We’ve reached the apex of Sound Of Hockey Prospect Week. Over the last two days, we dug into the data on Kraken prospects and team prospect pools around the league. Today, we present our 2023-24 postseason Sound Of Hockey consensus Seattle Kraken prospect ranking.
Today’s ranking answers a simple question: How do we rank Seattle’s top 10 prospects? The only criteria we put on it is that the player must be younger than 25 years old and have played fewer than 50 NHL games. Beyond that, we were free to arrive at our lists however we saw fit–eye test, data, phase of the moon, you name it.
Who is the “we” forming this consensus? Glad you asked. This list is built from equal parts:
- Fan vote, conducted via X (formerly known as Twitter), not without some controversy
- John Barr’s list
- Darren Brown’s list
- Curtis Isacke’s list
Today, we’ll give you the consensus top 10 prospects board, with key data and video on each prospect. We’ll also give you a look at each of the four component lists at the bottom of this post. Tomorrow we’ll return with a Sound Of Hockey roundtable to discuss Seattle’s top prospects, what we’re excited about, and what we each got right and wrong with our lists.
The Sound Of Hockey consensus Seattle Kraken prospect ranking
1. Shane Wright
6’0” | C | Coachella Valley Firebirds | AHL | 2022 round 1 pick
22 goals | 25 assists | 59 games played | 0.8 PPG
2. Carson Rehkopf
6’2” | C/LW | Kitchener Rangers | OHL | 2023 round 2 pick
52 goals | 43 assists | 60 games played | 1.58 PPG
3. Ryker Evans
5’11” | LD | Coachella Valley Firebirds | AHL | 2021 round 2 pick
2 goals | 13 assists | 25 games played | 0.6 PPG
4. Jani Nyman
6’3” | RW | Multiple teams | Liiga/AHL | 2022 round 2 pick
28 goals | 17 assists | 53 games played | 0.85 PPG
T-5. David Goyette
5’10” | C | Multiple teams | OHL/AHL | 2022 round 2 pick
40 goals | 77 assists | 69 games played | 1.7 PPG
T-5. Jagger Firkus
5’10” | RW | Moose Jaw Warriors | WHL | 2022 round 2 pick
61 goals | 65 assists | 63 games played | 2.0 PPG
7. Ryan Winterton
6’2” | F | Coachella Valley Firebirds | AHL | 2021 round 3 pick
22 goals | 13 assists | 58 games played | 0.6 PPG
8. Eduard Sale
6’2” | RW | Multiple teams | OHL | 2023 round 1 pick
15 goals | 23 assists | 49 games played | 0.78 PPG
9. Ville Ottavainen
6’5” | RD | Coachella Valley Firebirds | AHL | 2021 round 4 pick
8 goals | 26 assists | 70 games played | 0.49 PPG
T-10. Logan Morrison
6’0” | C | Coachella Valley Firebirds | AHL | undrafted
16 goals | 25 assists | 64 games played | 0.64 PPG
T-10. Oscar Fisker Mølgaard
6’0” | C | HV71 | SHL | 2023 round 2 pick
9 goals | 12 assists | 50 games played | 0.42 PPG
Also receiving votes: Ty Nelson (D), Niklas Kokko (G)
The four lists used to make the consensus ranking
Curtis Isacke
Curtis is a Sound Of Hockey contributor and member of the Kraken press corps. Curtis is an attorney by day, and he has read the NHL collective bargaining agreement and bylaws so you don’t have to. He can be found analyzing the Kraken, NHL Draft, and other hockey topics on Twitter and Bluesky @deepseahockey.
I know Ty Nelson’s stock has dropped a bit, but he’s almost two years younger and just one inch shorter… I’m not convinced Ryker Evans plays more games in the NHL than Nelson.
What is more interesting is projecting when each on this list could become a full-time NHLer (if ever). Let’s play. I have included every pick in the top 100 + Morrison, so more than in this article.
1. Wright 2024-25
2. Rehkopf 2025-26 (but why was he released so early from his ATO by CV?)
3. Evans 2024-25
4, Nyman 2025-26
5. Goyette 2025-26
5. Firkus 2025-26
7. Winterton 2024-25 (as member of new 4L)
8. Sale 2026-27
9. Ottavainen 2024-25 (as 7D)
10. Morrison 2024-25 (as member of new 4L)
10. Fisker-Molgaard 2026-27
HM. Nelson 2026-27
HM: Kokko 2026-27
NM: Dragicevic: 2026-27
NM: Price 2026-27
NM: MacDonald ??
