Finland’s under-19 team competed in a tournament against Europe’s other four top hockey nations, intended to be a precursor event to the 2024 World Junior Championship in Gothenberg, Sweden. Seattle Kraken goalie prospect Niklas Kokko drew rave reviews, winning both of his starts and boasting a .943 save percentage.
Finland won all four of its games and allowed just three goals total, all coming in Kokko’s starts.
The performance from Kokko should draw some hope he’ll be more involved in Finland’s World Junior team after making the roster but not seeing any time between the pipes for the Finns in the 2023 tournament. His main competition appears to be Topias Leinonen, a Buffalo Sabres second-round pick in 2022 who recorded two shutouts in the four-game tournament.
While Leinonen’s stats were more impressive, Kokko may have the upper hand for the 2024 World Juniors, considering he was included on the 2023 roster and drew the toughest start against Sweden in the most recent tournament.
Kokko will also finish the season for a new team on loan with SaiPa of Liiga, Finland’s top league. The 18-year-old has played 20 minutes thus far for his new team, stopping eight of 11 shots (a .727 save percentage).
Kokko’s rights belong to Karpat of Liiga, and he was initially loaned to Hermes — which plays in Finland’s second division, Mestis — where he boasted a .901 save percentage in 14 games.
Wright still out with injury, return potentially nearing
Kraken top prospect Shane Wright continues to miss games for the Windsor Spitfires but is expected to begin skating again this week, according to Jim Parker of The Windsor Star.
Spits head coach Marc Savard said he believes Shane Wright and Daniil Sobolev will both start skating this week. No exact target date for a return to the lineup. https://t.co/thnCHXO9CG
Wright has missed seven of the last eight games for the Spitfires, who are riding a seven-game winning streak. We’ll be keeping a close eye on if Shane Wright is in the lineup for Windsor’s next game on Thursday against the Flint Firebirds.
Poturalski has season-ending surgery
The last couple of weeks have not been kind to Seattle’s forward depth on both the NHL and American Hockey League levels, from an injury standpoint, as Coachella Valley Firebirds forward Andrew Poturalski underwent season-ending surgery on Feb. 9.
The team announced that Poturalski underwent surgery to repair a lower-body injury, and the timeline for his recovery is four-to-six months, which will cause him to miss the rest of the regular season and likely the postseason, as well.
While he’s too old to be considered a prospect, Poturalski’s absence is a ding to Seattle’s organizational depth. The 29-year-old forward is third on the Firebirds with 42 points in 38 games and was the AHL’s scoring champ the prior two seasons.
Firkus tallied three goals in Moose Jaw’s 6-3 win over Edmonton on Feb. 8, bringing his season total to 28. The second-round pick in 2022 has collected 63 points in 51 Western Hockey League games this season.
In a 8-3 rout over Oshawa, Robertson notched an assist to go along with the trio of goals. The fourth-round pick in 2022 has 31 goals and 72 points for the Peterborough Petes of the Ontario Hockey League. Robertson also leads all Kraken prospects with 19 points over his last 10 games.
Keeping an eye on pundits
Scott Wheeler of The Athleticreleased his top 50 prospect list, and Wright was the only Kraken included in the top 50, although Firkus, Nelson, and forward David Goyette were honorable mentions.
The No. 7 ranking for Wright isn’t totally surprising, but seeing David Jiricek, who went two spots behind him at No. 6 overall in the 2022 draft, move above Wright raised my eyebrow. Wheeler’s assessment of Wright was generally positive, but he confessed he’s cooled on Wright since he was considered the consensus top prospect entering the draft.
Josh Horton
Josh Horton is a freelance writer, former newspaper journalist, and erstwhile Western Hockey League writer for the Everett Herald and The Spokesman-Review (Spokane). He is NOT a juggler, nor is he a former professional baseball player. Follow him on Twitter @byjoshhorton.
There are no bad days as far as Seattle Kraken prospect Ty Nelson is concerned.
Sure, some are better than others. But Nelson, currently a defender for the OHL’s North Bay Battalion, is so upbeat and positive that North Bay general manager Adam Dennis queried to his defense coach about three quarters through his first season in North Bay: “Does Ty ever get upset or down?”
The answer was a definite, “No.”
“He’s always having a good day,” Dennis said. “Not everybody’s like that. Some guys have bad days, and I’m sure Ty does as well, but he just wears it a lot better than the rest of us. When you have that constant positive person around, it’s infectious. You can’t help but have it rub off on you if you’re one of his teammates, and we’re lucky to have him in our dressing room.”
Nelson has plenty to smile about in North Bay, this season in particular. A third-round draft pick by the Kraken in 2022, the defenseman boasts 19 goals, which leads all defensemen in the OHL, and 60 points, second behind Ducks prospect Pavel Mintyukov amongst OHL defensemen. Nelson also tallied his first career hat trick on Sunday in North Bay’s 9-1 shellacking of Kingston.
