When the Seattle Kraken drafted Julius Miettinen No. 40 overall in the 2024 NHL Draft, they selected him for his size and his ability to impose himself in the offensive zone.
Though he plays with a lot of intensity on the ice, off the ice he couldn’t be further from that. With a beaming smile, the Kraken are getting one of the brightest, most charming personalities in the WHL.
The 20-year-old from Helsinki, Finland, has enjoyed plenty of success this season with the Everett Silvertips. He has 26 goals, 38 assists, and a plus-51 rating, including a hat trick and two assists last night, Feb. 27, against the Kamloops Blazers. His five-point performance marked a WHL career high.
Now, in what is likely his final season with the Tips before turning pro, Miettinen is looking to lead the franchise to its first WHL championship in team history. He’s focused on leading his team by dominating in tight areas.
“Just small details that the pro game needs you to have. Those are what I’ve been focusing on right now because the jump (to the pros) is gonna be hard,” Miettinen said. “Now I feel like I’m so much better than I was. And I mean, just everything you do as a center affects the game so much.”
Miettinen played in his second World Junior Championship in Minnesota. While wearing an A, he had two goals and two assists in six games, helping lead the team to a silver medal.
“It was awesome,” Miettinen said. “To be there with the Finnish guys as a second-year player, and having that first-year experience under your belt, helped so much.”
According to Miettinen, the Kraken have been paying close attention, monitoring his development ahead of the jump to the pros. He’s worked on his skating and edge work over the last two seasons since being drafted.
He has been in a locker room filled with NHL talent over the past four seasons, including former Silvertips captains Austin Roest and Ben Hemmerling. He named those players as guys who made the jump to the pros and lead by example.
“New place, new guys, new team — that’s always a jump. But I try to live in the moment,” Miettinen said. “It’s cool to see guys live their dreams. Not a lot of guys get the chance to do that. But from their last years, just seeing how they do things, like the life they live — you gotta be a pro.”
Plus, playing with that Landon DuPont guy has been pretty cool, too.
“That guy’s just unbelievable at everything he does,” Miettinen said. “He is so mature. I wouldn’t believe he’s 16 if I didn’t know. How he practices, how he treats his body — it’s just unbelievable. Just everything he does, he’s a pro.”
It’s been an incredible year for the green and white once again. At 47-7-2-1 with 97 points and first place in the Western Conference, they sit a staggering 36 points ahead of the second-place team in the U.S. Division.
The Silvertips seem to be well on their way to another deep playoff run with Miettinen at the helm. The team has fallen short in prior years, but this year feels more promising to him.
“Every year is a new year. You have a different team, different guys with you. But I feel like this year is different. I don’t know how many games we’ve been trailing in the last period, and then we just find a way to come back and win the games.
From the experience of last year, we know what it’s like. We know it’s a battle. It’s one game at a time. We’ve got to focus on the little details. One shift might change the whole season.”
Photo Courtesy of Evan Morud and the Everett Silvertips
With Berkly Catton on the shelf for the foreseeable future, out week-to-week with an upper-body injury, it puts a pause to his much anticipated rookie season.
It was promising to see him out with a red sweater at morning skate on Sunday morning, but coach Lane Lambert said he’s still pretty far from a return.
20 games (well, 21 now) into his NHL career, the 19-year-old remains one of the youngest players in the league. Yet, it’s looking more and more like he will stay with the team for the entire season.
There are a lot of high hopes for Catton among Kraken faithful, with many thinking his playmaking abilities would pay dividends right away for a team that has struggled to find a consistent source of offense. In certain ways he has helped in this regard, but the player who once scored 54 goals in a season in the WHL has yet to find the back of the net as a pro, so the scoring touch hasn’t yet translated.
Obviously, the first 20 games are not going to define the next 20, the next 200 or an entire career. Not all development paths are created equal, but this is a large enough sample size to begin comparing and contrasting.
So, while his season is on pause, let’s take some time to compare Catton’s first 20 games with the other two Kraken first-rounders to reach that mark: Matty Beniers and Shane Wright.
