CV Firebirds enter the AHL playoffs on quest for the Calder Cup
Desert Sun staff Shad Powers and Andrew John talk about what it will take for the Firebirds to make a deep run in the AHL playoffs
After just one year with the Seattle Kraken, head coach Dan Bylsma has been fired, the team announced Monday.
Bylsma, who led the Coachella Valley Firebirds to back-to-back Calder Cup Finals in 2023-24, was let go Monday — less than a year after accepting the job. The Kraken finished with a 35-41-6 record this season and missed the playoffs.
“We thank Dan for his commitment and the energy he brought to our organization over the past four years at the NHL and AHL levels,” said Kraken General Manager Ron Francis in a news release. “After a thorough review of the season and our expectations for next year and beyond, we’ve made the difficult decision to move in a different direction behind the bench.
“Dan is a great person and a respected coach,” he said. “He played an important role in the development of many of our young prospects and was a big part of our early success in Coachella Valley. We sincerely wish him and his family nothing but success moving forward.”
Shortly after the Bylsma announcement, the Kraken also revealed they had promoted Francis to Team President and promoted assistant GM Jason Botterill to general manager.
Bylsma was hired by the Kraken during last year’s Firebirds’ playoff run. He completed his tenure with the Firebirds, falling short in the Calder Cup championship against the Hershey Bears.
Firebirds assistant coach Jessica Campbell followed him to Seattle as an assistant coach. According to multiple reports, she is being retained by the Kraken.
In 2022-23 with the Firebirds, Bylsma led the team to a 48-17-5-2 record, a second-place finish in the Pacific Division, a Western Conference title and a trip to the Calder Cup finals. In 2023-24, Bylsma’s Firebirds had a 46-15-6-5 record, a regular-season Pacific Division title, another Western Conference title and another trip to the Calder Cup finals.
This all comes a day before the Firebirds start their third straight Calder Cup playoff run. They open the postseason Tuesday with a home game against Calgary.