Kraken Youth Movement- Which youngsters will factor in this season?

Do you smell that? That’s hockey in the air. Youngsters in the Seattle Kraken organization split a weekend series in Abbotsford against Vancouver’s prospects, winning 7-3 on Saturday and losing 5-2 on Sunday. The games came as part of Rookie Camp, the first official on-ice activities for the organization. Rookie Camp wraps up Tuesday, and we will then transition into proper Kraken Training Camp starting Thursday.

There are several players at Rookie Camp who have designs on making the NHL roster. Jani Nyman played 28 games for the Kraken last season and 12 the year before. Jagger Firkus—who has yet to see NHL action but has proven his scoring prowess can translate from the junior ranks to pro hockey—racked up 92 points in two seasons with the Coachella Valley Firebirds. And let’s not forget Oscar Fisker Mølgaard, who seemed to fit right in during his stints with the big club last season.

Those three and other young players will be especially interesting to watch during Training Camp because it’s no secret that a Seattle youth movement is in full swing. General manager Jason Botterill has publicly stated that he wants to avoid boxing out young players from the NHL roster, and when you look at who the Kraken have in the fold entering camp, there is quite obviously plenty of opportunity for them.

So, with this in mind, which young players can impact Seattle’s team this season?

The roster locks

None of these will surprise you, but all are 24 years old or younger, so I thought they were worth mentioning.

Matty Beniers, 23, is a grizzled veteran at this point and is poised to take on an even bigger leadership role after obtaining the “A” as alternate captain two seasons ago. The two-way center has scored 20-plus goals three out of four seasons. Can he take another step and hit 30 this year?

Mackie Samoskevich, 23, was the biggest acquisition of the offseason, coming via trade with the Florida Panthers. He joins his old Michigan buddy, Beniers, after two full seasons plus a rookie “cup of coffee” with the Panthers. He was largely miscast in Sunrise and forced to play a depth role, but despite averaging under 15 minutes per game during his entire tenure there, he still managed 15 goals in 2024-25 and 12 in 2025-26. If head coach Lane Lambert can find him a top-six role, Samoskevich could see a nice uptick in his offensive production.

Shane Wright, 22, inserted his own name into offseason drama when his agent, Kurt Overhardt, publicly shared that Wright had requested a trade out of Seattle. Well, here we are on the eve of Training Camp, and no such trade has been consummated. Our expectation is that Wright will be in camp and will remain a member of the Kraken for the foreseeable future.

It’s no secret Wright has fallen short of the lofty expectations that followed him after he slipped from a no-doubt No. 1 overall pick to Seattle in the fourth spot at the 2022 NHL Draft. We all expected him to be a budding star by now, and that simply hasn’t happened. How much of that is the team’s fault, how much of it is Wright’s fault, and how much of it is that he simply isn’t the player most pundits thought remains up for debate.

But the fact of the matter is that the front office still believes Wright can become an impactful NHLer, and they want nothing more than for him to grab the reins and prove he belongs in a top-six spot. Meanwhile, he is also entering the last season of his entry-level deal, which means he will be a restricted free agent next summer. So there are a lot of reasons for Wright to be motivated to grant the Kraken their wish and start looking like one of the top players on the team, even if it only increases his eventual trade value.

Berkly Catton, 20, will almost surely break camp with the big club after spending the entire 2025-26 season in Seattle as a 19-year-old. Fresh out of the WHL, Catton’s seven goals and 10 assists were a far cry from the 109 points he posted in 57 junior games for the Spokane Chiefs two years ago.

But the jump from major junior straight to the NHL is massive, so it isn’t surprising that the offensive production never materialized in Catton’s first year as a pro. Still, we saw flashes all season long of the potential this young man possesses. Catton does have real star potential, but he still needs to develop.

Remember, Catton did not have the option of playing in the AHL last season because of his age. He does have that option this year, so if things don’t go well for him early on, the Kraken could consider giving him time in Coachella Valley to dominate and prove to himself that he can produce as a pro. Still, something wonky will have to happen in Training Camp for him to start 2026-27 as a Firebird.

Ryker Evans, 24, is the only “young” lock on the blue line, and although it’s wild to think about, he’s already starting to move out of that “young player” category. They grow up so fast! Like Wright, Evans will be a restricted free agent after this season and should be motivated for a strong performance.

Ryan Winterton, 23, grew into a lineup stalwart last season, doing everything asked of him by Lambert and proving he can be a full-time NHLer. His offensive production and usage were limited—just four goals and 14 assists while averaging 11:59 of ice time—but he ended up playing 68 games and constantly bringing the pace and energy a depth forward simply must show to solidify himself on the NHL roster.

Winterton quietly dealt with a devastating family situation last season, so with that behind him, will he take a step toward offensive production this season as well?

