Instant Takeaways: Storm Snap 11-Game Skid, Upset Liberty
Rookie No. 8 overall pick Flau’jae Johnson erupted for a career-high 28 points, and the Seattle Storm upset the New York Liberty 99-88 on Thursday, June 25, at Climate Pledge Arena.
The win for Seattle (4-15) snapped an 11-game losing streak that dated back to May 24. There was tangible growth as the skid continued, but this was the first time the Storm put all those factors together to earn a win against a quality opponent.
New York (12-7) has now lost three of its last four games after winning eight in a row from May 27 to June 18. Jonquel Jones led the Liberty with 26 points, eight rebounds, one steal and on block.
All five Storm starters scored in double figures, and Dominique Malonga posted another double-double with 20 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and a block.
Jedd Fisch Believes 2026 ‘Trenches-Based’ Huskies are Ready to Win in Big Ten
Jedd Fisch arrived at Washington in 2024 to take over a former Pac-12 football team with remnants of a 2023 College Football Playoff championship game participant.
Heading into Year 3 in a new conference and a rebuilt roster, Fisch believes he’s got a Big Ten team.
Seahawks TE AJ Barner Aiming to Turn ‘Obsession’ Into All-Pro Trajectory
Nothing elevates an NFL player’s profile more than winning a Super Bowl, the most prestigious sporting event in the world.
Just ask AJ Barner, who happily basked in the limelight as much as anyone on the Seattle Seahawks during the run to their second Lombardi Trophy in franchise history. Capping off a stellar sophomore season in style, the young tight end scored Seattle’s only offensive touchdown in a 29-13 win over New England at Levis Stadium on the receiving end of a 16-yard toss from Sam Darnold and became a folk hero of sorts with his wild, energized antics throughout the team’s Super Bowl parade a few short days later.
To the delight of the 12s in attendance, Barner soaked up every second as the team paraded downtown, but the celebration came with a firm expiration date for him. The former fourth round pick out of Michigan had been battling through various injuries to close out the season that needed to be cleaned up and in the days following the parade, he underwent a pair of surgeries for undisclosed ailments, quickly shifting his attention towards getting right for the 2026 season with more goals to chase down in front of him.
“You go from winning the Super Bowl, doing the parade, to getting two surgeries the next week. People don't really get to see that,” Barner said following Seattle’s first open minicamp practice earlier this month. “It was awesome to reach that pinnacle, but it's like, all right, now I gotta go back, kind of back to the woods, go into the dark, and go get right. So that's kind of the mindset that I've had.”
NHL Mock Draft: Kraken Address Defensive Pipeline, Swing on Upside
The Seattle Kraken enter the 2026 NHL Draft already boasting a top prospect pool in the NHL. The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler rated the pool as seventh in the NHL, propped up by young forwards like Berkley Catton, Jake O’Brien, and Jagger Firkus. Plus, the Kraken already receive key NHL contributions from recent top picks like Matty Beniers and Shane Wright.
But, those contributions haven’t been enough. After all, the Kraken select seventh overall in Friday’s opening round because they won only three of their final 16 games and finished 27th in the NHL. They enter the draft with seven picks, including picks No. 7, 38, 99, and 102.
The Kraken, of course, could use any of their seven picks this draft to trade up-and-down the board as they see fit. Or, they could use the picks to address needs on the current NHL roster. But with four picks in the first four rounds, the Kraken can address a large need at defense and take meaningful swings on high-upside prospects.
Interestingly, the Kraken have never selected a defenseman in the first round of the NHL Draft since their inception in 2021. This year’s class has a consensus of Chase Reid, Carson Carels, Alberts Smits, and Keaton Verhoeff as the top four defenseman, opening the door for at least one of those players to be available when Seattle comes on the clock.
Is this the year the Kraken draft a blue chip defensive prospect in the opening round? Or will they go a different direction?
Washington State Secures Four-Star OL, Three-Star CB to Boost 2027 Class
The Washington State Cougars continue to build momentum on the recruiting trail, adding two significant commitments to their growing 2027 recruiting class, including beating out several regional rivals for a coveted four-star offensive lineman.
The Cougars recently secured pledges from offensive lineman Rashaun Lavata’i of Curtis High School in University Place, Washington and cornerback Gianni Haynes of Cathedral High School in Los Angeles. These additions represent another step forward for a Washington State program looking to strengthen its roster while joining a rebuilt Pac 12 conference.
