With the 2026 NHL Draft in the books, the Seattle Kraken have added eight more young players to the organization—five defensemen and three forwards. We’re here today to bring you scouting insights, analysis, and video on all of them.
If you want to see for yourself, though, all eight will take the ice at Kraken Community Iceplex this week for Development Camp. The sessions, which are open to the public, are as follows:
- Tuesday, June 30, 2026: 10:15 a.m. – 11:50 a.m., Rinks 1 & 2
- Wednesday, July 1, 2026: 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., Rinks 1 & 2
- Thursday, July 2, 2026: 10:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m., Stucky Cup Scrimmage, Rink 1
The 2026 draft picks will be joined by other young players in the organization who have not yet established themselves at the NHL or AHL level. Forward Jake O’Brien, defenseman Blake Fiddler, and goaltender Kim Saarinen are just a few of the other prospects who will be on hand. Check out the full list here.
In general, Seattle’s 2026 draft class has received solid marks from national commentators:
- Elite Prospects: A+
- Corey Pronman, The Athletic ($): B+
- Scott Wheeler, The Athletic ($): “Overtime Winner”
- Rachel Kryshak, ESPN: A-
- Steven Ellis, DailyFaceoff: A
That said, we’re here to talk specifics, so let’s dive into Seattle’s draft with individual snapshots. We’ll be back with longer-form breakdowns throughout the summer.
Round 1, Pick 7: Chase Reid | D | Soo Greyhounds (OHL)
Games: 45 | Goals: 18 | Assists: 30 | PPG: 1.07
Shot: Right | Birthdate: Dec. 30, 2007 | Height: 6’2.5″ | Weight: 187
Big Board: 3rd | Data Score: 55.38 (4th)
The takeaway: A high-end, well-rounded defense prospect, Reid fell to the Kraken at No. 7, giving the team a new top prospect and a potential No. 1 defenseman down the road. Reid was ranked as the best blue-line prospect in the draft by eight of the 13 scouts interviewed by Scott Wheeler of The Athletic.
Scout’s view:
[Reid] escapes pressure well and can attack at openings or create them for himself. He has a great shot and is deadly in transition, with an impressive offensive sense and good vision. He has an NHL shot (wrister, catch-and-release and one-touch/timer). His defensive play has taken strides after needing to adjust in the OHL at first, though there are still times when he needs to button up and play a little firmer on both sides of the puck. And while he’s not explosive, he’s fundamentally a good skater and has impressive mobility/footwork/flow to his stride: he goes from his heels to his toes really comfortably, etc. – Scott Wheeler, The Athletic ($)
One fact to know: Played heavy minutes for Team USA at the 2026 World Juniors (top three among defensemen) at age 17/18, scoring more goals than any other draft-eligible defenseman.
One big question: Why did he fall? It could be argued that Reid lacks a defining trait, as well as NHL-ready heaviness and compete. Perhaps that’s what caused him to lose head-to-head battles in the eyes of several front offices picking in the top six. His development arc has only recently taken off as well; he was cut by Waterloo of the USHL just two seasons ago.
More reading: Why Chase Reid is the No. 1 prospect in Corey Pronman’s 2026 NHL Draft ranking – Corey Pronman, The Athletic ($)
Video: January 29, 2026 v. Niagara IceDogs (No. 25 in white)
Looking ahead: Reid is committed to play at Michigan State University. Right now, I’d project that he’ll play there for two seasons before joining the Seattle lineup directly after his 2027-28 college season ends, with the goal of using an ELC year in that campaign.
Round 2, Pick 38: Casey Mutryn | F | U.S. National Team Development Program (USHL)
Games: 25 | Goals: 7 | Assists: 9 | PPG: 0.64
Shot: Right | Birthdate: July 5, 2008 | Height: 6’3″ | Weight: 206
Big Board: 32nd | Data Score: 34.48 (42nd)
The takeaway: Impressive athlete brings size, skating, and physicality, along with already solid (and potentially untapped) hockey skill; a high-floor player who projects to provide hard skill and puck retrieval anywhere in a lineup.
