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Dave Hakstol Named 1st Head Coach of NHL Expansion Franchise Seattle Kraken

The NHL expansion Seattle Kraken named Dave Hakstol as the first head coach in franchise history Thursday.

Seattle Kraken

SEATTLE, WE GOT OUR GUY! Dave Hakstol (@hakstol2), has been named the the first-ever head coach in #SeaKraken history! Get to know our new bench boss → https://t.co/uiBhw09CfE https://t.co/fe9p7Hry64

Seattle was granted an NHL expansion franchise in 2018, and the Kraken will begin play at the start of the 2021-22 season.

The 52-year-old Hakstol is an NHL coaching veteran who served as head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers for parts of four seasons from 2015-19.