NM: Jugnauth 2026-27
Ok, I’ll play. I’m a little more pessimistic than you.
1. Wright 2024-25
2. Rehkopf 2025-26
3. Evans 2024-25
4, Nyman 2025-26
5. Goyette 2026-27
5. Firkus 2026-27
7. Winterton 2026-27
8. Sale 2026-27
9. Ottavainen 2025-26
10. Morrison 2025-26
10. Fisker-Molgaard 2026-27
HM. Nelson 2027-28
HM: Kokko 2026-27
NM: Dragicevic: 2028-29
NM: Price 2028-29
NM: Jugnauth 2026-27
Fisker-Molgaard video – Swedish hockey is like premier league soccer! Love this.
I am surprised that Kokko didn’t crack the consensus top-ten. Dude has put up solid numbers playing playoff hockey against men in Liiga, and he appears to be way ahead of schedule in terms of goalie development. I am also surprised that Evans is not coming in at number two behind Wright on other lists. He is a good NHL-caliber power play defenseman right now. It’s not like he just has the potential to be one if he keeps developing, no. He already is that guy. If you watch him play in Palm Desert, opponents have a hell of a time trying to get his power play unit out of their structure and out of the offensive zone, and he moves the puck around like I wish the Kraken power play could. If you haven’t already, watch the Firebirds play in the playoffs. Evans stands out, although I will say that Cale Fleury stands out even more (Hakstol wasted that poor guy). That said, Evans does have to work on his defensive game, particularly in the neutral zone. Veteran players can still get the drop on him there, which has led to him being a bit passive on the puck in the middle of the ice, in my eye anyway. That is a thing that can be corrected in time by a good defensive coach like Jay Leach. I am looking forward to seeing Evans on the second pairing with the big club next season. I just hope that the next coach doesn’t waste his potential by burying him on the third pairing like Craig Berube did with Vince Dunn.
I am so glad that Toronto bit on Berube instead of Seattle. Back to the topic at hand:
1. Shane Wright (looks like a young Trevor Linden, already the big club’s second-best centerman)
2. Ryker Evans (1st pairing potential in a year or two, power play wizard)
3. Carson Rehkopf (let’s see how he looks playing against men before getting too excited, but wow)
4. Ville Ottavainen (has a long way to go to be the next Adam Larson, but he is already made of sandpaper and penny nails)
5. Jani Nyman (big and nasty with a good shot–stuff you can’t teach, needs to get used to the North American game, possible future fan favorite)
6. Nikolas Kokko (you can never tell with goalies, but the early returns are promising)
7. Ryan Winterton (didn’t take off this year, but he plays tough for a winger and has finish, not afraid to go to the dirty areas of the ice)
8. David Goyette (made a huge leap in terms of production this year, which is a great sign)
9. Logan Morrison (could be this year’s Tye Kartye, likes to play fierce and has everything to prove and nothing to lose)
10. Jagger Firkus (off-the-charts skill, but get the guy a subscription to Hamburger of the Week)
I’m curious where the disconnect between the fans and SOH rankings are coming from for Firkus and Sale.
Jagger Firkus (fans 3rd; soh 6th, 7th, 6th)
Eduard Sale (fans 6th; soh n/a, 8th, n/a)
Are fans overestimating Sale based on his draft position and putting more weight behind Firkus’ scoring stats than SOH do? Is it a well known phenomenon for WHL scoring leaders to fizzle out and never crack the main roster in the NHL?
I like Kokko a lot. I think it’s just inherent variability of the position that drove him down just outside the top 10 for me. I tried to think about the prospects in terms of upside and uncertainty (which has to account for proximity to the NHL and the position).
I think it’s a mistake that Kokko isn’t being talked about among the best goalie prospects in the league–the World Juniors falling during the two weeks of the year when he was playing his worst is probably a big reason for it. He has been stellar in Liiga for 2 years now.
I just had 11 prospects that struck me as higher certainty to professional roles right now. Kokko could take a leap if he performs well in a tandem role at Coachella Valley this year, which I expect him to do.
On Firkus/Sale, I do think there may be some name value baked in there. On the other hand, there could be a bit of an overreaction on the SOH side to a down statistical year for Sale. As for what high scoring CHL players eventually do in the NHL, check out this piece:
https://soundofhockey.com/2023/12/05/projecting-high-scoring-kraken-prospects-firkus-rehkopf-and-nyman/