Catton’s first 20
The Kraken had the option of sending Catton back to the Spokane Chiefs for another season, where he did not have much left to prove, or keeping him in the NHL for a full year and burning a season of his entry-level contract.
Drafted No. 8 overall by the Kraken in 2024, the decision to have him spend his first season in the pro ranks was a heavily calculated one by the front office and coaching staff, who felt it was in his best interest to stay in the NHL and learn the ropes a little earlier than normal.
Catton has experienced some ups and downs to start his NHL career. He came out of the gates hot with three assists in his first five games, including an assist in his debut.
But he went quiet over his next 15, recording only two helpers. He’s totaled 17 shots on goal so far with some quality chances, but he just hasn’t been able to finish.
He’s getting close, though, and gaining confidence along the way. Here’s one of those opportunities he had against the Islanders on Nov. 23.
Golden opportunity for Berkly Catton to get his first NHL goal, but Rittich shuts it down.
Catton has spent the majority of his young career playing on a line with Jordan Eberle and the aforementioned Wright, but he has also seen his fair share of different combinations—six in total, according to MoneyPuck.
He was averaging a little more than 12 minutes per night, with that number fluctuating game-to-game, as it often does for players his age.
Comparing it to Wright and Beniers
Wright, drafted No. 4 overall by the Kraken in 2022, split his first 20 NHL games across three seasons from 2022-23 to 2024-2025. He spent time in the OHL, AHL and at World Juniors between his NHL debut and reaching the 20-game mark.
When he was on the ice with the Kraken during those early stints, he produced at roughly the same pace he is producing at now, totaling five goals and two assists while getting about 11 minutes a game. It took Wright until the eighth game of his career to score his first NHL goal, memorably against Montreal.
While Wright hasn’t been the world-breaker he was hyped to be during his junior career, he has still developed into a solid NHL producer, with 63 points in 124 games.
Matty Beniers, meanwhile, is much more of an outlier when it comes to early-career production for the Kraken. His Rookie of the Year award and scoring in just his second ever game underscore that point.
Through his first 20 games, 10 at the end of the 2021-22 season and 10 in 2022-23, Beniers averaged nearly a point per game at seven goals and 10 assists. He was playing more than 18 minutes per night, a luxury that came when the Kraken were just starting out and building their foundation.
What’s to come…
In terms of production, it’s safe to say Catton’s first 20 games looked far more like Wright’s than Beniers’, although his path to 20 has been far more linear than that of Wright. While Catton is probably the most offensively gifted player of the three, it was always going to take something monumental to match Beniers’ first-year totals.
Many different factors play into these development paths. Top picks are always given plenty of runway, and Catton, like the rest of the Kraken’s first-rounders (all of whom are still under the age of 23), undoubtedly has way more time to become the player he was drafted to be. Benchmarks like these simply give context for what may come next.
So when he gets back, how do you think the next 20 games will look for Catton?
As Kraken training camp gets into full swing, it’s a good time to also review the Coachella Valley Firebirds roster. Which new prospects are eligible to join, which veterans remain, and how will they impact the AHL’s veteran rule?
Veterans returning
The AHL is a development league, and teams are limited to five veteran players in a gameday lineup. Veterans are defined as those with more than 260 games of professional experience.
*Ian McKinnon was incorrectly included above, but has not played the required number of games to be classified with veteran status. At 27 years old, McKinnon has played 130 professional games prior to the start of the 2025-26 season.
Above are six players who fall into the veteran category and could see significant time in the AHL. However, one of these and possibly up to three players may start the season with the Kraken. Seattle currently has only 11 forwards locked into NHL roster spots, leaving one fourth-line role and as many as two healthy-scratch spots open. Most likely, either John Hayden or Mitchell Stephens makes the Kraken roster, with younger players like Jani Nyman or Berkly Catton filling the other openings.
If one veteran sticks in Seattle, the Firebirds would have five veterans to rotate while staying under the AHL limit. Ian McKinnon and Gustav Olofsson are on AHL-only contracts, so NHL time isn’t an option for them (unless Seattle wanted to elevate one of them, in which case the team could sign the player to an NHL contract).
