With the 8th overall pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, the Seattle Kraken added another talented center to their growing pipeline, selecting Jake O’Brien of the Brantford Bulldogs. The Toronto native turned heads this season with his elite vision and playmaking ability, racking up 32 goals and 66 assists for 98 points in just 68 OHL regular-season games.
O’Brien was the engine behind Brantford’s power play, quarterbacking the top unit and piling up 41 power-play assists—a testament to both his patience and precision. His ability to manipulate defenders and carve through coverage is already drawing praise from scouts. Cam Robinson of Elite Prospects described O’Brien as a player whose “head is always up, scanning, adjusting routes, and inviting defenders to make the first move before slicing them apart with a feed.” In short: he sees plays develop before they even happen.
At 6-foot-1.5 and 172 pounds, O’Brien isn’t the biggest player on the ice, but he rarely needs to be. His game is built on feel, finesse, and hockey sense. While many analysts have noted that he still has room to grow in terms of shooting and skating, his offensive instincts are already NHL-caliber.
Brantford opens the scoring 🚨#NHLDraft prospect Jake O’Brien scores a late first period goal for the @BulldogsOHL to put them up 1-0 heading into the first intermission!#OHLPlayoffs | @CHLHockey pic.twitter.com/p1EaqcmBTA
— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) April 19, 2025
The Kraken are banking on that upside. O’Brien’s pedigree also speaks volumes, his mom played high-level hockey and now runs her own hockey school, which Jake frequented growing up to fine-tune his craft. His dad also played Division I college hockey and logged a year in the ECHL. The hockey DNA runs deep in the O’Brien family.
This selection marks the fourth time in five drafts that Seattle has used a first-round pick on a center, following Matty Beniers (2021), Shane Wright (2022), and Berkly Catton (2024). And while not all centers stay at that position as pros, the organizational philosophy is clear: keep stacking the middle of the ice. The old saying goes, “You can never have too many centers,” and Seattle seems happy to live by that rule.
Whether O’Brien eventually lands at center or shifts to the wing, his ability to create offense and tilt the ice is what earned him OHL Rookie of the Year honors in 2023-24, when he posted 64 points in 61 games as a 16-year-old. That was just the beginning. The Kraken hope he’s only getting started.
Could have done worse here. So glad they didn’t draft Mrtka (not that he is BAD, just I think over hyped)
Curtis nails it!
The Big Board had Jake going No.7 but Curtis broke his own rule and called an audible. He had Martin moving up and the Kraken taking O’Brien.
Curtis is cooking!
I was really intrigued by McQueen since he’d bring something different than the rest of the young Cs they’ve taken but it’s hard to argue with taking the clear top rated player left. Ultimately the more swings they take at getting a true 1C, the more likely they are to get one. Glad they didn’t reach a defenseman.
First real head scratcher of this years draft is Philly trading up to 12 to take Jack Nesbit. They traded 22 and 31.
I’m not sure what Dubas is doing? I know Kindle has his fans, but the Big Board had him at No.20. And then he trades the second pick down.
When the game is chess, playing 3-D chess doesn’t help. Good luck Pittsburgh.
Right choice. Early thoughts but within a few years, is it O’Brien 1C Wright 2C Beniers 3C Miettinen/Molgaard 4C?
Another center who needs to put on 10-15 lbs. The nutritionist/strength coaches will be full-time on the Kraken centers for the foreseeable future.
Eh he’s not going to be here playing as a center cause of stephenson. Also centers can play wingers.
In three years when he’s ready for the NHL, Stephenson is tradeable. Our fanbase has much to learn.
As Koist noted, O’Brien is at least three years away; He’s one of the youngest players in the draft. Stephenson will have no impact on what position or what line this kid plays on.
Not sure why people need to predict lines and positions three years down the road – that’s a fool’s errand. Let the kid develop and we’ll all see where he ends up.
Part of the reason Seattle got Wright is because New Jersey was loaded at center. If folks recall, going in to that draft it was expected to be Slafkovsky, Wright and Cooley in some order, but the Devils were loaded with young centers so they took a defenseman. It was “supposed to be” Seattle picking between Nemec and Jiricek. How lucky did the Kraken get that the Devils thought they didn’t need another center? How dumb do the Devils feel for passing on Cooley and Wright… for Nemec?
The reason everyone in this draft is loading up on centers is because the last couple seasons have proven… you can never, ever have too many centers.
As Matt said… stop plugging these guys into lines three years from now.
I think it’s more likely that Catton and O’Brien would slot in at wing with Beniers and Wrighr to add more of a playmaking element to the Center’s 200ft play.
