This is ‘Down on the Farm,’ a moniker borrowed from the Sound Of Hockey Podcast segment of the same name. We’re here to talk about the week that was for the Seattle Kraken prospect pool and get you an overall data update on where things stand.

Typically, we begin with a featured prospect, but this week I’m changing that up a bit to feature a question that could have implications for Seattle Kraken prospects next year and beyond. I’ll follow that with a shorter “feature” on Kraken prospect Caden Price before moving onto our other standard sections. Let’s dive in.

Kraken prospect question of the week

Q: Will the NCAA rule declaring CHL players eligible to play Division I college hockey affect any Seattle Kraken prospects?

A: On Nov. 7 the NCAA adopted a rule opening Division I college hockey eligibility to players from the Canadian Hockey League, effective as of Aug. 1, 2025. Until this ruling, a player who played even one preseason game in the CHL was no longer eligible to play NCAA hockey. This is in contrast with leagues like the BCHL and USHL, where a player could play and retain their NCAA eligibility. This dynamic forced young hockey players with professional aspirations into an early choice to pursue a college track or not. Since players in all junior leagues are now NCAA eligible, the hockey landscape is likely to see significant changes.

DI Council adopts rules change in men’s ice hockey & skiing, allowing involvement with pro teams prior to college enrollment (in line w/other sports), effective Aug. 1, 2025.

Decision is not final until meeting concludes this afternoon.

Learn more here ⤵️ https://t.co/p8c1ZuJfz2

— NCAA News (@NCAA_PR) November 7, 2024

As for existing Kraken prospects, I don’t foresee any immediate seismic shifts, but it is possible we could see a few players currently in the CHL play NCAA hockey next year.

Players who have signed true professional contracts (like Berkly Catton, who has signed an NHL contract, or Zeb Forsfjall, who signed in the SHL) remain ineligible to play NCAA hockey. So, college isn’t an option for them.

CHL players not currently signed with the Kraken may have the NCAA option, though, regardless of their age. To date the CHL leagues have taken the position that only players who have aged out (20 years old-plus) can move to the NCAA. But most analysts believe that the contracts players sign with their CHL clubs will not prevent them from leaving to take an NCAA opportunity earlier.

This opens the door for players like Clarke Caswell, Nathan Villenevue, Alexis Bernier, and Ollie Josephson to consider the college option. Consider Caswell’s case, for example. He is currently averaging 1.7 points per game, near the top of the WHL in scoring. By the end of the year, he may reach the conclusion that his development would be hurt by remaining in the WHL for another year. On the other hand, he’ll still be too young for an AHL assignment, and it’s doubtful the Kraken would view him as a serious NHL option. Before this ruling, Caswell would have been trapped in a junior holding pattern. After this ruling, the NCAA option likely exists for Caswell.

I don’t know if any of these players would seriously consider the college avenue or if the Kraken would steer them toward or away from NCAA hockey. Right now I’m skeptical any existing Kraken prospects will move, but the landscape is changing quickly. At the least, it’s an option that did not previously exist. We will be monitoring developments in this area closely.

Featured Kraken prospect: Caden Price

Kelowna Rockets (WHL) | LD | 19 years old | 15 games played | 4 goals | 19 assists | 1.53 PPG

Kraken defense prospect Caden Price is off to a prolific scoring start for the WHL Kelowna Rockets. He has 19 assists in 15 games, and is near the top of the league in highest percentage of his team’s total assists. This is not entirely surprising since he is quick to activate, loves to have the puck on his stick, and is logging heavy first-pair minutes for Kelowna.

He has also scored four goals, including two in Kelowna’s matchup against the Spokane Chiefs last Saturday. His shifts from that game are excerpted in the video above. The game gives a solid snapshot of his ample offensive skillset with the puck through the neutral zone and his attacking mentality in the offensive zone. There were also examples of his defensive shortcomings, particularly with his footwork. He ended up lunging and diving to defend a handful of chances against Spokane. Berkly Catton beat him in one such case, and Price was lucky not to pick up a penalty or two in other instances.

Overall I’m optimistic on Price. He looks stronger and more athletic this season with an ever-improving offensive game. His 23 points are tied for first among defensemen in the WHL. And the tools are there to develop his defensive game over time. The arrow is pointing up on the 2023 third-round pick.

Most importantly: Price’s six points in three games since our last update earns him Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week.