“It was nice to obviously just see the puck going in the back of the net on the power play (on Sunday),” Nelson said. “I mean, our power play has been struggling a little bit. So it was nice to see that it was clicking last night. I was just getting the perfect passes from guys, which allowed me to get the one-timer off.”
Nelson was decent offensively, but not outstanding in his draft year last season with nine goals and 41 assists, perhaps why the smaller Nelson—he’s listed at 5-foot-10—wasn’t a first-round pick. He’s on pace to obliterate those yearly marks this season.
The secret? Nelson is shooting. A lot.
With 234 shots on goal, the 18-year-old blueliner not only leads all defensemen but all players in the OHL.
That trigger-happy mindset was born during the playoffs last season, with the Battalion’s coaching staff nudging Nelson to shoot more.
“I just kind of took that feedback and ran with it,” Nelson said. “(I just worked) on my shot every day after practice, trying to build it to be more effective.”
The Battalion is deploying Nelson’s heavy shot more frequently, too.
Nelson is playing a new role on North Bay’s power play this season, moving from the top near the blue line to the left flank. His main goal: teeing up one-timers like Alexander Ovechkin.
“In the pre-game meetings, our coach will be like, ‘Listen, you’re Ovi tonight. You just sit there and hammer one-timers,” Nelson said.
While Nelson is regarded for his ability to activate and drive offense, he’s drawn praise from pundits and his coaching staff for his defensive play, despite being on the smaller side — although it does help that he’s listed at nearly 200 pounds.
“I think his mobility and, believe it or not, his physicality [make him a good defenseman],” Dennis said. “Even though maybe not the tallest guy, Ty is a really strong kid. I’ve always said, ‘Well, would you rather get hit with a door or a bowling ball?’ Ty would definitely be the bowling ball, and Ty comes fast and he comes hard and he certainly doesn’t get pushed around. He does the pushing around in front of the net.”
The Battalion, which feature two Kraken prospects in Nelson and forward Kyle Jackson, are currently second in the OHL’s Eastern Conference and primed for another deep playoff run. Last year, North Bay was swept in the Conference Finals by eventual Memorial Cup Champion Hamilton.
A deep playoff run would mean a lot to Nelson.
“It’s something we’ve been building for a long time here,” he said. “It’s been brewing here for about four years, with all the drafts and the trades that we’ve been making. You know, North Bay is such a hockey town; it’d be unbelievable to bring it back here. For all the dedication and hard work that the guys, the coaches, and the whole organization staff is putting in, it’s something I think that we can really strive for and honestly deserve.”
It’s been quite the journey to North Bay for Nelson. The native of a rougher part of Toronto, Ontario, Nelson didn’t grow up in an overly affluent family and wasn’t blessed with the same opportunities as some of his peers.
But it didn’t stop him from making it to the OHL. In fact, Nelson was a highly regarded prospect, going No. 1 overall in the OHL draft in 2020. He drew interest from some NCAA programs, but as Nelson says, “You can’t turn it down when you’re picked first.”
“There are still some days where I’m like, ‘Wow, you did that,’” Nelson said of being picked first.
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Practice Notebook: Darren Brown chats with Dave Hakstol as the team returns from its break. Notes that the Kraken are getting healthier.
That momentum was stalled by the COVID-19 pandemic, which canceled the 2020-21 season and Nelson’s first in the OHL.
“I was so fired up, ready to go, and then just it doesn’t happen,” Nelson said. “But you can’t feel sorry for yourself. Everyone in the world was going through it, and I just looked at it as an extended offseason.”
That aforementioned positivity is something Nelson brought with him immediately to the Battalion, asking a local food bank if he could help out in anyway, even though he was sheltering in place at his home in Toronto.
Another anecdote that stood out to Dennis: When North Bay traded away forward Nicholas Sima to the Saginaw Spirit, Nelson spent the entire day consoling and spending time with the young girls that lived at Sima and Nelson’s billet house.
“Nobody asked him to do this; it’s just one of things that Ty does,” Dennis said. “He was raised the right way and I give his parents all the credit in the world. He’s a first-class kid, and he leads in hockey and he leads off the ice on how you should be as a person, too.”
Dennis believes the best is yet to come for Nelson.
“The sky’s the limit for him. He’s gonna put the work in. He’s gonna find ways to get better. If he can’t do something now or if he’s not good at it, he’s gonna get better at it. And you know what? When you walk the walk like Ty does you’re gonna have opportunities for success regularly and we’re thrilled that we could be a small part in it.”
Oh, and before we go: That fedora he famously wore at the 2022 NHL Draft, which was a gift from one of his billets, is still in his closet. He wore it on the first gameday of the season and is saving it for the playoffs and the Memorial Cup, if North Bay makes it that far.
