Welcome to “Down on the Farm,” your weekly Seattle Kraken prospects update. This week, we’re going to try something a little different and tackle your Kraken prospects questions in a more-direct format. I solicited questions on the Sound Of Hockey Discord (join the conversation, won’t you?) and received so many interesting prompts that I expect I will return with a second mailbag post in the weeks ahead.

After tackling some questions, we’ll pass along Kraken prospect news, 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 (or answered in our next mailbag), drop us a note below or on X or BlueSky at @deepseahockey or @sound_hockey.

The midseason Kraken prospects mailbag (part one)

Q. Before this season, it seems folks were hoping Kokko would be ready for next year after a Grubauer buyout. Now that it seems fairly obvious Grubauer will be back, how do you think that could impact Kokko’s development?

Even more so than Lane Lambert’s leadership and strategic reset, Philipp Grubauer’s resurgence is the storyline of the 2025-26 Seattle Kraken. He has transformed himself from a liability into perhaps the team’s most valuable player leading up to the Olympic break. Though goalie performance can be difficult to project (more on that in a moment), few would have predicted such an intense resurgence entering the year.

That said, Grubauer’s retrenchment as a fixture in net should not negatively impact Nikke Kokko’s development. It bears emphasizing just how young Kokko is (by goalie standards). At 21 years old, he is one of only six goalies under 22 to have at least eight AHL games this year. (And no one in this age range has more appearances than Kokko’s 23 games.) Kokko may seem older, but that is only because he was “ahead of schedule” coming to North America after such a strong run in Liiga.

Coming into the year, I viewed the 2026-27 season as the earliest scenario in which the team could give Kokko a legitimate shot at an NHL role—almost certainly in a training camp competition with a Matt Murray–style veteran. Kokko’s play this season—while not bad behind a young defense corps—has not forced the issue on that timeline. On top of that, Kokko has also dealt with some injuries, causing him to miss time.

Patience is a virtue here. Say what you will about the expression “the NHL is not a developmental league,” I feel it rings true when it comes to goalies. If the team retains Grubauer next season and Kokko ends up as the lead goaltender in Coachella Valley for another year, it would not be detrimental.

Consider this: Entering the 2027-28 season, Kokko would still be only 23.5 years old. Only four goalies under 24 have earned even one NHL game this season, and none are regulars: Jacob Fowler (10 appearances), Carl Lindbom (8), Sergei Murashov (5), Thomas Milic (3).

Q. I can’t judge goalie performance beyond obvious things like letting in lots of obviously easy goals. So my question is, what makes LaFontaine and Ostman, both of whom recently got AHL shutouts, ranked low down on the goalie prospect totem pole? Do their ages play a role? Maybe I’m asking the wrong question- what makes Kokko and Saarinen better?

Honestly, I have grappled with this issue too. I try to spend stretches of games isolating in on goalies, but it’s really hard to do if you have any interest in the actual outcome of the game (or the other players involved). I also try to be humble about what I don’t know and ask questions of people who have played or scouted the position. On the podcast, I try to defer goalie technique and performance questions to Darren because I want to learn.

From watching games and practices, I believe I have improved my ability to detect the athletic and movement traits that should theoretically translate to the NHL. How crisp are the side-to-side movements? Is the player able to regain position and square up to the shooter with athleticism and anticipation? These athletic traits are where, in my view, Nikke Kokko separates himself from Victor Ostman. It’s not so much the fundamentals of puck tracking, but his movement skills and athleticism that raise his floor as a prospect.

Beyond that, I do put a good deal of weight on the statistics. The goalie’s job is not without nuance, but it is simpler than most on the ice: stop pucks. At the NHL level, we have a better sense of the shot quality the goalie is facing, so the data has more value. That said, save percentages, particularly within league context, tell us something.

Q. With the shortage of top-line defense prospects, would a top forward for top defense prospect swap be something you’d like GM Jason Botterill to pursue, or are you fine plugging holes with vets for the next few years?

Generally speaking, when it comes to the draft, I’m a strong believer in “best player available,” given the uncertainty involved. So, I have not had a problem with the Kraken following that mindset to a forward-heavy prospect pool so far.