McCormick played just 19 games last year before suffering an undisclosed injury and enters camp still on that designation. Fleury could see NHL minutes, but Seattle’s addition of Ryan Lindgren pushed him to eighth on the depth chart. NHL teams usually carry seven defensemen, although the Kraken have occasionally carried eight in past seasons. Being eighth likely means Fleury begins the season in Coachella Valley.
Prospects with AHL experience
As the Kraken enter their fifth season, their prospect pipeline continues to deepen. The Firebirds will have 11 development players with at least one full season of AHL experience:
Nyman could also join this list, but for now we’ll assume he starts the year in Seattle. Sound Of Hockey’s own Darren Brown wrote about prospects to watch, including Melanson, who may push for NHL minutes. Ottavainen is also close to NHL-ready, but Seattle’s offseason moves created a defensive logjam. Because of that, he projects as a call-up option.
Fresh faces
Adding the veteran players and experienced prospects gives Coachella Valley 11 forwards and four defensemen. That leaves one forward and two defense spots open on a typical gameday roster. The AHL has no hard roster limit, so more players can be carried over the NHL’s 23-man cap.
This year, eight new prospects could suit up in the AHL:
Tyson Jugnauth, Andrei Loshko Justin Janicke, and Oscar Fisker Mølgaard are strong candidates to be in Coachella Valley—Jugnauth and Loshko have aged out of the WHL, Janicke has finished his college career, and Mølgaard has made the jump from the Swedish Elite League (SEL). The other five are 20-year-olds still eligible to return to the CHL, though all will push for AHL roles during training camp.
Given that only four defensemen are returning from last year’s team, it’s possible all four newcomers make the Firebirds roster, though it isn’t guaranteed. With Fleury and Ottavainen ready to step into a Kraken role if a need arises, the youngsters could fill any vacancies.
Among the forwards, Janicke is unique—he’s on an AHL-only deal and could be pushed to Kansas City in the ECHL if space runs out. Players on entry-level contracts (ELC) are also eligible to play in the ECHL, but overagers (20-year-olds) remain eligible for the CHL. Typically, those players would be returned to juniors for development rather than being assigned to the ECHL.
In short, performance at training camp will dictate outcomes, but with Seattle pulling some AHL veterans up, the odds are good that most, if not all, of these players land in Coachella Valley.
What about goalies?
The veteran rule does not apply to goaltenders. With journeyman Matt Murray joining the organization and Nikke Kokko ready for a bigger role, the Firebirds appear set in net. Victor Ostman is likely to get playing time in the ECHL to continue his development.
Wrapping up:
Training camp is just beginning, and nothing is finalized. Roster battles remain, and the picture will continue to evolve. While the big question is whether any of the 20-year-old prospects are returned to their junior teams, my view is that all eight will earn spots in Coachella Valley. That sets up a deep, competitive group ready to build on last season.
Key battles to watch in training camp include whether Nyman makes the Kraken, which would leave another forward spot in Coachella Valley, and who secures the right-wing role on the fourth line between Hayden and Melanson. If Berkly Catton makes the Kraken, that could also bump a top-nine forward into that mix. Watching Seattle’s young talent take on larger roles in Coachella Valley makes the future of Kraken hockey look even brighter.
Which Firebirds player are you most excited to watch take a step forward this season?
Blaiz Grubic
Blaiz Grubic is a contributor at Sound Of Hockey. A passionate hockey fan and player for over 30 years, Blaiz grew up in the Pacific Northwest and is an alumni of Washington State University (Go Cougs!). When he’s not playing, watching, or writing about hockey, he enjoys quality time with his wife and daughter or getting out on a golf course for a quick round. Follow @blaizg on BlueSky or X.
We are so back! The Seattle Kraken kick off their rookie camp on Wednesday at the Kraken Community Iceplex, which gives us another chance to check out players from their impressive prospect pool.
It goes without saying that Berkly Catton and Jani Nyman should be watched closely, as they figure to be in the conversation for the NHL roster, but we’re digging a bit deeper here to consider a few less-touted players that I’ll be closely monitoring.
