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Down on the Farm – Firebirds season ends, most valuable Miettinen

Curtis Isacke

Welcome to “Down on the Farm,” your weekly Seattle Kraken prospects update. In this quick holiday weekend edition, we’ll get you up to date on a couple of Seattle Kraken prospects playing in the Memorial Cup, one signing his entry-level contract with the Seattle Kraken, and the season-ending loss for the Coachella Valley Firebirds in the Pacific Division Finals. We’ll return with a full Firebirds post-mortem and player-by-player breakdown as we move into offseason mode in the weeks ahead.

I’ve noted a few good questions from social media posts and recent columns that I plan to address in a mailbag-style column soon. If you have a Seattle Kraken prospect-related question you’d like to see featured, drop us a note below or on X or Bluesky at @deepseahockey or @sound_hockey.

Superlative Coachella Valley Firebirds season ends with loss to Colorado Eagles

In our season-preview piece for the 2025-26 Coachella Valley Firebirds, we noted that the team was significantly less experienced than prior squads and projected to be the youngest collection of players in the American Hockey League. With those facts in mind, we suggested that making the playoffs in any capacity should count as a successful season on the ice.

The Firebirds surpassed those expectations. Playing the full season with a lineup that, in fact, proved to be the AHL’s youngest — even after acquiring AHL veteran Cooper Marody — the Firebirds accrued 88 standings points. That earned Coachella Valley the No. 4 seed in the Pacific Division playoff structure and first-round home-ice advantage.

Of course, the Firebirds’ success did not end there. Coachella Valley defeated the Bakersfield Condors and the Ontario Reign, the Pacific Division’s top team, in playoff rounds one and two. By reaching the Pacific Division Finals, the Firebirds not only bested their postseason performance from last season, they also achieved rare success for a young team.

The Firebirds’ two postseason series wins are currently tied for the most among all AHL teams with above-average regular-season performances and younger-than-average rosters, matched only by the Chicago Wolves. (The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins could join those two if they prevail in the Atlantic Division Finals on Saturday, May 23.)

Through this prism, it’s difficult to allow the frustration of a blown 2–0 lead against the Colorado Eagles in Game 4 of the Pacific Division Finals to linger. The Firebirds dropped the series three games to one to the oldest team in the AHL (by far), and one with legitimate Calder Cup aspirations. (If history is any guide, the Eagles are a shoo-in. The Firebirds still have never lost in the postseason to any team other than the eventual Calder Cup winner.)

For now, a salute to the performance of the players, Coach Laxdal, and his staff is in order. The future remains bright in Palm Desert.

As mentioned, we’ll return with player-specific analysis in future editions. For current purposes, we’ll note that Nikke Kokko posted a .926 save percentage and a shutout last week, which earns him Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week honors.

Minted WHL Playoffs MVP, Miettinen leads Silvertips to the Memorial Cup

As documented last week, Julius Miettinen drove play for Everett throughout the WHL postseason, piling up points individually and wins for the Silvertips. Miettinen capped off his triumphant playoff run with a most valuable player award and a victory over the Prince Albert Raiders.

This performance earned Everett its first WHL Championship and punched its ticket to the Memorial Cup — a tournament pitting the champions of the CHL’s member leagues, plus the host team (this year, the Kelowna Rockets), against one another.

Cameron Riggers has your Everett preview here. The Silvertips take the ice for their first game tonight (Saturday, May 23) at 6:00 p.m. PDT. The full tournament schedule is as follows:

Fri, May 22 – Kitchener (5) vs. Kelowna (0), 6 p.m. PDT
Sat, May 23 – Everett vs. Chicoutimi, 6 p.m. PDT
Sun, May 24 – Kelowna vs. Chicoutimi, 6 p.m. PDT
Mon, May 25 – Everett vs. Kitchener, 6 p.m. PDT
Tue, May 26 – Chicoutimi vs. Kitchener, 6 p.m. PDT
Wed, May 27 – Kelowna vs. Everett, 6 p.m. PDT
Thu, May 28 – Tiebreaker, 6 p.m. PDT*
Fri, May 29 – Semifinal, 6 p.m. PDT
Sun, May 31 – Championship game, 4 p.m. PDT
*if necessary

Alexis Bernier signs entry-level contract, reaches Memorial Cup

As we mentioned in a recent update, the Seattle Kraken faced a June 1, 2026, deadline to sign 2024 third-round pick Alexis Bernier, or the young blueliner would re-enter the 2026 NHL Draft. The Kraken beat that deadline, signing Bernier to a standard three-year entry-level contract on May 19, 2026.

What took so long in Bernier’s case? The defenseman suffered an ACL injury last season and got a late start to his 2025-26 campaign, first taking the ice for the Chicoutimi Saguenéens in late January. The team likely wanted to ensure Bernier was fully recovered and productive before committing to a deal. Bernier assuaged any concerns with a solid run of defensive production in the QMJHL.

Check out Bernier’s shifts from the Saguenéens’ QMJHL Championship-clinching win over the Moncton Wildcats on May 17, 2026:

Like Miettinen and the Silvertips, Bernier and the Saguenéens earned a spot in the Memorial Cup with their championship run. It just so happens their first game is against Everett on Saturday, May 23.

Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week tracker

4 wins: Julius Miettinen, Jake O’Brien

3 wins: Jagger Firkus, Kim Saarinen, Oscar Fisker Mølgaard

2 wins: Clarke Caswell, Nikke Kokko, Logan Morrison, Nathan Villeneuve, Semyon Vyazovoi

1 win: J.R. Avon, Alexis Bernier, Barrett Hall, Ollie Josephson, Tyson Jugnauth, Victor Ostman, Zaccharya Wisdom

Tracking 2026 NHL Draft prospects: Ethan Belchetz

Belchetz is an object of curiosity among scouts and amateur draftniks alike because he has the physical profile to be an imposing NHL power forward (6-foot-5, 227 pounds) and the scoring touch to match (34 goals for the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires). He can use his frame to impact the game at junior speed; the question is whether he can raise his pace enough for that to become an asset professionally. If there is a player primed for a Beckett Sennecke-style rise high into the top 10 based on physical projection, it’s likely to be Belchetz or Wyatt Cullen. Belchetz was No. 8 on our midseason Big Board and is No. 9 among North American skaters on the final NHL Central Scouting list. He should go in the first half of the first round in June.

Recent prospect updates

May 15, 2026: Julius Miettinen dominates WHL playoffs, Jake O’Brien makes his pro debut

May 8, 2026: Firebirds one game from Pacific Division Finals, Forsfjäll wins a championship

May 1, 2026: Firebirds advance in AHL playoffs, Kraken have sixth-best lottery odds on May 5

Apr. 11, 2026: Caswell to National Championship game, Saarinen to Coachella Valley

April 4, 2026: Kraken prospects to the Frozen Four, Firebirds face a rash of injuries

March 28, 2026: Kraken prospect playoff preview

March 21, 2026: Saarinen’s Liiga dominance, and the Kraken development track record

March 13, 2026: Kraken prospects mailbag – part 2

March 7, 2026: Seattle Kraken sign Ryden Evers, trade from draft asset depth

Header photo of Julius Miettinen taken by Evan Morud, courtesy of the Everett Silvertips.

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.

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