New England Hockey Journal catches up with Seattle Kraken goaltender Joey Daccord out of Cushing Academy.
Teams: Seattle Kraken, Ottawa Senators; Arizona State University; Muskegon Lumberjacks; Cushing Academy, North Andover High
Hometown: North Andover, Mass.
Position: Goaltender
Catches: Left
Size: 6-2, 197
Age: 25
Notable: Drafted by the Ottawa Senators in the seventh round (199th overall) of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft following his third season at Cushing. Signed a two-year, entry-level contract with Ottawa in 2019 following his third season at ASU, becoming the first player in the program's history to sign a pro contract. Made his NHL debut three days later, making 35 saves in a 5-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres. Recorded first NHL victory on March 14, 2021, making 33 saves in a 4-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Selected from the Senators by the Seattle Kraken in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft on July 21, 2021.
Favorites
Pregame meal: Chicken parm
Road college rink: Pegula Ice Arena, Penn State
Drill in practice: Rebound game after practice
Vacation spot: Switzerland
Musician: Mike
Pregame song: “Hurricane” by Dzeko and Torres
Movie: “The Other Guys”
TV show: “The Office”
Video game: NHL
Sport other than hockey: Tennis
Sports team: New England Patriots
Non-hockey athlete: Roger Federer
Equipment
Stick: Warrior
Mask: Shifty
Pads: True
Gloves: True
Skates: True
There was an incredible buzz leading into the Kraken’s inaugural season. What has the experience been like from a player’s perspective? It's been unbelievable. It’s amazing how crazy people are for hockey here already. Every game has just felt like a party for two and a half hours. I'm enjoying myself and I'm in the game, but these fans seem like they're having the absolute best time in the stands. It's literally deafeningly loud during the games, and you could just feel the build-up and excitement all the way from training camp. There is Kraken gear everywhere. Wherever you go, people are really fired up about having hockey back in Seattle. Everyone has been really excited about it, and we couldn’t be any more excited, either. It’s been fun getting our first couple wins at home.
I saw a video of you giving a tour of Climate Pledge Arena on Twitter. The arena and the facilities underneath look amazing. What has it been like to play in that building so far? Everything has been first class both at the KCI — our practice facility at the Kraken Community Iceplex — and Climate Pledge Arena. The arena is, if not the best, right up there with the best in the league. It’s remarkable. That mic ’d-up video that I did was pretty cool. I enjoyed talking to some of the (construction) people and showing everybody around the facility. That was literally three days before our first home game, so we were all so fired up to see it for the first time. Getting to play games there now has been a blast. We’ve really enjoyed it, and the fans make it so much more fun as well.
https://twitter.com/SeattleKraken/status/1451602552206729217
What was the most difficult part of changing teams? I think the hardest part is that very few people, if any, have played together. When you show up to training camp, a lot of times there’s continuity from last season because you probably have four of the same five guys on the power-play unit, you have ‘D’ pairs that are really comfortable playing together, but now it’s all brand new here. Everyone's trying to build chemistry with everyone else, which can be tough. Some teams have guys that have played on the same line for years and years. The Bruins are a perfect example. Pastrnak, Bergeron and Marchand have been together for years and they’re such a staple. We're trying to do that on our own. Just getting everybody on the same page and building chemistry are probably the most challenging parts, but I think we’ve done a good job of that so far, all things considered.
The Kraken are obviously a new team for everyone, so was the experience of the NHL Expansion Draft made easier because of that? It was really cool. In the regular NHL draft, you’re so excited because you want to get picked, but this was different because there’s only one team picking and you don’t know if you’re going to get drafted. There’s so much unknown and uncertainty, especially going to a new team in a city that hasn’t had hockey in so long. It was definitely a unique situation and a unique feeling, but I think once everybody that got drafted kind of saw the potential, the market that we have here and the appetite for hockey we were gonna have, I really think everyone got super excited and was incredibly pumped up for the opportunity to come here and build something special. It’s really awesome to be a part of.
Being a backup goaltender, how do you stay sharp on a day-to-day basis? Getting to work with (Philipp Grubauer) a little bit over these past few weeks has been super cool. I always pick his brain and ask him questions, and (Chris Driedger) as well. He’s been around for a long time and gotten to where he's gotten for a reason. I'm probably annoying them a little bit, asking them all these questions, but we just like to have a good time and enjoy ourselves and enjoy playing hockey for this city. I just try to pick their brains, work as hard as I can in practice and just play my best whenever I'm given the opportunity.
I think the best part for me has just been watching “Grubi.” He's playing a lot of games in a row, so I feel like I'm really learning what it takes and how to prepare to be a starter. When you play NHL games few and far between, it's a little bit different because you're had a while to prepare, you get really excited and you get going at a very high level. When you're playing as much as an NHL starting goalie, 50 to 60 games, you know, you feel like you're playing almost every night and you’re always having to find a way to get yourself up for the games and get your workouts and practice reps in. Just kind of being a fly on the wall and watching him go through the process has been pretty cool for me to learn from and will help me add to my preparations.
You played college hockey at Arizona State and became the first-ever NHL draft pick to commit to the Sun Devils. Is there anything that you learned while contributing to that program’s build that has helped you in Seattle? I think the parallels are pretty fascinating. When you look at what we achieved at ASU and the road that we went down, it was certainly challenging. I think having gone through that already sets up my expectations well for our team and what we can accomplish. I know that it's not always going to be smooth sailing and there's going to be ups and downs. There’s a lot for all of us to learn playing as a brand-new team. There’s so much new stuff going on in a new city.
Colin Blackwell (North Andover, Mass.) and Ryan Donato (Scituate, Mass.) are also on the Seattle roster. Has it helped to have a taste of home on the team? It's really cool. Ryan and I are the same age, but we always played against each other growing up. This is the first time we’ve been on the same team. It’s pretty cool that we’re playing together in the best league in the world. The funny thing about Colin is that we’re from the same town in North Andover and had never met before, which is pretty hard to believe. I remember the first day I met him we were like, ‘Dude, let’s grab dinner,' and we caught up. It was great to get to know each other because we had so much in common.
How would you describe yourself as a goaltender? Who was your biggest NHL influence growing up, and why? The biggest influence for me was Cory Schneider (Marblehead, Mass.), for sure, because I’ve known him for so long. My dad (Brian) became his goalie coach when he was in high school, so seeing what he’s become made me want to follow his path. He went to prep school, then he played in college and in the AHL before he made it to the NHL. I was always probably his number-one fan other than his family. Watching him go that route made me want to follow and made him my favorite goalie. Getting to see him train in the summer was always my favorite part of the summer. As for myself as a goalie, I think of myself as someone who's very technically sound but can be athletic when I need to be. Just trying to find the right balance between technique and athleticism is kind of my never-ending battle and what I’m trying to perfect.
Going off of that, it had to be pretty special to have your goalie coach right in the house, right? Absolutely. He's been my biggest driving mentor and influence in hockey. I'm definitely very grateful to have him in my life. I can promise you I wouldn't be where I am without him. It took me a long time when I was growing up to realize that not everybody has an NHL goalie coach as a dad, so I definitely lucked out on that end.
