Chiefs among them: Four former Spokane players begin NHL season on active rosters
Three months ago, Spokane Chief Berkly Catton signed his Seattle Kraken contract after the center was selected in the first round of the National Hockey League entry draft. He was reassigned to the Chiefs for the upcoming WHL season.
When he makes his appearance for Seattle down the road, he will become the 66th Chief to appear in the NHL.
For now, let’s look at the Chiefs alumni who are on rosters as the NHL season begins domestically Tuesday. The Seattle Kraken host the St. Louis Blues for the first game of the day at 1:30 p.m. at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.
Jared Spurgeon, Minnesota Wild
The longest -tenured Chiefs player in the NHL, Spurgeon, 34, has had a superb career.
The Wild’s current captain, he missed all but 16 games a season ago due to shoulder, back and hip injuries. The back and hip injuries required season-ending surgery.
His first on-ice action since Jan. 2 was in a preseason game on Tuesday, a 7-2 thumping of the Chicago Blackhawks.
He is the Wild’s all-time scoring leader as a defenseman with 110 goals in 867 games.
Spurgeon has been in the league since 2010.
His best season was 2018-19 when he had 43 points . His best plus-minus season was in the 2016-17 season (plus-33).
He is signed through 2026-27.
Darcy Kuemper, L.A. Kings
The former Washington Capital, Kuemper was shipped to Los Angeles after a down season in Washington.
Two years removed from a .921 save percentage and a 2.54 goals -against average in 57 games for Stanley Cup-winning Colorado Avalanche, he was on his third team in four seasons.
He turned that Avalanche season into a five-year, $26.25 million contract.
Last season, he had a .837 save percentage and a 3.41 GAA, the third worst of his career.
Kuemper, 34, will now look to rebuild his game and reputation as the starter in L.A.
He is a free agent after the 2026-27 season.
Derek Ryan, Edmonton Oilers
It took Ryan, 37, longer than the others on this list to make the NHL, but the center goes into his fourth season on one of the better rosters in hockey.
Ryan, born in Spokane, will man the fourth line for the Oilers, but he was held out of the final preseason game Friday with an undisclosed injury and is regarded day-to-day.
His second-best plus-minus was two seasons ago (plus-11).
In 2023-24, he had five goals and seven assists.
For his career, Ryan has 81 goals and 122 assists in 570 games.
The third-oldest player in the NHL – along with seven other players – will be a free agent after this season.
Kailer Yamamoto, Utah Hockey Club
After one season playing for his home-state Kraken, Yamamoto signed a one-year, two-way contract with Utah on Sunday before making the final roster Monday.
Financial terms were not disclosed.
He previously was signed to a professional contract with Utah.
The two-way contract means little risk for Utah as Yamamoto could be sent to the Tucson Roadrunners – Utah’s American Hockey League affiliate – at any point in the season.
A Spokane native, Yamamoto scored three goals in four games this preseason.
He was a first-round draft pick, No. 22 for the Oilers in 2017.
For his career, he has 58 goals and 76 assists in 303 games.
In 34 Stanley Cup playoff games, he has three goals and nine assists.
Note: Tyler Johnson, another Spokane native, and Jaret Anderson-Dolan did not make the initial roster for the Boston Bruins and Winnipeg Jets, respectively.
Johnson signed a professional tryout at the end of August. Anderson-Dolan cleared waivers Sunday.
Keep an eye on the Bruins and Jets to see if they add them later.