Scout’s view:
His skills are still fairly raw, but there are a lot of really solid traits that could make Mutryn a high-impact NHLer who can bring physicality to a skilled line. There’s almost an element of chaos to his game that he thrives in. Mutryn has a bit of a bull-in-a-china-shop element to his game, attacking defenders head-on and looking to punish them physically on his way to the net. Mutryn is a power forward with a lean toward playmaking, but he has a good shot and hands in tight as well. He could be a Matthew Knies-style player. – Tony Ferrari, The Hockey News
One fact to know: Captain of Team USA at the U18 World Championship in April.
One big question: Is there enough upside to go with the high floor? Mutryn has not been a prolific scorer at the junior level despite his size and athleticism advantages, raising the possibility that he could top out as a role player.
More reading: Mutryn endorsed for genuine leadership qualities ahead of NHL Draft
Video: January 18, 2026 v. Green Bay Gamblers (No. 12 in white)
Looking ahead: Mutryn will attend Boston College in the fall, lining up alongside his brother Teddy, a 2025 third-round pick of the Sharks. Their father played football at Boston College. A multi-year stint in college is likely.
Round 3, Pick 99: Viktor Fyodorov | F | Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod (KHL)
Games: 13 | Goals: 1 | Assists: 3 | PPG: 0.31
Shot: L | Birthdate: Feb 21, 2008 | Height: 5’10” | Weight: 176
Big Board: 86th | Data Score: 22.59 (209th)
The takeaway: Undersized, hard-working forward whose motor runs hot when it comes to winning pucks on the forecheck and on defense; a very easy player to admire who projects as a bottom-six NHL forward if his development clicks.
Scout’s view:
Fyodorov is an intelligent playmaker who can find the second and third options on the ice and is capable of changing angles to find them. He has a real chance of being a center because of his ability to read the play, anticipate, and make the correct read with and without the puck. He has a surprising amount of physicality to his game despite his size. He finishes checks on the forecheck and closes off opponents on the cycle in the defensive zone. Fyodorov has the ability to finish plays as well; he has a good release and a willingness to get to the middle of the ice to score in tough areas. His skating and size will be the main areas that could potentially hold him back. – Zak Egan, Dobber Prospects
One fact to know: Played at Russia’s junior level (MHL) at center and at both professional levels (KHL, VHL) mostly on the wing. He was able to contribute at every level of play and at multiple positions.
One big question: With a borderline NHL skill projection, his path to the NHL may be hard-earned, along the lines of Yanni Gourde. Is he willing to toil for an uncertain NHL role in North America when a KHL future is already in front of him? Like Maxim Agafonov before him, the Kraken had the chance to meet Fyodorov at the Gold Star camp in Florida before the draft, and one wonders if they were convinced in the pre-draft process that Fyodorov will do what it takes to earn an NHL future.
More reading: Kraken’s Draft Momentum Continues on Day 2
Video: May 5, 2026 v. Loko Yaroslavl (No. 41 in blue)
Looking ahead: Fyodorov will return to Russia and look to earn a consistent role with his KHL team, Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod. He’s likely at least two years away from coming to North America.
Round 5, Pick 131: Finn Kearns | D | Sudbury Wolves (OHL)
Games: 15 | Goals: 0 | Assists: 1 | PPG: 0.07
Shot: L | Birthdate: Jun. 8, 2008 | Height: 6’3″ | Weight: 212
Big Board: 4,739th | Data Score: 3.84 (4,641st)
The takeaway: Physical, defense-first defenseman with size and enough skating ability, but who spent most of his draft season at the Canadian high school level playing for the well-regarded St. Andrew’s College. He will need to take several developmental steps to climb the ladder to the NHL, particularly with the puck.
