Down on the Farm – Talking Firebirds with Shad Powers

“Down on the Farm” is your weekly Seattle Kraken prospects update. In this week’s column, we have a conversation with Shad Powers of The Desert Sun about the team’s prospects with the Coachella Valley Firebirds, share scouting video and quick thoughts on Jakub Fibigr, get you injury updates, update you on all Kraken prospect performances from the week that was, and preview the week ahead for Seattle’s prospect pool. As always, if you have a prospect-related question you’d like to see featured in a future column, drop a note below or on X or BlueSky @deepseahockey. Let’s dive in.

Interview with Shad Powers

Last week we had the opportunity to talk with Shad Powers of The Desert Sun on the Sound Of Hockey Podcast about the Kraken prospects developing in Coachella Valley. In addition to covering other sports in the Coachella Valley region, Powers covers the Firebirds closely. He is regularly in attendance for Firebirds home games and a staple in the team’s media scrums. No one is covering the team as closely as Shad, so it was particularly intriguing when he shared his insights on the Kraken prospect that he thinks is closest to the NHL level and the prospect with the highest upside. Both answers should be exciting for prospect followers. Give it a listen.

Thanks, again, to Shad for talking with us. Follow him on X, formerly know as Twitter, here.

Checking in on Jakub Fibigr

The Seattle Kraken drafted defenseman Jakub Fibigr with their final pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, but he was anything but an afterthought. In the immediate wake of the draft, I noted the Czech-born Fibigr’s OHL scoring supported a much higher selection. And then Fibigr turned a few heads during Seattle’s summer camps with his skating and skill, as recounted by Alison Lukan at Sound Of Hockey Fest.

My expectations rose even higher for Fibigr when it became apparent that his junior team, the Brampton Steelheads, were “going for it” by adding fellow Kraken prospect Carson Rehkopf to their roster at the beginning of the season. I figured Fibigr was in position to seize a favorable opportunity to pile up points.

Fibigr’s season hasn’t followed that script. He started very slowly in the scoring column and still trails his per-game point production from last season by a wide margin. His role has been relatively consistent in the games I’ve seen—solid second-pair minutes at even strength and power-play time—but he is third among Steelheads defensemen in points and fifth in plus-minus.

Fibigr’s skill has always outpaced his defensive instincts and execution, so it’s possible he has been attempting to emphasize progress defensively at the expense of some offense. But, when I see him, I still see aggressive and inconsistent play in the offensive zone that creates advantages for his opponent nearly as frequently as it does Brampton. And, on the defensive side, I see a skilled skater who struggles at times to create disruption with the plays he is attempting to execute.

When we spoke a few weeks back, Kraken Director of Player Development Jeff Tambellini told Sound Of Hockey that it’s not atypical for prospects to take a minor step back in the year after the draft because they put so much into the draft season. This may be what we’re seeing. And it’s clear the stick and skating skills are still there for Fibigr, who did also have a strong showing for Team Czechia at the World Junior Championship. But a long development road remains.

Firebirds lose two key pieces to injuries

Earlier this week, the Coachella Valley Firebirds announced two notable injuries: Llyeton Roed is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury, and Daniel Sprong is on the shelf day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Both were long-shots to be significant NHL contributors down the stretch, but both are important pieces for a Firebirds playoff run. The Fire and Ice Podcast recently had a long-form interview with Lleyton Roed, which you can find here.

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INJURY UPDATES:

– F Lleyton Roed is out week-to-week (upper body injury)

– F Daniel Sprong is out day-to-day (lower body injury)

— Coachella Valley Firebirds (@Firebirds) February 27, 2025

Author’s Note: Daniel Sprong returned to the Firebirds lineup Friday night after this post was originally published.

Notes on three Kraken prospects

Berkly Catton | F | Spokane Chiefs (WHL)

As the Kraken continue to search for a true “difference maker” at the NHL level, it’s possible that Berkly Catton will ultimately be that player. No player in junior hockey has more points than Catton since his return from the World Junior Championship on Jan. 10. Catton was riding an incredible streak of 11 consecutive multi-point games (and 18 games with at least one point) until Wednesday night when he was blanked by the Vancouver Giants. He had nine points in four games since our last update.

