Welcome back to “Down on the Farm,” your weekly Seattle Kraken prospects update. Today, we’ll put the spotlight on goalie prospect Semyon Vyazovoi, how he profiles to the NHL, and what it might take to see him in Kraken deep sea blue. We’ll also get you some injury and roster updates from Coachella Valley. After that, we’ll have the Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week, and more news, data, and video from around the system.

As always, if you have a Kraken prospect-related question you’d like to see featured in a future column, drop us a note below or on X or BlueSky @deepseahockey. Let’s dive in.

Projecting goalie Semyon Vyazovoi to the NHL

Semyon Vyazovoi, 23, is Seattle’s 2021 sixth-round pick and the one (and only actual) Russian goaltender in the organization. If you’re a regular around these parts, you are familiar with him. We know Kraken AGM Ryan Jankowski is a fan. With Vyazovoi’s Russian contract expiring at the end of this season, the goalie’s future is emerging as an important issue for the team.

That may come as a surprise to many in the fanbase, given that access to watching Vyazovoi is fairly low. He is an unheralded, unsigned, late-round pick. He has not been to a Kraken camp, reporters (and most team personnel) have not been able to talk to him, and he has played his entire career so far in difficult-to-track Russian leagues.

That said, Vyazovoi’s on-ice results have been exceptional by any standard. Under my crude save percentage-based metric, “goalie score,” Vyazovoi is one of the best goalie prospects not playing in the NHL.

He is one of only five KHL goalies since 2008 to post at least two seasons with a .925-plus save percentage before their 25th birthday. The other four goaltenders to accomplish this feat include two NHL All-Stars, Igor Shesterkin and Ilya Sorokin, one short-term NHL starter, Ivan Fedotov, and one who had only a brief stint in the AHL before returning to the KHL, Vasili Demchenko.

From this small sample, one might project a 75 percent chance at an NHL career—and with a chance at significant upside beyond that. And Vyazovoi could add a third .925-plus KHL season to the list in 2026-27.

All of this prompts the question: Would Vyazovoi come to North America at all, absent assurances of an NHL role? Jankowski expressed optimism about the state of the team’s relationship with Vyazovoi in Sound Of Hockey‘s preseason conversation with him but underscored the need for ongoing discussions.

What does history tell us? 12 drafted goalies have recorded at least one .925-plus save percentage KHL season before their 25th birthdays. Of those 12, three are active in Russia now and have not come to North America yet—Vyazovoi, Sergei Ivanov, and Dmitri Gamzin.

Of the other nine, five came to North America immediately following their last .925-plus U25 season. One played the following season in the AHL, three split their seasons between the AHL and NHL, and one played exclusively in the NHL (Sorokin).

This all suggests Vyazovoi could ask for a pathway to immediate NHL time if he is going to come to North America. It may seem counterintuitive for an obscure sixth-round pick, but it’s a unique and important situation for the Kraken moving forward.

(And if you’re wondering about the other four goalies who did not come over right away, three came to North America three to four years later, and one never played in the NHL thereafter.)

Oscar Fisker Mølgaard injured, Jani Nyman recalled

On Oct. 18, the Coachella Valley Firebirds announced a host of injuries: Mitchell Stephens (upper-body injury), Oscar Fisker Mølgaard (upper-body injury), Nathan Villeneuve (lower-body injury), and Ian McKinnon (upper-body injury). None have returned to the lineup in the games since. Additionally, the team had previously announced that Caden Price was out with an illness. He has not been in the lineup since Oct. 11.

On Oct. 23, the team provided an update indicating that Mølgaard would miss six weeks. That timeline would have Mølgaard sidelined through early to mid-December. Among other things, it means Mølgaard won’t get the opportunity to play close to home when the Kraken play in Helsinki, Finland in a couple of weeks (he, of course, would have also needed to be recalled before that would have been an option).

Elsewhere, the Firebirds continued to shuffle the lineup. Ty Nelson returned on loan from Seattle after Brandon Montour re-entered the NHL lineup. Going the other direction, AHL leading goal scorer Jani Nyman has been called up to the Kraken. With Jared McCann out for 10 weeks, the opportunity is before Nyman to prove he should be in the NHL on a permanent basis. It could be a make-or-break moment for Nyman’s Kraken future.

The #SeaKraken have recalled forward Jani Nyman from the Coachella Valley @Firebirds. Additionally, forward Jared McCann is being evaluated for a lower-body injury and will not be available for tonight’s game. https://t.co/SqDWLYyjmz

— Seattle Kraken PR (@SeattleKrakenPR) October 24, 2026

In the short term, it’s possible the Kraken will have three active Finns for the team’s games in Helsinki: Nyman, Ville Ottavainen, and Kaapo Kakko.