Notes on three more Kraken prospects

Oscar Fisker Mølgaard

HV71 (SHL) | 19 years old | C | 2 games played | 0 goals | 0 assists | 0 PPG

The biggest Kraken prospect news of the past seven days is the return of Oscar Fisker Mølgaard to the lineup for HV71 in the Swedish Hockey League. Mølgaard was injured in HV71’s regular-season opener and missed 53 days with a lower-body concern. In his return to the lineup he had 13:05 time on ice, two shots on goal, and won four of seven draws. I suspect his play time and involvement will continue to ramp up over the next couple weeks, but it’s good to have him back out there for now.

Kaden Hammell

Everett Silvertips (WHL) | RD | 19 years old | 18 games played | 2 goals | 9 assists | 0.61 PPG

You may have heard: The Everett Silvertips are quite good this year. Everett’s 31 standings points lead the entire WHL, as does the team’s +41 goal differential. Kraken prospect Kaden Hammell is the Silvertips’ co-Captain and first-pair right defenseman. In that role he has an eye-popping +22 on-ice plus-minus. This is second in the entire WHL behind only teammate Tyler McKenzie. Over the last seven days he chipped in with some scoring too, potting one goal and adding four assists in three games.

Hammell is currently unsigned, and the Kraken face a June 1, 2025, deadline to get him under contract or the team loses its exclusive NHL negotiating rights. His situation is one to monitor as we proceed through the winter into spring.

Zaccharya Wisdom

Colorado College (NCAA) | RW | 20 years old | 8 games played | 2 goals | 4 assists | 0.75 PPG

Like the previously profiled Justin Janicke, Barrett Hall, and Ben MacDonald, Zaccharya Wisdom is a Kraken drafted player playing hockey in college, which puts him on a longer development path and extends the deadline for the team to sign him. His grinding play saw relatively few individual rewards on the scoreboard last season, as he posted only .67 points per game. (That said, he did score a mind-boggling four goals during the one Colorado College game I saw broadcast on ROOT Sports last year; check out all of his shifts from that game here.) In his sophomore year, the production has ticked up a bit; he’s at .75 points per game currently. Most significantly, he scored an overtime gaming-winning goal last Friday night to keep his Colorado College Tigers undefeated.

You're a wizard, Mr. Wisdom🪄#CCTigers pic.twitter.com/91XAluXlkM

— CC Hockey (@CCTigerHKY) November 9, 2024

Kraken prospect data update

Mitchell Stephens, Max McCormick, and Jacob Melanson all missed Coachella Valley’s two games since our last update due to injury. Forsfjall returned to his SHL team’s lineup yesterday after an absence due to the U20 Five Nations Tournament. He recorded an assist in that game.

Ben Meyers is tied for the Firebirds team lead in points and continues to be the veteran engine of the team, particularly with Stephens and McCormick missing. He remains high on my personal “first recall” list.

Kraken goalies in the system won five of six total starts over the last seven days. Kim Saarinen didn’t get a start due to his attendance at the U20 Five Nations Tournament.

Overall, Semyon Vyazovoy continued his strong play as the second goalie in a tandem for Salavat Yulaev Ufa in the KHL. Visa Vedenpaa remains out.

2024-25 Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week tracker

Clarke Caswell: 2

Alexis Bernier: 1

Berkly Catton: 1

Caden Price: 1

Previewing the week ahead

The Firebirds have three games in the next seven days, including a back-to-back tonight (Friday) and tomorrow (Saturday). I suspect Niklas Kokko will draw one of those starts. Julius Miettinen, Kaden Hammell, and the Everett Silvertips take on their rival Seattle Thunderbirds in Kent tomorrow (Saturday). Ollie Josephson and the Red Deer Rebels visit Tyson Jugnauth and the Portland Winterhawks tonight (Friday) and then take on Berkly Catton and the Spokane Chiefs in Spokane tomorrow (Satruday). Mølgaard and Forsfjall clash in an SHL matchup tomorrow (Saturday).

Previous prospect updates

November 8, 2024: Kraken prospect Jagger Firkus is doing the little things necessary to succeed

November 1, 2024: ‘No days off’ approach for Kraken prospect Clarke Caswell

October 25, 2024: Kraken prospect Eduard Sale’s “tryout” in Coachella Valley is going well

October 18, 2024: Kraken prospect Andrei Loshko filling the stat sheet in the OHL