Justin Janicke | F | Notre Dame Fighting Irish (NCAA)

Janicke is your Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week, after scoring two goals and adding two assists in two games for the Fighting Irish last weekend. Janicke’s 13 goals this season matches his total from the previous three NCAA seasons combined. Janicke is due to graduate this year, and Seattle will only retain his exclusive rights through August. The window to sign reserve list players like Janicke to an NHL deal for next season opens on Saturday, Mar. 1. Following an impressive campaign, it’s possible the team signs him to an NHL deal, but more likely, I think, would be the Kraken and Janicke contemplating an AHL contract for next season that allows the sides at least one training camp and a full season to work together at the professional level before making further decisions.

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#SeaKraken prospect Justin Janicke has six points (three goals, three assists) in his last three games.

With 31 points in 32 games for @NDHockey, Janicke has nearly doubled his previous NCAA career-best 16 points in a season, with two games remaining.pic.twitter.com/WkW9icLYbQ

— Deep Sea Hockey (@DeepSeaHockey) February 23, 2025

Nathan Villeneuve | F | Sudbury Wolves (OHL)

Nathan Villenevue earned OHL Performer of the Night last Friday with two goals and two assists for the Sudbury Wolves. Quietly, his production has been trending upward for a while now. His 31 goals are fourth in the Kraken system, behind only Rehkopf, Catton, and Andrei Loshko. His 106 penalty minutes lead the Kraken system by a long shot, almost double the prospect with the next most time in the sin bin (Caden Price, 54 minutes).

Kraken prospects data update

Ben Meyers had two goals and an assist for the Coachella Valley Firebirds over the last seven days before getting recalled to Seattle on Thursday. Seattle needs a fourth-line center for Saturday against Vancouver, and Meyers fits the bill, but could Yanni Gourde return to the lineup (and push Meyers back to the AHL level) for next Tuesday’s contest against Minnesota?

Oscar Fisker Mølgaard’s SHL team HV71 narrowly avoided relegation last year when they beat Oskarshamn, and it looks like they’re headed back to the nerve-wracking relegation series again this season. In what’s been another tough campaign for HV71, Mølgaard is a rare bright spot, leading the team with a plus-six plus-minus.

Nikke Kokko earned his first recall to the NHL with a strong effort against the Calgary Wranglers last Saturday. While his NHL stay may be brief, and the circumstances of his NHL debut were less than ideal, there were still plenty of good vibes surrounding his story this past week.

Semyon Vyazovoy continues to climb the KHL save percentage leaderboard. His .936 save percentage is second best in that league.

2024-25 Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week tracker

Berkly Catton: 3

Clarke Caswell: 2

Tyson Jugnauth: 2

Alexis Bernier: 1

Justin Janicke: 1

Andrei Loshko: 1

Oscar Fisker Mølgaard: 1

Victor Östman: 1

Caden Price: 1

Carson Rehkopf: 1

Jani Nyman: 1

Kim Saarinen: 1

Nathan Villeneuve: 1

Ryan Winterton: 1

Semyon Vyazovoy: 1

Previewing the week ahead

Clarke Caswell and the Swift Current Broncos host Lukas Dragicevic and the Prince Albert Raiders on Saturday. Rehkopf, Fibigr, and the Brampton Steelheads travel to Sudbury to take on Villenevue and the Wolves on Sunday.

Three of Seattle’s four college hockey players—Janicke, Ben MacDonald, and Zaccharya Wisdom—wrap their NCAA regular seasons with two-game sets this weekend.

Recent prospect updates

February 21, 2025: Lukas Dragicevic making strides, still striving for consistency

February 14, 2025: Mid-season Seattle Kraken prospect ranking

February 8, 2025: Oscar Fisker Mølgaard quietly ascends the ranks

January 31, 2025: Measuring the performance of the Seattle Kraken prospect pool

January 24, 2025: Tyson Jugnauth is putting on a show in Portland

January 17, 2025: Jani Nyman’s scoring, 2025 NHL Draft coverage

January 10, 2025: Interview with Kraken director of player development Jeff Tambellini

January 3, 2025: Stock Up, Stock Down for Kraken prospects at the World Junior Championship

December 20, 2024: Kraken system after the Kaapo Kakko trade, David Goyette’s progress, and World Juniors

December 13, 2024: Three Kraken prospects make Team Canada WJC roster

December 6, 2024: Seattle Kraken goalie prospects progressing in the professional ranks