It's No Mystery, Alaska: Why the Kraken Defenseman Visited Anchorage

These 12-and-under players in Anchorage, Alaska, likely never imagined they'd receive in-person instruction from an NHL player. Yet, there was Oleksiak, alongside the team mascot Buoy, conducting a week of training sessions with the Anchorage Hockey Association. A special day was also set aside for photos and autographs at a community picnic.

«It's been really cool getting to know the city and everyone's hockey journey,» Oleksiak told Alaska's News Source. «It's nice to be able to take time and really talk to everybody and feel the community. It's been a really cool experience.»

This marks the third consecutive year that the Kraken have hosted community events in partnership with the Bristol Bay Native Corporation, according to ANS.

The Kraken's dedication to Alaska began even before they played their first game. In 2021, CEO Tod Leiweke explained to the Anchorage Daily News, "We negotiated with the league and made the case that Alaska should be part of our territory, allowing us to broadcast games into Alaska."

«It's on us to prove that we're good neighbors and we're sincere,» Leiweke said. «If fans in Alaska become fans of the Kraken, it's uniquely special. It's not just adding one fan. It's adding a fan from a legacy hockey state.»

The Kraken demonstrated their commitment by helping the University of Alaska-Anchorage revive its dormant Division I hockey program. The franchise was among the nearly 1,200 donors to the "Save the Seawolves" campaign, contributing about $150,000.

During their inaugural season, the Kraken hosted "Alaska Hockey Appreciation Night" at Climate Pledge Arena.

The Anchorage Daily News described this as part of the "Seattle Kraken's aggressive game plan to wrap their tentacles around Alaska and pay attention to the small-market state in a way that few, if any, major league teams have before."

Even sending a 6-foot-7 defenseman to make a difference.