Welcome to “Down on the Farm,” your weekly Seattle Kraken prospects update. This week, we’re ranking which Seattle Kraken prospects may have the most value in a deadline (or offseason) trade for an NHL upgrade. After that, we’ll pass along Kraken prospect news, including a couple of injury returns, all-shifts video, data updates, 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 trade value tiers
The Seattle Kraken are seeking a top-line scorer to elevate the NHL team for the medium-to-long term. This has been reported and speculated about with increasing frequency of late.
The mindset is not a “new” development, though. Anyone who has followed the team closely knows the Kraken have lacked a high-end difference maker. Solving that deficiency has been a focus of new Kraken general manager Jason Botterill since day one. Indeed, during Botterill’s introductory conference with Seattle Kraken season ticket holders on May 22, 2025, he noted the strong foundation of veterans and other assets already in place. He said his job was to “drop in elite talent.”
Since that job remains incomplete, it makes sense that the Kraken would be exploring the market with added urgency as teams approach the Olympic break and the ensuing trade deadline. Due diligence is necessary, but it should be emphasized that the type of player Seattle is targeting rarely moves at the trade deadline. If the right player is not available now, efforts will continue into the offseason.
Assuming the right player is available, though, what assets do the Kraken have to trade? Inspired by a recent post in The Athletic, which tier-ranked the young players and draft assets several prominent deadline “buyers” could offer, I figured it would be useful to map out the potential “market value” of Seattle’s development pieces. (This focus on “market value” in a trade is a fundamentally different exercise from my own subjective prospect rankings, which focus on projected on-ice value for the Kraken.)
The Athletic used the following tiers: “Tier 1: Premium young assets,” “Tier 2: Strong B-level assets,” “Tier 3: B-grade assets,” and “Tier 4: Quality Trade Chips.” I’ll use a similar approach (with only one minor change) in considering Seattle’s under-23 players and draft picks. Let’s dive in.
Tier 1: Premium young players
Berkly Catton, 20, F, Seattle Kraken. Catton has the most value of any young player or draft asset in the system. He has high-end offensive instincts and play-creation ability. While he doesn’t have elite speed, size, or strength, he wins more than his fair share of puck battles and is a threat on the forecheck with precision stick work and smarts. He has point-per-game, all-three-zone upside from any forward position (though the goal totals may never be gaudy). Every team would want this player.
Jake O’Brien, 18, F, Brantford Bulldogs. It was rumored that Seattle did not want to part with the draft pick that became Jake O’Brien in an offseason deal for Jordan Kyrou, and O’Brien has only reinforced his stock with a solid OHL season. He is a play creator on the rush and from the half wall on the power play. He’s not overly engaged off the puck, but his fundamentals are trending in the right direction. I don’t envision him as a defensive or forechecking liability. He has a willingness to get net front that should only improve if he can fill out his 6-foot-2 frame a bit more. He may not be every team’s cup of tea, but I suspect he would have premium, “headliner” value in most trades.
Shane Wright, 22, F, Seattle Kraken. Elliotte Friedman’s musing about a potential Shane Wright-for-Alexis Lafrenière swap has me concerned that public perception of Wright’s value may be lower than his fair, “true” value. This suggests to me that the Kraken would be wise to “hold” Wright, whom I still believe in as a core, offense-first, top-six center. That said, if the Kraken were “motivated” to move Wright, it would likely be due to internal concern that his market stock is trending out of the “premium” category and closer to the “Tier 2” category below. Wright likely has more value than O’Brien to a “retooling” team, whereas O’Brien may have more value to a true “rebuilding” club.
Tier 1A: Premium draft assets
Seattle 2026 first-round pick. The Seattle Kraken own their own first-round pick in 2026, which should fall in the early-to-mid portion of the round. This draft class has solid depth through the mid-first round, so the pick should likely have more market value than any other player in the system. This pick would also have more value than the players and picks The Athletic has in its “Tier 2,” hence the addition of “Tier 1A.”