The first four-star to commit for new coach Kirby Moore, the 6-7, 265-pound Lavata’i holds a 90 overall rating in the 247Sports Composite rankings. He is currently ranked as the No. 3 prospect in Washington and one of the top offensive linemen in the Pacific Northwest. More importantly, Lavata’i becomes Washington State’s first four-star commitment since 2018, making his pledge one of the most significant recruiting victories for the program in recent memory.
Gonzaga NBA Draft Recap: Graham Ike Signs With Warriors, Jack Kayil Taken by Knicks
For the second straight year, the Gonzaga Bulldogs weren’t represented in the 60 available slots of the NBA Draft.
But shortly after 2026’s “Mr. Irrelevant”, Malique Lewis, was selected by the Washington Wizards, former Zag Graham Ike didn’t remain without a team for long, reportedly agreeing to an Exhibit-10 deal with the Golden State Warriors, first reported by The Consensus NBA. Just like Ryan Nembhard did last summer with the Dallas Mavericks, Ike will look to break into the NBA after being an undrafted free agent.
Meanwhile, ex-Zag commit Jack Kayil was one of the prospects who did hear his name called in Brooklyn. Although the reported first-round feedback he received didn’t come to fruition, his chapter with the Bulldogs officially came to an end after the reigning champion New York Knicks selected him 39th overall on Wednesday.
Bryan Woo Groundhog Day, Randy Arozarena Game of Inches Produce Disastrous Pittsburgh Rout
An exasperated Bryan Woo talked with the media after his loss on Wednesday, a game where he gave up a nuclear inning in an occurrence that has become awfully common for the team’s 2025 ace. He was frank about his struggles and the fact he isn’t sure what the source of his woes has been.
“It’s baseball, you know. And it’s kicking my ass right now,” Woo said.
It may have been very close for an 11-1 game. In other words, it was a perfect reflection of what happens when a winnable game snowballs totally out of the control of the losing team, with all fight and verve driven from the Mariners blow by blow as the Pirates tacked on hit after hit to pounce on every chance they had.
Pittsburgh melted Bryan Woo in the fourth inning, handing Woo the fifth five-run start of his season.
Since April 25, Woo has had an ERA of 5.31, but this doesn’t tell the full story of his struggles in 2026. It is often broken down into home and road splits - where his ERA is 2.00 at home but 6.38 on the road - but this is also an incomplete look at the situation as it currently stands.
Looking at the things a pitcher can control, Woo has struck out 40, walked 11, hit two, and given up seven homers in 48 innings on the road; at home, he has struck out 52, walked seven, hit one, and given up two homers in 45 innings. Turning those results into fielding independent pitching (FIP) numbers gives a 4.14 FIP on the road and a 1.90 FIP at home.
But the big note from it all is that the damage is coming in the form of big crooked innings. As soon as teams get a man to second, the wheels fall off the bus and fast. That’s what happened on Wednesday as Woo fell apart in the fourth inning.
Bobby McMann Excited to Re-Up With Kraken, Bring ‘Winning Hockey’ Back to Seattle
Checking off one of their biggest boxes as the 2026 NHL Draft approaches, the Seattle Kraken re-signed winger Bobby McMann to a six-year, $34.5 million contract on Monday as general manager Jason Botterill locked up the trade deadline acquisition for the long haul following a successful second half with the franchise.
Though the Kraken sputtered in the win/loss column after his arrival from Toronto and recorded just two regulation wins after the trade, McMann tallied 10 goals and 14 points in 18 games with the Kraken. It certainly wasn’t his fault that Seattle plummeted from a playoff hopeful to selecting seventh overall in the upcoming draft, and Botterill and the front office made it a priority to ensure he remained long term.
"Re-signing (McMann) was a priority this summer,” Botterill said after the signing was announced via Seattle’s team website. “He made an immediate impact in our lineup with his size, speed, and goal scoring. There's a lot to love about his game. We're thrilled he wants to call Seattle home for years to come."
By locking up the 30-year-old McMann and acquiring 23-year-old Mackie Samoskevich from the Florida Panthers on the same day, Botterill has started to assemble a decent forward core for next season and beyond. But after missing the playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons of existence, the Kraken must continue pursuing top talent if they want to return to the postseason in 2026-27.
Former Sounders Star Midfield Pairing Could Get Increased World Cup Roles in Group Stage Finales
It's been an exceptionally exciting FIFA World Cup in North America so far.