Kraken first-round pick and top prospect Shane Wright has missed six of the last seven games with a lower-body injury. Presumably picked up in a Jan. 22 contest against North Bay, Wright missed the next three games before returning with a goal and an assist against Sault Ste. Marie on Feb. 2.
However, Wright also missed the next three games due to a lower-body injury.
The injury woes slowed down a hot stretch for Wright, who has 11 points in his last five games.
Firebirds at AHL All-Star Classic; two players assigned to ECHL
Two Firebirds, Ryker Evans and Max McCormick, represented the Pacific Division at the American Hockey League All-Star Classic, which won the whole thing.
The Firebirds will resume action on Friday against San Diego. While Coachella Valley’s six-game win streak and 14-game point steak ended on Jan. 28, the Firebirds are leaving the All-Star break red hot, having won 17 of their last 20 games.
Meanwhile, the Firebirds assigned forward Jeremy McKenna and defenseman Jake McLaughlin to the ECHL’s Kansas City Mavericks.
General musings on Kraken prospect pool
Yesterday, I stumbled upon Scott Wheeler’s prospect pool rankings at The Athletic, and noticed the Kraken were at No. 15, way up from dead last, No. 32, the year before.
These prospect rankings don’t mean a whole lot to Seattle since it only has two drafts under its belt. But general manager Ron Francis and the scouting staff’s ability to impress pundits with limited opportunities to build prospect depth stood out to me. In just two years, there are plenty of really intriguing prospects in the system, and that’s even if you don’t include Matty Beniers. If you’re an Athletic subscriber, we recommend reading.
Josh Horton
Josh Horton is a freelance writer, former newspaper journalist, and erstwhile Western Hockey League writer for the Everett Herald and The Spokesman-Review (Spokane). He is NOT a juggler, nor is he a former professional baseball player. Follow him on Twitter @byjoshhorton.
There has not been a single Seattle Kraken game since last week’s Monday Musings, but that has not stopped me from obsessing about this team. I have been digging into game logs, goalie data, shooting percentages, and more. Like all good data analysis, not all explorations bear fruit, but I did find some interesting observations in my data journeys this last week.
Shooting percentage
The early season narrative by some in the national media was that the Kraken were on a shooting percentage bender during the month of November, and ultimately their shooting percentage would slide back to Earth and the team would assume their expected place near the bottom of the Pacific Division. Obviously, that has not happened. The Kraken still maintain the highest shooting percentage in the league at 12.0 percent.
I am sure there are still some doubters, but eventually people might need to be open to the idea that this team could be one of the better shooting teams in the league. Some team needs to lead the league in shooting percentage, and it might as well be the Kraken.
Strength of schedule remaining
Another piece of data I looked into was the strength of schedule of the remaining games for Seattle. A concern I wondered about is if the first-place record in the first half was based on the fact the Kraken have generally played weaker teams in the league. Conversely, what does the rest of the season look like from a strength-of-schedule standpoint?
To my surprise, the Kraken have one of the weakest schedules remaining, which should give the team an easier road to the postseason compared with some of its challengers.
This bodes well for the boys of the Puget Sound, but it is worth pointing out the Kings and Flames also have a relatively weak schedule remaining this season.
Trade deadline
We have been getting a ton of questions about what the Kraken should do at the NHL trade deadline. Darren Brown and I were asked about it on KJR last week.
In my humble opinion, I wonder about adding some toughness for the playoffs. No, I am not talking about adding a goon or a fighter, those days are done. I would like to see the team add a bit of a bully that won’t let the Kraken get pushed around in the playoffs. Anybody that has watched the Stanley Cup Playoffs before knows that there is a scrum after every whistle and the checking seems heavier and more frequent. I just wonder what Seattle Kraken player will get opposing teams to think twice before running Matty Beniers. I think of players like Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow for Tampa in their two Stanley Cup wins. Both can score, and they brought a bit of a snarl to the Lightning.
I am not questioning the Kraken’s toughness. There have been several games where it would appear the opposition is trying to bully the team around only to see the Kraken respond in kind. Ryan Donato and Will Borgen have both impressed me with the ability to step up the physicality when needed, and we all know Yanni Gourde does not back down from anyone. So, it is entirely possible that this “skill set” is not needed, but it is something I would like to see.
Other Kraken musings:
The Kraken penalty kill has been on fire lately, having not allowed a power-play goal in seven games. That is 17 power plays killed in a row.
Oliver Bjorkstrand looks like his normal self these days. After posting a 4.0 shooting percentage in his first 30 games with the Kraken, he is shooting 11.8 percent in his 19 games since Dec. 18. He has not finished an NHL season with a shooting percentage under 10 percent since 2017-18, his first full NHL season. He is sitting at 7.1 total for the year right now.