I’m always excited for rookie camp to see how these prospects are sizing up in a slightly more competitive environment compared to development camp earlier in the summer. Without further ado, here are four players to keep an eye on in rookie camp.
Oscar Fisker Mølgaard
“OFM” has been one of my favorite Kraken prospects since he was drafted. He’s been a strong two-way center for HV71 over the last three seasons, and he’s still just 20 years old. Mølgaard has attended three development camps with the Kraken, but this will be his first rookie/training camp.
His stat line from last season of five goals and 14 assists in 38 SHL games doesn’t exactly leap off the page. But considering the SHL’s lower-scoring environment, his age, and his role, that production is very good. Add in his experience playing for Denmark in Olympic qualifiers and World Championships over the last 12 months, and you’ve got a guy who already knows what it’s like to compete against NHLers.
When you watch him, pay attention to his defensive game. Many prospects struggle with that transition against NHL competition, but Mølgaard is ahead of the curve there. Don’t be surprised if he earns at least one preseason game… or two.
Tyson Jugnauth
The left-shot defenseman’s development path has been well-documented here. Drafted in the fourth round in 2022, Jugnauth spent a season and a half at Wisconsin before moving on to the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL. Late this past spring, he committed to Michigan State but ultimately chose to sign his entry-level deal with the Kraken.
Since joining Portland, Jugnauth has been a game breaker, racking up 179 points in 142 combined regular-season and playoff games. This summer, he took things a step further by moving to Seattle to train with Kraken staff, adding muscle and strength to his game.
On the ice, he’s always showcased plenty of skill, but now it will be interesting to see how that added strength helps him compete against pro-level players. Winning puck battles, holding opponents up defensively, and showing he can translate his WHL success are the big things to watch as rookie camp blends into main camp next week.
A right-shot defenseman taken in the second round of the 2023 draft, Dragicevic is one of seven Kraken prospects expected to play his first full pro season in North America this year.
A former forward, his calling card has always been his offensive ability, with the defensive side of his game lagging a bit. Word is he’s been focusing on his defensive play, so camp will be a good test of how far he’s come. He has the skill to create highlight-reel plays, but adjusting to the AHL level will be the next hurdle.
It’s worth remembering he looked out of place against Calgary in preseason last year, so I’ll be watching to see if he looks more comfortable this time around.
Carson Rehkopf
Since the team’s inception, Kraken fans have been clamoring for a true goal scorer. Carson Rehkopf might develop to be that guy. Selected 50th overall in the 2023 draft, his shot has impressed me more than anyone else’s in the system (although Jani Nyman’s shot is lethal too).
He scored 52 goals in 60 games in the OHL in 2023–24, then followed it up with 42 in 57 games in 2024–25. The dip in production isn’t a concern, but to stick in the NHL, Rehkopf needs to round out his two-way game. Honestly, I think he would have benefitted from playing NCAA hockey last season (if the CHL/NCAA eligibility rule had changed just one year earlier). The AHL will now provide that same test of structure and responsibility.
This year in Coachella Valley should give us early clues about what kind of player he could become at the NHL level.
Other quick thoughts on players of note:
Caden Price – The 2023 third-round pick continues to fly under the radar. He’s ranked higher on the Kraken’s internal prospect lists than most public analysts give him credit for.
David Goyette – A dynamo in junior, Goyette’s first year in Coachella Valley felt a bit underwhelming compared to the astronomical numbers he put up in the OHL. This season will be a big one for his development.
Eduard Šalé – The 2023 first-rounder had an ok year in the AHL as a 19-year-old, but for a first-round pick, you’d hope for a little more. Rookie and training camp could give us an early glimpse of him taking that next step.
Logan Morrison – We didn’t mention him on last week’s prospect-heavy Sound Of Hockey Podcast, but “LoMo” might just be a dark horse to crack the Kraken lineup at some point this season.
Rookie camp is here
The Kraken’s rookie camp is always fun, but this year feels especially intriguing with the influx of prospects expected to play in Coachella Valley this season. Some of these guys could be knocking on the NHL door sooner rather than later, and for others, it is going to be fun to see how they adjust to the next level. For fans, it provides a glimpse into the future and a benchmark to see these players in their respective development journeys.
