Welcome to “Down on the Farm,” your weekly Seattle Kraken prospects update. This week, we’ll have a quick news check-in and schedule update from the World Junior Championship and a mid-season update to my personal Kraken prospect ranking. After that, we’ll pass along other news from around the organization, weekly and season-to-date data updates, all-shifts videos, Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week, a preview of the week ahead, and more.
If you have a Seattle 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.
Mid-season Kraken prospect ranking
The criteria I have adopted for considering a Kraken organization player a “prospect” are: (1) the player must have Calder Trophy eligibility, and (2) the player must be under 25 years old. The former criterion eliminated Ryan Winterton from the list (he would have figured in around No. 10), and the latter criterion eliminated goalie Victor Ostman. (That said, I think I may extend goalie eligibility to include the age-25 season moving forward, since goalies often develop more slowly and a player like Ostman still has a realistic shot to play meaningful NHL minutes.)
The column marked PS Rank is my 2025 preseason rank for the player, which can be found (along with John Barr’s preseason rank) here. The column marked “diff” represents the difference in rank between the two time periods. While many players held their stock steady, there were a few who have significantly helped or hurt their stock over the last few months.
For me, there seems to be a top-9 tier, a top-18 tier, and then another tier that reaches to about 26. I wouldn’t put too much stock in the order beyond that.
Kraken prospect risers
Jagger Firkus has stepped up as a key playdriver at the AHL level. In so doing, he has proven that his size won’t hold him back in what might be the second-best professional league in the world. Firkus will need to be even more locked in on his details if he is to make the jump to the NHL level, but it’s looking more and more likely to me that the AHL’s U23 goal-scoring and total points leader will get at least an audition as a top-nine scoring winger in the NHL. (One could make a very reasonable case Firkus should still be behind Miettinen and Villeneuve in this ranking, but his skill level is tantalizing for a Kraken team in desperate need of offense.)
Jacob Melanson is a bit of a wild card at No. 10 on this list. His ceiling is relatively lower than many who follow him, but I elevated him because I believe he has demonstrated an NHL-competent checking-line skill set, and there is a clear path to consistent NHL minutes in the short to medium term for him in Seattle. He’s not a traditional “top-10 prospect,” but I think he deserves the placement with his play since being called up.
Nathan Villeneuve is cut from the same cloth as Melanson, but brings more offensive skill. After holding his own in the AHL playoffs at 18 years old last year and lighting it up offensively in the OHL this season, I’m about as confident as I could be that Villeneuve will be a productive NHL player within the next two years.
Oscar Fisker Mølgaard is not a “big riser,” ascending only one spot, but I feel compelled to note how impressive his skill game has been at the AHL level. He can transport the puck with speed and defeat defenses with puckhandling and precision passes. Layer this on top of his heady two-way play, and his size and physicality are the only developmental milestones left. The transition to North American play has been seamless.
Kaden Hammell has been a low-key revelation, with his physical two-way game and nose for the goal from the blue line translating to the professional game better than many of his more highly drafted teammates. He still may top out as a quality AHL player, but he has risen to a level of all-around professional competence quickly enough that you have to wonder if there could be more.
In just a few months, Loke Krantz has ascended from obscure seventh-round pick to professional player in the SHL and member of the Sweden WJC team. Krantz will have to start paying off those coaching evaluations with production as he continues through this season and into next, but the leap in his potential prospect stature is undeniable.
#SeaKraken prospect Loke Krantz scored his first SHL goal today and it was a beauty. 👀pic.twitter.com/YX9cYTSm3N
— Deep Sea Hockey (@DeepSeaHockey) November 21, 2025
Kraken prospect fallers
Carson Rehkopf has hit an AHL stumbling block similar to the challenge David Goyette encountered in his first professional season. Rehkopf has not found the space to use his offensive skills in the same way he did at the junior level, and without that goal-scoring production, is he a net positive? His discipline and defensive play are suspect, and there are flaws in his transition game. Rehkopf still flashes skill in the offensive zone, and he is young, but we’ll need to see him getting to scoring areas and converting more regularly by this time next season, or the concerns may get louder. You could say the same things about Eduard Sale.
I do not view Caden Price as a “disappointment” in his first few professional months, but I may have been a bit too aggressive in ranking him within the top 10 to begin the season. Since the end of last year’s WJC, Price has not contributed much offensively. I thought that might rebound, but we haven’t seen it yet this season. I still like the base of skills and athleticism he brings, but he’s a borderline NHLer if he can’t find his offense again.
Lukas Dragicevic has struggled defensively in his initial exposure to pro hockey. One could say the same thing about Tyson Jugnauth (to an extent), but Jugnauth has been able to translate his offensive game and make an impact there. Dragicevic, who is also an offense-first defenseman, hasn’t found the scoresheet with any regularity either. Like Rehkopf, the question for Dragicevic is whether he can take the adversity and respond over the next year-plus.
What do you think? Who should be higher or lower? Let us know in the comments below.
Updates from the World Junior Championship
As we noted last week, four Kraken prospects are on rosters at the 2026 World Junior Championship: Jakub Fibigr for Czechia, Loke Krantz for Sweden, and Juilius Miettinen and Kim Saarinen for Finland. This is a smaller group than Kraken fans have come to expect in recent years, but the tournament has been very interesting for draftniks, with a number of high-end 2026 NHL Draft prospects playing—and playing well.
