Veteran Center Retains Dream Of Playing For Seattle Kraken
The deciding game 5 of the AHL Pacific Division finals last May 19 had gone into overtime. One goal would determine whether the Coachella Valley Firebirds advanced to the next round, or exited the playoffs.
Seven minutes into OT, Firebirds center Andrew Poturalski hollered for the puck, took a pass, fired a wrister, and commenced a wild celebration inside Acrisure Arena.
Coachella Valley had outlasted the Calgary Wranglers, 6-5. Winning goalie Joey Daccord told The Desert Sun, “That goal was so sick. An absolute laser top-shelf. I told Potzy his shot had gotten noticeably harder.”
In an amazing first season for Coachella Valley, perhaps the most amazing single thing was that Poturalski was playing at all, let alone scoring the series-winning goal.
Less than four months earlier, Poturalski had gotten his skates tangled with an opponent. The resulting injury was gruesome. Surgery was performed "right away," buffalohockeybeat.com reported, "because his hamstring had to be re-attached to the bone."
After a week in a funk, Andrew decided to confront the rehabilitation timeline, which was supposed to last into at least July.
"He spent two hours each morning doing physical therapy. He also used hyperbolic oxygen chambers, red light therapy, cryotherapy and other treatments that could speed up his rehab process." (buffalohockeybeat.com)
Firebirds teammates and coach Dan Bylsma took notice of that rehab, which Poturalski himself described as “nuts.” Bylsma said, "His 'I am going to do whatever I can' attitude was an inspiration to our guys and to me."
Teammates did their part, staying alive in the postseason until Poturalski could return. Finally, during the third round series against Calgary, the team's therapist, his surgeon, and Kraken general manager Ron Francis all gave Andrew the OK to return to the lineup.
About the series-winning goal against the Wranglers, Bylsma said, "Potzy delivered in dramatic fashion." He would contribute three goals and nine assists in 16 playoff games, as the Firebirds' magic run ended one game shy of the Calder Cup championship.
Poturalski knows all about success at the AHL level. His 12 playoff goals and 23 points powered the Charlotte Checkers to a Calder Cup in 2019. In 2022, his 73-assist regular season and again, 23 points in the playoffs, led his Chicago Wolves to a championship. This time, he got to throw out a first pitch at a Chicago Cubs game.
Poturalski hasn’t played in the NHL, outside of two games with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2016-17 and two more five seasons later.
In 2023-24, he'll be entering the second of a two-year contract with the Kraken. Seattle doesn't appear to have a slot for him, he can’t return to the Firebirds without passing through waivers, and at age 29, the clock is ticking.
But would you bet against Andrew Poturalski, given the odds he's already beaten?