Jacob Melanson, 23, may not have fallen into this “roster lock” category for us a couple weeks ago. But now that the Kraken have signed him to a three-year, one-way deal worth $1.45 million per year, they have shown how highly they think of Melanson. After all, the Kraken played noticeably better with him in the lineup last season, and I do not believe that’s a coincidence.

Depending on the health of the team and how things shake out, I wouldn’t be surprised if one of Melanson or Winterton ends up getting scratched from time to time this season, but I do expect both to be on the NHL roster come Opening Night.

Could play a significant role

So, that’s seven players aged 24 or under who I expect to be with the NHL club on Oct. 1. One could argue the aforementioned players will all be full-timers.

The youth movement likely will not stop there, however. Seattle does not have much veteran depth, so any injuries will have to be backfilled by one of the youngsters champing at the bit for NHL time.

Here are a few players who have a strong chance of playing significant roles for the Kraken this season, either immediately out of camp or farther down the road.

Oscar Fisker Mølgaard, 21, is way ahead of the normal development curve of a second-round pick. Having already played 13 games for the Kraken last season and earning rave reviews from Lambert, you can bet he’ll be one of the first call-ups if he doesn’t make the roster outright. He looked good in the prospect games in Abbotsford over the weekend and seems to have gotten a bit bigger over the offseason.

Jani Nyman, 22, is entering what feels like a crucial season. He’s gotten a lot of NHL opportunities already, with 40 games under his belt over two seasons. While his raw ability to shoot and score from anywhere makes him appealing, Lambert’s coaching staff clearly wasn’t enamored by his play away from the puck in 2025-26. If he isn’t scoring the lights out, the team needs to trust him. Nyman didn’t earn that trust last season.

He regained his scoring touch after he returned to Coachella Valley. Let’s see if he’s taken another step this summer to earn a more consistent role with the Kraken.

Jagger Firkus, 22, is undoubtedly knocking at the NHL door. Though he hasn’t yet played a game for the Kraken, we are under the impression that Seattle was considering calling him up at the end of last season before he got injured, derailing those plans. A prolific junior scorer, there’s hope Firkus can be a productive NHLer. He too looked good in Abbotsford, playing with speed and creativity and scoring a pretty goal on Sunday.

Things went sideways after Jugnauth tied it; the Canucks pumped in three straight goals on camp invitee Maks Corovic.

But… Jagger Firkus got it back to 4-2, slicing through the neutral zone and letting it rip. #SeaKraken pic.twitter.com/tVWpSVUb5O

— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) September 13, 2026

Is this the year the Firkus Circus comes to town?

Tyson Jugnauth, 22, appears to be at the top of the defensive depth chart right now among players who could soon make the jump. The smooth-skating offensive defenseman is coming off an impressive 45-point AHL campaign and has probably shoved his way into the first call-up spot on the blue line. Who he would theoretically replace in the NHL lineup could be role-dependent, though, because Jugnauth’s ability at the defensive end of the ice is always a question mark.

Jugnauth may have been the most impressive player at the prospect showcase over the weekend. He’s just so poised with the puck.

Cup of coffee candidates

Ville Ottavainen, 24, has almost aged out of this conversation. Once viewed as the top defensive prospect for Seattle, the 6-foot-5, 216-pound Finn has yet to dominate to the point of demanding an NHL spot and has perhaps been passed up by a couple of younger players. If he doesn’t earn and keep an NHL position this season, he could fall into that “career AHLer” role.

Nikke Kokko, 22, has already appeared in four NHL games over the last two seasons, which is way ahead of schedule for a developing goalie. He does figure to be No. 3 on the depth chart for Seattle, so an injury in the crease (or even a trade—remember, Philipp Grubauer is entering the last year of his contract), and Kokko could end up playing quite a few games.

Ty Nelson, 22, is in the Jugnauth territory as another young blueliner who has played a big role in Coachella. We still think Jugnauth is a more likely first call-up on the back end, though it was Nelson—not Jugnauth or Firkus or Nyman or Mølgaard—who wore the captain’s ‘C’ in Abbotsford.

Nathan Villenueve, 20, is the type of player Lambert would love to have playing down his lineup if the need arises. He definitely needs AHL seasoning, but he reminded us in Abbotsford of his gritty approach to the game, dropping the gloves just five minutes into the first game.

Jake O’Brien, 19, is destined to start the season in Coachella Valley, now that the rules have changed to make him eligible for the AHL despite his age. He needs time to grow accustomed to the speed and physicality of pro hockey, but if he shows he can handle it, he may be able to inject some offensive playmaking into the Kraken lineup at some point this season.

Chase Reid, 18, is now at Michigan State University after playing last season for the Soo Greyhounds of the OHL. Widely viewed as the top prospect in Seattle’s system, it would not shock me to see Reid get an end-of-season call-up after his NCAA campaign ends.

---

That’s a lot of young players who could factor into the Seattle lineup this season. Any others you expect to see donning a Kraken jersey in 2026-27?