Welcome to our third annual analysis of all NHL-affiliated prospects and each organization’s prospect pipeline. With rookie camps and tournaments right around the corner and training camps following soon thereafter, there is no better time to get up to speed on the players that will soon take center stage across the league.
The “data score” approach
Today’s analysis is a “data-only” look at the prospect landscape. This is not a traditional scouting assessment of prospects or organizational prospect pools. Think of it, instead, as a supplement to the scouting and analytical work on prospects being published by other sources like Elite Prospects and The Athleticat this time of year.
What do I mean by a “data-only” analysis? As I have done in years past when looking at NHL-affiliated players (or draft prospects), I have organized this player list by “Data Score”—a rough metric we came up with here at Sound Of Hockey. Data Score begins with the bedrock of an NHL equivalency (“NHLe”). NHLe is a method to compare the scoring proficiency of players in the various professional and junior leagues across the globe. I used Thibaud Chatel’s model, which is the most up-to-date public research in the area. Check out Chatel’s Substack for an in-depth discussion of NHLe. For this project, I used Chatel’s newest model, which has been updated to account for 2024-25 season data.
In contrast with years past when I looked at only a one-year sample to create this list, this year, I applied this NHLe to three years of scoring data—from the 2022-23, 2023-24, and 2024-25 seasons. More recent play is given more weight. I think this is an important upgrade to the approach and one I will be continuing to iterate on moving forward.
After deriving an NHLe from the scoring data, I then make adjustments for age, height, and position, as well as a modest upward adjustment to the NHLe for low-scoring players playing in high-level professional leagues. I then normalize the resulting output and call it the prospect’s “Data Score.” This number no longer projects NHL scoring but is (hopefully) useful in describing the relative strength of prospects. I’ve gone through the methodology in more detail previously here and here.
NHL-affiliated prospects list eligibility
To be eligible for this list, the player (1) must be a skater on the roster or reserve list of an NHL team, (2) must be younger than 24 years old as of Sept. 1, 2025, and (3) cannot have played more than 50 NHL games. (I adjusted the age threshold downward from 25 years old this year.) This approach yielded approximately 850 players. The full list will be published shortly on the Sound Of Hockey Patreon. Let’s get into the top 200 players and prospect pipelines here.
Top-200 NHL-Affiliated Prospects
While the flow of talent from Russia and Belarus has understandably ebbed in recent years, two players from each country appear in the top ten in our NHL-affiliated prospects list.
Russian Ivan Demidov was widely regarded as one of the most talented players outside of the NHL until his debut late in the 2024-25 season. Igor Chernyshov, also of Russia, boosted his stock in the eyes of scouts and in this data-only analysis by posting 55 points in 23 OHL games in his first North American action. Belarussian forward Ilya Protas followed a similar upward trajectory after lighting up the OHL last season for 124 points in 61 games. Finally, Belarussian defenseman and 2024 No. 2 pick Artyom Levshunov performed well in his first AHL year, posting 22 points in 52 games.
The OHL accounts for half of the top 10, with 2025 No. 2 pick Michael Misa, defenseman Zayne Parekh, and forward Porter Martone joining Chernyshov and Protas. On the college side, Zeev Buium, who played for the University of Denver before debuting for the Wild late in the 2024-25 season, is the sole college hockey representative in the top 10.
Finally, three AHL players round out the top 10: former University of Maine forward Bradly Nadeau, Levshunov, and former Liiga standout and Kraken prospect Jani Nyman.
It may be surprising at first to see Nyman so high on this list, but that’s because he’s been a bit under-considered behind the high-profile centers Seattle has drafted. Two years ago, he scored the most goals by a 19-year-old in Liiga play in 40 years. This past year, Nyman was second in the AHL in goals among rookies, behind only Nadeau. He has scored in exemplary fashion at levels that fellow prospects Berkly Catton and Jake O’Brien have not yet reached. Nyman’s profile heralds a prolific NHL scorer.
