Welcome to “Down on the Farm,” your weekly Seattle Kraken prospects update. This week, we’ll have reports on Kraken prospect performances at the 2026 World Junior Championship, two significant junior hockey trades, a couple of key injuries, and some details from the new AHL collective bargaining agreement. We’ll also have weekly and season-to-date data updates, all-shifts videos, the Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week, and a preview of the week ahead, as always.

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 at @deepseahockey or @sound_hockey.

Kraken prospect reports from the World Juniors

With another WJC in the books, we’ve passed the unofficial halfway point of the prospect season. Before turning our attention to the draft process, let’s recap what we saw from Kraken prospects at the WJC.

Loke Krantz | F | Team Sweden

Sweden swept through the tournament (seven wins, zero losses) on their way to their first gold medal since 2012. Remarkably, it’s only Sweden’s third in the event’s long and storied history, a relatively modest number for a country that routinely fields a title contender year after year. It had become an annual talking point that Sweden couldn’t break through in the elimination rounds, but they changed that narrative this year.

Krantz, 18, defied public expectations by earning a role on this year’s team. He was active for all but one of Sweden’s games, though the lack of a special teams role kept his ice time modest. He topped out at 9:46 of ice time in the semifinal against Finland (see the video below) and logged 6:52 in the final.

I came away very impressed by Krantz’s speed and physicality on the forecheck, effectively leveraging his 6-foot-2 frame to contest and win possession for Sweden. While he didn’t score, I also found his instincts for locating soft spots in the offensive zone for shot attempts to be quite strong. There is a lot to work with here—much more so than your typical late-round pick. I hope he sticks with his SHL team for the balance of the season and we get a few viewings on FloHockey. His stock is way up for me.

Jakub Fibigr | D | Team Czechia (WJC)

Sweden defeated Czechia and Jakub Fibigr in the gold-medal game. Czechia had a couple of standout forward performances, but the team muscled its way through the tournament on the strength of a dominant top-four group of defenders, of which Fibigr was a part.

Fibigr’s game is not without inconsistencies, but he has taken strides in shoring up the defensive aspects of his game from the player I saw often lost and floating in defensive coverage last year for the Brampton Steelheads. All tournament long, he presented as a level-headed, team-leader type. He wore an “A” on the ice and frequently gave thoughtful remarks before and after games.

Fibigr does not bring any dynamic elements that suggest an above-average NHL projection, but he is now firmly in the mix among Seattle’s group of young blueliners who will be jostling for position over the next couple of years and could be knocking at the door shortly thereafter. Could Fibigr be one that emerges from that group? It’s certainly possible. His stock is up slightly following this event.

Julius Miettinen | F | Team Finland (WJC)

Team Finland avenged its 2025 WJC gold-medal game loss to the United States by downing the Americans in the quarterfinals, but it stalled out thereafter, losing to Sweden and Canada to finish in fourth place. This year’s team was a bit under-skilled when compared with past units and really ran out of steam toward the end (more on that in a moment).

Finland deployed Miettinen as a first-line center and a primary player on both special teams units. He saw more time on the wing on the power play this year, after spending most of his time net-front at last year’s event. He was also a top penalty-killer, taking about half of the draws for that unit. Despite that heavy usage, I didn’t see as many flashes from Miettinen this year as I did at last year’s event. He still worked hard defensively, but I didn’t see as much dynamism offensively or on the forecheck.

This may be attributable to the fact that Miettinen was a bit “miscast” in his WJC role. He projects as a high-end role player or complementary piece, rather than an offensive focal point. His stock is neutral for me.

Kim Saarinen | G | Team Finland (WJC)

For two years in a row, Finland went to Petteri Rimpinen for every WJC start while Saarinen sat on the bench. This diverges from the approach of most nations, which rotated in a second goalie for at least one game. Finland clearly preferred to keep Rimpinen in a rhythm, but you cannot help but wonder if he wore down with a seven-game workload over 11 days.

After Finland was eliminated from gold-medal contention, Finland played Canada for the bronze medal in the second game of a back-to-back. Rimpinen was clearly not at his best, conceding six goals to Canada on 34 shots. You could argue that an ice-cold Saarinen would not have been a better option, but that’s the situation Finland put itself in by not getting its second goalie any time earlier in the tournament. Personally, I wouldn’t manage the goalies this way. I think Finland’s approach cost the team a chance at the bronze medal, at least.

Saarinen’s stock is neutral.

Nathan Villeneuve and Jakub Fibigr traded to the Windsor Spitfires

It is an annual tradition that, as the WJC winds down, CHL trade news steps in to fill the void. With CHL trade deadlines arriving in early January, junior teams out of contention look to move players who are unlikely to return for future assets. With the added uncertainty involving junior hockey players moving to the NCAA ranks (including immediate moves), this year’s deadline was a particularly chaotic period.

Two of Seattle’s top junior players, Nathan Villeneuve and Jakub Fibigr, remained on junior teams that projected to miss the playoffs. Both were traded this week. On Monday, Jan. 5, the Sudbury Wolves traded forward Villeneuve to the Windsor Spitfires. Then, on Wednesday, Jan. 7, the Brampton Steelheads traded defenseman Fibigr to the Spitfires.

These moves should provide a jolt and added development opportunity for the players over the balance of their junior seasons. It also gives Kraken fans (particularly fans who read Down on the Farm) the chance to get multiple prospect viewings on a single team, which is always a welcome development. On the other hand, it may delay Villeneuve’s return to the AHL lineup and, in fact, take him out of the mix for an AHL playoff push, which could be a blow for the Firebirds.