That said, the question foregrounds an issue the team has not really faced throughout its brief history: the future of the blue line. The Kraken signed Vince Dunn, Adam Larsson, Jamie Oleksiak, and Brandon Montour (at various times) to long-term deals, which has left only bottom-pair minutes for young players and other veteran additions. That core group is entering the downslope of its life cycle, however. Jamie Oleksiak is a pending unrestricted free agent this offseason, with fellow left shots Vince Dunn (unrestricted) and Ryker Evans (restricted) following after the 2026-27 season.

Assuming Oleksiak departs, there will be an opening next year, ideally for a right-shot defenseman. The Kraken have internal options under contract who could vie for a third-pair role, such as Cale Fleury, Ville Ottavainen, or the lefty Josh Mahura.

The more relevant prospect question arises if one of Dunn or Evans is not on the team after the 2026-27 season (or before then). This draft presents an opportunity to grab a projected top-four defenseman early, but it’s quite unlikely the player would be ready by 2027. (It’s at least possible the lefty Alberts Smits or righty Keaton Verheoff could be ready by then, if they were the choice.)

Looking to the free-agent or trade market for an impact, left-shot defenseman is less than encouraging. Simon Nemec and David Reinbacher are a couple of recent draft picks who may need a “change of scenery,” but both are righties. Could Owen Power become available? I have my doubts, with Buffalo seemingly on the incline of late. I suspect that if David Jiricek finds his game, Minnesota will keep him. There are a few interesting names somewhat buried in the Pacific Division, but an intra-division trade like this feels unlikely.

All of this makes me think retaining both Dunn and Evans is an underrated organizational priority. If the team picks up a top lefty defenseman in the draft like Carson Carels, perhaps a short-term extension for Evans would be the best play.

Q. How is Jake O’Brien’s post-draft season going? His name pops up on some top prospect lists using NHL equivalencies.

Jake O’Brien remains fundamentally the same player the Kraken drafted at No. 8 overall last year. He does not have dominant size, speed, or strength, but his offensive instincts and stick skill are high-end. He can create off the rush or from the half wall on the power play. He has patched some of the holes in his defensive game as well. I haven’t noticed him dropping his coverage much recently. He will backcheck when the situation dictates, even if he’s not elite at it.

It’s not surprising that data-driven models favor him. My own “Data Score” metric rates his season to date as the best in the system. He leads the entire CHL in points per game at 18 years old. And he’s 6-foot-2. While he’s relatively slight at the moment (think more like Matty Beniers), the frame gives more room for his NHL projection compared with players like Jagger Firkus or David Goyette.

What O’Brien really needs is the professional challenge, which brings me to the last question of part one of the mailbag.

Q. Will the kraken exercise their option to bring an underaged CHL player in to Coachella Valley Firebirds (AHL) and if so whom? Would it be someone they draft this season?

The most recent Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NHL players and league contains an agreement that, beginning in the 2026-27 season, each NHL team will be able to assign directly to the AHL one 19-year-old player drafted out of the CHL. (The controlling rule through this season was that 19-year-olds must be offered back to their junior teams if they did not make the NHL roster.)

That said, for this rule change to take effect, the NHL will need to obtain agreement from the CHL in the form of an amendment to the CHL Transfer Agreement. I suspect an agreement of some kind will be reached, but it’s at least notable that this hurdle remains.

Assuming the rule change happens, I expect the Kraken to utilize it. As for the second question, it’s doubtful they would (or could) use it on a player they draft this year. Hypothetically, the team could draft a 19-year-old draft re-entry (as Ryker Evans was) and assign him directly to the AHL, but I don’t see a great candidate for that path in the first or second round of this year’s draft.

The two best candidates for assignment to the AHL next year are forward Jake O’Brien and defenseman Blake Fiddler. I suspect the team will utilize the exemption for O’Brien. Fiddler is a half-step behind O’Brien in his development and has not yet signed his professional entry-level contract. This means college hockey is still an option for him. Could Fiddler spend a year at college before joining the Firebirds for the 2027-28 season? I could see him following that path.

Notes on five Kraken prospects

Jacob Melanson | F | Seattle Kraken (NHL)

There was some question whether the Kraken would return Melanson to the Coachella Valley Firebirds during the Olympic break. Under the rules governing roster transactions during the Olympic break, NHL teams could immediately reassign waivers-exempt players like Melanson to the AHL level if the player had played in fewer than 16 of the team’s previous 20 regular-season games. Melanson played in only 15 of Seattle’s last 20 games, so he was technically eligible for an assignment. So far, the team has not done so, however. This likely reflects the team’s view that Melanson will be an important part of the stretch run at the NHL level.

