The Seattle Kraken are about to take part in a historic moment in their 2026-27 National Hockey League (NHL) season: participating in their first Global Series. The team traveled to Helsinki, Finland, where they will play their next two games against the Carolina Hurricanes.
This is a great moment for the Kraken, but an even greater moment for several players within the team. The Kraken have several players on their roster that call Finland home.
Kaapo Kakko
Kraken forward Kaapo Kakko is a great example of this excitement. He played with the New York Rangers for the beginning of his career before coming to the Kraken in Dec. 2024, after Seattle traded Will Borgen to the Rangers.
The Finnish forward is now returning to his home country for his first NHL games outside of North America, which is a phenomenal moment for him. He has already mentioned that he had a chance to see family and friends. Expect the stands to be packed with several people in support of Kakko.
Jani Nyman
Jani Nyman was recently called up from the Kraken's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate team, the Coachella Valley Firebirds. In Coachella Valley, Nyman has 12 points in 12 games, as he tries to show the Kraken he deserves a spot on their NHL roster.
Nyman has only played in three games with the Kraken this season so far and has had limited ice time. Now that he is returning to Finland, he will have a chance to not only show the Kraken coaching staff he deserves to play in the NHL full-time, he has a chance to do so in front of his family and friends.
Ville Ottavinen
Ville Ottavinen is the sole Finnish-born defenseman on the Kraken during this trip.
Ottavinen has played in 10 games with the Kraken this season and scored his first NHL goal on Oct. 13 against the Philadelphia Flyers. While Ottavinen is a defenseman and scoring isn't his strong suit, perhaps being in his home country will give him that extra offensive edge.
Nikke Kokko
In preparation for Finland, the Kraken recalled goaltender Nikke Kokko from the Firebirds for the purpose of travel. The Kraken have already been dealing with injuries, and they can't afford to lose another player when they are an ocean away.
While it's unclear if Kokko will get ice time, since Philipp Grubauer and Joey Daccord are both healthy, it would be great for the one Finnish-born goaltender to get at least a period between the pipes. We will see what happens in the two games on Thursday and Saturday.
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