# List of Seattle Kraken broadcasters

The Seattle Kraken are a professional ice hockey team based in Seattle. The Kraken compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division and began play during the league's 2021–22 season. Throughout their history, Kraken games have been televised primarily on Root Sports Northwest and radio broadcast primarily on KJR-FM.
Former Hartford Whalers and Carolina Hurricanes broadcaster John Forslund serves as the team's television play-by-play announcer. J. T. Brown is the Kraken's primary television color analyst. In August 2022, the team hired Eddie Olczyk to be a television analyst alongside Forslund and Brown. Olczyk maintained his job at TNT as the lead color commentator and called the Kraken's games as his schedule allowed. Piper Shaw has served as the ice level reporter for all three of their seasons. Alison Lukan is a studio analyst for Root Sports Northwest who filled in for Brown for a few games during the 2021–22 season and did the same for Olczyk. Nick Olczyk joined her as a TV, radio, and mobile app contributor for the 2022–23 season.
Everett Fitzhugh serves as the team's primary radio play-by-play announcer. He is the first Black full-time play-by-play announcer in NHL history. Former NHL player and Vancouver Canucks broadcaster Dave Tomlinson served as Fitzhugh's color analyst for the Kraken's first two seasons, before resigning in August 2023 to take a new broadcasting job in Canada. The Kraken then hired former Seattle Thunderbirds forward and Everett Silvertips commentator Al Kinisky to replace him. Mike Benton is the studio host for all radio broadcasts, serving pre-game, intermission, and post-game coverage. In 2021, Fitzhugh tested positive for COVID-19 prior to the Kraken's first-ever regular season road trip; on radio broadcasts, John Forslund and veteran KJR broadcaster Ian Furness filled in on play-by-play duties. The telecast for the Kraken's February 17, 2022, game against the Winnipeg Jets had Fitzhugh on play-by-play and Brown on color commentary, comprising the first all-Black broadcast booth in NHL history.
Kraken games were televised regionally on Root Sports Northwest for the team's first three seasons. On April 25, 2024, the Kraken signed a deal with Tegna, owners of Seattle NBC affiliate KING-TV and independent KONG, to air their games throughout their territory, with streaming handled by Prime Video. For radio, Kraken games are broadcast on KJR-FM 93.3 and KJR 950 AM, the flagship stations of the Kraken Audio Network. During a schedule conflict, some games may be heard on 96.5 KJAQ.

## Television Broadcasters

* Root Sports Northwest (2021–2024)
* Kraken Hockey Network, KING-TV & KONG-TV (2024–present)

## Television

In their first season, the Kraken averaged a 0.96 Nielsen rating for games broadcast on Root Sports Northwest. By comparison, the Vegas Golden Knights averaged a 1.87 rating in their first season for games broadcast locally on AT&T SportsNet.
From the beginning of their second season through mid-January 2023, the Kraken averaged a 0.68 rating, in the lowest third of the 23 United States NHL markets for which Nielsen ratings were available, despite a much better record than their first season at the same point. The team launched a new show, entitled What's Kraken?, on the over-the-air station KCPQ, to broaden fan support during the 2022–23 season. Seattle's high percentage of "broadband-only" homes, without cable or satellite TV service, and the unavailability of Root Sports Northwest on most over-the-top media services, contributed to the low ratings.
During their second and third seasons, the Kraken averaged a 0.7 rating for their October games on Root Sports Northwest. Shortly before the 2022–23 season, Comcast moved Root Sports Northwest to a higher-priced tier of service, due to the high cost and low demand for the channel.
Seattle Kraken television broadcasters :
| Year | Channel | Play-by-play | Color commentator(s) | Ice level reporter | Studio host |
| 2024–25 | Kraken Hockey Network | John Forslund (most games) Everett Fitzhugh (select games) | J. T. Brown (primary) Eddie Olczyk (select games) | Piper Shaw (most games) | Ian Furness (primary) Linda Cohn (select games) |
| 2023–24 | Root Sports Northwest | John Forslund | J. T. Brown (most games) Eddie Olczyk (select games) Nick Olczyk (select games) | Piper Shaw (most games) | Ross Fletcher, Tom Glasgow |
| 2022–23 | Root Sports Northwest | John Forslund | J. T. Brown (most games) Eddie Olczyk (select games) Nick Olczyk (select games) | Piper Shaw (most games) | Ross Fletcher, Tom Glasgow |
| 2021–22 | Root Sports Northwest | John Forslund (most games) Everett Fitzhugh (select games) | J. T. Brown Alison Lukan (Replaced Brown during a March game against the Washington Capitals) | Piper Shaw (most games) | Ross Fletcher, Tom Glasgow |

## Radio

Seattle Kraken radio broadcasters :
| Year | Flagship Station | Play-by-play | Color commentator(s) | Studio host |
| 2024–25 | KJR-FM | Everett Fitzhugh (primary) Mike Benton (select games) | Al Kinisky | Mike Benton (primary) Anderson Hirst (select games) |
| 2023–24 | KJR-FM | Everett Fitzhugh | Al Kinisky | Mike Benton |
| 2022–23 | KJR-FM | Everett Fitzhugh | Dave Tomlinson | Mike Benton |
| 2021–22 | KJR-FM | Everett Fitzhugh (most games) John Forslund (select games when Fitzhugh was sick with COVID-19) Ian Furness (select games when Fitzhugh was sick with COVID-19) | Dave Tomlinson | Mike Benton |
As of 2024, the Kraken Audio Network also includes the following stations outside Seattle:
* KIX FM 93.3 Spokane
* KALE AM 960 / FM 106.1 Tri-Cities
* KAPS AM 660 / FM 102.1 Mount Vernon
* KONP AM 1450 / FM 101.7 Port Angeles
* KBDB FM 96.7 Forks
* KYYO FM 96.9 Olympia
* KGY (HD2 of KYYO) FM 95.3 Olympia
* KPUG AM 1170 Bellingham
* KGMI AM 790 Bellingham
* KBBO AM 1390 Yakima
* KMAS AM 1030 / FM 103.3 Shelton
* KPOJ AM 620 Portland
* KCRX FM 102.3 Astoria
* KTZN AM 550 Anchorage
* KTKU FM 105.1 Juneau
* KTKN AM 930 / FM 95.7 Ketchikan
* KSRM AM 920 Kenai
* KIFW AM 1230 Sitka
* KVOK AM 560 / FM 98.7 Kodiak Island
* KOFE AM 1240 St. Maries
* KKVU FM 102.9 Missoula