On Jan. 23, Seattle Kraken goaltender Joey Daccord played in his 100th NHL game, starting in net for the 31st time this season. Compared to other goalies, 100 is not that many. However, Daccord has had a storied career already.
Daccord’s Early Days
Daccord was selected in the seventh round of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft by the Ottawa Senators, but he first went to Arizona State University (ASU) to earn a degree in business. He was the goaltender for ASU for three years, starting in 2016-17 when he played 15 games with a save percentage (SV%) of .892 and a goals-against average (GAA) of 4.03. He improved the following season, doubling his games to 32 with an SV% of .909 and a GAA of 3.51, despite earning only eight wins.
In his last season with the Sun Devils, Daccord took a huge step forward. In 2018-19, he played 35 games, earning an SV% of .926, a GAA of 2.56, 21 victories, and seven shutouts. Each iteration of his mask in his career with the Kraken has had a nod to the team hidden somewhere within the art.
It is clear that with his time at Arizona State University, his abilities just got better and better. His SV% went higher each season and his GAA went lower. His gradual improvement, though, did not fully prepare him for what was to come next.
Daccord’s Early Chance in the NHL
Daccord also appeared in his first NHL game in the 2018-19 season. On April 4 against the Buffalo Sabres, he had an SV% of .875 and a GAA of 5.00 in a losing effort. His performance did not leave a lasting impression.
In the 2019-20 season, he split his time between the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Belleville Senators and the ECHL Brampton Beast. With the Senators, he played 24 games, winning 15, with an SV% of .915 and a GAA of 2.61. In 12 games with the Beast, he had seven wins, a 2.85 GAA and an SV% of .901.
Related: Kraken Must Make Joey Daccord the Clear Number One Goalie
Daccord earned his first real time in the NHL in 2020-21 while also honing his performance in the AHL. In the short season due to COVID-19, he played eight games in Ottawa and two in Belleville. In the NHL, he earned one win with an SV% of .897. In the AHL, his SV% was slightly better at .867. He still had some work to do before he was ready for a full-time role in the NHL.
Daccord Selected By Seattle
In the 2021 Expansion Draft, the brand-new Kraken selected Daccord to join Chris Driedger and Phillipp Grubauer in the crease. His first season in Seattle was again split between the NHL and the AHL. He played five games in the NHL, losing all of them with an SV% of .850 and a 4.30 GAA. He found better success with the Charlotte Checkers. In 34 games, he had 19 wins, earning an SV% of .925 and a GAA of 2.28. He even helped the Checkers make a playoff run, playing seven postseason games with an SV% of .879.
In the 2022-23 season, he again split his time between the two leagues. However, by this time, the Kraken had their own AHL team, the Coachella Valley Firebirds. Daccord was one of the first to goaltend for the Firebirds, playing 38 games with an SV% of .918 and a GAA of 2.38. He set the bar high with those numbers and played 26 playoff games, earning an SV% of .926, a GAA of 2.22 and helping the Firebirds make history by reaching the Calder Cup Final in their first AHL season. The Firebirds ultimately lost to the Bears in seven games, but Daccord was a huge reason his club even got to Game 7, recording two shutouts in the final.
Daccord Becomes Full Time NHLer & Kraken Starter
In 2023-24, Daccord became an NHL mainstay, playing 50 games with the Kraken after Grubauer was injured in December 2023. Grubauer sustained a lower-body injury right before the Kraken were set to play in the Winter Classic against the Vegas Golden Knights and Daccord stepped up in this moment as the starter. When the Winter Classic came around, Grubauer was still not healthy and Daccord recorded the first-ever shutout Winter Classic history in a 3-0 victory. He earned two other shutouts this season, which helped bump up his SV% to .916 and saw his GAA land at 2.46. This whole season was stellar for Daccord, but it was the Jan. 1 game that really solidified him as the Kraken’s starter.
At the beginning of this season, the Kraken signed Daccord to a five-year contract worth $25 million. His efforts last season definitely paid off and the new deal showed the Kraken’s desire to keep him around long term. So far this season, he has played in 31 games, has a SV% of .916 and a GAA of 2.47. He has won 16 of these games, has one shutout, continues to make excellent saves, and consistently gives the Kraken a fighting chance. He is the clear starter this, having 11 more starts than Grubauer, who was the Kraken’s consistent starter for their first three seasons.
Unfortunately, in his 100th-career game, opposing goalie Charlie Lindgren got his first shutout victory of the season. Daccord stopped 29 of the 32 shots the Washington Capitals but did a great job of keeping the Kraken afloat. The rest of his team, however, did not do their pair in the loss.
Congratulations to Joey Daccord for reaching this career milestone!
