North America for less than a calendar year.
To that end, there are some comforts for Nyman. Down in Coachella Valley he was responsible for being the driver for a fellow Finnish player, goalie Nikke Kokko. On his first day with the Kraken, his stall in the dressing room was smartly placed next to fellow Finns Eeli Tolvanen and Kaapo Kakko. Nyman said his parents were making their way from Finland and intend on being at Wednesday’s game.
“Everything is different, but I like it so much,” Nyman said. “Coachella is, I think, the best place in the American (Hockey) League.”
Where Nyman plays will also be worth watching. It doesn’t seem like the Kraken would bring up an offensive player such as Nyman and stick him on the fourth line, even if that was the best way to manage minutes. But bumping Nyman up in the lineup would likely mean a veteran either getting shuffled down or potentially a healthy scratch.
Bylsma indicated that Nyman would be thrown into a significant role to start, which could include time on the power play and a chance to show off his impressive shot.
“We’re going to have four good lines as a result of him being in, but we’ll see him in a spot five-on-five in an opportunity to show what he can do,” Bylsma said.
