Site icon Sound Of Hockey

Down on the Farm – Projecting Kraken prospects to the 2026 World Junior Championship

Curtis Isacke

“Down on the Farm” is your weekly Seattle Kraken prospects update. We’re coming to you a bit late this week due to the holidays on Thursday (U.S. Thanksgiving) and Friday (first home game for the Seattle Torrent). But we’ll still get you all the news, video, and data from every corner of the Kraken organization that you’ve come to expect. In our lead segment, we’ll offer some reckless predictions about which Kraken prospects will—or will not—make their national teams for the upcoming 2026 World Junior Championship.

If you have a Kraken prospect–related question you’d like to see featured in a future column, drop us a note below or on X or BlueSky @deepseahockey or @sound_hockey. Let’s dive in.

World Junior Championship projections for Kraken prospects

Berkly Catton | F | Team Canada

Berkly Catton will be Team Canada’s first-line center and quite possibly its captain if he is loaned to the team. Seattle’s plan for Catton is the only question. The NHL team seems to be “one in, one out” with its top-nine forwards right now. Most recently, Kaapo Kakko appeared primed to return, and then Jaden Schwartz was injured. This has created a spot for Catton to continue to contribute on the roster.

Even so, I suspect the Kraken will loan Catton to Team Canada—unless the team is further stricken by injuries in the coming days. Though every point is important for Seattle right now, Catton has not moved the needle for the NHL club to the extent that he is indispensable. The team may view a WJC stint as beneficial for the player (and, therefore, the team) long term.

Jake O’Brien | F | Team Canada

Ironically, if Catton isn’t made available to Team Canada, the primary “beneficiary” could be Jake O’Brien, who could slide into a top-nine playmaking role vacated by Catton. O’Brien has created a reel of highlights in the first half of his OHL season, primarily through his elite vision and passing. He leads the junior league with 41 points in 22 games.

I’m inclined to believe O’Brien will make the roster regardless, but his playing time will depend on whether Team Canada is without some of its projected front-line contributors like Catton (either because they were not loaned to the team or due to injury). At full attendance, O’Brien still projects as a marginal piece for this year’s team.

Ollie Josephson | F | Team Canada

We characterized Ollie Josephson as a long shot to make this year’s WJC team when he unexpectedly joined Team Canada for the World Junior Summer Showcase. We feel the same way now. I suspect Josephson is on the outside looking in given the talent available to this year’s Canada squad. If the team wants a fourth-line forechecker, it could do much worse than Josephson, but I expect Canada will prioritize skill in this year’s group.

Jakub Fibigr | D | Team Czechia

Jakub Fibigr has been a stalwart for Czechia in international events over the last few years. Elite Prospects has Fibigr logging 23 games with the Czech international team over the last two seasons—in addition to a full slate in the OHL. He has shown the ability to move the puck and play in all situations in these international showings.

This year, however, Czechia will be leaning on Fibigr. After his emergence as a No. 1 defenseman in the OHL this season, I suspect Team Czechia will deploy him heavily, particularly on the power play. He may play as much as any Kraken skater at this year’s WJC.

Julius Miettinen | F | Team Finland

At last year’s WJC, we saw the best version of Julius Miettinen we had seen to that point. He was fast and physical. Playing in Finland’s top six, he often took difficult matchups—particularly in two meetings with Team USA—and more than held his own. Beyond that, Miettinen was a top option on the penalty kill and a net-front presence on the power play. Unfortunately, an injury derailed much of the remainder of his junior season.

This year, Miettinen has turned up the scoring production in the WHL, and he looks primed for a featured role at the WJC. He projects to land on Finland’s top line and play even heavier minutes than last year.

Kim Saarinen | G | Team Finland

Kim Saarinen has been a regular starter in Liiga, Finland’s top professional league, for the last year and a half. Last season he outpaced even the prodigious production of fellow Kraken prospect Nikke Kokko in their respective post-draft seasons. And Saarinen was on Team Finland’s roster at last year’s WJC (though did not play). All of this led me to project that Saarinen would be on Team Finland’s roster, but likely as the backup behind fellow 19-year-old standout Petteri Rimpinen.

That dynamic has not changed much this fall. Rimpinen has arguably outplayed Saarinen at the international precursor events and seems to be ahead of Saarinen in the eyes of Team Finland management. Saarinen will be with Team Finland but may not play more than one pool play game unless Rimpinen falters.

Blake Fiddler | D | Team USA

Fiddler has been a stalwart for Team USA at U18 and U20 precursor tournaments to the World Junior Championship. There is little doubt in my mind that Fiddler is on track to play an important role for Team USA at the 2027 event, when he will be 19 years old. The question is: Does he have a place on Team USA’s blue line this year at 18 years old (a.k.a. an “underager”)?

