Coachella Valley Firebirds

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Coachella Valley Firebirds
CityThousand Palms, California
LeagueAmerican Hockey League
ConferenceWestern
DivisionPacific
Founded2022
Home arenaAcrisure Arena
ColorsDeep sea blue, red alert, orange, ice blue[1]
       
MascotFuego
Owner(s)Seattle Hockey Partners
Oak View Group
(David Bonderman, Jerry Bruckheimer, Tod Leiweke and Tim Leiweke)
General managerTroy Bodie (de facto - VP of Hockey Operations)
Head coachDan Bylsma
CaptainMax McCormick
MediaThe Desert Sun
KDGL
AffiliatesSeattle Kraken (NHL)
Kansas City Mavericks (ECHL)
Websitecvfirebirds.com
Championships
Division titles1 (2023–24)
Conference titles1 (2022–23)
Current season

The Coachella Valley Firebirds are a professional ice hockey team based in Southern California's Coachella Valley. They are members of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference of the American Hockey League (AHL). The Firebirds began play in the 2022–23 AHL season. The team is an owned-and-operated affiliate of the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Seattle Kraken. The team plays their home games at Acrisure Arena in the town of Thousand Palms, California.

History[edit]

Establishment[edit]

On December 4, 2018, the NHL Board of Governors voted unanimously to approve Seattle's National Hockey League expansion team, the Seattle Kraken, to begin play in the 2021–22 season. The new ownership group then began making plans for acquiring a minor league affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL). By early 2019, they had narrowed it down to promoting the ECHL's Idaho Steelheads in Boise, Idaho, or a new expansion team in Palm Springs, California. On June 26, 2019, it was reported the Seattle ownership group had chosen Palm Springs as the site for Seattle's AHL affiliate.[2] The expansion franchise was approved by the AHL board of governors on September 30, 2019, with plans to begin play in the 2021–22 season.[3] Delays associated with the construction of an arena in the Palm Springs area caused the team's debut to be pushed back to the 2022–23 season. In the interim Seattle affiliated with the Charlotte Checkers for the 2021–22 season, sharing the team with the Florida Panthers.[4]

On November 5, 2021, the new team revealed its name, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, as well as its logos and colors, at a ceremony held on the construction site of their new arena.[5]

2022–2023: Inaugural season[edit]

On June 21, 2022, Dan Bylsma was named the inaugural head coach of the Firebirds', [6] with their first free-agent's Samuel Bucek and Ian McKinnon being signed the next month on July 11, 2022.[7] On the day of the Firebirds' first game, October 16, 2022, Max McCormick was announced as the team's captain with Andrew Poturalski and Gustav Olofsson being named alternate captains.[8]

The Firebirds played their first game on October 16, a 6–5 win against the Calgary Wranglers, as well as winning the rematch the next day.[9] During the first stretch of the season, the Firebirds would play their home games in the Seattle metropolitan area, playing four games against the Abbotsford Canucks and the Wranglers at the Kraken Community Iceplex and Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, as well as the Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett.[10] The Firebirds' first game at Acrisure Arena would take place on December 18, a 4–3 win against the Tucson Roadrunners.[11] From December 22, 2022, to January 26, 2023, the Firebirds achieved a fourteen game points streak, the current franchise record.[12] The Firebirds would finish the 2022–23 season with 103 points, good for second place of the Pacific Division, behind only the Wranglers, who captured the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy.

During the 2023 Calder Cup playoffs, the Firebirds would capture the Western Conference title, and advance to the Calder Cup final, where they would face off against the Hershey Bears.[13] Goaltender Joey Daccord recorded back to back shutouts in the first two games of the series,[14] but despite this, the Firebirds would fall short of the championship, losing in overtime of game seven.[15]

2023–2024: Sophomore season[edit]

The Firebirds won their first Pacific Division title during the 2023–24 season, clinching the division and earning a bye in the first round of the Calder Cup playoffs following a 3–1 win on April 10, 2024, over the Ontario Reign.[16]

Arena[edit]

Main article: Acrisure Arena

The Firebirds play their home games at Acrisure Arena located in Thousand Palms, California, just east of Palm Springs. The Firebirds played four "home" games in the Seattle region in late October 2022 while awaiting the mid-December completion of the new arena: one game at Climate Pledge Arena, the home ice of the parent Seattle Kraken; one game at Angel of the Winds Arena, home of the Everett Silvertips; and two games at the Kraken Community Iceplex, official practice facility of the Kraken.[17] The Firebirds finally stepped on their home ice on December 18, 2022, in which they defeated the Tucson Roadrunners 4–3 in regulation. Cameron Hughes scored the first ever goal at Acrisure Arena, at the 8:49 mark in the 1st period.[18]