After an off-day on New Year’s Day, the tournament begins its elimination stage on Friday. Friday begins with Denmark and Germany playing to avoid relegation to the IA level. (Norway will replace the loser of that game after winning gold at the IA level earlier this month.) After that, Krantz and Sweden take on Latvia, and Fibigr and Czechia take on Switzerland. Miettinen and Finland will then square off with the United States in a 2025 final rematch at 3:00 pm PT. Canada will take on Slovakia to close out the night. Play resumes with the semifinals on Sunday.
The quarterfinal games will be broadcast on NHL Network. ESPN+ will carry the relegation game and also the Czechia-Switzerland quarterfinal.
Jakub Fibigr | D | Team Czechia (WJC)
Fibigr has been very solid, averaging around 22 or 23 minutes per game as a top-four defenseman and top penalty-kill option for Czechia. Fibigr has also worn the “A” for a team with gold medal aspirations.
Julius Miettinen | F | Team Finland (WJC)
Miettinen missed the first game of the tournament when he was not registered to Team Finland’s roster due to an “operational error.” Since then, Miettinen has taken up the mantle of first-line center and team leader. In Finland’s most recent game against Canada, Miettinen wore the “C” for Team Finland with captain Aron Kiviharju out of the lineup. His 20:22 of ice time was tops among Finnish forwards in that game. Miettinen has two points (one goal and one assist) in three games.
Kim Saarinen | G | Team Finland (WJC)
Saarinen has not seen the ice since pre-tournament action, yielding all of Finland’s starts to Petteri (“Mr. Showtime”) Rimpinen. At this point, it seems likely it will be Rimpinen’s crease for as long as Finland stays alive. Though not unexpected, it is still mildly disappointing that we will not get to see Saarinen on this stage.
Loke Krantz | F | Team Sweden (WJC)
Krantz has been active for three of Sweden’s four games and registered his tournament-high 8:03 TOI in Sweden’s most recent contest against the United States. Krantz is still looking for his first WJC scoring point.
Highlights of the week
The Kraken reassigned forward Jani Nyman to the Coachella Valley Firebirds earlier this week, and Li’l Jani drew into his first AHL contest of the season on Wednesday. In some respects, Nyman’s first game back in a heavy-usage role was a struggle (he was a minus-5), but he was able to finish on the power play in classic Nyman fashion.
JANI NYMANNNNNNNN EVERYBODY!!!
— Coachella Valley Firebirds (@Firebirds) January 1, 2026
4-2 pic.twitter.com/9SWDbGfTj7
Miettinen has the only Seattle Kraken prospect goal at the 2026 WJC thus far, but it was beauty. It came in transition off a feed from Everett Silvertips teammate Matias Vanhanen.
JULIUS MIETTINEN, HOW DO YA DO! 🇫🇮
— Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) January 1, 2026
The @WHLsilvertips star records a beauty on New Year’s Eve at the #WorldJuniors. @SeattleKraken | #SeaKraken
pic.twitter.com/KMAggoStzD
Kraken prospects data update
Andrei Loshko scored his first two goals of the season in the last week, and he added an assist for good measure. In three games he bested his point total from his 20 other games this season. He was a strong contender for Player of the Week.
Logan Morrison, 23, is tied with Jagger Firkus for the fourth-most goals in the AHL among all players under 25 years old.
Semyon Vyazovoi had a very strong week, including a shootout win in which he stopped 45 of 46 shots on goal. His sterling .948 save percentage across two starts was enough to snag him Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week honors.
Visa Vedenpaa earned his first Liiga start since Nov. 15, but struggled a bit, saving only 24 of 28 shots on goal.
Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week tracker
3: Jagger Firkus
2: Julius Miettinen, Kim Saarinen, Semyon Vyazovoi
1: Barrett Hall, Ollie Josephson, Tyson Jugnauth, Nikke Kokko, Jake O’Brien, Nathan Villeneuve, Zaccharya Wisdom
Previewing the week ahead
We’ll give our Deep Sea Hockey Game of the Week to the WJC quarterfinal matchup between Sweden and Latvia. Sweden’s Krantz feels due for a breakthrough.
Tracking 2026 NHL Draft prospects: Tomas Chrenko
Tomas Chrenko is a Slovak center who has played the better part of two seasons for HK Nitra in the top-level Slovak professional league. Many draft prognosticators have him as a late first-round pick in June’s draft, though that projection may be trending upward after Chrenko’s WJC performance. Through the round-robin stage, he leads the tournament with five goals.
Recent prospect updates
December 26, 2025: Watching Kraken prospects at the 2026 World Junior Championship
December 20, 2025: Resetting Seattle Kraken draft capital after the Mason Marchment trade
December 13, 2025: Ryan Jankowski talks Kraken prospects
December 5, 2025: World Juniors Announcements, Kokko saving the day for the Firebirds
November 29, 2025: Projecting Kraken prospects to the 2026 World Junior Championship
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
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.
Maybe not true “prospects” but with the 4th line being a focal point to the team’s current success, could you do a compare/contrast of the young guys Melanson, Kartye and Winterton skill sets and how you think their role shake out with the team this year and moving forward.
I’ve never understood why Karts never got more of a shot after his playoff debut and what seemed to be a pretty successful first season not to mention his AHL rookie of the year award.