15+1
Member assocs + team
Seattle Kraken Youth Hockey Association (KYHA) · Kraken Community Iceplex, Northgate
Side-by-side against every PNAHA association. Empty cells are data not yet collected.
Source: USA Hockey 2024-25 Final Registration Report (p.6). Youth = under-19 brackets; Adult = 19 & over. YoY growth per USA Hockey affiliate filings.
Canada registered 603,149 players across its 13 provincial/territorial members — 452,361 in minor hockey (U7–U18) alone. That minor total exceeds the entire USA youth count (396,525). Use the selector to compare any province against Washington or the United States.
Source: Hockey Canada 2024-25 Annual Report — Player Registrations by Member & Age Division. "Minor" = U7 through U18. Canada uses two-year age divisions (U7/U9/U11…), so brackets are not identical to USA Hockey's; cross-comparisons are aligned at the youth-total level, not bracket-by-bracket.
Sources: QuantHockey — active NHL players by birth province, 2024-25 (~420 Canadian-born). Population: StatCan 2024 estimates. "Per million" = NHLers ÷ provincial population. Yukon & NWT: 1 active NHLer each.
The three pillars of world hockey, side by side — switch between participation (registered players) and production (active NHLers the system graduates). Europe is the combined total of its hockey nations.
Sources: Participation — IIHF Survey of Players, the only source that counts all three regions on one methodology, so the three-way comparison is internally consistent (single edition). IIHF totals differ from the Hockey Canada (603k) / USA Hockey 2024-25 figures on the other tabs because national registration bodies count differently — use IIHF for the cross-nation view, the national-body tabs for current within-country detail. This IIHF edition is not the latest available, so treat the tri-nation totals as directional. Population: Canada ≈ 41M, USA ≈ 335M, Europe ≈ 745M.
Where hockey sits among the major participation sports, and what the per-capita ratios reveal. High-school participation (NFHS) is the only apples-to-apples cross-sport, cross-state dataset that exists — so this is HS-only and undercounts club-heavy sports like hockey. Read it as relative interest, not total players.
Sources: NFHS 2023-24 High School Athletics Participation Survey (boys, the consistent cross-state series); U.S. Census 2024 population. Caveats: HS-only — misses youth/club hockey (where most WA hockey lives), so hockey is undercounted here vs USA Hockey's 6,110 WA youth figure. "Primary sport" is a participation proxy, not a definitive ranking. All five sports (football, basketball, baseball, soccer, ice hockey) are complete for every state.
Live capture from Congress + partnership brainstorm. The DL section is sourced from USA Hockey's published FAQ. The ideas section is a working board — directional, not finalized.
A national collection of hand-picked Tier 1 programs (~32 nationally) fielding 15U & 17U "DL" teams, built on ADM, anti-burnout (55-game cap, no multi-game days).
It is assimilated into the Tier 1 framework — it does NOT replace Tier 1. Designed to work in cooperation with it.
USA Hockey warning: no teams selected yet — any org claiming it's "in" is misrepresenting.
DL clubs cannot also field 15O / 16U Tier 1 — it reshuffles the elite tier, not just adds to it.
WA has one true-AAA association (KYHA) and just 1 active NHLer born in-state (Spokane's Kailer Yamamoto). We are not positioned to win a DL bid today.
Prep goal: deepen the Tier 1 pipeline now (volume + advancement history are selection factors) so a future application is credible. Watch the Oct 16 selections for the regional picture.
Theme: high-exposure Seattle Kraken hockey, unique partners, and revenue from quiet ice (6am–4pm) windows. With partnerships colleague @ Congress.
Parent-and-tot intro sessions — lowest barrier entry, builds the family habit early and converts a parent into a Kraken fan alongside the kid.
LTP feederfamily acquisitionA season-end LTP graduation that unites local clubs at a Kraken event. Spreads Kraken brand across associations and collects participation data from other clubs we otherwise can't see.
brand exposuredata collectioncross-clubKnee-hockey "rink": cushion boards + rink-graphic floor mats, daycare-style service for 3–5 year-olds. No ice required — only floor space. Runs in quiet daytime windows, earliest possible exposure to the sport.
no ice needed6am–4pm revenueearliest funnelComparable Seattle pricing to predict ours: full-time toddler/preschool daycare $1,800–2,430/mo ($380–520/wk); drop-in care ~$10–26/hr; branded sports-enrichment classes (Soccer Shots, Little Gym, Amazing Athletes) ~$15–25/session. Our model is drop-in + enrichment, so price at the enrichment premium ≈ $18–25/child/session — ~20 kids × $20 ≈ $400/session on otherwise-dead floor space.