On January 6, 2024 the AHL announced that the Firebirds and Acrisure Arena would host the 2025 AHL All-Star Game.[19]

Uniforms[edit]

The Firebirds announced their inaugural season uniforms on January 24, 2022, at the Palm Springs Air Museum. They were delivered by the Seattle Kraken, the jerseys themselves in treasure chests. The Firebirds have two main uniforms, one a dark-blue color, and the other white. Both uniforms feature the Firebirds logo in the center, as well as red, orange, and light-blue stripes around the sleeves, with red and light-blue stripes in the bottom.[20]

The Firebirds announced new "Red Alert" uniforms on November 8, 2023, featuring the team's secondary logo.[21]

Mascot[edit]

The Firebirds' mascot is an orange, feathered bird named Fuego (the Spanish word for fire).[22] Fuego was announced on August 4, 2022 before the start of the season. Fuego wears a Firebirds jersey, featuring the number 22 on the back. His first game appearance was on October 16.[23]

Broadcasting[edit]

Radio[edit]

All Firebirds games are broadcast on KDGL (106.9 FM). The network broadcast all 72 games of the Firebirds' inaugural season.[24]

Television[edit]

Firebirds games are split amongst KESQ-TV, FOX 11, and CW.[25]

Season-by-season record[edit]

Regular season Playoffs
Season Games Won Lost OTL SOL Points PCT Goals
for 		Goals
against 		Standing Year Prelims 1st
round 		2nd
round 		3rd
round 		Finals
2022–23 72 48 17 5 2 103 .715 257 194 2nd, Pacific 2023 W, 2–1, TUC W, 3–2, COL W, 3–2, CGY W, 4–2, MIL L, 3–4, HER

Players and personnel[edit]

Current roster[edit]

Main article: List of Coachella Valley Firebirds players

Updated April 10, 2024.[26][27]

Team roster
No. Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace Contract
58 United States Connor Carrick D R 30 2023 Orland Park, Illinois Kraken
2 Canada Lukas Dragicevic D R 18 2023 Richmond, British Columbia Kraken
60 Canada Chris Driedger G L 29 2023 Winnipeg, Manitoba Kraken
8 Canada Cale Fleury D R 25 2023 Calgary, Alberta Kraken
15 United States John Hayden C R 28 2022 Chicago, Illinois Kraken
10 Canada Luke Henman C L 23 2022 Dartmouth, Nova Scotia Kraken
19 Canada Cameron Hughes C L 27 2022 Edmonton, Alberta Kraken
20 United States Ryan Jones D L 27 2023 Crown Point, Indiana Firebirds
16 Canada Kole Lind RW L 25 2022 Swift Current, Saskatchewan Kraken
17 United States Max McCormick (C) LW L 31 2022 De Pere, Wisconsin Kraken
21 Canada Ian McKinnon C L 26 2022 Whitby, Ontario Firebirds
63 Canada Jacob Melanson RW R 20 2023 Amherst, Nova Scotia Kraken
96 Canada Logan Morrison C R 21 2023 Guelph, Ontario Kraken
12 Finland Jani Nyman RW L 19 2024 Valkeakoski, Finland Kraken
23 Sweden Gustav Olofsson (A) D L 29 2022 Boras, Sweden Kraken
35 Finland Victor Ostman G R 23 2024 Danderyd, Sweden Kraken
36 Finland Ville Ottavainen D R 21 2023 Oulu, Finland Kraken
33 Finland Ville Petman C L 24 2022 Lappeenranta, Finland Kraken
22 United States Andrew Poturalski (A) C R 30 2022 Williamsville, New York Kraken
9 United States Mitch Reinke D R 28 2023 Stillwater, Minnesota Kraken
32 Canada Tucker Robertson C R 20 2023 Toronto, Ontario Kraken
29 United States Lleyton Roed LW L 21 2023 White Bear Lake, Minnesota Kraken
44 United States Jimmy Schuldt D L 29 2022 Minnetonka, Minnesota Kraken
6 Finland Peetro Seppala D L 23 2022 Kuusankoski, Finland Kraken
94 Canada Devin Shore C L 29 2023 Ajax, Ontario Kraken
30 Czech Republic Ales Stezka G L 27 2023 Plzeň, Czech Republic Kraken
34 Slovakia Marian Studenic LW L 25 2023 Skalica, Slovakia Kraken
27 Canada Ryan Winterton F R 20 2023 Markham, Ontario Kraken
51 Canada Shane Wright C R 20 2022 Burlington, Ontario Kraken


Owners[edit]

The team is owned by Oak View Group, the organization that also owns Climate Pledge Arena.[28] Tim Leiweke serves as their Chief executive officer (CEO).[29] Steve Fraser served as president of the Firebirds, although he resigned on February 25, 2023.[30]

Head coaches[edit]

Team captains[edit]

Inaugural Firebirds captain Max McCormick.

