Following their final payment to the NHL 12 days previous, the Seattle Kraken made history today by signing their first-ever player. Sure to be a trivia answer for years to come, the team announced the signing of center Luke Henman.
With the expansion draft set to take place on June 21, General Manager Ron Francis got a head start on filling organizational depth by signing the 21-year-old Nova Scotia native.
Henman is a 6-foot, 186-pound lefthanded center that was a 2018 fourth-round pick (96th overall) of the Carolina Hurricanes, but the Hurricanes elected not to sign him. Henman spent the last four seasons with the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada of the QMJHL, amassing 214 points (63 goals, 151 assists) in 225 games, and served as the team’s captain for the last two seasons.
Francis had high praise for the franchise’s first player in a press release about the signing.
“Our scouts have been watching players all year. In this case, (scout) Mike Dawson has been a strong supporter for Luke. Robert Kron (director of amateur scouting) and Tony McDonald (scouting advisor) like him too.
“Luke has put up the numbers in the ‘Q’ and he is team captain. He has solid character. We do think he needs to get stronger. We are excited to sign him as our first player.”
