Seattle Kraken add defensemen Blake Fiddler and Will Reynolds on Day 2 of the 2025 NHL Draft

The Seattle Kraken began Day 2 of the 2025 NHL Draft Saturday with the sixth pick in the second round (No. 38), but they didn’t wait that long to grab a player they had highly rated on their board. The Kraken traded their two second-round picks (Nos. 38 and 57) to Philadelphia for pick No. 36 and a third-round pick (No. 68). The trade may have been an ever-so-slight overpay based on our trade market value chart, but Seattle got a hulking, right-shot defenseman in Blake Fiddler that few anticipated to still be on the board at this point in the draft. By trading, Seattle effectively jumped over Philadelphia and Washington, one of which took another right-shot defenseman in Carter Amico.

At the top of the third round, Seattle then took another defenseman in Will Reynolds at No. 68 overall. What are the Kraken getting in Fiddler and Reynolds? Let’s dive in.

Round 2, Pick 36: Blake Fiddler, D, Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL) 

Age: 17 | Height: 6-foot-4 | Weight: 209 | Shot: Right
Big Board: 27th | Data Score: 33.74 (94th) | Games: 64 | Goals: 10 | Assists: 23 | PPG: .52

With the No. 36 overall pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, the Seattle Kraken selected defenseman Blake Fiddler from the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings. The 6-foot-4, 209-pound, native Tennessean brings a physical element, as well as strong speed and agility for his size. He also has NHL experience in the family; his father Vernon Fiddler played 14 years in the NHL as a forward for the Nashville Predators and Dallas Stars, among other teams.

Beyond size, speed, and bloodlines, Blake Fiddler brings significant upside as a shutdown top-four defenseman. “With three-zone skills and unusual mobility for a player this size, it’s impossible not to see Fiddler’s potential,” says Elite Prospects. “In a single shift, he dangles through the opposition for an entry, blows up an opposing rush, and then stretches the ice with a long-range breakout pass while fending off pressure. … Fiddler is highly creative, manipulating defenders with fakes before pulling the puck through them, beating them off the point, drawing pressure before passing through them on the breakout, and patiently waiting for the perfect lane to open. Many plays don’t quite click, but that he’s willing to experiment and push bodes well for his future.”

For his part, Fiddler compared his own game to Moritz Seider in a post-draft press conference with the Seattle media.

The defenseman scored 10 goals and added 23 assists in 64 games for the Edmonton Oil Kings, a .52 point-per-game pace. His 33 points ranked fifth among all first-time eligible WHL defensemen in the 2025 NHL Draft.

Fiddler was viewed by most scouts as a late-first-round talent. He was No. 27 overall on the Sound Of Hockey Big Board. Of the sources we gathered, Tony Ferrari of The Hockey News was the highest on Fiddler, ranking him No. 17 overall. Elite Prospects had him ranked No. 23 overall, and McKeen’s had him at No. 22.

What Fiddler does for Seattle is fill a glaring hole in the Kraken organization: a blueliner who could conceivably fill a top-pair role for the team once the current NHL players atop the depth chart start to age out. He may not project as a true offensive No. 1, but his all-around profile could compliment a more offense-oriented pair partner. The Kraken have a number of intriguing defense prospects, from Caden Price to Tyson Jugnauth, but each projects into more of a support or one-way role at this point. If it all comes together, Fiddler could be an alpha on the blue line long term.

If he’s going to reach his upside, the hockey sense and consistency needs to develop, “particularly reading the play,” says Elite Prospects. “Achieving a top shutdown projection will require better timing on his pivots, a consistently tight gap, and more physicality. An occasional lack of awareness and a plethora of miscues with possession will have to be cleaned up to translate his puck-moving to the NHL, too.”

As a July, 2007 birthday, Fiddler is a young draft entry. There is a long development runway ahead. We should not expect Fiddler on the roster in the next couple years, but his frame and style of play could have him knocking at the door thereafter if things coalesce quickly for him.

Round 3, Pick 68: Will Reynolds, D, Acadie-Bathurst Titan (QMJHL) 

Age: 17 | Height: 6-foot-3 | Weight: 192 | Shot: Left
Big Board: 137th | Data Score: 11.74 (1995th) | Games: 64 | Goals: 4 | Assists: 10 | PPG: .22

For the second-straight draft, the Kraken departed from (some) public analyst consensus to select a QMJHL defenseman whose calling card is defensive play at the top of the third round. Last year it was Alexis Bernier. This year it is Reynolds, a young (August, 2007 birthday), big and mobile left-shot defenseman.

“There’s potential for growth in Will Reynolds’ game,” says Elite Prospects. “One of the youngest players in the draft, with room to fill out, Reynolds already boasts a few professional-level defensive abilities. Reading opposing breakouts and timing himself with the play, he pinches on opponents as they receive the puck, nullifying rushes. His aggressive approach does lead to some misses, but Reynolds has the edgework needed to catch up to attackers and push them to the outside anyway.”

The defenseman scored four goals and added 10 assists in 64 games for the Acadie-Bathurst Titan of the QMJHL. In 2021, the Kraken selected Jacob Melanson out of Acadie-Bathurst.

Reynolds was viewed by most scouts as a mid-round talent, checking in at No. 137 on the Big Board. McKeen’s thought Reynolds should be picked in this range, ranking him No. 75 overall. NHL Central Scouting had Reynolds No. 63 among North American skaters.

“The next step for Reynolds is developing his puck-moving game,” says Elite Prospects. “He can separate opponents from the puck, but extends his time spent defending when he can’t pass it around the forecheck to open teammates. If he can develop his poise, handling, and passing skills, he could become a bottom-pairing NHL insulator.”

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Seattle has two picks left in the 2025 NHL Draft, one in the fifth round (No. 134) and one in the seventh round (No. 198). Seattle added a creative, right-shot center on Day 1 in Jake O’Brien. The team then added size, mobility, and defensive upside to the prospect pool on Day 2 with Fiddler and Reynolds.

What do you think of the picks? Any players you’d have preferred to see Seattle select? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below or on X @deepseahockey or @sound_hockey or BluSky @deepseahockey or @soundofhockey.com.