Evers Excited for the Opportunity with Seattle
WHL Penticton Vees

Evers Excited for the Opportunity with Seattle

Published on March 5, 2026 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Penticton Vees News Release


It wasn't the typical journey to an NHL contract for Vees forward Ryden Evers but now, he can say he is a member of an NHL organization.

Evers officially signed an entry level contract with the Seattle Kraken earlier this week and says choosing Seattle was all about their early communication and the feeling he had when talking with the staff.

"I think there were a lot of different layers to it," Evers said. "They were the first team to show interest and that holds some value just because they liked what they saw and they weren't afraid to reach out and get it going."

"The communications and the connections that we were able to build over a short amount of time made me feel the trust and the connection there."

It is a bit of a weight off the shoulders of the 20 year-old to finally have the deal be public.

"It's nice to have it out there," he explained. "It was a decision I made a little while ago. The outreach was nice, hearing from old teammates, former coaches, that part was pretty special. It made it feel pretty real."

The Kraken weren't the only team to show interest in Evers and he says he didn't take the decision lightly.

"It was a bit of a process that built up slowly, and then it started to happen pretty quick," said Evers. "There were a couple teams and it was a pretty tough decision to choose between NHL teams, it didn't really feel real in the moment. I'm really happy with how it has all played out though."

Despite never being drafted or even playing a WHL game before this season Evers has made significant strides over his junior career leading to this moment. In his final year of junior hockey the Burnaby, BC native has put up 69 points this season which is second-most on the Vees.

The hard work has finally paid off in getting the ELC.

"It was definitely a process, I just had to trust the journey," Evers said. "I set short-term goals and my expectations and standards slowly kept rising through my junior career. It's nice to have it all start to pay off but it's still a long road ahead."

Staying out west and close to home was something that made his parents happy. His family and support system was there for him every step of the way.

"They were super pumped," Evers said with a smile. "They showed it right away, even just getting off zoom calls they would call me right away and just have nonstop excitement. My family and friends have been very supportive."

There is still work to be done at the junior level for Evers. The Vees sit in second in the Western Conference with eight games to go before they hope to make a deep playoff push.

"Looking back on my junior career there is a lot that I want to finish on and summarize it well," he explained. "These eight games lead into playoffs so we can't let the foot off the gas at any point and I'm looking forward to the run."

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Western Hockey League Stories from March 5, 2026


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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