With Kraken rookie camp starting next week, we’re nearing the end of our summer Seattle Kraken prospects series here at Sound Of Hockey. “Down on the Farm” posts with actual game updates are on the horizon. (Kim Saarinen already made his first Liiga start.)
Today, we’ll get you gameplay video, data, and analysis of forward William Tomko, a 2026 seventh-rounder heading to college this coming season, and Ty Nelson, the 2022 third-round pick and No. 1 defenseman for the Coachella Valley Firebirds.
If you like these breakdowns, continue to check in. We should have at least one more of these posts next week, analyzing a 2026 Kraken draft pick (there’s only one left we haven’t covered) and another organization prospect.
Any suggestions or questions for future posts? Please let us know below or on social media at @deepseahockey or @sound_hockey.
Will Tomko | Forward | Ohio State Univ. (NCAA)
Right shot | 19 years old | 6-foot | 190 lbs | 2026 Seattle Kraken seventh-round pick (unsigned)
Summary
William Tomko is a high-motor, two-way forward who combines strong skating mechanics, physical strength and compete, and flashes of creative playmaking. He excels in transition, using linear speed and some deceptive puck movements to attack space and create chances. He has a powerful, boxy frame that he uses well on straight-line attacks; he is difficult to take off his path or the puck. He’s a competitive forechecker, committed defensively, and does not shy away from the physical game. There is an impressive set of skills here, but it is fair to wonder if his offensive traits have enough juice to translate at higher levels, where he will find bigger and more competitive opponents.
Game video
Tomko is the right-shot forward wearing No. 28 in white.
Strengths
- Elite compete level and motor; consistently impacts games through effort, pace, and determination.
- Strong skating foundation with powerful strides, good lower-body mechanics, and acceleration; better on linear attacks but also shows some lateral agility.
- Showed significant transition skill; uses delays, weight shifts, crossovers, and deception to beat defenders.
- Creative playmaker with flashes of high-quality vision, especially on seam passes, cross-slot feeds, and rush chances.
- Strong puck protection skills; defends the puck from checks and navigates traffic effectively.
- Physical and aggressive style; wins battles, delivers impactful hits, and disrupts opponents.
- Reliable defensive habits; effective backchecker, forechecker, penalty killer, and trusted in defensive situations.
- Good off-puck awareness; scans well, creates pressure, and understands positioning.
- Versatile profile with potential to fill multiple roles, including checking, penalty kill, and secondary scoring duties.
Weaknesses
- Lacks a true elite offensive tool that separates him from other bubble professional prospects.
- Shot has been effective but has average overall traits projecting to the next level; in junior, he did not consistently threaten as a goal scorer.
- Offensive production and playmaking were intermittent; his creative flashes were not always sustained shift to shift and game to game.
- Passing can become predictable or overly simple at times, particularly under pressure.
- Hockey sense is strong, but decision-making was inconsistent at times in the games I reviewed.
- Needs to leverage his skills and attack the middle of the ice more consistently.
- While he showed a physical profile overall, he needs to continue to develop his ability to maintain inside positioning and sustain effectiveness through contact.
- Lack of above-average stature (6-foot), skating speed, and offensive hockey sense may limit his ability to produce against bigger, faster professional competition and raises questions about his ceiling.
Notes
Tomko was an older draft re-entry—almost two years older than the youngest eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft. His production and physical play are impressive, but they need to be taken in the context of his age advantage over other skilled players in the USHL. This coming season, he will move up to the NCAA ranks, playing at Ohio State University alongside fellow Kraken prospect Jakub Fibigr. This college hockey move will afford him a relatively long development runway and playing time despite his overage status. I like the tools and profile more than your typical seventh-round pick and can easily imagine at least an AHL professional future for the player.