Tier 2: B+-grade assets
Jani Nyman, 21, F, Coachella Valley Firebirds (AHL). Nyman did not earn the role to leverage his goal-scoring skill at the NHL level this season, but he quickly demonstrated that the net-driving mentality and lethal shot are still there when he was reassigned to the AHL, scoring seven goals in 12 games. Combined with a 6-foot-4 frame and the ability to protect pucks, draw penalties, and throw the occasional hit, there is likely a team out there that views him as an offense-forward, middle-six winger. He should have value to at least some teams in a package with another similar asset or as a secondary piece in a bigger deal.
Tampa Bay 2026 first-round pick.
Seattle 2027 first-round pick.
Tier 3: B-grade assets
Tampa Bay 2027 first-round pick.
Jagger Firkus, 21, F, Coachella Valley Firebirds (AHL). Firkus’s offensive smarts, playmaking, and crafty shot have found their way to the AHL level this season. He has averaged almost a point per game and earned an All-Star nod despite his size disadvantage. If he were bigger, his market value would almost certainly be higher. As it stands, he likely straddles the boundary between Tier 3 and Tier 4. It’s possible his trade value is at its peak amidst this AHL breakout, but I’m increasingly confident in Firkus’ pro future. I wouldn’t want to include him as a mere “throw in” in a deal.
Tier 4: Other quality trade chips
Oscar Fisker Molgaard, 20, F, Coachella Valley Firebirds (AHL). Molgaard almost certainly has some trade value after a solid run in both the SHL and AHL, but I find it unlikely the market would value him commensurate with his fair, projected on-ice contributions as a bottom-six forward.
Nathan Villeneuve, 19, F, Windsor Spitfires (OHL). Villeneuve not only brings physicality and leadership to the ice, he is sixth in the OHL in points per game. With multiple possible avenues to the NHL (well-rounded middle-six forward or bottom-line grinder), he’s a relatively high-certainty junior player. This gives him more value than your average junior scoring forward.
Julius Miettinen, 20, F, Everett Silvertips (WHL). Similar to Villeneuve, Miettinen’s size and defensive game complement a solid scoring profile, which gives him a few different ways to help an NHL team.
Blake Fiddler, 18, D, Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL). Fiddler has size and skating ability from the right side. Even if the flashes of offensive upside do not coalesce, it’s easy to imagine a Will Borgen-type career for the player. These types of players are coveted. His stock is lower than it might be simply because he still has a fair amount of development ahead.
Seattle’s four 2026 and 2027 second-round picks.
Missed the cut
I considered including Nikke Kokko (21, G, Coachella Valley Firebirds) in Tier 4, but he has never gained the reputation of a high-end goalie prospect despite his solid play at every level.
Young fourth-liners like Jacob Melanson (22, F, Seattle Kraken) and Ryan Winterton (22, F, Seattle Kraken) wouldn’t figure to return much in a trade and, therefore, almost certainly have more value on this team than anywhere else.
Tyson Jugnauth (21, D, Coachella Valley Firebirds) could intrigue other clubs amidst a strong offensive rookie year in the AHL, but I suspect defensive concerns keep him a notch below the “quality” tier.
Carson Rehkopf (21, F, Coachella Valley Firebirds) and Eduard Sale (20, F, Coachella Valley Firebirds) are two players one would hope to see in the tiers above, but their AHL play hasn’t justified it as of yet.
Notes on four Kraken prospects
Jake O’Brien | F | Brantford Bulldogs (OHL)
Jake O’Brien is back in the regular lineup with the Bulldogs, taking heavy minutes and producing at a high clip. He piled up two goals and four assists in two games this past week, which earns him Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week. He exited the lineup last Friday with eight minutes left in regulation, but returned and played a full load on Sunday, so hopefully there is no reason for concern there. Check out his shifts from Friday’s game below.
