Welcome back to Friday Film Room, our summer Seattle Kraken prospects series here at Sound Of Hockey. In these posts, we’ll pass along gameplay video, data, and analysis of two prospects in the Kraken organization—one 2026 NHL Draft pick and one other under-24-year-old player in the organization. The plan is to have a new post weekly until Seattle Kraken players are back on the ice this fall.
If you have prospect questions, I hope to do one more mailbag column this summer as well, so send those along. And, while I do have a tentative schedule sketched out through training camp, if you have a Film Room request, please do let us know below or on social media at @deepseahockey or @sound_hockey.
Chase Reid | Right-shot defenseman | 18 years old | 6-foot-2.5 | 194 lbs
Summary: Chase Reid is a smooth, well-rounded defense prospect who “looks the part” and can reasonably be projected as an NHL No. 1 defender at his ceiling. His game is built around high-end skating, hockey sense, transition defense, and offensive skill.
Reid creates advantages on nearly every touch. He is calm with the puck on his stick, surprising and deceptive with his passes, exits, and other puck movements, and intelligent when pressing the play through the neutral zone or activating in the offensive zone. He can manipulate forecheckers in his own zone, make pro-level breakout passes, and attack space with pace. His shot is a weapon, and he has the ice vision to manage a power play at the NHL level. His defensive stick and transition gap control are standout defensive elements.
While his defensive-zone reads, offensive creativity, and compete can still become more consistent, and his physicality could hit another level yet, his loud tools and overall professional blend gave him one of the highest ceilings in the 2026 NHL Draft.
Strengths:
- High-end processing speed and hockey sense in all situations allow him to play with his head up and anticipate movements all over the ice.
- Almost always composed under pressure and rarely appears rushed.
- Exceptional four-way skating with outstanding mobility, edgework, agility, and recovery speed.
- Outstanding retrieval habits, remaining poised while absorbing pressure and scanning options over his shoulder. Excellent ability to manipulate forecheckers through delays, shoulder fakes, look-offs, weight shifts, and deception.
- Exceptional overall puck management with very few forced plays or turnovers at the OHL level.
- Consistently creates offensive advantages by drawing defenders before moving the puck.
- Complex passing skills, with outlets, stretch passes, slip passes, no-look set-ups, and cross-seam passes all on tape.
- High-end transition defenseman who consistently drives controlled exits and entries and will continue to the net front on combination plays if unchecked.
- Dynamic and usually responsible offensive activations make use of his skating and stick skills.
- Heavy, accurate point shot that he gets through traffic consistently and uses to score, create shot-passes, and generate rebounds.
- Outstanding rush defender with gap control, excellent stick positioning, long reach, and lateral mobility.
- Strong defensive processing, particularly in transition, routinely stepping up early, taking away the middle, and killing entries before they develop.
- Consistently wins puck battles and shows the ability to separate opponents from the puck along the boards at the junior level.
- Does not shy away from physical engagement, finishing checks, and pinning opponents.
- Supports plays off the puck intelligently to make himself an outlet option.
- Played in all situations, including the power play, penalty kill, and reduced-player situations in the OHL.
Weaknesses:
- Isolated backward skating could still use development and did not stand out versus his peers at Rookie Camp.
- Developing physical strength is a priority and could improve his defensive presence and elevate his skating game even more.
- Scoring production in the OHL wasn’t exceptional considering his skill level and in comparison with recent high-end blueliners like Zayne Parekh, particularly considering Reid’s heavy power-play usage.
- Defensive-zone coverage against sustained offensive-zone cycles was spotty at times.
- Can lose defensive coverages when defending the weak side or net front.
- His defensive compete also waned at times, particularly late in shifts; sometimes he needed a more decisive play-killing effort earlier in a shift and allowed himself to get hemmed in the defensive zone on tired legs.
- Overly aggressive activations and step-ups sometimes left space for the counterattack behind him.