Scout’s view:
With a rare combination of mobility and physicality, it’s not hard to see the appeal with Kearns. He’s a brutally punishing player, looking for any and every opportunity to run opponents into the walls, throw reverse hits, or throw heavy crosschecks. On his best shifts, he perfectly times a big hit, wins possession, and gets it to an open teammate for a clean exit. To translate his game to higher levels, Kearns must add pace and improve his defensive skating. – Elite Prospects ($)
One fact to know: Finn Kearns was the captain of the storied St. Andrew’s College hockey team, but also a two-sport athlete (box lacrosse) this past season.
One big question: Can Kearns prove the Kraken prescient by emerging in his post-draft season? He has played only 20 junior games across two seasons and, even then, tended to be used very sparingly in a depth third-pair role. While young for the draft class, Kearns is well behind where many of his drafted peers are in their development timelines. None of the sources used to build the Sound Of Hockey Big Board had Kearns ranked.
More reading: Hard-nosed, hard-working Finn Kearns turns heads ahead of the NHL Draft
Video: March 17, 2026 v. Brampton Steelheads (No. 2 in white)
Looking ahead: Kearns will spend the coming season playing in the OHL for the Sudbury Wolves. He should have the opportunity to assert himself in the top four and test the limits of his offensive game. He’s committed to play college hockey for the University of Massachusetts beginning with the 2027-28 season.
Round 5, Pick 148: Luken Huff | D | Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (USHL)
Games: 61 | Goals: 3 | Assists: 36 | PPG: 0.64
Shot: R | Birthdate: Jan 1, 2006 | Height: 6’3″ | Weight: 198
Big Board: 607th | Data Score: 19.34 (322nd)
The takeaway: Luken Huff, who goes by “Hawke,” is a late bloomer who was selected in his third time through the draft. He has solid size and skating and upped his scoring profile in his age-20 season in the USHL.
Scout’s view:
“[Huff] was among the USHL’s biggest breakout players. His minutes more than doubled this season, and his production nearly quadrupled. He leaves the USHL as one of the league’s finest all-around defenders. . . . While Huff does a bit of everything, his best element is his physicality. He’s not a crushing open-ice hitter. Instead, his physicality appears in the aggressive wall tie-ups, ability to power through checks, and contact absorption on retrievals. Without any hesitation, he closes the space and immobilizes players along the wall. Huff is also a willing and frequent activator, jumping into the rush and off the point whenever possible. – Elite Prospects ($)
One fact to know: Born in Mazama, Washington, near North Cascades National Park, Huff is the first Washington-born player ever selected by the Kraken.
One big question: For a North American player, Huff is as old as you can be and still be eligible for the draft. (If he were born just one day earlier, he would have been ineligible. He is two weeks older than Berkly Catton.) Is there enough upside left at his relatively “advanced” age to suggest he can climb the professional ranks?
More reading: RoughRiders’ Hawke Huff Named USHL Defenseman Of The Year Finalist After Breakout Season
Video: February 27, 2026 v. U.S. National Team Development Program (No. 4 in green)
Looking ahead: Huff will play college hockey for the University of St. Thomas in the fall.
Round 6, Pick 166: Ola Palme | D | Växjö Lakers HC U20 (U20 Nationell)
Games: 20 | Goals: 5 | Assists: 9 | PPG: 0.7
Shot: L | Birthdate: Feb 9, 2008 | Height: 6’1″ | Weight: 201
Big Board: 118th | Data Score: 18.89 (351st)
The takeaway: Palme is a mobile European defender with strong international experience and an average set of skills across the board.
Scout’s view:
Palme was a solid defender at the junior level for Växjö. He has the length, skating and physical play required to defend against pros. Palme’s game can be vanilla at times, and despite decent point production in junior, he’s not projected to be an offense guy at higher levels. If he can bring even some puck-moving skill to the pros, he has a real chance to make an impact. – Corey Pronman, The Athletic ($)
One fact to know: Ola Palme played in 22 international games for Sweden’s U18 team during the 2025-26 season; his five points at the U18 World Championships tied first-rounder Malte Gustafsson for the most on Team Sweden.
