At the NHL Draft, each player dreams and waits for the moment their name will be called to walk across the stage. With a handshake and a new jersey, their future is created. In that single moment, when a player’s team is decided, a plan develops. As the Director of Player Development for the Seattle Kraken, Jeff Tambellini begins creating a path for that new Kraken draftee, from the stage to the end goal of the NHL. Tambellini and the Kraken’s plan is the foundation of preparing their players from junior and collegiate hockey into the professional game. By creating a plan that aligns all of the stakeholders from the AHL coaches to their parents, it produces a system that is easily bought into. 

This process is split into five steps including a research phase, building a relationship, NHL development plan, NHL translatable game and then into the NHL role. Tambellini emphasizes that while each one of these components have their role in creating the end result of an NHL player, none of it can be done without complete dedication to building the relationship. This element comes before the plan because Tambellini recognizes that nothing can be accomplished without creating trust in the first place. Tambellini gave an example of an international draftee who was making a move across oceans to play for their AHL team, then the Seattle Kraken. He talked about how with the three layovers from this international flight, Tambellini made sure there was staff at each stop to make sure this player was supported from beginning to end. Tambellini used this experience to show that it’s crucial to understand the person and not just the player because that support and relationship is fundamental for everything else.

Wise words from Jeff Tambellini at #TCSLive: “The one thing I really want to stress is that once trust is built, it is our responsibility with these plans to be correct, because whatever road we set this player down is going to have a positive or negative effect on their career.” pic.twitter.com/hCHi1thNlY

— The Coaches Site (@TheCoachesSite) June 12, 2025

With a relationship at the forefront of any great developmental plan, that investment into a player pays off on the ice. Tambellini talked about how valuable trust and clarity are when translating a player’s game into the NHL. By taking the time to learn and understand the player, that foundation of a relationship allows for honest communication. It allows Tambellini to be able to address the major areas for improvement and not only acknowledge them but find solutions to set out a clear vision for a player. This plan takes all variables into account to make sure that everyone involved, beyond just the player, is dedicated to getting them to the NHL and keeping them there. 

Tambellini knows that when a player is drafted to Seattle, his work begins. From deep diving into their playing history to beginning to build trust in that relationship, each small step is performed to create an NHL player. With the player's future in his hands, Tambellini doesn’t take the weight of this responsibility lightly because, as he says, it’s his responsibility to be correct when sending a player down this road.