Logan Morrison | F | Coachella Valley Firebirds (AHL)
Morrison flies under the radar as an older, undrafted free agent. Indeed, he’s probably in the “veteran leader” category for this year’s young AHL club. That said, he brings playable offensive instincts and finishing to the center position. His challenge is that he likely falls short of a traditional top-nine projection but also isn’t a classical fourth liner either. He has points in 14 of the Firebirds’ last 18 games and scored the team’s only goal in a 2–1 loss to the Colorado Eagles on Wednesday.
Oscar Fisker Mølgaard | F | Coachella Valley Firebirds (AHL)
Mølgaard has been absent from the Coachella Valley Firebirds lineup for the last two games with an upper-body injury. He remains out of the lineup for the Firebirds game today, Friday, Jan. 30. The team characterized it as a day-to-day injury, so hopefully it will not pose a threat to Mølgaard’s opportunity to represent Denmark in the upcoming Olympic Games. Either way, the Firebirds will have to navigate the coming weeks without this critical player.
Kaden Hammell | D | Coachella Valley Firebirds (AHL)
For his part, Kaden Hammell is out week-to-week with a lower-body injury. This is a tough break for the young defenseman, who has exceeded expectations in seizing AHL playing time. Lukas Dragicevic should be in the lineup regularly in Hammell’s absence.
Kraken prospects data update
Alexis Bernier was scoreless in his first two games of the season this past week, but seemingly came through the contests without a setback, which is great news for the defenseman. Look for him to build up and take on more significant minutes as Chicoutimi moves toward the QMJHL playoffs.
Barrett Hall had two assists in two games last week. With 10 goals and 15 assists in 26 games, he has already surpassed his point total in 34 games from last season. He is third on the Huskies in scoring.
Semyon Vyazovoy has been the clear starter for his KHL team for the last couple months and has rewarded that coaching decision with a sterling run of play. He is 10-2-1 in his last 13 games.
We mentioned Jack Lafontaine’s strong play for the Mavericks and Firebirds last week. There was a good interview with LaFontaine on this past week’s Fire & Ice Podcast. Check it out. And don’t be afraid to add the podcast to your regular rotation. Judd Spicer does a great job updating the past week for the Firebirds.
Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week tracker
3: Jagger Firkus, Kim Saarinen
2: Jake O’Brien, Julius Miettinen, Nathan Villeneuve
1: Barrett Hall, Ollie Josephson, Tyson Jugnauth, Nikke Kokko, Victor Ostman, Semyon Vyazovoi, Zaccharya Wisdom
Previewing the week ahead
The Beanpot semifinals are this coming Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. Ben MacDonald’s Harvard Crimson will take on the Boston College Eagles in your Deep Sea Hockey Game of the Week. The matchup is available to stream outside the New England area on ESPN+.
Tracking 2026 NHL Draft prospects: Xavier Villeneuve
Xavier Villeneuve is a five-foot-11, offense-first blueliner who checked in at No. 9 on the midseason Sound Of Hockey Big Board. The skill is there to break the puck out, feed the transition game, and create offense. That said, he could be off the board for some teams as a sub-6-foot defenseman. I think it’s fair to say he’s more talented than any of the “smaller” blueliners in last year’s draft, but it’s also fair to note that zero sub-6-foot defensemen were drafted last year. Zero. Where Villeneuve and fellow undersized blueliner Ryan Lin go in the 2026 NHL Draft will be a storyline to watch. They’re still likely first-round picks, but do they fall a bit farther than expected?
Recent prospect updates
January 23, 2026: Alexis Bernier set to return, early 2026 NHL Draft thoughts
January 16, 2026: Jacob Melanson is speeding toward an NHL future despite the demotion
January 9, 2026: World Juniors reports, CHL trades
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
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.
Ryan Winterton and Jacob Melanson not making it into one of the tiers makes me wonder if there are other teams out there with young under-the-radar differences makers who may be enticed to part with them for draft capital and/or veteran rentals. One can never have enough of those guys in the dressing room.