Semyon Vyazovoi | G | Salavat Yulaev Ufa (KHL)

Semyon Vyazovoi had another dominant week, turning aside 59 of 61 shots in two wins. His .931 save percentage is tied for third in the KHL. He is your Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week. Reading between the lines of previous answers, it seems like the Kraken hope and expect Vyazovoi to join the team in North America next year. There are few players I’m more intrigued to watch in the Valley.

Justin Janicke | F | Kansas City Mavericks (ECHL)

We have not featured Janicke in this space or in our data updates because he is not currently signed to an NHL contract with the Kraken. Janicke signed an AHL contract with the Coachella Valley Firebirds over the summer after his run with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish ended. He has played the majority of this year in the ECHL with the Kansas City Mavericks. Janicke has taken fairly regular middle-six minutes for a top ECHL team, compiling a solid 10 goals and 12 assists in 38 games. His 10 goals are tied for fifth on the team, and his +16 plus-minus is best on the team among forwards. Kansas City has won 16 of its last 17 games.

Caden Price | D | Coachella Valley Firebirds (AHL)

The Firebirds announced on Friday afternoon that Caden Price is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. The Firebirds recalled Zach Uens from the ECHL in a countermove.

Jani Nyman | F | Coachella Valley Firebirds (AHL)

Jani Nyman continues to pile up goals at the AHL level, adding two more in three games this week. His 0.6 goals-per-game pace is sixth best in the AHL, and tops on the Firebirds. With the Kraken in contention, it’s possible another NHL opportunity does not come his way this season, but I suspect it will be an organizational priority to get him regular third-line NHL minutes next season to evaluate the player’s future. It is perhaps the reason I find it unlikely all three of Jordan Eberle, Jaden Schwartz, and Eeli Tolvanen will return, even in the absence of a big-ticket acquisition.

Kraken prospects data update

Speaking of which, amidst rumors that the Kraken are looking to upgrade the NHL roster, it feels like a particularly important time for a few of Seattle’s young players to prove to management that they are part of the team’s future rather than potential trade chips. With the NHL game at a break for the Olympics, more attention can turn to the Firebirds.

Lleyton Roed continues to be one of my favorite under-the-radar organization players. He has the size, skating ability, and forechecking mentality to be useful on a hockey team at any level. The question is whether there is depth-role room for him in the Pacific Northwest. I would like to see an NHL opportunity happen for him, whether with the Kraken or elsewhere.

Amid another month-long stretch in which he was not earning any Liiga starts, Kärpät sent Visa Vedenpää down to its U20 team for a spot start last Friday. It was Vedenpää’s first start at that level since the 2023-2024 season.

Victor Ostman and Jack LaFontaine have continued to share the load at the AHL level and do their jobs in Nikke Kokko’s absence, but I get the sense the team could use Kokko’s stabilizing presence back in the lineup sooner rather than later.

Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week tracker

3: Jagger Firkus, Kim Saarinen

2: Jake O’Brien, Julius Miettinen, Nathan Villeneuve, Semyon Vyazovoi

1: Barrett Hall, Ollie Josephson, Tyson Jugnauth, Nikke Kokko, Victor Ostman, Zaccharya Wisdom

Previewing the week ahead

This week’s Deep Sea Hockey Games of the Week make a tidy Wednesday doubleheader. Alexis Bernier takes on his former QMJHL team for the first time at 4:00 pm PT. Then Julius Miettinen and the Everett Silvertips square off against Blake Fiddler and the Edmonton Oil Kings in a WHL nightcap at 6:00 pm PT.

Tracking 2026 NHL Draft prospects: Chase Reid

Chase Reid is a swift-skating, offense-first defenseman with more than enough size and defensive ability to withstand difficult top-four minutes. Did I mention he’s a right shot? All of these factors combine to make the Soo Greyhounds blueliner a highly desired candidate to go in the top five of the 2026 NHL Draft. He ranked No. 4 overall on the midseason Big Board.

Recent prospect updates

January 30, 2026: Kraken prospect trade value tiers

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