“Down on the Farm” is your weekly Seattle Kraken prospects update. Well, usually it’s weekly. We missed last week for the trade deadline, but return with an update on Ty Nelson’s progress in Coachella Valley, plus news and notes from around the organization over the last two weeks and a preview of the week ahead. (Note that this update does not include data from the games on Friday, Mar. 14.)

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.

Ty Nelson is gaining traction in Coachella Valley

Seattle Kraken defense prospect Ty Nelson has heard it his entire career. He’s too short. His game is too limited to find success at the higher levels.

But Nelson believes he has the skill and mindset to succeed.

“Throughout my whole life, I’ve never been the tallest kid, but I’ve been on the stockier side,” Nelson told Judd Spicer on a recent episode of The Fire and Ice Podcast. “And so, you know what, if I’m going to a corner with a guy that’s 5-foot-2, or I’m going into the corner with a guy that’s 6-foot-7, I’m going in there with the same mindset that I’m going to do anything to get you out of my way to get that puck.”

“That’s just the way that I’ve played hockey my whole life,” Nelson continued. “I’ve had that outlook on life, you know what I mean? You can’t tell me I can’t do something because I’m too small… I’m not…. I’ll prove you wrong…. You can’t limit me because I’m the shorter guy.”

That mindset has helped Nelson navigate what he admits was a difficult transition “trying to figure out the pace and speed of the [AHL].” Since that initial hurdle, he notes that this rookie AHL season has been about “becoming the best version of myself that I can.”

For Nelson, that growth has manifested most in two areas of his game. First, he points to the nuances and finer points of defending at the professional level. “Coach Stu [Bickel] [and I] have been doing a lot of work on that, and it’s not so much even just like big things. It was just like little things about stick positioning and where you [put your stick] in certain situations.”

Second, he points to his puck possession. “I feel like just my confidence with the puck has been a lot better,” Nelson told Spicer. “I love to play in the offensive zone and make things happen… That’s something that I really felt like I’ve tried to dial up a notch—my confidence with the puck in making smart plays and making the right plays when they’re there.”

When comparing Nelson’s early season work to his more recent games, I tend to think Nelson’s self evaluation is spot on. This is encouraging in itself since it indicates a strong sense for the game.

Nelson’s still playing a relatively sheltered 5-on-5 role, often alongside a veteran like Maxim Lajoie and without tough matchup assignments. He also doesn’t have a regular special teams role, which leaves his ice time around 16 or 17 minutes per night. But this focused assignment has allowed Nelson to hone his defensive game, a necessary step if he’s going to earn an NHL role down the road. As Nelson said, he’s increasingly pairing his physicality at the net front and in the corners with more skilled defensive plays.

On the offensive end, he’s confidently holding the puck and defeating pressure with possession or considered passes. His early season rushed and scattered passes are less frequent now.

Similarly encouraging is Nelson’s dependability and durability. Already facing questions about his size, and coming off a season in which Nelson suffered a scary head injury, it is notable that he is the only rookie (and one of only two players total) to play in every game for the Firebirds this season. That is a great indicator of the staff’s confidence in him and his ability to withstand professional physicality.

If you’ve ever heard Nelson give an interview, it’s hard not to pull for him. He has an infectious personality and clear traits to be a leader and positive locker room presence for this team for years to come. The question was: Would his game hit a ceiling? There’s no evidence of that so far at the AHL level. And we’re not betting against him in the seasons ahead either.

Notes on three Kraken prospects

Julius Miettinen | F | Everett Silvertips (WHL)

Julius Miettinen celebrated his return to the Everett lineup last Sunday night with a goal. Miettinen had missed more than two months of play following a lower-body injury suffered at the World Juniors. Now he’ll take on a key role for the U.S. Division-champion Everett Silvertips as they look to make a run in the WHL playoffs. The burden will be even heavier following the news that teammate (and 2025 draft prospect) Carter Bear is likely out for the remainder of the season.

Nathan Villeneuve | F | Sudbury Wolves (OHL)

Nathan Villeneuve’s scoring rate continued its upward climb in the last two weeks. Villeneuve was averaging exactly one point per game when the calendar flipped over to 2025. Since then, his production sits at a much more impressive 1.4 points per game. For context, his 2025 scoring rate would rank 20th in the OHL if extended to the entire season, just slightly behind fellow Kraken prospect Carson Rehkopf. Overall, his 33 goals put him 17th in the league in goal scoring. His two goals and nine assists in six games since our last update earns him one of our two Sound Of Hockey Prospect(s) of the Week(s).

Ollie Josephson | F | Red Deer Rebels (WHL)

Josephson is not known for his scoring. Instead, his sound defense, speed, and transition skill drive his profile. Even so, Josephson had one of the more impressive prospect performances of the season on Tuesday, Mar. 11, when he had three goals and two assists in a 6-4 Rebels win. Nearly as impressive, he emerged from this relatively close game with a plus-five plus-minus. He’ll look to build on that performance down the home stretch of the season. With 11 points in seven games overall since our last update, he’s your (other) Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week(s).

Kraken prospects data update

Jani Nyman continued to score in the days leading up to his Kraken recall and debut, with three goals in three games.

Rehkopf, Villeneuve, and unsigned Kraken prospect Andrei Loshko all rank within the top-20 in the OHL in goal scoring.

The Kraken reassigned Victor Östman from the ECHL to the AHL with Ales Stezka nursing a day-to-day injury. Östman made his AHL debut last Wednesday, Mar. 5, and earned a win. (He also started and played well on Friday, Mar. 14, after this data was gathered.)

Semyon Vyazovoy continues to impress when given the opportunity in goal in the KHL, but he continues to operate as the lower-playing-time half of a tandem.

2024-25 Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week tracker

Berkly Catton: 3

Clarke Caswell: 2

Tyson Jugnauth: 2

Nathan Villeneuve: 2

Alexis Bernier: 1

Justin Janicke: 1

Ollie Josephson: 1

Andrei Loshko: 1

Oscar Fisker Mølgaard: 1

Victor Östman: 1

Caden Price: 1

Carson Rehkopf: 1

Jani Nyman: 1

Kim Saarinen: 1

Ryan Winterton: 1

Semyon Vyazovoy: 1

Previewing the week ahead

College hockey regular seasons have ended, though a few Kraken prospects playing in the NCAA ranks are still alive in conference championships.

Berkly Catton and the Spokane Chiefs take on Julius Miettinen and the Everett Silvertips on Sunday in Spokane.

Recent prospect updates

February 28, 2025: Talking Firebirds with Shad Powers

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