> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Chandler Stephenson Embraces Leadership Role in Year Two With Kraken - URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/chandler-stephenson-seattle-kraken-leadership-role/ - Published: 2025-10-07T20:13:19.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-08T05:36:20.000Z - Author: Corbin Smith - Tags: Features, News, Kraken, Chandler Stephenson, Lane Lambert, Ryan Winterton, Berkly Catton, Washington Capitals, Anaheim Ducks, Mason Marchment, Jani Nyman [Embed from Getty Images](http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/2210793088?ref=emeraldcityspectrum.com) SEATTLE, Wash. — Chandler Stephenson remembers what it feels like to be the young guy, fighting to make an NHL roster out of training camp. The 31-year-old forward has since won two Stanley Cups with two different franchises. Entering the second season of a seven-year, $43.75 million contract with the Seattle Kraken ($6.25 million AAV), he’s as established as they come. But he can’t forget the early days, the years after the Washington Capitals selected him in the third round (77th overall) of the 2012 NHL Draft. Living out of hotel rooms, isolated from friends and family, takeout boxes piling up like laundry. He also can’t forget the hospitality he received from his former teammate, Tom Wilson. The two are the same age, out of the same draft class, but Wilson had been with the team for a few years by the time Stephenson earned a full-time role in 2017-18\. Taking on a veteran role, Wilson invited Stephenson to live with him during the latter’s first season. “He knows that it sucks living in a hotel. It’s hard,” Stephenson said on Tuesday. “Nothing’s really yours, you’re just kind of living out of a suitcase. It’s tough, so yeah, obviously to live with him and be roommates, it just kinda makes you feel good. Makes you feel part of the team.” Nearly 10 years since he made his NHL debut with the Capitals on Oct. 10, 2015, Stephenson is paying it forward to the next young crop of Kraken forwards. On Sunday, following the final practice before NHL opening lineups cuts, [Stephenson invited Berkly Catton and Ryan Winterton to his house for dinner that night](https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/home/berkly-catton-seattle-kraken-roster-cutdown-exclusive). The two of them earned spots on Seattle’s opening night lineup, and they were gifted with a home-cooked meal from the Stephenson household and a break from the hotels they’ve been living in throughout training camp. “My wife (Tasha) really likes to cook, so she made pork tenderloin,” Stephenson said. “We had chicken, we had salad, potatoes, rice, kind of everything. I think they kind of rolled out of there.” Stephenson joked that he got some free babysitting in return, with Catton and Winterton playing hockey and wrestling with his young children. For the two young forwards, it made a landmark day in each of their careers even more special. “I’ve kind of been ‘UberEats-ing’ and going (out) for dinner the past couple weeks, so to get a home-cooked meal was nice,” Winterton said. “It was nice of them.” For Winterton in particular, it was a chance to spend some extra time with his new linemate. The 22-year-old has practiced on the third-line right wing alongside Stephenson for the past few days of camp, including Tuesday. Stephenson is back to full strength after sustaining an undisclosed injury in Seattle’s 4-1 preseason loss to the Calgary Flames on Sept. 23\. Working on the top power-play unit and getting some reps at penalty kill as well, Stephenson said he feels comfortable, knowing more about what to expect after having a year with the Kraken under his belt. Just as much as Stephenson remembers about his start in the NHL, Kraken coach Lane Lambert does, too. Lambert was an assistant coach for the Capitals from 2014-2018, and said Stephenson was no different then compared to the younger players on the roster now, and that he’s still learning and developing even at this stage of his career. But there is one major difference he notices these days. “Certainly, there’s an element of leadership, an element of a veteran presence there,” Lambert said. “He’s not a young man anymore. He’s a man. And he’s relied on and going to be relied on for our hockey team.” That includes mentoring players Winterton, Catton and Jani Nyman alongside the other veteran players on the roster. So far, Stephenson has checked off that box. Although he initially had limited familiarity with Winterton, who appeared in 12 NHL games last season, he has started to learn more about his game as well as that of newcomer Mason Marchment after playing on the same line with both of them. Lambert pointed out on Tuesday that sometimes “the lines on Day 1, Game 1 are very, very different on Day 10, Game 5,” so how long the Marchment-Stephenson-Winterton line sticks together depends on a multitude of factors. In the meantime, Stephenson is focused on getting on the same page with the two of them in time for Thursday’s season-opener against the Anaheim Ducks at Climate Pledge Arena (7 p.m. PT/KHN, Victory+, KING 5, KONG). “It seemed like every time \[Winterton\] got called up, and every time he’s been around, he’s just more comfortable,” Stephenson said. “I think the more comfortable you see guys, the more reps they get, they just feel better about themselves. I think you can see that with him. And obviously, ‘March’ being new, hopefully we can find some chemistry and get going on the right foot.” With a full belly on Sunday, Winterton would probably attest that it is off to good start.