Team and league honors[edit]

League awards[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Firebirds to take flight in Coachella Valley". TheAHL.com. November 5, 2021. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
  2. ^ Baker, Geoff (June 26, 2019). "NHL Seattle chooses Palm Springs as site for new AHL farm team". The Seattle Times.
  3. ^ "AHL expanding to Palm Springs in 2021–22". American Hockey League. September 30, 2019.
  4. ^ "Checkers Add Seattle Kraken as NHL Affiliate". Charlotte Checkers. June 28, 2021.
  5. ^ "New Coachella Valley hockey team will be called Firebirds, with red, orange and black colors". Palm Springs Desert Sun. November 5, 2021.
  6. ^ a b "Coachella Valley Firebirds Hire Dan Bylsma as Head Coach". NBC Palm Springs. June 21, 2022. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  7. ^ Rotolo, Gina (July 11, 2022). "Coachella Valley Firebirds Sign First Two Players". Coachella Valley Firebirds. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
  8. ^ a b Arredondo, Bailey (October 16, 2022). "Firebirds win first ever game over Calgary, assign team captains and roster spots". KESQ. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  9. ^ Rotolo, Gina (October 18, 2022). "Firebirds Earn Second Consecutive Win Over Wranglers". Coachella Valley Firebirds. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  10. ^ Rotolo, Gina (August 15, 2022). "Firebirds Announce Details for Seattle-Arena Game This October". Coachella Valley Firebirds. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  11. ^ Reyes, Jesus; Arthur, Blake (December 19, 2022). "Historic home opener: Coachella Valley Firebirds win first game at sold out Acrisure Arena". KESQ. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
  12. ^ Rotolo, Gina (January 27, 2023). "Kartye's Overtime Winner Extends Firebirds' Win Streak to Six". Coachella Valley Firebirds. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
  13. ^ Rotolo, Gina (June 6, 2023). "Firebirds Win Western Conference Championship, Advance to Calder Cup Finals". Coachella Valley Firebirds. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
  14. ^ Rotolo, Gina (June 11, 2023). "Daccord's Second Straight Shutout has Firebirds Up 2-0 in Finals". Coachella Valley Firebirds. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
  15. ^ Reyes, Jesus; Arthur, Blake (June 21, 2023). "Firebirds come up short of Calder Cup championship, fall to Hershey Bears in overtime of Game 7". KESQ. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  16. ^ "Clinched! Coachella Valley Firebirds claim Pacific Division title with win over Ontario". The Desert Sun. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  17. ^ Powers, Shad (May 3, 2022). "Kraken GM says Firebirds will play early AHL games at Seattle's Climate Pledge Arena is completed". Palm Springs Desert Sun. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  18. ^ "TheAHL.com | The American Hockey League". theahl.com. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  19. ^ "Coachella Valley to host 2025 AHL All-Star Classic". theahl.com. January 6, 2024. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
  20. ^ "First Look: The Coachella Valley Firebirds Unveil Team Jerseys". NBC Palm Springs. January 24, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
  21. ^ "Introducing Our Red Alert Jersey". Twitter.com. November 8, 2023. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  22. ^ Team, KESQ News; Price, Miyoshi (August 4, 2022). "Meet Fuego! Coachella Valley Firebirds unveil mascot". KESQ. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  23. ^ Powers, Shad. "Meet Fuego! Coachella Valley Firebirds unveil official mascot". The Desert Sun. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  24. ^ Rotolo, Gina (October 13, 2022). "Firebirds Announce Broadcast Partners". Coachella Valley Firebirds. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  25. ^ Powers, Shad. "The Eagle 106.9 FM and KESQ TV named broadcast partners of Coachella Valley Firebirds". The Desert Sun. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  26. ^ "Coachella Valley Firebirds current roster". eliteprospects.com. February 17, 2024. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  27. ^ "Coachella Valley Firebirds current roster". Coachella Valley Firebirds. February 17, 2024. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  28. ^ Rotolo, Gina (December 9, 2021). "Oak View Group Grows Team at Coachella Valley Arena". Coachella Valley Firebirds. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
  29. ^ "Oak View Group Partnership - Coachella Valley Firebirds". Stand Together. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
  30. ^ "Steve Fraser No Longer Associated with Coachella Valley Firebirds, Oak View Group". NBC Palm Springs. February 28, 2023. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
  31. ^ "First-year Firebirds win Western Conference crown". theahl.com. June 6, 2023. Retrieved March 24, 2024.

External links[edit]

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