More video
Feb. 15, 2026 v. Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (No. 28 in green)
Ty Nelson | Defenseman | Coachella Valley Firebirds (AHL)
Right shot | 22 years old | 5-foot-10 | 198 lbs | 2022 Seattle Kraken third-round pick (signed)
Summary
Ty Nelson is an aggressive, high-motor defenseman who impacts the game with his physicality, relentless engagement, and sound hockey instincts. He is efficient on retrievals and thrives when transitioning from defense to offense, using quick decisions and strong instincts to activate into the rush and create chances. Nelson lacks height (5-foot-10) and length but is very bulky and physically well-developed, making it difficult to play through him. His skating is solid, but his agility is somewhat limited by his box-like frame.
Offensively, he lacks superlative tools but has a heavy shot and generates chances with anticipation, confidence, and an attacking mindset. Defensively, adequate movement skills, a low center of gravity, and competitiveness allow him to defend aggressively against attackers. Though he has reined it in a bit, he still has a risk-taking style that creates upside but also leads to occasional coverage lapses and execution issues.
Game video
Nelson is the right-shot defenseman wearing No. 24 in white.
Strengths
- Elite compete level and nonstop motor; he is consistently involved in the play, looking to shut down attacks or create offensive advantages.
- Does well in turnover scenarios with strong offensive instincts and immediate activation.
- Often shows at least average linear skating, four-way mobility, and quick feet.
- Aggressive gap control, strong rush defense habits, and solid production, particularly given his length disadvantage.
- Physical defender who embraces contact despite being undersized.
- Low center of gravity and stocky build help him win battles below the dots.
- Proactive stick work, including poke checks, stick lifts, and lane disruption.
- Willingness to block shots and sacrifice his body defensively.
- Confident puck mover with creativity and ambition in transition, even if he has found it a bit more difficult to produce end-to-end plays as a professional.
- Capable of generating offense through decision-making rather than elite skill.
- Strong anticipation when joining rushes and finding offensive opportunities.
- Trusted and at least adequate in all manpower, zone-start, and game-clock situations.
- Glue player and team leader with an infectious, positive personality on the one hand, and a bulldog play style on the other.
Weaknesses
- Though his defensive instincts and off-puck play have continued to develop, he can still become too puck-focused, leading to missed off-puck defensive threats.
- Aggressive style can create defensive chaos and coverage breakdowns.
- Limited size (5-foot-10) and reach create challenges against larger attackers along the wall.
- Limited range impacts his ability to defend wide attacks and passing lanes; there are also times he has looked limited in his agility skating to reach taller, faster professional players when attacked. This will be essential to his NHL development.
- Lacks elite offensive tools typically associated with offensive defensemen.
- Can struggle sealing the wall or containing stronger puck carriers.
- Decision-making with the puck can become overambitious, resulting in turnovers.
- Offensive activations can be inconsistent and sometimes lack control.
- Some north-south puck movement relies on uncontrolled clears or flip-outs.
- Despite power-play time, his offensive production has not translated from junior hockey to the AHL, and it is unlikely to be an above-average asset for him in the future.
Notes
Ty Nelson is a unique player given his stature, but he developed his pro-style game and brought his NHL projection into focus last season. He has a high floor defensively built on engagement, physicality, and solid instincts. He can also help the team get into its game offensively with solid retrieval, breakout, and transition work, even if he doesn’t project to impact the game offensively in the NHL like he did as a junior player. He clearly earned the trust of the coaching staff. Throughout the season and into the playoffs, he took late-and-close defensive-zone assignments as a No. 1 defenseman for the Coachella Valley Firebirds.
I’ve become a believer that Nelson has an NHL future. He may not have the tools to provide an “impact” in any singular area or stack up points, but he projects as a potential bottom-pair NHL defenseman with a unique, disruptive style that brings added value to a team off the ice.
More video
Apr. 29, 2026 v. Ontario Reign (No. 24 in white)
More Friday Film Room
July 17, 2026: Chase Reid, Eduard Sale
July 24, 2026: Finn Kearns, Carson Rehkopf
July 31, 2026: Casey Mutryn, Tyson Jugnauth
August 7, 2026: Hawke Huff, Jake O’Brien
August 14, 2026: Vicktor Fyodorov, Jagger Firkus
August 21, 2026: Rylan Singh, Julius Miettinen
August 28, 2026: Caden Price, Lukas Dragicevic
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.