How Kraken help defenseman Ryker Evans manage Celiac Disease

SEATTLE — When Kraken defenseman Ryker Evans puts the biscuit in the basket, know that it’s gluten free.

Growing up, lethargy and stomach pains were part of life for Calgary native Evans, 22.

“I remember being super sick all the time. Just feeling bad,” Evans said.

When Evans was about 10 years old, testing provided an answer. Celiac Disease is an autoimmune disease where consuming gluten — a protein found in wheat, rye and barley — creates inflammation that leads to damage in the small intestine. Specifically it damages the villi, which line the small intestine and promote nutrient absorption.

According to the Celiac Disease Foundation, it is estimated to affect one in 100 people worldwide, but only about 30% are properly diagnosed.

It can appear at any age and may affect growth and development in children. That’s the suspected reason for Evans’ small stature in his early teens, which cost him hockey opportunities. When he was selected by his junior team, the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League, in the 10th round of the 2016 bantam draft, the Regina Leader-Post had him generously listed at 5 foot 4, 114 pounds. It made for some amusing group photos.

As Evans started getting the nutrients he needed, he steadily grew to 5-11, 189 pounds. His sleep improved. He was still crashed out when the Kraken made him their second-round selection (35th overall) in the 2021 draft. He wasn’t expected to be taken until the later rounds, after going undrafted the first year he was eligible in 2020.

Celiac is hereditary and there’s a genetic component. People with immediate family members who have Celiac have a one in 10 risk of developing it as well.

The Evans family beat the odds. Ryker was diagnosed first, then his mother Lisa, then younger sister Payten, a junior defender at Merrimack College. No gluten shall cross their threshold, unless dad Mike can’t resist. It’s been cut from family meals for obvious reasons.

The ladies’ reactions are more severe, while Ryker’s are less pronounced, he said — but still problematic, because if he’s not absorbing nutrients properly as a pro athlete, he’ll find out eventually. The grass is always greener, but he’d prefer to know in the moment. Still, the diagnosis and gluten-free diet changed his life for the better.

Evans rose through the hockey ranks and was a two-time American Hockey League All-Star before spending the latter half of the 2023-24 regular season in Seattle. He cracked the Kraken playing roster occasionally, then more frequently after top defenseman Vince Dunn was injured in March. Evans rejoined the Kraken’s top minor league affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, for a long playoff run after the Kraken season ended.

The Kraken’s third defensive pairing dissolved this offseason, with Justin Schultz leaving in free agency and Brian Dumoulin dealt to the Anaheim Ducks. The path was clear for Evans to make the opening-night roster for the first time, and hopefully carve out a permanent NHL spot.

It’s obviously easier to manage Celiac at home, using his own ingredients and tools, rather than hope whoever is preparing the food is taking cross-contamination seriously. It helped quite a bit when he had his own car in Seattle and was able to duck out for groceries. He’s gotten good at making quick, safe meals.

As he’s sticking in the NHL for the time being, the team needed to be vigilant about Evans’ needs. Evans said new team dietitian Colette Vartanian drew up a plan for team chefs.

“This year, I think they took a step in making sure everything was good,” Evans said.

At the rink in Seattle, just about every offering is gluten-free, he said. They keep Evans’ favorite chicken thighs coming.

“It’s so simple, but I love it,” he said. “Like, I can eat it every single day.”

On the road, there will often be a table of takeout food for everyone to graze on. Evans will sometimes get his own prepared meals.

There’s no one-size option. Twelve-ish years later, he’s still doing a bit of trial and error to see what works. It’s annoying, but there’s a bright side — one has no real choice but to eat healthier. Many traditional cheat day options are off the table.

“It’s allowed me to be more responsible at a younger age, because I had to deal with it and figure it out,” Evans said. “It allowed me to be more disciplined in certain areas of my life.”

He has a helper and supporter in Kraken goaltender Joey Daccord, a former teammate in Coachella Valley. Evans said Daccord chose to cut out gluten as well and scouts restaurants for their dinner group — Shane Wright and Tye Kartye are the others. All four spent time with the Firebirds.

“[Daccord] does all our reservations. He awesome about it,” Evans said. “He makes it super easy for me.”

Evans is freed up to focus on hockey, where he’s taken on more minutes and responsibility. In the early going, he’s been paired consistently with Will Borgen.

Dunn missed Sunday’s game in Dallas with an upper-body injury, so some of his minutes fell to fellow offense-minded defensemen Evans and Brandon Montour. With the Kraken trailing for more than two periods of a 2-0 loss, the pair helped the team press for a goal.

Kraken coach Dan Bylsma, who also coached Evans in Coachella Valley, praised his start to the season this weekend.

“He’s got a deadpan seriousness about his demeanor, and it’s the way he presents himself,” Bylsma said. “I’ve been on him, [in training] camp, to maybe show that a little more and be a little bit more of a presence.”