From two of six games scheduled to be played in Seattle finishing with resounding success and the tournament's brightest stars like Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland off to impressive starts, the world's biggest sporting event is everything fans hoped it would be.
But the two players with strong ties to the Seattle Sounders, current midfielder Cristian Roldan and February transfer Obed Vargas, haven't seen the field much. Vargas got on for the final 25 minutes of Mexico's win over South Korea and impressed with multiple dynamic runs to burn clock and preserve a 1-0 win to clinch the group.
His strong minutes have pushed Mexican fans and media to suggest the 20-year-old Atletico Madrid man playing in his first World Cup should see a larger role going into a Wednesday group stage match with Czechia at 3 p.m. PT.
Meanwhile, Roldan, a career Sounders man at 31, is on track to go a second straight World Cup with the USMNT without a single second of playing time.
But after two convincing wins (4-1 over Paraguay and 2-0 over Australia in Seattle last Friday), the U.S.'s group stage finale against eliminated Turkiye on Thursday will serve little meaning. With key pieces like Christian Pulisic dealing with ailments, the chatter around the country has been whether head coach Mauricio Pochettino should rest his starters in Los Angeles on Thursday.
While Roldan was dealt a muscle injury during training that he's still dealing with, he seemed confident he'd be fit and ready to go for the Turkiye fixture when he spoke to the media on Tuesday.
In Pursuit of Encore, Seahawks LB Ernest Jones Knows Super Bowl Title ‘Isn't Going to Help Us’ in 2026
You can pinpoint a handful of impact moves that Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider made in the few years leading up to winning the Super Bowl that helped the team get there. Moves like hiring head coach Mike Macdonald are obvious. Trading for, and then re-signing defensive tackle Leonard Williams was a big part of it as well.
But it’s hard to argue against one of the biggest pieces of the puzzle coming in the form of the midseason trade for Ernest Jones IV in 2024. In Macdonald’s first season in Seattle, the linebacker position was a revolving door. The Seahawks began the season with Jerome Baker and Tyrel Dodson as their main off-ball linebackers. By November, Seattle had wavied Dodson and traded Baker away.
Seattle moved on from both, with Baker being sent with a 2025 fourth-round pick to the Tennessee Titans to acquire Jones. Seattle was very familiar with Jones from his three seasons with the Rams. During his rookie year, he played on the 2021 Rams team that eventually won Super Bowl LVI. He was not a spectator on the sidelines for that game either, racking up seven tackles, one sack, and three quarterback hits.
As we all saw during the Seahawks’ Super Bowl ring ceremony, Jones was flexing both rings on the same hand. He now has two championships to his name in his five-year career. His arrival in 2024 helped stabilize the linebacker position and contributed to a noticeable defensive turnaround midseason for Seattle. The unit improved from near the bottom of NFL rankings to one of the stronger groups by season’s end, laying groundwork for the success they would have in 2025.
Cole Young’s Hometown Game-Winner Marks Early Career Highlight, M’s Win 3-2
Neither Pittsburgh nor Seattle sit directly beside an ocean (though Puget Sound of course connects quite nicely to the Pacific and gives the Emerald City a strong oceangoing port), yet these teams cleared the decks for their first of three sea battles on Tuesday night.
It was a low-scoring affair, but the Mariners’ two cannonballs were enough to seal the deal as they came out ahead 3-2. The one homer had special significance for Cal Raleigh, as it was his first big fly since returning from the IL, but it was the second that shone brightest: Seattle’s own Yinzer flipped the score from a Mariners deficit to a Mariners lead.
Triumphant homecoming is one of humanity’s oldest seagoing motifs, but with a 22-year-old hitting three homers in a month for the second time in his career, the game had more to do with the beginning of Young’s odyssey than its end.
Cole Young blasted a go-ahead homer in his Pittsburgh homecoming.
Going into Tuesday, the Mariners were tied with the Twins for the second-worst winning percentage (.094) when trailing a game at the beginning of the seventh inning, having won three of 32 such contests. The only teams worse in this regard (the Giants, Angels, Guardians, Astros, Rangers, and Royals) had a combined 212-261 record and .448 winning percentage.
For comparison, the two teams FanGraphs projects as more likely than the Mariners to win it all (the Yankees and Dodgers) have a combined .196 winning percentage when entering the seventh inning in a deficit. The Brewers, Braves, Phillies, and Rays - the next four teams down after the M’s on FanGraphs’ projections - had a combined .227 winning percentage in games where they entered the seventh inning losing.