Separately, there were a number of trades involving the local Pacific Northwest teams, including two blockbusters that sent out highly skilled forwards. The Seattle Thunderbirds traded Vancouver Canucks prospect Braeden Cootes to the Prince Albert Raiders in exchange for futures, while the Spokane Chiefs sent draft prospect Mathis Preston to the Vancouver Giants. On the other side of the ledger, the Seattle Thunderbirds brought in skilled Dallas Stars forward prospect Cameron Schmidt from the Vancouver Giants.

Did you know? While the Kraken have never drafted a player from the Windsor Spitfires, Fibigr and Villeneuve are not the first Kraken prospects to play for Windsor. The last elite Spitfires team acquired Shane Wright immediately following his star turn at the 2023 WJC for its OHL playoff push. That team didn’t get as far in the playoffs as it expected (which, bizarrely, created problems for Shane Wright’s AHL eligibility for the ensuing season). The Spitfires hope their playoff luck will be better this time around.

Notes on three more Kraken prospects

Barrett Hall | F | St. Cloud State Huskies (NCAA)

Barrett Hall had the opportunity to play at Acrisure Arena this past week, as St. Cloud State participated in the annual four-team Cactus Cup tournament. The Huskies won this year’s event, which raises the possibility that Hall and the Huskies may return to Coachella Valley again next winter to defend the title. Check out Hall’s shifts from St. Cloud State’s Jan. 3, 2026, game against UMass-Lowell below. Hall is No. 15 in red.

Alexis Bernier | D | Chicoutimi Saguenéens (QMJHL)

When the QMJHL playoff contender Chicoutimi Saguenéens traded for Alexis Bernier a couple of weeks ago, we took it as a sign that Bernier was likely on track to return to play this season following offseason ACL reconstruction surgery. Based on a recent report from the Saguenéens, however, it sounds like we may get to see Bernier on the ice even sooner than might have been hoped. According to the team, Bernier is already back on the ice doing hockey-related activities, and the team projects him to join the lineup during the week of Jan. 20.

Jake O’Brien | F | Brantford Bulldogs (OHL)

On the flip side of the injury coin, Jake O’Brien has been absent from the Brantford Bulldogs lineup since being cut from Team Canada camp. On Dec. 28, 2025, the team announced O’Brien was day to day with a lower-body injury and said he “will return to the Bulldogs lineup soon.” Now, about two weeks later, the star Kraken prospect still has not skated in a game. This is one to monitor. Hopefully it resolves soon.

Highlight of the week

Villeneuve scored two goals in his debut for the Windsor Spitfires, including one nifty move to the backhand on a penalty shot.

Welcome to Windsor, Nathan Villeneuve!

How about a penalty shot goal for Villy in his @SpitsHockey debut!@FloHockey | #SeaKraken pic.twitter.com/knEC1MaKOO

— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) January 9, 2026

Kraken prospects data update

Overall, Villeneuve had three goals and two assists in three OHL games this week, which earns him Sound Of Hockey Kraken Prospect of the Week.

J.R. Avon has been out of the Firebirds lineup since mid-December with a lower-body injury. It’s a shame, because he was consistently catching the eye with his pace and finishing his scoring chances during his first 21 games with the Firebirds. A pending restricted free agent, it would be nice to see Avon back on the ice sooner rather than later.

Semyon Vyazovoi had another stellar week. In two starts, he gave up two goals total and won both games. Frankly, if he had not earned Prospect of the Week last week, he probably would have had the best case for it again this week.

Vyazovoi is tied for fourth in the KHL in save percentage and is one of only two goalies in the top five under 23 years old.

Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week tracker

3: Jagger Firkus

2: Julius Miettinen, Kim Saarinen, Nathan Villeneuve

1: Barrett Hall, Ollie Josephson, Tyson Jugnauth, Nikke Kokko, Jake O’Brien, Semyon Vyazovoi, Zaccharya Wisdom

Previewing the week ahead

We’ll give our Deep Sea Hockey Game of the Week to the Jakub Fibigr’s likely debut with the Windsor Spitfires on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026.

Minor league players agree to a new CBA with the AHL, ECHL

After rumblings of labor issues in both the AHL and the ECHL—and the ECHL players actually initiating a strike—both leagues reached new Collective Bargaining Agreements with the players last week. Most importantly, these deals will keep those leagues operating without any further stoppage for years to come.

That said, two aspects of the new AHL CBA bear monitoring from a player-development perspective. First, the AHL “Veteran Rule” was tweaked slightly. Instead of five veterans and one “exempt” veteran with slightly less experience, teams will be allowed to play six veterans regardless of experience level.

Second, the AHL CBA introduced entry-level contracts for AHL-only players. It appears these contracts may come with an additional year of potential team control through a “qualifying offer” mechanism. The Kraken have used AHL-only deals for some of their draft picks previously (e.g., Kyle Jackson, Justin Janicke), so this contract change could be relevant to the team’s roster management moving forward.

Tracking 2026 NHL Draft prospects: Oliver Suvanto

Oliver Suvanto is a six-foot-three Finnish center with strong fundamentals, physicality, and defensive skills. His offensive game looks a bit less refined, aside from a solid north-south skillset, but the instincts seem to be there to develop more over time. He’s regarded as one of the top international centers in this class and checked in at No. 10 overall on Corey Pronman’s most recent prospect ranking for The Athletic. Suvanto had two goals for Finland at the WJC.

Recent prospect updates

January 2, 2026: Mid-season Kraken prospect ranking

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

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