Friday Film Room – Kraken prospects Ola Palme, Clarke Caswell

With Kraken rookie camp starting today, we’re winding down our summer Seattle Kraken prospects series here at Sound Of Hockey. But not before we get you gameplay video, data, and analysis of defenseman Ola Palme, a 2026 sixth-rounder playing in Sweden this coming season, and Clarke Caswell, the 2024 fifth-round pick and NCAA national champion.

If you like these breakdowns, we have many more for you. You can find a list of all of the Film Rooms we’ve done to date at the bottom of the post. I suspect we’ll also try to squeeze a few more in at some point, since we have not gotten to the bottom of the Kraken prospect pool yet.

But we’re bridging into “Down on the Farm” season now. In fact, I think it’s time for our first Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week. Keep scrolling to find out more about the past week’s top performer.

Any suggestions or questions for future posts? Please let us know below or on social media at @deepseahockey or @sound_hockey.

Ola Palme | Defenseman | Växjö Lakers (SHL)

Left shot | 18 years old | 6-foot-2 | 201 lbs | 2026 Seattle Kraken sixth-round pick (unsigned)

Summary

Palme is a mobile, intelligent two-way defenseman who offers a rock-solid puck-moving presence from the backend. He shows strength in his stride, is heavy on the puck, and stays composed under pressure. He can break a forecheck with proficient passing and the ability to activate. Offensively, he is not much of an in-zone point threat at this stage, but is savvy with pinches and other possession-preserving plays. Defensively, he uses his size, reach, stick, and physicality effectively, though his reads and consistency in his own zone remain works in progress. His skating stride may not be the most technically proficient, but it is powerful and effective in gameplay situations against his age group.

Game video

Palme is the left-shot defenseman wearing No. 9 in yellow.

Strengths

• Strong puck-moving ability, with poise under pressure and confidence executing breakouts.
• Good transition passer who can make accurate outlet passes, cross-ice feeds, and creative plays through layers.
• Quality hockey sense and vision, especially when activating offensively from the blue line.
• Effective offensive instincts; willing to join rushes, pinch, and create odd-man situations.
• Solid size (6-foot-2, approximately 200 pounds), with good reach and an evolving physical presence.
• Competitive defender who engages physically along the boards and around the net.
• Reliable gap control at his best; capable of stepping up early and disrupting entries.
• Good stick detail and ability to pressure opponents defensively.
• Balanced skating base, with solid straight-line speed, crossover ability, and functional mobility.
• Powerful in his puck possession; difficult to knock off the puck or his stride.
• Calm, composed style; generally avoids major mistakes and plays within himself.
• Shows potential as a versatile support defenseman with two-way utility.
• Experience playing both the power play and penalty kill at high levels of competition.
• Five games of SHL experience in his pre-draft season, and made the big club again out of camp to begin the 2026-27 season.

Weaknesses

• Skating, while sturdy and effective, lacks high-end explosiveness, first-step quickness, and lateral mobility.
• Backward skating and edgework need refinement.
• Defensive reads can be inconsistent; occasionally reacts late rather than anticipating plays.
• Can struggle with rush defense, giving attackers too much space or misjudging gaps, particularly against speed.
• Decision-making under pressure can be uneven, leading to rushed plays or turnovers.
• Retrieval decisions need refinement; sometimes waits too long or chooses poor escape routes. He will need to increase his processing speed to succeed in the North American game.
• Defensive-zone awareness and assignment discipline require continued development.
• Offensive skill set is effective but lacks a difference-making skill or dynamic creativity.
• Question remains whether his skill set is impactful enough to translate beyond a second-tier role.

Notes

Palme’s strength, size, and effective skating allow for an easy projection to a second-tier professional league like the SHL or AHL. Whether he can take the next step to the NHL depends on his ability to hone his in-zone work on both ends. If he hits, he’s a bottom-four NHL defender who can contribute through puck movement, transition play, and responsible defensive minutes.

Palme’s significant high-level experience and physical maturity benefited him at rookie camp, where he looked to be ahead of many of his contemporaries despite being a sixth-round pick. If he can continue developing apace with his cohort, there could be a real player here. I like his power frame and puck-moving skills. The developmental risk is that Palme has already neared his ceiling and will level out while others continue to ascend.

