“Down on the Farm” is your weekly Seattle Kraken prospects update. This week we’ll focus on new Firebirds defender Tyson Jugnuath, catching you up on his recent development steps and his early play in Coachella Valley. After that, we’ll pass along thoughts on Berkly Catton’s status, check back in on the Firebirds, and get you updated on an eventful week elsewhere in the Kraken 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.

Jugnauth’s hard work pays off with a top-four role in Coachella Valley, but development hurdles remain

Tyson Jugnauth is a unique player in the Kraken organization. “You don’t teach a lot of the things he has,” Firebirds vice president of hockey and business operations Troy Bodie told Judd Spicer in an interview on the Fire & Ice Podcast. “He moves the puck very well. Reads and scans the power play well. Moves the puck quick[ly]. Very smart defender as well.”

“We’re excited to see him on the backend, what he can do for our power play, and hopefully put some points up right away,” Brodie said.

Yet, Jugnauth’s progress to this point was not pre-ordained. For years, a professional future of any kind was not guaranteed for the 2022 fourth-round pick. Hard work, a unique bet on himself, and a prolific-scoring age 20 season with the Portland Winterhawks last year earned him an entry-level contract with the Kraken.

It’s clear Jugnauth wants more, though. As a slight-framed, 5-foot-11 defenseman, he knew there were steps he needed to take to succeed as a professional. So, he rented an apartment in the Seattle area on his own dime this past summer and worked out at the Kraken Community Iceplex with Seattle’s strength and conditioning staff to add muscle.

“It’s always been a weak spot for me; I’ve never been the strongest or biggest guy,” Jugnauth told reporters at Kraken rookie camp. “I knew I needed to get my body in a place where I could absorb the [professional] game. Once I signed my entry-level contract, it was like ‘I’ve got three months to do this.'”

“The best way for me to do that was to stay in Seattle. Nate [Brookerson] and Jake [Jensen] are great at what they do. I think now I’m ready. I feel good on the ice. I think it will be a big step for me.”

“Tyson has committed himself to improving his fitness and his strength,” Brodie explained. “For a young player to come to us and tell us he’s going to forego his summer with his friends and family because he’s committed to playing better hockey and developing properly is a huge step in the right direction.”

“It is something that he will benefit from greatly. We’re very impressed with his maturity,” Brodie said. “It’s not something that is taken lightly.” Indeed, it’s clear the Kraken want Jugnauth’s commitment to serve as an example for the team’s other prospects. “Hopefully it’s something that other players understand he’s going to get rewarded for this year.”

The “reward” Jugnauth earned was evident on Firebirds Opening Night as a 21-year-old rookie stood near the blue line at puck drop. Jugnauth played heavy minutes in the early going alongside Ty Nelson at even strength and quarterbacked the first-unit power play. He was clearly ahead of fellow rookies Lukas Dragicevic and Caden Price (who formed the Firebirds’ third pair) and Kaden Hammell (who was scratched).

That said, the AHL has a way of humbling young players, and there were rough spots for Jugnauth in this one, particularly in front of his own net. On the first goal against, Jugnauth lost track of the puck and stopped skating instead of engaging a forward during a scramble at the net front.

On the second goal against, Jugnauth didn’t help pick up a net front player, instead holding the back post on a play in the opposite corner. This may have been his textbook proper positioning, but a lack of awareness of the positioning of his opponents (and teammates) left the net front player to make a play while Jugnauth was guarding air.

On the fourth goal against, Jugnauth was caught in between in defensive transition. He didn’t move to take away the cross-seam pass (perhaps thinking Goyette had the pass covered, which he did not), and the young blueliner did not step up to block or take away the shooter.

These goals were not entirely on Jugnauth, of course. One can point to other errors and breakdowns as well. And, even when Jugnauth was off the ice, the Gulls still tilted the ice toward the Firebirds net. But, it is clear there were a number of lessons for the AHL rookie in this one.

If history is any indication, Jugnauth will take the challenge seriously and come back better for it.

Coachella check-in

Revisiting my projection from before the opener, I had every sit-start decision and player position correct except for one: Ian McKinnon started the opener over the newly-acquired J.R. Avon. And I hedged when it came to McKinnon, noting that I expected him to be in the lineup more than half the time for the Firebirds.