Over the summer I had Fiddler on the outside looking in. I’m slightly more optimistic about his chances now because his offensive production has ticked up in the WHL. (Fiddler had 33 points in 64 WHL games last season, a .52 point-per-game pace. He’s at 18 points through just 23 games so far this year, a .78 point-per-game pace.) Team USA projects as a sound team, but one that may struggle to score compared with recent years after an exodus of high-end skill. Fiddler’s offensive traits may be too intriguing to leave at home.

Right now, I’d project Fiddler as the No. 7 defenseman for Team USA at the 2026 WJC.

Notes on three more Kraken prospects

Eduard Sale | F | Coachella Valley Firebirds (AHL)

Eduard Sale’s season did not get off to a promising start. He was held off the scoresheet in the Firebirds’ Oct. 10 opener against the San Diego Gulls, and then he proceeded to miss the next month and a half with an injury.

The narrative has shifted a bit since his Nov. 21 return, however. In three games, he has four points (one goal and three assists), and the Firebirds are plus-one with him on the ice at even strength during those contests. By our data score metric—which is built on scoring rates, not totals—Sale’s point-per-game stat line in the AHL at age 20 is the most impressive scoring season in the system right now. Of course, the small-sample-size caveat applies, but this serves as a reminder: Sale is still young and skilled. He shouldn’t be overlooked.

Zaccharya Wisdom | F | Western Michigan Univ. (NCAA)

Zaccharya Wisdom, a 2023 seventh-round pick of the Seattle Kraken, is an unheralded player in the system, but he has pushed his production up a notch in his junior year at Western Michigan University. Wisdom scored three goals and added an assist—and the Broncos were plus-four with him on the ice at even strength—in last weekend’s sweep of the University of Nebraska-Omaha. This earned Wisdom NCHC “Forward of the Week,” and it also makes him your Sound Of Hockey Player of the Week.

Ville Ottavainen | D | Coachella Valley Firebirds (AHL)

Ottavainen returned to the ice on Friday, Nov. 28, for the Firebirds, his first game action since Nov. 8. He had been sidelined with a lower-body injury. His return coincided with immediate defensive results, as the Firebirds shut out the San Diego Gulls en route to a 5-0 win.

Kraken prospects data update

Miettinen accumulated the most points per game over the last week, and he tied for the most points overall with Fibigr. Both continue to show they are elite junior players in their age-19 seasons.

Logan Morrison has been a leader for the Firebirds in all respects this season. The 23-year-old undrafted center is second on the team in points (behind only Jagger Firkus) and looks like an emotional leader on the ice.

Saarinen got his season back on track over the last week with two strong starts, including a shutout. He got his save percentage back near .900 for the season and was a strong contender for Player of the Week.

Kokko finished the last week with a save percentage over .900, which is reflective of an incremental step forward in the overall defensive play of the Firebirds. (He also earned a shutout on Friday, Nov. 28, in a game that isn’t included in these statistics, which were gathered Friday morning.)

Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week tracker

2: Kim Saarinen, Julius Miettinen, Jagger Firkus

1: Jake O’Brien, Semyon Vyazovoi, Nathan Villeneuve, Ollie Josephson, Zaccharya Wisdom

Previewing the week ahead

The Deep Sea Hockey Game of the Week is a matchup between Nathan Villeneuve’s Sudbury Wolves and Jakub Fibigr’s Brampton Steelheads on Saturday, Nov. 29, at 1:00 pm PT.

Tracking 2026 NHL Draft prospects: Adam Novotny

The Czech-born Novotny had an impressive draft-minus-one season. The 6-foot-1 forward played 41 games in the top Czech professional league and was a regular contributor for the Czech U20 team at the World Junior Championship as a 17-year-old. Like many young players who reach the top of the European professional ranks early, he opted to move to North America in his draft year to get acquainted with the play style and assume a featured offensive role. This season he’s averaging more than a point per game for the Peterborough Petes in the OHL. If he keeps up that pace, he’ll likely hear his name called in the top 20 picks of the 2026 NHL Draft.

Recent prospect updates

November 21, 2025: Blake Fiddler brings intriguing tools

November 15, 2025: Firkus steps forward for Firebirds

November 7, 2025: Caden Price looks the part in pro debut

October 31, 2025: College hockey seasons under way for Kraken prospects

October 25, 2005: Mølgaard is an all-situations contributor as an AHL rookie

October 17, 2025: Tyson Jugnauth earns important role with the Firebirds

October 10, 2025: Firebirds drop the puck on the 2025-26 season

October 3, 2025: Catton makes his case for the NHL Roster

September 26, 2025: Junior seasons begin, J.R. Avon settles in

Curtis Isacke

Curtis is a Sound Of Hockey contributor and member of the Kraken press corps. Curtis is an attorney by day, and he has read the NHL collective bargaining agreement and bylaws so you don’t have to. He can be found analyzing the Kraken, NHL Draft, and other hockey topics on Twitter and Bluesky @deepseahockey.

Read more from Curtis
Exit mobile version