One big question: Palme had a challenging draft season that included missing time following a Type 1 Diabetes diagnosis. Can Palme keep his health on track and take a stride in his offensive skill level or defensive production that elevates his solid overall profile? He’ll need a difference-making element.
More reading: Ola Palme, 17, made his debut – one month after shocking illness news
Video: February 4, 2026 vs. Czechia U18 (No. 8 in yellow)
Looking ahead: Palme is projected to play for Växjö Lakers of the SHL in 2026-27, though the possibility remains that he could see time at the U20 level or be loaned to a HockeyAllsvenskan team (similar to 2025 seventh-round pick Karl Annborn’s post-draft season).
Round 7, Pick 198: Rylan Singh | D | Guelph Storm (OHL)
Games: 52 | Goals: 4 | Assists: 19 | PPG: 0.44
Shot: R | Birthdate: Oct 4, 2007 | Height: 6’0″ | Weight: 187
Big Board: 259th | Data Score: 22.26 (221st)
The takeaway: Singh is a mobile defenseman and an ace in transition, but he is a bit undersized (he measured just a shade under six feet) and needs to develop his offensive skill level and defensive physicality to climb the development ladder.
Scout’s view:
For the last few seasons, Rylan Singh has been one of our favourite players in the OHL. His competitiveness, attention to detail, and defensive skills made him a full-time OHLer as a draft-minus-two. . . . Always the most engaged player on the rink, Singh outworks the opposition. He’s battling and activating every shift. Defending the rush, he wins the race to the middle, pivots, and surfs across, right through the opponent’s hands and wins the puck. Then, he stretches the ice with cross-ice passes and sprints up the middle, getting open for a return pass. . . . Overall, Singh needs to develop a standout dimension. He’s a facilitator offensively, not a creator. With possession, his ideas are often sound, though his passes are just a touch off their mark or too hard to handle. – Elite Prospects ($)
One fact to know: Singh was a standout at the 2026 Connor McDavid OHL Top Prospects Game on Jan. 14, 2026, with a goal and an assist.
One big question: Similar to Palme, Singh has a nice base skill set, but can he add a more dynamic dimension that can carry him up the professional ranks? For Singh, it will likely need to come on offense, though his defensive game will need to continue to improve as well in order to be playable.
More reading: Color of Hockey: Singh healthy, hopeful heading into 2026 NHL Draft
Video: March 26, 2026 vs. Windsor Spitfires (No. 4 in white)
Looking ahead: The Guelph Storm are hosting the Memorial Cup in 2027, and Singh projects to return to a bolstered Guelph lineup and play a key role in all situations.
Round 7, Pick 204: William Tomko | F | Sioux City Musketeers (USHL)
Games: 59 | Goals: 24 | Assists: 36 | PPG: 1.02
Shot: R | Birthdate: Oct 17, 2006 | Height: 6’0″ | Weight: 190
Big Board: 211th | Data Score: 30.29 (71st)
The takeaway: Physical center prospect went undrafted in 2025 but brought enough two-way skill and scoring to pique interest this time around late on Day 2.
Scout’s view:
NHL teams are going to love Tomko’s physical intensity level in combination with his massive offensive improvement this year with Sioux City (USHL). He’s a freight train on the ice who makes his presence felt pretty consistently; he simply wants the puck more than other players and he is willing to play through them to make that happen. He is quite the antagonist on the ice. However, he can make things happen with the puck after earning touches, especially when he’s attacking the offensive zone with pace. He’s not going to wow you with skill, but he’s efficient. – McKeen’s ($)
The fact to know: Tomko’s point-per-game production in the USHL is impressive for that league; he was 71st overall on our data-only watchlist.
One big question: Similar to Huff, Tomko is almost two years older than some players selected in this draft, which prompts us to wonder if there is enough upside on the development arc to reach higher professional ranks. A workmanlike style with flashes of skill could get him to the AHL, though.