Prospect pipelines and organizational outlook
The San Jose Sharks appear primed to improve—and quickly. Even after graduating prospects like Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith, the Sharks have three of the top 18 NHL-affiliated prospects by our Data Score method: Misa, Chernyshov, and defenseman Sam Dickinson.
The Calgary Flames had the most prospects overall in the top 100 with eight. The Anaheim Ducks, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, Minnesota Wild, St. Louis Blues, and Washington Capitals are next with six. The Seattle Kraken round out the top quarter of the league, as the only team with five prospects in the top 100.
Visualizing each organization’s top 100 prospects against 2024-25 regular-season standings points, we see which teams are well positioned now and into the future. Interestingly, only five teams were better than average in the 2024-25 standings and have more than the average number of top 100 prospects (i.e., at least four): Montreal, Calgary, Minnesota, Washington, and Winnipeg. Otherwise, teams are clustered in either the “win now” range (with productive NHL rosters but few top-scoring prospects) or the rebuilding range.
Digging deeper into the list, the Flames and Kraken are tied for the most prospects within the top 200, with 12 apiece.
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[Author’s Note: The ranking and article were updated on Sept. 6, 2025, after an error in the age adjustments was discovered. For example, Jani Nyman moved No. 7 on the originally-published list to No. 9 in this corrected list. I apologize for the inconvenience.]
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Did we miss a player? (It’s possible; the information gathering for this project is challenging.) Do you have any questions? Reach out to us in the comments below or on Twitter/X @deepseahockey or @sound_hockey or on BlueSky at @deepseahockey or @soundofhockey.com.
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.
The Kraken wrapped up the last week of games with a 1-2-0 record. The win came against a very bad-looking Chicago Blackhawks team, where the Kraken spotted the Blackhawks an early two-goal lead and then promptly rattled off six unanswered goals in the 6-2 win. The Kraken looked to implement a similar strategy in their next game against the Minnesota Wild, spotting the Wild three goals in the first five minutes. Unfortunately, that was where the game would stay until the Wild added an empty-net goal with less than two minutes left.
The final game of the week was against the Edmonton Oilers, who were missing the services of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. The Kraken were missing Chandler Stephenson, which forced a big shake-up of the lines.
John Hayden moved over from wing to play fourth-line center, while Shane Wright then moved up to center Jordan Eberle and Jaden Schwartz. With the Schwartz move, Jani Nyman slotted into Schwartz’s previous spot alongside Kaapo Kakko and Matty Beniers. Finally, Eeli Tolvanen moved to a line with Jared McCann and Andre Burakovsky. The final score was 5-4 Edmonton, which included an empty-net goal by the Oilers and then a 6-on-5 goal for the Kraken.
I am not going to overanalyze the games, given the context of this team’s position at this point in the season, but it seems like there have been quite a few defensive breakdowns over the last few contests. I don’t know if it’s the fact that the team is missing two true centers in the lineup or just flukey plays that lead to the breakdowns. Either way, this team is still competing, and that is all I am asking for at this point in the season. Even in the Minnesota game, the Kraken were still generating chances when they could have collapsed after going down 3-0 five minutes into the game.
Other musings
According to Natural Stat Trick, the Kraken had more expected goals than their opponents in the games they lost last week and fewer expected goals in the game they won.
Shane Wright’s 19:54 of time on ice during the Minnesota game last Wednesday was a career high.
In the Kraken-Blackhawks game last Tuesday, it was the fifth time that both Matty Beniers and Shane Wright scored in the same game. They are 4-0-1 in those games.
This is the Andre Burakovsky I remember before he got hurt in February of 2023.
Congrats to the Wisconsin Badgers women’s team, who won an epic championship game to defeat the Ohio State Buckeyes. Ohio State and Wisconsin have traded national titles for the last five years. Check out this rundown of this incredible game.
Last week, I applauded the Kraken penalty kill since the trade deadline after losing two of their top penalty killers in Brandon Tanev and Yanni Gourde. Since then, they have allowed three power-play goals over eight shorthanded opportunities for a penalty kill of 63 percent. I will take the blame for jinxing them.