And when the top of the seventh began on Tuesday, the M’s trailed 2-1, marking the 33rd time they had entered that inning with a deficit in the season. Pirates starting pitcher Mitch Keller had thrown just 72 pitches, the M’s struggles continuing with the bat as they didn’t break up his efficiency or get many runs across.
Ranking Seahawks: Maxen Hook, Practice Squad Returnees Highlight No. 85-81
With the calendar quickly heading towards July and offseason workouts wrapped up league-wide for the summer, the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks will soon descend upon the Virginia Mason Athletic Center for the start of training camp, kicking off a much-anticipated 2026 season.
To celebrate the new incoming season, I will be ranking every member of the Seahawks 90-man roster over the next several weeks leading up to report day, providing detailed profiles, exploring best and worst case scenarios, and breaking down what to expect from each player entering the 2026 campaign.
Moving to No. 85-81 on my rankings, several practice squad players who earned Super Bowl rings last season will be back looking to take the next step and make the 53-man roster this time around, including a fascinating experiment for the Seahawks moving a 6-5 receiver with 4.3 speed to cornerback.
‘Finding Dom’: Surging Malonga Has Storm Trending in Right Direction
With every game that passes during the Seattle Storm’s current 11-game losing streak, they’re turning in better and better performances. It still isn’t translating to wins.
But there’s a silver lining. The Storm drafted 2025 No. 2 overall pick Dominique Malonga at 19 years old, with hopes that she would become the franchise’s centerpiece and, eventually, lead them back to championship competitiveness.
In two of her last three games, Malonga has set new career highs in points, and both have been double-double performances.
Malonga totaled 37 points, 12 rebounds, one assist and two blocks in the Storm’s 112-110 overtime loss to the Dallas Wings on Monday, June 22, at Climate Pledge Arena. Even in a loss, the Storm are getting better, and Malonga is becoming a dominant force in the post.
Kraken the Ice: Assessing Seattle’s Trade for Mackie Samoskevich, Bobby McMann Extension
Executing one of the most exciting days of transactions in the franchise's brief history, the Seattle Kraken made a bold move dealing a first round pick to Florida for 23-year-old Mackie Samoskevich and locked up their best scoring threat in Bobby McMann long-term.
Emerald City Spectrum writer Nick Lee examines the ramifications of dealing one of Seattle's two first rounders in the upcoming 2026 NHL Draft for Samoskevich, discusses why the young forward fits with the team's current timeline, highlights all the positives of locking up McMann for the next six seasons, and explores what could be the next move coming for the front office with a former first round selection.
Ranking Seahawks: Uso Seumalo, Undrafted Rookies Headline No. 91-86
With the calendar quickly heading towards July and offseason workouts wrapped up league-wide for the summer, the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks will soon descend upon the Virginia Mason Athletic Center for the start of training camp, kicking off a much-anticipated 2026 season.
To celebrate the new incoming season, I will be ranking every member of the Seahawks 90-man roster over the next several weeks leading up to report day, providing detailed profiles, exploring best and worst case scenarios, and breaking down what to expect from each player entering the 2026 campaign.
Featuring nearly half of the team’s smaller undrafted rookie crop, here’s the first six entries to open this year’s 90-man profiles, including a pair of gadget receivers with special teams acumen and a dark horse to watch at nose tackle.
Kraken Check Off Big To-Do List Item, Re-Sign Bobby McMann to Six-Year Deal
While the Seattle Kraken as a team imploded down the stretch last season, it was certainly no fault of Bobby McMann. The Kraken swung a trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs for the veteran’s services ahead of the trade deadline in March, sending a fourth round pick from this upcoming draft and a second rounder from 2027 to Toronto.
From the jump, it seemed like a match made in hockey heaven. McMann did his best impression of Wayne Gretzky in the first three games as a Kraken, totaling four goals and two assists. Even as that torrid pace cooled, he was the best offensive skater Seattle had for that final stretch of the season by a wide margin. Between the time McMann arrived in Seattle to the end of the regular season, McMann’s 10 goals was more than double the next closest Kraken skater, who was Jared McMann with four goals.
McMann’s total was also tied for 10th-highest in the entire NHL in that timeframe. He was one of the hottest goal-scorers in the league for that final 20-game stretch, providing a rare bright spot for a Kraken squad that struggled to score all year long as a team.