$18–25/sessionest.quiet-ice revenueFill the low-demand daytime sheet with unique youth programming that generates revenue and exposure — daycare hockey, school field-trip skates, homeschool PE, senior/adult intro, corporate try-hockey.
utilizationunique partnersA half-day summer camp for youth with no hockey background: off-ice hockey games, ice-skating classes, and try-hockey-style on-ice sessions in one morning. The lowest-commitment first contact with the sport — a feeder into LTP and Jr. Kraken.
top of funnelLTP feedersummerA camp open only to current Learn-to-Play kids — concentrated reps to push raw beginners toward Jr. Kraken faster. Keeps the funnel-mouth engaged between sessions instead of drifting off, and is the natural bridge from free NHL LTP1 → Kraken LTP2 → Rec.
LTP1→LTP2retentionskill buildThe Kraken youth department works in lockstep with Fan Development, Partnerships, and Marketing — every youth play is also a fan, partner, and brand play. Stay cognizant of the full-circle mission: youth → fans → partners → marketing → back to youth.
Fan DevPartnershipsMarketingIncentivize (low-cost): comp ice time + the volunteer's own kid's registration per hours coached, pay for their coaching cert / SafeSport, comp Kraken tickets & swag. Retain: a coach pathway (helper → assistant → head → mentor), a co-coach model to kill burnout, and a teen→adult pipeline. Tap captive pools: hockey parents, the 3,300 adult-league players, and 16–18U players needing service hours.
ice = currencycomped feesanti-burnoutRecycle outgrown LTP gear (return bin + a one-time "clean out the garage" drive across 4,000+ member families to jump-start it). Gives us the cheap rental tier we lack and a free shared gear bank to offer small/rural clubs (Yakima, Whatcom, Bremerton) — a way in their door. Not aimed at Sno-King, who already runs a $40 rental.
rental tierclub adoptionrecycle loopOne Roof's 5 sport courts, ball-hockey in ~200 schools, the Kirkland Iceplex (2 sheets, 2027) and new Memorial Stadium (8,000-seat, 2027) are a huge free top-of-funnel that dead-ends. Bridge it cheaply: a QR on every court → free ice at the Iceplex, surface the existing One Roof financial aid at the point of interest, and stage the LTP graduation at Memorial Stadium.
existing assetscheap bridgesfan devAsk "What other sports does your child play?" on every KYHA registration. Shows which sports we share families with (soccer, baseball, basketball) — the warm pool to recruit from, and the seasons/conflicts we compete against. Pairs with the Sports tab's cross-sport conversion thesis.
cross-sportrecruiting poolfree dataAsk "What sport do you (the parent) play now or used to play?" A hockey/skating parent = a built-in coach, volunteer, and superfan; a non-hockey parent = a household new to the game to nurture. Feeds the volunteer pipeline and tells us how deep hockey runs in each family.
volunteer pipelinehousehold intelfree dataAdd "Who is your child's favorite hockey player?" to every KYHA registration. It's a free read on how hockey-aware our market is: a named Kraken/NHL player = an already-engaged family; a blank = truly new to the sport. Track it over time to measure fandom penetration — and flag which families are warmest to convert into Kraken fans.
market awarenessfree datafan devEvery partnership ask ships with a crisp goal + the "why," packaged so a partner can pass it to another partner without us in the room. Clarity = understanding and selling. The test: if you can't state the goal and why it matters in a sentence, it isn't ready — and the meeting is a waste of everyone's time.
claritypartnershipssellableRework the weekly Monday meeting to lead with data, not anecdote. Make it a standing dashboard review: registration & LTP1→LTP2 conversion, retention by cohort, where players come from (heat map), the $310 funnel. Pair every agenda item with a number and a goal. Less status updates, more signal — and a shared scoreboard everyone's accountable to.
data-drivencadenceaccountabilityAdd a "find the closest rink near you" section to the KCI website as a landing page for first-time hockey families: enter a ZIP → see the nearest rink + its Learn to Play / Learn to Skate beginner program. Removes the friction at the very first step — "where do I even start?" — and routes brand-new families straight into the funnel.
top of funnelpublic webacquisitionWe need more and better data on ourselves — registration, retention, LTP conversion, demographics, where players come from — to truly understand our own association. Then share it across internal departments (Fan Development, Partnerships, Marketing) so everyone works from the same numbers. Better data = better decisions and a common language between departments. Right now too much runs on anecdote.
data backboneself-knowledgecross-departmentEvery idea ties to one funnel: more kids on the ice → more Jr. Kraken families → more people in Climate Pledge seats watching the Kraken play. Exposure + revenue + pipeline in one motion.
north starWorking notes — capture in progress. Verify DL details against USA Hockey's official guidebook before any external use.
