Results
| AHL | 05/10 02:00 | 273 |
[4] CV Firebirds v
ABB Canucks
[2] 
|
L | 0-2 | |
| AHL | 05/08 02:00 | 273 |
[14] CV Firebirds v
ABB Canucks
[6]
|
L | 1-3 | |
| AHL | 05/04 01:00 | 273 |
[6] ABB Canucks
v
CV Firebirds [14]
|
W | 4-5 | |
| AHL | 05/02 02:00 | 273 |
[6] ABB Canucks
v
CV Firebirds [14]
|
L | 3-1 | |
| AHL | 04/27 01:00 | 7 |
[16] CAL Wranglers
v
CV Firebirds [14]
|
W | 0-2 | |
| AHL | 04/23 02:00 | 7 |
[16] CAL Wranglers
v
CV Firebirds [14]
|
W | 3-4 | |
| AHL | 04/20 01:00 | - |
[14] CV Firebirds v
SD Gulls
[28] 
|
L | 4-5 | |
| AHL | 04/19 01:00 | - |
[7] ABB Canucks
v
CV Firebirds [13]
|
L | 4-1 | |
| AHL | 04/14 00:00 | - |
[28] Guarani U20
v
CV Firebirds [12]
|
L | 4-3 | |
| AHL | 04/13 01:00 | - |
[24] BAK Condors
v
CV Firebirds [13]
|
W | 2-4 | |
| AHL | 04/10 02:00 | - |
[17] SJ Barracuda
v
CV Firebirds [13]
|
L | 1-0 | |
| AHL | 04/06 01:00 | - |
[11] CV Firebirds v
HND Silver Knights
[29] 
|
L | 1-4 |
Wikipedia - Coachella Valley Firebirds
The Coachella Valley Firebirds are a professional ice hockey team based in the Coachella Valley. They are members of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference of the American Hockey League (AHL). The Firebirds began play in the 2022–23 season as an expansion franchise. The team is an owned-and-operated affiliate of the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Seattle Kraken. The team plays their home games at Acrisure Arena in Thousand Palms, California.
After the approval of the Kraken to join the NHL, the Kraken's ownership group had narrowed down its AHL affiliate options to promoting the ECHL's Idaho Steelheads in Boise, Idaho, or a new expansion team in Palm Springs, California. On June 26, 2019, it was reported the Seattle ownership group had chosen Palm Springs as the site for Seattle's AHL affiliate.
The Firebirds ranked second overall in their first regular season, behind only the Calgary Wranglers. During that season's Calder Cup playoffs, the Firebirds reached the Finals and lost in overtime of game seven to the Hershey Bears. They finished as runners-up again in their second season, achieving 103 points in the regular season and reaching the Finals before losing to the Bears again, this time in overtime of game six.
History
Establishment (2018–2022)
On December 4, 2018, the National Hockey League (NHL) Board of Governors voted unanimously to approve a Seattle NHL expansion team, the Seattle Kraken, to begin play in the 2021–22 season. The new ownership group then began making plans for acquiring a minor league affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL). By early 2019, they had narrowed down their options to promoting the ECHL's Idaho Steelheads in Boise, Idaho, or a new expansion team in the area around Palm Springs, California. On June 26, it was reported the Seattle ownership group had chosen Palm Springs as the site for their AHL affiliate, as the Boise option would require the Steelheads' arena to be revamped. The expansion franchise was approved by the AHL Board of Governors on September 30, with plans to begin play in the 2021–22 season. Delays associated with the construction of an arena in the Palm Springs area caused the team's debut to be pushed back to the 2022–23 season. In the meantime, Seattle affiliated with the Charlotte Checkers for the 2021–22 season, sharing the team with the Florida Panthers.
In November 2021, the new team revealed its name, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, as well as its logos and colors, at a ceremony held on the construction site of their new arena. Since the Kraken was a mythical creature, the organization chose another mythical creature for its affiliate.
On June 21, 2022, Dan Bylsma, who had won the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009, was named the inaugural head coach of the Firebirds. The Firebirds signed their first free agents, Samuel Bucek and Ian McKinnon, on July 11. On the day of the Firebirds' first game, October 16, Max McCormick was announced as the team's captain, with Andrew Poturalski and Gustav Olofsson being named alternate captains.
First seasons (2022–present)
The Firebirds played their first game on October 16, 2022, a 6–5 win against the Calgary Wranglers, and they also won the rematch the next day. During the first stretch of the season later that month, the Firebirds played their home games in the Seattle metropolitan area, playing four games against the Abbotsford Canucks and the Wranglers at the Kraken Community Iceplex and Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, as well as the Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett. The Firebirds' first game at Acrisure Arena took place on December 18, a 4–3 win in front of a 10,087-people sellout crowd against the Tucson Roadrunners, with Cameron Hughes scoring the first ever home goal for the Firebirds, at the 8:49 mark in the first period. From December 22, 2022, to January 26, 2023, the Firebirds achieved a fourteen-game points streak, the current franchise record. The Firebirds finished the 2022–23 season with 103 points, good for second place of the Pacific Division, behind only the Wranglers, who captured the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy. During the 2023 Calder Cup playoffs, the Firebirds captured the Western Conference title and advanced to the Calder Cup Finals, where they faced off against the Hershey Bears. Goaltender Joey Daccord recorded back-to-back shutouts in the first two games of the series, but the Firebirds fell short of the championship, losing in overtime of game seven.
On March 23, 2024, the Firebirds clinched their place in the 2023–24 playoffs following a 4–3 shootout loss against the San Diego Gulls. It was their second consecutive season with a playoff berth. Eventually, the Firebirds won their first Pacific Division title, earning a bye in the first round of the Calder Cup playoffs following a 3–1 win on April 10, 2024, over the Ontario Reign. During the 2024 Calder Cup playoffs, the Firebirds again captured the Western Conference title and progressed to the Calder Cup Finals, where they once again faced the Hershey Bears. For the second straight season, the Firebirds fell short of the championship, losing in overtime of game six.