As an eight-year-old boy tagging along with his pro scout father on road trips, newly hired Kraken assistant general manager Ryan Jankowski had already started living his hockey dream – whether he realized it or not.
“It's a funny story because as a really young guy, I loved going to practices or games with my dad,” Jankowski said Sunday afternoon about his late father, Lou, who worked for St. Louis, Washington and then 15 years with the New York Rangers. “I also saw how hard he worked. How much he was away from our family [back in hometown Calgary]. When I was a young professional, a young man, I didn't think I'd want to do that job until I got a little taste of it because I had a friend who was scouting for a team in the [junior level] Western Hockey League.
“I started going to some games with my friend, and it was instant. I could feel the passion of me wanting to watch hockey more and being in the arena. It seemed natural for me. It was in my blood, so to speak ... The more I did it, the more I wanted to perfect my craft.”
The younger Jankowski’s know-how and diligence will now manifest in his new role with the Kraken, which bolsters the franchise’s hockey operations group after former assistant GM Jason Botterill was elevated to GM this past spring. The two worked together for three seasons [2017-2020] with the Buffalo Sabres. Botterill has long admired Jankowski’s effectiveness in professional stops that included four seasons as AGM with the New York Islanders (2006-2010), four years as head scout/director of player personnel with Team Canada U18/U20/World Juniors teams (2013 to 2017) and, most recently, three NHL seasons with Utah/Arizona as associate director of amateur scouting.
‘We’re excited to bring someone of Ryan’s stature to our organization,” Botterill said about Monday’s hiring. “Ryan has a wealth of experience, both in the NHL and internationally. His expertise in player evaluation and player development will be a big plus for our group.”
“I’m thrilled about this opportunity to take a big step in my career and be a part of a great franchise pushing to the next level,” said Jankowski. “It’s a chance for me to grow and learn from [president of hockey operations] Ron Francis, [GM] Jason Botterill, [assistant GM] Alexandra Mandrycky and [VP and assistant GM] Ricky Olczyk, while I can also bring some of my strengths to the organization. That's why it seems like it's such a really good fit.”
Starting Out in Spokane
Jankowski’s first scout job was with the WHL Spokane Chiefs in 1997, featuring former NHL head coach Mike Babcock behind the bench. He worked six seasons in Spokane, the last one including a role as video coach for Canada’s U20 team during international tournaments. The Islanders then snagged the rising star as a scout for two seasons before promoting Jankowski to assistant general manager. Playing a key role in amateur scouting and player development, Jankowski and the Islanders made good on multiple first-round picks and lower-round selections that transformed NYI into perennial playoff contenders and subsequent back-to-back Eastern Conference finalists in 2020 and 2021.
The draft list is formidable: First-rounders Kyle Okposo (2006), Josh Bailey (2008), John Tavares (2009), Nino Niederreiter (2010) and Brock Nelson (2010) the latter two of which project to join the others in playing at least 1,000 NHL regular-season games (and dozens more postseason contests) by the end of the coming hockey year. Perhaps even more impressive is the haul of lower-round picks that fueled NYI playoff teams and lengthy NHL careers nearing 1,000 games, including sixth-rounders Anders Lee (2009) and Jared Spurgeon (2008), fifth-rounder Matt Martin (2008) and fourth-rounder Casey Cizakas (2009).
What’s more, in his years from 2021 to 2025 with Utah/Arizona, Jankowski was integral to the team picking multiple young players already well into NHL careers. Defenseman and 2021 second-rounder J.J. Moser has logged 259 games for the Coyotes/Mammoth, while first-rounders Dylan Guenther (2021, 148 games) and Logan Cooley (2022, 157 games), plus second-rounder Josh Doan (2022, 62 games) are all established forwards. Defenseman and 2022 fourth-rounder Emil Lilleberg (113 games) and 2022 first-round forward Conor Geekie (52 games) were drafted by the Central Division franchise and later traded to Tampa Bay.
“I am confident in my ability to help pick players who then find their way to the National Hockey League,” said Jankowski. “That’s always the result of having good staffs to spot the right players. As for developing players, each one has unique steps to follow to reach the NHL. You want to instill a sense of purpose in each prospect.”
The Evolution of Empowering Today’s Players
Jankowski, 51, has a deep perspective of how player development has evolved in his years as a scout and executive in the WHL, NHL and on an international level with Team Canada: “What’s changed the most is the style of communication with the young players. Everything from feedback to information is at their fingertips ... it becomes about explaining to the player what is important for them to take the next step, whether from juniors to [American Hockey League affiliate] Coachella Valley or Coachella Valley to the Kraken, there's a necessary path involved. That happens through communication, belief, self-confidence and a willingness for the player to implement those steps to the next level.”
Jankowski most decidedly learned early that every NHL career, no matter if on the ice or part of a hockey operations group, requires similar focus on attending to detail and knowing the steps for success.
“I give my dad a lot of credit because he was a hard worker, and I was able to forge a path for myself because I have the passion and I love it,” said Jankowski. “My dad was a huge networker. He was a very personable guy. He loved helping young scouts out and young people in hockey. I remember him talking about going to meet the families of prospects, talking to coaches in the dressing rooms after games and, most of all, understanding that [front-office] roles are not just about watching hockey. It’s about getting to know people in the business, acquiring the most information you can and relying on each other to make your team better on the ice.”