Gilbert, Mariners Salvage Red Sox Matinee, Keep Heads Above Water
All wins are equal on the final sheet of standings at the end of the year, but not all these wins mean the same things when they are played. Some wins are triumphant jewels in the crowns of great streaks, others are dead cat bounces for a team plummeting into the gutter. The Mariners’ 3-1 win over the Red Sox on Sunday was neither of those, but it was the definitional salvaged game, turning what could have been a sweep to go under .500 on the summer solstice into a lost series and a 40-39 record with the halfway point nearly reached.
The offense, for the eighth straight game, didn’t impress, but the Mariners worked a win anyway thanks to an incredible start from a rebounding elite arm, a couple of timely hits, and a sharp bullpen. And yet the win may be pyrrhic, with another key player falling to the injury bug.
Logan Gilbert worked into the seventh and kept the Red Sox to a single run.
While the Mariners haven’t had everyone clicking at the same time, they have had the relative luxury of often getting a cold man hot once their hot man goes cold. While Emerson Hancock has seemingly taken a big step back over the past two outings, Logan Gilbert has finally settled into a real adjustment against the five-and-dive outings and long at-bats that had created them.
This adjustment has been quite simple and equally effective: instead of relying solely on his secondary pitches in favorable counts - a strategy that teams effectively countered by simply laying off the low sliders and buried splitters they would see time and time again - Gilbert has truly mixed things up with fastballs, curveballs, splitters, and sliders in these counts. This means, in the aggregate, that he is throwing the heater a lot more.
Trade! Kraken Deal 25th Overall Pick for Panthers’ Mackie Samoskevich
The 2026 NHL Draft begins this Friday, June 26 with the first round in Buffalo, New York. With the Seattle Kraken holding two first round picks and three top-40 picks overall, it was a safe assumption that they would be making and fielding trade offers to better their team before the festivities kick off.
The first salvo has been fired ahead of next weekend’s draft. According to reports on Sunday, the Seattle Kraken traded their 25th overall pick this year and a second rounder next season to the Florida Panthers for the services of winger Mackie Samoskevich.
Washington State Adds Three-Star Tackle to Growing 2027 Recruiting Class
The Washington State Cougars landed two more commitments as their 2027 recruiting class continues to grow under first-year coach Kirby Moore, pushing their total number of commitments to 17 by signing a pair of line prospects.
One of the newest additions is Randolph Santiago, a 6-6, 275-pound offensive tackle from Kailua. Currently rated as a three-star prospect, Santiago carries an 84 overall rating according to 247Sports. His recruitment included offers from programs such as UNLV, Boise State, Oregon State, New Mexico, and San Diego State, making him a stellar addition to the trenches for Moore’s squad.
Washington State also landed another defensive prospect from California with the commitment of Richard Orosco, a 6-4, 240-pound EDGE rusher from St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower. Orosco has received scholarship offers from New Mexico, UNLV, and San Diego State, among others, and looks to be an ascending recruit despite not having a star rating at this point.
Tory Horton’s Return Opens Door for Seahawks’ Offense to Reach Greater Heights in 2026
Fielding questions from wide-eyed youngsters at his first annual pro camp at Kennedy Catholic High School, it didn’t take long for Tory Horton to be asked why he missed the Seattle Seahawks final 11 games, including the entirety of their Super Bowl run.
“I just had a few things pop up,” Horton responded, assuring the campers in attendance that he would be back and ready to roll for a new season.
For those hoping for a bit more transparency, Horton didn’t have to delve into specifics, especially answering a question from a 10-year-old during a quick Q&A session before campers broke into fun two-hand tap scrimmage games. The Seahawks themselves haven’t offered much in that regard either since the injury occurred, as his status largely remained shrouded in mystery beyond the team’s initial explanation that he had suffered a shin injury during a Week 10 win over the Commanders on Monday Night Football.
At the time, Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald hinted that the medical staff initially felt Horton would miss a few weeks of action, hopeful the standout rookie receiver would be able to return later in the schedule even if he spent the minimum four games sidelined on injured reserve. But by the time January rolled around, without anything new being disclosed beyond the shin needing “a long time to heal” and plenty of rest, per Macdonald, the team all but ruled out the possibility he would be activated for the playoffs, ending a once-promising first season after playing in just eight games.
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