- Backchecks and off-puck pace could be stronger at times.
- Will force the play offensively at times rather than sticking to the schemed plan of attack.
- There were times when he would defeat a junior defender with his skating and puck deception and create a decisive advantage but would not maximize the opportunity; there could be another gear to his offensive creation that he has not reached.
System rank: Reid is the No. 1 Prospect in the Seattle Kraken organization and the team’s best chance at a homegrown star.
Notes: Reid will move on from the OHL to play for the Michigan State University Spartans this season. In addition to a projected top-of-the-lineup role against a higher level of competition, Reid will also have access to premier off-ice strength and training support at Michigan State. Due to his NCAA commitment, do not expect Reid to sign an NHL contract in the short term. We’d wager that Reid plays two seasons at Michigan State and joins the Kraken in spring 2028 after his sophomore season ends.
More reading: Seattle Kraken draft Chase Reid at No. 7 overall
More video: January 29, 2026 vs. Niagara IceDogs (OHL)
Eduard Šalé | Left-shot winger | 21 years old | 6-foot-1 | 174 lbs
Summary: Sale is a skilled offensive winger with NHL-caliber shooting, passing, stickhandling, and puck-control abilities. He excels as a creative playmaker, particularly through deceptive east-west passes, quick touch plays, and offensive-zone distribution.
His size and offensive toolkit suggest middle-six upside. When he’s playing his best, Sale looks like an NHL player. But his overall impact in North America has been limited by inconsistent pace, engagement, and off-puck influence. He relies heavily on skill plays but struggles to maintain possession through pressure, which limits his versatility and ability to manipulate defenders. His defensive impact and puck-retrieval ability are limited. Though his calm, cool demeanor can be deceiving, he must develop a stronger motor and a more reliable two-way presence to become an NHL contributor.
Strengths:
- Standout passing skill with the ability to make creative plays through layers of defenders, particularly when given space.
- Strong finesse and deceptive stickhandling and puck-control ability.
- NHL-caliber shooting ability, particularly from scoring areas and power-play setups.
- Good offensive instincts in sustained-zone possessions, especially as a connector and set-up player.
- Consistently able to execute one-touch passes and other quick distributions to teammates in motion.
- There were flashes of improved competitiveness in 2025-26, including driving the net and playing through contact.
- Pro-level frame and physical tools that provide long-term upside.
- Has shown the ability to elevate his game internationally, suggesting he could have the necessary “it” quality.
Weaknesses:
- Low motor and inconsistent pace limit Sale’s overall impact and ability to influence games; he needs to improve his compete level, urgency, and shift-to-shift consistency.
- Relies on finesse skill plays without a backup avenue for positive contributions through effort, checking, or defensive impact.
- Play strength and puck protection skill are adequate at best.
- Needs greater physical engagement; rarely uses his size effectively in battles or along the boards.
- Inconsistent off-puck habits and awareness; sometimes looks lost in coverage.
- Too predictable in his offensive attacks due to a lack of difference-making speed, compete, or strength.
- Point production, while reasonable for a young player in the AHL, has not pointed toward an NHL future.
- Has not earned more than a low-minutes, bottom-six role for much of his time in the AHL.
System rank: Top-20.
Notes: Many of the positives in Sale’s scouting profile are vestiges of his prior junior and international successes. In the AHL, Sale has just not been engaged or impactful enough off the puck on a night-to-night basis. And he has not been dominant enough with the puck to justify those other weaknesses. Sale is moving into the long-shot category at this point. He is still young enough to make a development leap. Absent that, though, he projects to get a few NHL looks based on pedigree and then ultimately return to Europe for a productive career. This is shaping up to be a make-or-break season for Sale in North America.
More video: November 8, 2024 vs. Ontario Reign (AHL)
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.
Do you think the Kraken are undervaluing compete/motor in favor of raw skill? Seems like that’s a theme with several of our first round picks.