The Kraken are six standings points behind where last year’s team was at this point in the season. The Kraken will need to earn 73 percent of the remaining points over the next 11 games to tie last season’s point total.
Something to keep an eye on in the Kraken prospect world: The Seattle Kraken have two players with expiring rights on June 1. Both Kaden Hammell and Andrei Loshko will need to be signed by that date; otherwise, they will become free agents and eligible to sign with any NHL team.
Shame! Shame! Shame! Last week, I mentioned that HV71 and Modo of the Swedish Hockey League were playing a best-of-5 series in the relegation series. Turns out it’s a best-of-7. After dropping the first two of the series, HV71 won the next three. Oscar Fisker Mølgaard and HV71 will now have two cracks at avoiding relegation.
On Monday, the WHL announced that the Penticton Vees will be the newest WHL team and that they will be accepting applications for an expansion franchise in Chilliwack, British Columbia. The Vees were a BCHL team this most recent season and will immediately join the WHL for 2025-26. The Chilliwack franchise is expected to join the league for the 2026-27 season.
The WHL also announced a new streaming partnership with Victory+. Games will be available for free through the platform, kicking off with the 2025 WHL playoffs this Friday.
The 2025 NCAA men’s hockey tournament bracket is set and begins Thursday. There are no Kraken prospects playing in this year’s tournament, but there are several high-end NHL prospects which will be fun to watch. All games are available across the ESPN family. Check start times and channels here.
The University of North Dakota fired their head coach, Brad Berry, on Sunday after 10 years with the program. I can’t help but wonder if former Seattle Kraken head coach Dave Hakstol could be a candidate to return to his alma mater and the school where he coached for 11 seasons.
Finally, I’ve had a lot of people ask me about Seattle Kraken season ticket renewals. Usually, season ticket holders would be a couple of months into their monthly installments for next season’s tickets by now. We haven’t heard much publicly from the team since Samantha Holloway sent an email to fans in January that implied changes were coming. I don’t know much more than what has already been circulating for months—that April is when season ticket holders should expect more information.
Goal of the week
There were a couple of Kraken prospect goals I liked this week, but when I saw this goal, I knew it was the one.
OH MY GOODNESS 🤯
Bryan Rust’s second of the period is a thing of beauty!
Tyson Jugnauth (POR/SEA) – The Kraken’s fourth-round pick from the 2022 NHL Draft finished his WHL regular season with 24 points over his last 20 games. Portland’s opening-round playoff series against Prince George kicks off Friday in a four-versus-five matchup. Don’t forget you can check out WHL playoff games on Victory+.
Semyon Vyazovoy (UFA/SEA) – The Kraken selected Vyazovoy in the sixth round of their first draft back in 2021. The backup goaltender for Salavat Yulaev Ufa in the KHL stopped 34 of 35 shots across two games this week to wind down the KHL regular season. Vyazovoy finished the season with a .938 save percentage over 28 games, which was second in the league. Goalies and Russian players often take a longer path to the NHL, but Vyazovoy seems to be tracking well at this point in his career.
Joel Hofer (STL) – The backup goalie in St. Louis and former Portland Winterhawk made 50 saves on 52 shots in his two starts and wins this week for the Blues. Those wins were big for St. Louis, as they are currently in the second wild-card spot.
The week ahead
The Kraken will finish off their string of road games (they’re practicing at home on Monday before flying out again) with a game in Calgary, where they can play spoiler to a desperate Flames team fighting for its playoff life. The Kraken are 2-1-0 against the Flames this season, with all games decided by one goal. All three games were played before the trade deadline, so this should be a challenging task—but who am I kidding, all games have been a challenge this season.
On Thursday, the Kraken will return home for three of their final five home games of the season. The first game of the homestand is against the Edmonton Oilers, against which the Kraken are just 2-11-1 in franchise history. It doesn’t get any easier on Saturday, when the Dallas Stars come to Seattle for a two-game series against the Kraken, with the second game on Monday, the 31st. The Kraken are 16-15-5 at home this season, and I find myself rooting for a .500-plus points percentage at home, but that might be a tough ask given the games remaining.
What say you? Are you still watching? What are you looking for down the final stretch?