More video

Feb. 4, 2026 v. Czechia U18 (No. 8 in yellow)

Clarke Caswell | Forward | Univ. of Denver (NCAA)

Left shot | 20 years old | 6-foot | 185 lbs | 2024 Seattle Kraken fifth-round pick (unsigned)

Summary

Caswell is a highly intelligent forward who impacts games through excellent anticipation, playmaking, and defensive awareness. He has spent much of his junior and college career as an effective two-way center, though he has also created offense from the wing in certain lineups. He excels as a puck distributor and support player who finds creative solutions under pressure. The result was high-end assist production as a junior player. Flashes of playmaking showed through at the University of Denver this past season, too, though it was certainly less consistent on a game-to-game basis.

Caswell can also impact the game as a forechecker, though he will not be able to trade on raw speed or physicality moving forward. While his ability to win positioning, create turnovers, and make plays through traffic gives him value in all three zones, questions about a lack of raw physical traits (height, weight, strength, speed) will stick with him unless he can show his wiry frame and less-physical play style can translate at the highest levels.

Game video

Caswell is the left-shot forward wearing No. 25 in red.

Strengths

• Excellent hockey intelligence; he consistently anticipates plays and finds efficient solutions with and without the puck.
• Very good playmaking instincts, with the ability to distribute from multiple situations, including off the rush, on the cycle, and through contact.
• Creative passer capable of making difficult feeds with both the forehand and backhand.
• Solid and committed forechecking ability, using timing, angles, and anticipation to disrupt opposing breakouts.
• Brings three-zone impact despite physical limitations; he is responsible and smart defensively.
• Strong positional awareness and ability to create turnovers through smart routes and body positioning.
• Competes well physically despite frequent size disadvantages, often winning puck battles through leverage and intelligence.
• Effective supporting player who enhances linemates through timing, puck movement, and off-puck positioning.
• Shows clutch ability, producing important goals and assists in high-pressure situations.
• Good at orchestrating offense in power-play situations.
• Seized the opportunity to elevate to NCAA competition for his age-19 season and earned a prominent role for Coach David Carle and the University of Denver Pioneers immediately.

Weaknesses

• Lacks standout physical traits (height, strength, speed) that could be a separator at the highest levels.
• While effective in contested situations, a lack of physical strength and bulk could limit him at higher levels.
• Settled in as more of a complementary and intermittent producer at the NCAA level; it remains to be seen if he can ascend to a primary scoring role at the college level like he did in junior.
• Offensive impact was inconsistent; some games feature limited involvement despite strong underlying play.
• Needs to continue to improve his ability to consistently turn strong forechecking and puck-recovery plays into scoring chances.
• Puck-possession skills are adequate, but he lacks the ability to dynamically possess and create offense from nothing; more of a structure-based offensive creator.
• Lacks dynamic offensive skills aside from his hockey sense and, at times, his passing.
• Shot is not a difference-maker in itself; typically scores when he has worked the play into an easier chance.
• Needs more consistent physical engagement and puck-driving impact.
• Finesse, rangy profile is always a challenging projection to the NHL; he will likely need to beat the odds to ascend to the NHL level by either upping his production or improving his physical traits.

Notes

Caswell has quality hockey sense but a frame and physical profile that clouds his future projection. (In this regard, he may be vaguely similar to Jagger Firkus. He’s more of a playmaker than the elder Firkus, but lacks the finishing skill.) He will need things to break right to reach an NHL ceiling, but if he does, he has a middle-six projection. Despite his youth and inexperience, he earned the trust of Coach Carle quickly in his freshman season. This bodes well for his future.

More video

Oct. 24, 2025 v. Boston College (No. 25 in red)

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

September 4, 2026: Will Tomko, Ty Nelson

Prospect of the Week

With European leagues in full swing, we have a few prospects with multiple games under their belts already. The top performer has been KHL goalie Semyon Vyazovoi. He is 2-0 in two starts with a .970 save percentage and one shutout. Hard to top that. Vyazovoi is your Sound of Hockey Prospect of the Week.

For his part, Viktor Fyodorov scored the system’s first regular-season goal in Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod’s Sep. 11 KHL game against Lada Togliatti.