On the other hand, my pregame line projections were not close at all. To begin the night, the Firebirds staff distributed their forward veterans throughout the lineup rather than consolidating them on one line. Those plans shifted after the team lost one of it’s key players just over 20 minutes into the game (more on that in a moment). Across the second and third periods, we often saw two of the veteran leaders together.

The opener was a tough 5-0 loss. There were a few good things from the Firebirds young players, but there is no sugar coating the outcome. As I implied last week, I do think that this season will be an enormous challenge, particularly early, due to the youth on the roster. The team needs to find new point producers up front and develop sound defensive play from a very young blue line. This will take time.

The challenge will be even tougher in the short term with the Kraken recalling John Hayden to the NHL club on Friday, Oct. 17, following Freddy Gaudreau’s placement on injured reserve. Only two AHL “veterans” remain on the team: Mitchell Stephens and Gustav Olofsson.

The Firebirds should receive solid play in net from Nikke Kokko and Victor Ostman. That said, I wouldn’t be surprised if the raw goaltending stats take a step back in the early going as the Firebirds struggle to suppress shot quality.

If, by the end of the year, the arrow is pointing up and the Firebirds make the playoffs at all, I’ll count that as a successful season. I’m not ruling out more. The AHL team in Palm Desert, California, has exceeded my expectations every season so far. But development is the priority in the early going.

The Catton conundrum

I have made no secret that I am high on Berkly Catton’s potential to help the Seattle Kraken this season. After the first two Kraken home games, though, I was on board with the vision of utilizing Ryan Winterton’s defensive talents as the team looked to establish a sound defensive structure and details in their breakouts and transition game. As we discussed on the last Sound Of Hockey Podcast, I think this was the right call.

I suspect we’ll see movement on the Catton situation shortly though. Freddy Gaudreau’s placement on injured reserve suggests he’ll miss at least a week. Plus, Winterton has taken minor penalties in each of the last two games and Jani Nyman’s usage continues to be minimal. (After trending up for a while, Nyman was back down to 6:19 TOI on Thursday, Oct. 16, in Ottawa.)

Catton could enter the NHL lineup on Saturday in Toronto in place of Gaudreau, Winterton, or Nyman. If not that, the team has back-to-back games in lower-exposure spots Monday and Tuesday of next week. That may be a natural chance to rest a veteran and get Catton into the lineup over John Hayden, for example.

There is also the possibility of a conditioning loan to the Coachella Valley Firebirds. The team’s injury situation and decision to carry three goalies in the early going may make that difficult at the moment though. (A player loaned to the AHL for a conditioning stint still counts against the NHL roster limit.)

Regardless, if you are in Berkly Catton withdrawal like I am, here are his shifts from Seattle’s September 29, 2025, preseason game against the Calgary Flames—i.e., the game during which Catton scored his first (preseason) NHL goal. Do I have more of these videos? Yes. Will I keeping posting them until Catton makes his way into the NHL lineup? As a bit of harmless fun, sure. Why not?

Notes on five more Kraken prospects

Oscar Fisker Mølgaard | F | Coachella Valley Firebirds (AHL)

Speaking of the young Firebirds, Mølgaard left the ice for Coachella Valley in the first minute of the second period and did not return. Mølgaard did not take any contact on the shift but skated straight for the bench and down the tunnel at his first opportunity. Mølgaard had a slightly awkward fall on his last shift in the first period, but it was not obvious that he suffered an injury as a result. I did not notice any other potentially injurious contact on any of his other shifts. (You can watch his time on ice here.) This is one to monitor, as Brodie called Mølgaard “a big part of our team” before the game.

Nathan Villeneuve | F | Sudbury Wolves (OHL)

Now recovered from an injury sustained during Kraken training camp, Villeneuve took the ice last Friday for Sudbury as the team’s captain. Who did he square up against for the opening face-off? None other than fellow Kraken prospect Jake O’Brien. The two went head to head frequently that night, with O’Brien’s Brantford Bulldogs holding the advantage. O’Brien had a goal, two assists, and was plus-three in a 6-0 Bulldogs win. Though Villeneuve was held scoreless that night (with a minus-two on-ice plus-minus), he rebounded with three assists in two additional games last weekend.