Just an uninspiring pick by the dull unimaginative GMJB (a chip off the old GMRF block). More dynamic picks with greater upside would have been Roger McQueen or Victor Eklund (at forward), or given the need at D Jackson Smith or Kashawn Aitcheson. ALL of those four will become better NHL players than O’Brien. When you start playing hockey the first axiom is “If you can skate you can play.” Skating is the hardest skill to master, you have to be a good athlete to master it. All other skills (shooting passing etc.) can be improved via simple repetition. Jake O’Brien’s scouting report says he needs to improve his skating. He’s a non-aggressive, non-athletic player who will never be a top line player in the NHL.
It’s become clear to me that the Kraken front office is painfully aware of their intellectual deficiencies and are terrified. The result is they basically draft off NHL Central Scouting’s player rankings as this provides cover to mask their incompetence. So don’t expect any dynamic, franchise altering moves in the next 5-10 years, This team’s forward group (current roster or farm system) has NO top-line IL players, just a bunch of average (at best) 2L and 3L players. The only players (in their entire farm system) with top line/D pairing potential are Ville Ottavainen and Ty Nelson. Over the next 1-2 years their farm system rankings will decline precipitously as evaluators realize this.
San Jose, Anaheim, Chicago and Utah have plans to improve their rosters and are executing those plans aggressively. The Kraken have no plan – they’re simply limping from one marginal transaction to another, trying to convince us that activity equals progress. And if you think they’ll be able to acquire players like Jason Robertson, guess again. JR (or any player with one year remaining on their contract) effectively have veto power regarding any trade.
Hypothetically lets say Kraken agree on terms to acquire JR which requires him to agree to a LT contract:
Kraken to JR: “We’d love for you to sign a (7 year) contract and be a part of a team with a great future.”
JR (through his agent). “For a second I thought you were talking about another team lol! The Kraken – why would I agree to wasting the rest of my career with a dog-crap franchise like that?”
As soon as next year (but maybe two years out) the Kraken will have the worst record in the Western Conference as they’ve been consistently out-drafted and out-maneuvered by smarter franchises since the beginning of their existence – and there’s no escaping this brutal truth.
You came up with all of this because they took Jake O’Brien over Victor Eklund?
Wow!
Totemforlife,
In a single post you have summarized to some extent thoughts I have expressed here and elsewhere for years. Well done.
Unfortunately, your words will be mostly wasted on this crowd of GMRF/GMJB apologists. If one remembers seeing the Totems play, then one has been at this sport a long time and has waited for an eternity for an NHL franchise. It has been a massive disappointment to watch GMRF turn what should have been an outstanding opportunity into a mediocre franchise. That was obvious from when he had the rapt attention of 31 other GMs at the expansion draft and made ZERO deals!!!! https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/ron-francis-tenure-as-seattle-kraken-general-manager-average-at-best.
To be a consistent playoffs franchise, the GM has to take weighted risks. I saw more risk taking out of new GM Mathieu Darche yesterday than I have seen out of the Kraken in five years. That is what fans really want, a front office that shows not only high intellect but deploys it in making some big swings. It might not work at first, like what Trotz attempted last summer, but one has to keep at it. Sam Holloway might want to find a way to spend a weekend with Jim Nill, just voted GM of the year for the third consecutive time. There are successful GMs in the league and then there is everyone else. It is the most important decision she has to make and not so sure she made the right one in listening to RF on the JB appointment.
GMJB’s start has not been auspicious, as I have noted in prior posts. Smarter GMs are pursuing difference makers like JJ Peterka while he is chasing buy-out candidate Joe Veleno. And why has Grubuaer not been bought out yet, are they seriously going to run it back for a fifth year of mediocre goaltending? I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt for the summer but I sense the shadow of RF on all his moves, so I don’t see how things change without a complete changeover in front office personnel and thinking.
As noted, after waiting so long for a franchise that was promised when the Canucks entered the league, nothing could be more disappointing that what has been on display in the team’s NHL roster management. As you note, no top UFA is coming to this franchise, so the only way up to develop and promote prospects. I think that if this season goes south, there should be a fire sale at the trade deadline of every veteran possible. I would much rather have the Kraken emulate what Mike Grier is doing down south than to continue on this path of assured mediocrity.
Imagine writing all those words in defense of an idiotic take which basically boils down to “take best player available bad”. You two cavemen should get a room and go hug it out. The smart person would say “he if everyone else thinks I’m wrong, maybe I am”. The dumb person keeps yelling loudly. Pick your poison
CH your take is spot on. And in context Seravelli was damning when he described RF’s approach as being “milquetoast.”
