Sports
Firebirds Hockey Gains 2 Seasoned Pros For Kracken Expansion Team
Both Samuel Bucek, 23, and Ian McKinnon, 24, were signed into the Coachella Valley Firebirds, the 32nd American Hockey League team.
PALM DESERT, CA — The Coachella Valley Firebirds Monday announced the signings of their first two players, including the 2021-22 leading scorer and playoff MVP of the Slovak Extraliga.
Left-wing Samuel Bucek was the first player signed by the Seattle Kraken's American Hockey League affiliate. The 23-year-old led the league with 41 goals and 64 points in 50 games in the 2021-22 season for HK Nitra. He scored 13 goals and 24 points, both league highs, in 19 playoff games. HK Nitra won two best-of-seven series, then lost to Slovan Bratislava in six games in the final.
Bucek played for Slovakia in the 2016 IIHF World U18 Championship and 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship.
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Bucek's junior career included stints with the Chicago Steel of the United States Hockey League and Shawinigan Cataractes of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
Center Ian McKinnon was the second player signed by the Firebirds. He split the 2021-22 season between the AHL's Providence Bruins and ECHL's Jacksonville Icemen and Maine Mariners.
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"We are building a team that leads with skill, tenacity and impact on and off the ice," Firebirds coach Dan Bylsma said. "Both Samuel Bucek and Ian McKinnon have the potential to be strong leaders for our team and we anticipate them having a solid impact in the AHL."
The Firebirds will start the season in Seattle and are set to play their first AHL game at Acrisure Arena near Palm Desert in December.
For more information or to secure your season tickets, visit the Coachella Valley Firebirds website.