Jake O’Brien | F | Brantford Bulldogs (OHL)

O’Brien and the Brantford Bulldogs didn’t slow down after their win over Sudbury. O’Brien had a hat trick and two assists on Sunday, Oct. 12, to lead the Bulldogs to an 8-5 win over the Ottawa 67’s. O’Brien’s eight points in two contests earned him the Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week. As of Thursday afternoon, O’Brien is tied for first in the OHL in points per game (2.17) and tied for fifth in points overall (13).

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

Following a productive junior career, Clarke Caswell made his college debut playing for David Carle and the University of Denver last weekend. The 2024 fifth-round pick scored a goal last Friday in his first game versus Air Force off a hard-working net front battle. Overall he compiled a team-high seven shots on goal in 19:47 time on ice—which was one second short of the most on the team among Denver forwards. The next night Caswell once again assumed a top-six forward role and recorded two assists in Denver’s game versus Bentley. He’ll look to keep the production going this weekend with two games at Lindenwood University. Both contests will be available to stream on FloHockey.

A hardworking first @NCAAIceHockey goal for freshman Clarke Caswell last night. #GoPios pic.twitter.com/d7anb4FIGL

— Denver Hockey (@DU_Hockey) October 11, 2025

Loke Krantz | F | Linköping HC (SHL)

On Saturday, Oct. 11, Loke Krantz made his debut in the SHL, Sweden’s top level pro league, for Linköping HC. He played just over eight minutes and wasted no time getting on the scoresheet either, recording an assist. The under-the-radar 2025 seventh-round pick has stuck with the SHL club since then, getting into his second pro game on Thursday, Oct. 16. Krantz is the seventh-youngest player in the SHL to record a point this season.

Kraken prospects data update

Karl Annborn has had an eventful few months since departing Kraken development camp in July. He played three games for Sweden’s U20 team and 14 club games for three different teams in three different Swedish leagues. Most recently he has played three games for Västerås IK of HockeyAllsvenkan. Despite all of that activity and change, his last game, on Wednesday, Oct. 15, brought another first: His first point of the season (an assist).

There were a number of league debuts this week, including Jugnauth and Price in the AHL, Annborn in Allsvenskan, Krantz in the SHL, and Caswell and Ollie Josephson in the NCAA.

Jakub Fibigr is third in the OHL in points per game (1.4) among defensemen. The baseline for offensive success has been there for Fibigr, even if the raw point totals haven’t yet followed. Over the summer we predicted this might be the year his production ticks up. So far, so good for Fibigr.

For his part, Julius Miettinen is tied for second in the WHL in points per game (2.0) among all players.

Semyon Vyazovoi posted his first quality game of the season last week, stopping 26 of 27 shots in a 40-minute relief appearance. Hopefully, this is the springboard Vyazovoi needed.

Nikke Kokko was in net for the Firebirds in what was a tough team effort. As mentioned above, he could play better this year and his stats could take a minor step back. I wouldn’t worry too much about that in the abstract.

Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week tracker

2: Kim Saarinen, Julius Miettinen

1: Jake O’Brien

There were a number of strong candidates this week, but O’Brien’s eight points in two games could not be denied.

Previewing the week ahead

The Deep Sea Hockey Game of the Week is a Friday, Oct. 17, 4:00 pm PDT OHL tilt between Jake O’Brien’s Brantford Bulldogs and Jakub Fibigr’s Brampton Steelheads. Will our OHL Correspondent John Barr be in attendance? (If you miss this one, the two teams have a rematch set for Saturday at 1:00 pm PDT.)

Tracking 2026 NHL Draft prospects: Ivar Stenberg

Swedish winger Ivar Stenberg tops most international player lists for the 2026 NHL Draft. After logging 25 games in the SHL in his draft-minus-one season, he has moved into a prominent scoring role for Frolunda this year, scoring two goals and adding seven assists in 11 games. He will likely hear his name called in top-10, if not top-five, come draft day.

Recent prospect updates

October 10, 2025: Firebirds drop the puck on the 2025-26 season

October 3, 2025: Catton makes his case for the NHL Roster

September 26, 2025: Junior seasons begin, J.R. Avon settles in