Notes on three more Kraken prospects

Zaccharya Wisdom | F | Western Michigan Univ.

Last week, I mentioned that I missed a report of Rylan Singh’s injury when we skipped a week of Down on the Farm. Turns out I also missed some news involving Wisdom. On Oct. 1, Wisdom was announced as the Broncos’ captain for his senior season. “It’s an honor to wear the Bronco jersey, and an honor and a blessing to be able to lead this team,” Wisdom said. The forward has one goal and three assists through four games.

Not only has Wisdom taken on a role as a dressing-room leader, but he has become a key on-ice scorer as well. His point-per-game pace is fourth on the Broncos.

Zeb Forsfjäll | C | Skellefteå AIK

Speaking of unheralded prospects, few have a lower profile than 2023 sixth-round pick Zeb Forsfjäll. Forsfjäll is a hard-working, defense-first, system-sound center with quality skating. This has allowed him to earn an SHL role from a very young age. On the other hand, he never projected to add much offense, and years of depth minutes and deployment in a difficult professional league have put a fairly low ceiling on his offensive game. Still, there is a lot to like about what he brings to the team.

Forsfjäll is the left-shot forward wearing No. 33 in black in the video below.

The Kraken have until June 1, 2027, to sign him to a contract, or they will lose his NHL rights. According to Elite Prospects, Forsfjäll is signed with Skellefteå AIK through the 2027-28 season.

J.R. Avon | F | Coachella Valley Firebirds

J.R. Avon came through in a big way for the Firebirds on Wednesday, Oct. 21, scoring two goals in the final minutes of the game to turn a one-goal deficit against the San Diego Gulls into a thrilling victory. Avon is on a point-per-game pace that more than doubles his previous career-best pace from last season. If he can continue to show this offensive skill level, there may be enough of an all-around package to get his speed- and forecheck-based game to the NHL.

Kraken prospects data update

[Author’s Note: This data does not include prospect games on Saturday, Oct. 24. We’ll include those statistics with next week’s update.]

Defenseman Alexis Bernier registered his first professional point on Friday, Oct. 23—an assist.

Julius Miettinen continues to play regularly for the Firebirds and has started to contribute some points as he finds his footing in the AHL. His six points are tied for sixth among AHL rookies.

Vyazovoi bounced back from a shaky week with a very strong one, posting a .939 save percentage across two starts.

Visa Vedenpää drew two Liiga starts over the last week, a rarity for a player who has been mostly a professional backup for the last two seasons. The results weren’t sterling, but the opportunity was encouraging.

Like Forsfjäll, the Kraken face a June 1, 2027, deadline to reach an agreement on an NHL entry-level contract with Vedenpää. If I had to predict it right now, I suspect both Forsfjäll and Vedenpää have lower odds of signing. If one or both don’t sign, it would be a first for an organization that has signed all of its draft picks to date to either an NHL or AHL deal.

Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week tracker

Tyson Jugnauth had two more assists in two games over the last week. His 14 assists continue to lead the AHL (the next-closest player has only 11). While there are elements of his game that still need to come along, there is no doubt he’s excelling as a creator in the early going for Coachella Valley. He’s your Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week.

1: Jagger Firkus, Viktor Fyodorov, Tyson Jugnauth, Jani Nyman, Chase Reid, Kim Saarinen, Semyon Vyazovoi

Previewing the week ahead

Your Deep Sea Hockey Games of the Week are this weekend’s matchup between Casey Mutryn’s Boston College Eagles and Clarke Caswell and Blake Fiddler’s University of Denver Pioneers. You can find those games on NCHC.tv.

Elsewhere, Ben MacDonald and the Harvard Crimson join the schedule for the first time with a Thursday, Oct. 29, matchup against the University of Massachusetts Minutemen.

Tracking 2027 NHL Draft prospects: Sammy Nelson

Sammy Nelson has quality size (6-foot-2), hockey bloodlines, and an all-around game from the center position to confidently project as a top-nine forward, if not a dynamic presence. Nelson had 27 goals and 27 assists in 58 games for the U18 U.S. National Team Development Program last season. He is one of only two draft-eligible players currently playing college hockey (the other is Landon Dupont). Nelson has suited up in six contests for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish so far, tallying one goal and one assist. He projects as a first-round pick.

Recent prospect updates

October 16, 2026: Ty Nelson recalled, Chase Reid and Casey Mutryn make college debuts

October 9, 2026: David Goyette traded, Firebirds season begins

September 25, 2026: Post-camp Kraken prospect stock watch

September 18, 2026: Ryan Jankowski on the Kraken prospect pool