More reading: Ohio State adds pair of commits
Video: February 15, 2026 vs. Cedar Rapids (No. 28 in green)
Looking ahead: Tomko will attend Ohio State University in the fall, where he will take the ice with fellow Kraken prospect Jakub Fibigr.
* * *
What do you think of the 2026 Seattle Kraken draft class? Leave your comments or questions below, or find us on X (@deepseahockey and @sound_hockey) or Bluesky (@deepseahockey and @soundofhockey.com).
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.
What an awesome and valuable write-up Curtis! Would not know much of this without you and SOH, especially regarding the lower round picks.
So cool that Huff is from Mazama… or was at least born there! Hopefully you guys can interview him at some point. I see he played elite youth hockey in Minnesota from 14U and up, but can’t find any info from before that. As a hockey dad, I really wonder how he (really, his parents) got him all the way to Minnesota elite hockey from a small mountain town. Did he start out playing on the Winthrop rink??
Yes I was wondering about this as well, up in Mazama at the moment. It’s very unlikely he was born in Mazama as they don’t have a birthing center… maybe a home birth? More likely that he was born in Omak or something. I wonder how long he lived in Mazama, the rink has been open for 19 years so it’s very likely he started skating at the rink. I have to say no better place to play hockey then under the stars in Winthrop, I’ve always thought it would be a pretty cool PR move to have the Kraken do a inter squad scrimmage/pratice up in the valley, timing is the issue as the rink doesn’t open until November.
I think they mean he was living in mazama when he was born?
The Winthrop rink didn’t have refrigeration and a full season until 2016. But still, he was only 10 then.
Excited to see an updated detailed ranking of Kraken prospects following this draft. It seems like Reid is a lock as our new best prospect and fundamentally changes our D-pipeline where it seemed like Jugnauth was only potential top 4 NHLer we had at CV (Nelson feels like 6/7 at best)… Fiddler going to Denver like a great dev plan for him but he seems more like a long term project 3-4 years away at this point.
But how do OBrien, Miettinen, OFM, Firkus, Nyman, etc. stack up post this draft. Also it seems like some FWDs desperately need to make big improvements next season (Sale, Rehkopf) to move up the depth chart.
Spot on
Sale and Rehkopf were already fringe guys based on their draft position as were most of the others. If you’re killing it as a drafting team, of the non O’Brien players you listed, 2 of them are making NHL teams. D always take a long time develop and Fiddler being a second rounder all but guarantees he’s gonna need to cook for a bit.
O’Brien looked good at dev camp today, but he’s also playing against the weakest competition we’ve seen in a dev camp and they did mostly drills.
Interesting that Pronman gave them the lowest grade of the bunch (B+) when they drafted his #1 and #15 prospects at picks 7 and 38. Maybe he didn’t like their later round picks. 🤷♂️
The thing that stuck out to me is how many of them had scouts emphasizing physicality. I doubt that is coincidence.
And the team rates A+ on the Curtis Jersey compatibility scale.
I was really impressed with the new draftees today. Mutryn and Fedorov immediately look like two of our top prospects. Biggest surprise was Fedorov appears to speak English…or he’s just speaking to people in Russian and they are pretending to understand each other. Also was impressed with Palme and Tomko.
Caswell and Josephson have definitely benefited from their time in the NCAA. They looked great. Wisdom also took a step, for sure. If I’m ranking what I saw today…
Caswell
Fedorov
Mutryn
Josephson
Tomko
Wisdom
Then on D…
Bernier
Reynolds
Palme
Not rating Reid because he looked like a 6’2 18 year old who plays well and has a lot of potential, and I have a feeling will be a different player after a season at MSU. Especially after seeing how the NCAA benefited Caswell and Josephson.
Jake O’Brien…it’s unfortunate he isn’t going the NCAA route. He looked pretty much the same as the last dev camp. NCAA would have really benefited his development.