The Kraken take Jake O’Brien at No.8… where pretty much everyone in the hockey universe had him going and you two – TFL and Chuck Holmes – come up with this shit.
Are you fucking kidding me?
The quality level of a comment is inversely proportional to its length.
Wow – that’s REAlLY CLEVER. Go FUCK YOURSELF
Really?… it’s spelled r-e-a-l-l-y.
Did I touch a nerve? If the shoe fits, wear it. Imagine standing on that soapbox and yelling that loudly, when every analyst has said this was the player with the most upside available at our pick. That’s not even touching your ignorant comments about the expansion draft where it’s well documented GMs didn’t want to deal because, you know, it takes two parties to make a deal. It may be time to step away from the team my guy. You clearly are too emotionally involved and your own ignorance/unwillingness to learn is making it worse
Koist – I’ve never made a single comment about the expansion draft. Don’t know where thats coming from.
Ok that was out of order – apologies to Koist….
Wow. It must suck living with such a negative outlook. I don’t know if you noticed, but there were 7 teams finishing below Seattle in the standings, including teams like Boston and Nashville. Yes. Seattle was better than the Boston Bruins.
Apparently in some peoples’ worlds, no one in the league would want any of Seattle’s players or prospects…until of course the trade deadline when everyone actually seems to want Seattle’s players. But apparently NO ONE would ever want Montour, Stephenson, old man Schwartz (he only had 26 goals), Eberle, McCann, Dunn, Larsson, Marchment, Gaudreau and you can forget about the terrible prospects like Shane Wright and Matty Beniers! But hey! Why the F aren’t we playing 19 yo Berkly Catton 82 games?!
Everyone owes you an apology for what you have to endure to have a new NHL franchise in your city. We’re all sorry.
Ok, maybe 5 teams. I was confused momentarily by the draft lottery results.
I don’t know if you noticed, but there were only three teams that finished below Seattle in the Western Conference. Chicago and San Jose both have great young talent and good prospect pools with better talent. Both could lap the Kraken next season
Yeah, fans in Chicago love the job Kyle Davidson is doing.
Both of those teams have those high end prospects with more talent because they’ve been absolutely abysmal the last few years. I agree with the take that making the playoffs year 2 was not the best for the kraken even though it was a blast at the games. They’re also a 4 year old team. Vegas is an outlier in what happens to expansion franchises. Id rather watch middle of the pack entertaining hockey than what the sharks, ducks and blackhawks (and the flyers, penguins, Sabres, flames, preds) have looked like the last few years (ducks and sharks started showing flashes last year). And yes the kraken can be frustrating and yes I have turned games off here and there because they were dogshit, but my expectation also isnt that we have a top line of crosby, marner pastrnak with a d core of lane Hutson ekblad and maker. Its going to take time. Can they make more aggressive moves? For sure. Has the season started yet? No. Let’s see what happens. Honestly? Im not going to start getting pissed until they start shopping their past top picks for puck bags. If I see beniers, wright and catton get shipped off for mid round picks and a fleet of tanevs then ill jump on the train of “fuck management, they’re mediocre, awful, ruining the entire city” bullshit people get on like sone of yall. Id have preffered McQueen or trading up to snag martone but that didnt happen. I dont think mrtka was the answer either.
Maybe you should try watching a Kraken game someday. It’s actually really fun!
These Debbie downers must be miserable to live with.
Go Kraken!!!
“His game is built on feel, finesse, and hockey sense. While many analysts have noted that he still has room to grow in terms of shooting and skating, his offensive instincts are already NHL-caliber.” — John
That right there is the advantage a guy gets from having a mom who is a coach. The world needs more hockey moms. I wonder if his skating will take the same leap in Coachella Valley when he gets there that Jani Nyman’s and Shane Wright’s skating took. It is easy to be optimistic about him.
Serious question. Why would we sign O’Brien to an ELC? He’s pretty young and seems like he needs to “ripen” a bit. NCAA could have been a really viable option for his development, and we just took that out of the equation.
I was wondering the same thing. There has been quite a bit of talk about a modification coming with the NHL/CHL agreement and there was speculation it could end up in the new CBA… but I haven’t heard anything to that effect in the reports of what is in the new CBA.
One version discussed was allowing teams one exemption to allow a 19 year old player to transfer to the AHL. As complicated as the whole thing is between ELCs, signing and performance bonuses, transfer agreements, and rumored changes, I’m gonna assume the team has a good reason to forego the college option. It would be a great question for someone to ask Botterill directly.