Every announced Seattle Kraken / Climate Pledge Arena partner by tier and category, the competitors who could fill that slot, and — most importantly — how each partner (or a rival) could be activated to benefit youth hockey / Jr. Kraken.
Partner roster compiled from public Seattle Kraken / Climate Pledge Arena announcements. “Category rivals” are illustrative competitors in each partner’s space (not current Kraken partners) — directional, verify before any outreach.
| Target (WA HQ) | Slot to pursue | Why they can pay (revenue) | Jr. Kraken / youth benefit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft #1 WA Redmond | Tech / AI / STEM education (non-arena, avoids Amazon overlap) | Largest budget in the state ($3T+); cloud/AI brand wants a community halo | Power Future Goals STEM-through-hockey, build KYHA's data/AI backbone, fund Iceplex tech & a 2nd sheet, Xbox youth engagement. |
| Costco #3 WA Issaquah | Membership / value / family + concessions | Enormous family-value retailer with deep pockets & a WA identity | Use buying power to crush the $310 gear barrier; fund free LTP, family ticket+membership bundles, healthy concessions. |
| Nintendo of America Redmond | Family entertainment / gaming activation | High; beloved family brand seeking live-event reach | Kid magnet — youth game nights & fun lower the intimidation barrier to trying hockey; fund youth programs. |
| Premera Blue Cross Mountlake Terrace | Health insurance (complements Virginia Mason) | High; insurer wants community wellness visibility | Youth player health coverage, concussion / injury & mental-health programs, free physicals at Learn to Play. |
| REI Co-op Seattle / Kent | Active-lifestyle / community | Moderate; values-driven co-op with a get-outside mission | Mission fit on getting kids active; gear, community grants, learn-to-skate crossover. |
| Funko Everett | Collectibles / fan engagement / merch | Moderate; local brand (just north of KCI) | Jr. Kraken Funko collectibles & youth fan engagement; Everett-area youth tie-in. |
| Expedia Group Seattle | Travel | High; travel-tech brand with local pride | Team-travel booking & cost relief for AAA / Select tournament families. |
WA company rankings: market cap, 2024 (Microsoft #1, Amazon #2, Costco #3). Targets are non-partners headquartered in / anchored to Washington, screened for both spend capacity and a youth-hockey activation lane. Note: T-Mobile (Bellevue) is a natural fit but the wireless slot is held by Verizon. Directional — validate availability & category exclusivity before outreach.
| Target (state HQ) | Slot / category | Why & youth / Jr. Kraken angle |
|---|---|---|
| Nike Beaverton, OR | Athletic apparel / footwear (⚠ overlaps Brooks off-ice deal) | Global youth-sports machine — outfit Jr. Kraken & fund grassroots if the Brooks lane allows; huge brand halo. |
| Columbia Sportswear Portland, OR | Outdoor / active apparel | Cold-weather youth gear & a get-active community mission; clean lane vs. Brooks (outerwear, not performance run). |
| Intel Hillsboro, OR (largest campus) | Tech / STEM | Power Future Goals STEM-through-hockey + analytics/data backbone — no category conflict. |
| Micron Technology Boise, ID | Semiconductors / tech | STEM mentorship, fund facilities & the data backbone; deep pockets, no conflict. |
| Albertsons Boise, ID | Grocery / family value | Costco-style affordability play — crush the gear-cost barrier, fund free LTP, healthy concessions. |
| Sealaska / Alaska Native corps Juneau, AK | Indigenous community | Indigenous youth access & community courts — mirrors the Muckleshoot / Bristol Bay model. |
| GCI Anchorage, AK | Telecom (⚠ overlaps Verizon) | Connectivity for rinks & livestreaming youth games across the Alaska market. |
| Glacier Bancorp Kalispell, MT | Regional banking | WaFd-style fit — fund scholarships / the gear bank; anchors the thin Montana market. |
Regional targets are headquartered in the Kraken’s out-of-market TV footprint (AK / MT / ID / OR). HQ facts current as of 2024; Intel’s HQ is California but Hillsboro is its largest site. Directional — validate broadcast reach, availability & category exclusivity before outreach.
Every dataset used across the tabs, with links. Where a figure mixes vintages or bases, it's flagged in that tab's footnote.
This section contains candid, confidential assessments intended for trusted colleagues only. Enter the passphrase to continue.
Note: this is a lightweight gate to prevent casual/accidental viewing — not strong security. For true per-person control, serve this behind Cloudflare Access before deploying.