DLNews Sports:

Seattle Kraken Affiliate Signs Veteran Defenseman Tennyson to Bolster Blueline

PALM SPRINGS, CA. (September 1, 2022) – The Coachella Valley Firebirds (@Firebirds), the 32nd American Hockey League franchise and an affiliate of the National Hockey League's Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken), announced today that they signed defenseman Matt Tennyson to a contract for the 2022-2023 season.

Tennyson joins the Firebirds following a season in the Nashville Predators organization. The Bay Area native skated in eight games in the National Hockey League last year for the Predators and appeared in 53 games for the American Hockey League's Milwaukee Admirals (3 goals, 11 assists, 14 points). Tennyson played 173 NHL games with stops with the San Jose Sharks, Carolina Hurricanes, Buffalo Sabres, and the New Jersey Devils. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound righty has 358 games of AHL experience over his 11-year career, lacing up his skates for the Worcester Sharks/San Jose Barracuda, Charlotte Checkers, Rochester Americans, and Binghamton Devils.

The now 32-year-old Tennyson played college hockey for three seasons at Western Michigan University. In 117 games with the Broncos, Tennyson netted 22 goals and tallied 32 assists, totaling 54 points in his college career. Before his time at the NCAA D-I level, Tennyson spent the 2008-09 season with the Cedar Rapids Roughriders of the United States Hockey League.

"It's awesome to be back in the Coachella Valley," Tennyson said. "My grandparents lived in Palm Springs, and my parents live in Rancho Mirage, so the opportunity to be closer to family made the decision to sign here extremely easy for me. Also, I grew up playing hockey in California, and the youth hockey scene here has come quite a long way since then. I look forward to giving back to and playing in front of this great fan base and community."

The Firebirds will face off for their Home Away from Home Series in Seattle this October against the Abbotsford Canucks and Calgary Wranglers. The four games will take place at three venues in the Seattle area. For more ticket and matchup information, visit https://cvfirebirds.com/schedule/home-away-from-home/.

Coachella Valley's inaugural game will occur on Sunday, October 16, 2022, in Calgary against the Calgary Wranglers. The Firebird's home opening game will take place at Acrisure Arena, the newest world-class concert and sports venue explicitly designed for the Coachella Valley, on Sunday, December 18, 2022, against the Tucson Roadrunners. Puck drop is scheduled for 6:00 pm PT.

Season tickets for the 2022-2023 season are now on sale. For more information and to purchase season tickets for the inaugural season, please visitwww.cvfirebirds.com or call 760-835-8778. View the team’s full schedule at www.cvfirebirds.com/schedule.