Firebirds' Rookies Ready For The American Hockey League Adjustments

The Coachella Valley Firebirds opened the regular season last week with two games — and while there are plenty of familiar faces returning, there are also some new players being asked to make an immediate impact.

Among them are a pair of rookie centers in Julius Miettinen and Ryden Evers, two players taking very different paths to the American Hockey League but arriving with plenty of expectations.

Miettinen, a 6-foot-4 center and second-round pick of the Seattle Kraken, is one of the organization’s highly regarded prospects. Evers, meanwhile, signed with Seattle as an undrafted free agent and is looking to prove he belongs at the professional level.

Both were brought in as part of an organizational emphasis on adding size and depth down the middle.

And while they're technically rookies, neither is being asked to simply sit back and watch.

For Miettinen, the transition to a new league has involved more than just adjusting to the speed of the game. He's also getting settled into a new community and a new lifestyle.

“I feel great now. It’s a new place. I’m kind of settling in right now — getting a house, getting a car. It’s taking some time, but slowly, slowly getting to know the guys better now.”

On the ice, Miettinen has quickly discovered just how little room for error there is in the AHL.

“It’s fast, it’s physical. Everyone’s good here. There’s no little mistakes that cost the game for you. You’ve just got to be dialed every shift.”

That's part of the education that comes with making the jump to professional hockey.

Evers is going through a similar adjustment as he works to establish his role with the Firebirds.

“Obviously an adjustment. It’s quicker. It’s a fast, good league, obviously. And being younger, kind of just finding my role and finding my niche and how I can help out this team.”

For Evers, the process is also about building confidence and learning from the veteran players surrounding him.

“Still navigating and getting comfortable and building up the confidence.”

That confidence can be especially important for an undrafted player.

Unlike Miettinen, who entered the organization with the distinction of being a second-round pick, Evers has had to carve out his opportunity without being selected in the NHL Draft.

That can provide an extra source of motivation.

For both rookies, the first few games are less about having everything figured out and more about learning what it takes to survive — and eventually thrive — in the AHL.

The speed is faster. The players are bigger. The mistakes are magnified.

They're being thrown into the fire early, learning from the veterans around them and beginning the process of finding their place in the Firebirds lineup.

And if the opening weekend is any indication, the rookies are ready for the challenge.