The Kraken announced trading a fourth-round draft pick to the San Jose Sharks for defenseman Jaycob Megna. This was a depth add for an area that was becoming increasingly worrisome. Cale Fleury has stepped in nicely since Justin Schultz went out with an injury, but even with Schultz nearing a return, the blue line was still thin. Gustav Olofsson has been out injured in Coachella Valley, which left just three other defensemen under NHL contracts. Two of those defensemen are Ryker Evans and Peetro Seppala. Evans is having a great season, but he might not be ready for NHL action. Darren had a good write up about the trade and what Megna might bring to the table.
Chris Driedger has been back on the ice for a while now, but Monday marked another milestone by getting onto the ice and taking live reps from his teammates. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time he has been taking in a regular practice with the rest of the team.
Chris Driedger in net taking actual reps with his teammates.
It is not Kraken specific news, but it was announced last week that Mark Stone of the Vegas Golden Knights had back surgery and would be out indefinitely. Even in limited time, Stone was second in goal scoring for the Golden Knights this season. Vegas could be in real trouble here with a 2-6-2 record over its last 10 games. It is conceivable that the Golden Knights miss the playoffs for the second year in a row.
By now we have all gotten over that the Kraken were not represented at the NHL All-Star Game, but you still have an opportunity to check out some Kraken prospects representing the Coachella Valley Firebirds at the AHL All-Star Game. Ryker Evans and Max McCormick will play in the game on Monday, airing at 4 P.M. Pacific on the NHL Network.
Shane Wright returned to the lineup for the Windsor Spitfires Thursday and posted a one-goal and two-assist night in the Spitfires 7-4 victory against the Soo Greyhounds. The return was short lived. He was back out of the lineup for the Spitfires two games this weekend due to a lower-body injury.
Kraken prospect and third-round selection from the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, Ty Nelson, posted his first career hat trick in the OHL on Sunday. The defenseman has been lighting it up this season with 60 points over 49 games.
The Arizona Coyotes announced that 2021 first-round selection, Dylan Guenther would be assigned to an already stacked Seattle Thunderbirds roster. I thought the 2016-17 Thunderbirds were a lot of fun to watch, but this is going to be insane. There are still plenty of home games before the playoffs start in late March.
The Thunderbirds welcome the Red Deer Rebels to town on Friday. This game should be a good showcase on how the Thunderbirds matchup against one of the top teams from the Eastern Conference.
A bit off the radar, but the University of Washington ACHA club hockey team finished its regular season with a record of 22-2-0. It has been an incredible season for the Huskies as they head to Cheney, Wash., for the Pac-8 Tournament. Good luck to the boys.
Kraken themes for the week ahead
This feels like another tough road test for the Kraken with four games over six days, including a run through the New York City metro area. Game action kicks off Tuesday against the revamped New York Islanders, which now feature Bo Horvat. After the boys go through the New York teams, they play the Flyers in Philadelphia, a team they have never beaten, and then finish the five-game swing in Winnipeg next Tuesday. Hitting the road right after the bye week/All-Star break can be a bit of a challenge, so capturing five out of the possible 10 points would be a success.
Outside of the team success, I think it will be interesting to keep on eye on Bjorkstrand to see if he maintains the same level of play we saw heading into the break. We also will be looking for the returns to the lineup for Beniers, Schwartz, and/or Schultz. Based on early reports out of New York this morning, things are looking good for at least a couple of the injured players to return.
Here are the lines for the #SeaKraken at this morning's practice.
Jacob Melanson (PDS/SEA) – Melanson continues his torrid pace since being traded to the Sherbrooke Phoenix of the QMJHL. He has six points in his last four games. Ty Nelson (NBB/SEA) – As mentioned above, Nelson had his first career OHL hat-trick on Sunday. Tye Kartye (CVF) – Kartye was an undrafted free-agent signing over the summer and is quietly having a good season in his first year as a professional. Kartye has four goals and three assists over his last six games.
Goal of the week
Add David Goyette to the list of Kraken prospects having excellent seasons for their respective teams. The late second-round draft pick has 30 goals and 31 assists over his 42 games with the Sudbury Wolves of the OHL.
Going into the season, one of the big question marks around the Seattle Kraken was goaltending. The tandem of Philipp Grubauer and Martin Jones has been decent for the season as a whole, but since Dec. 15, they have been performing above the league median.
If you have any questions or comments on the Monday Musings, please leave them below, and I will get back to you as soon as I can. In the meantime, enjoy the week. The Kraken are back!
Perhaps lost amongst the Kraken’s recent success, the Coachella Valley Firebirds are sweltering hot.
The Firebirds have accrued points in 13 consecutive games and have won 12 of 13 of those matchups. Coachella Valley is currently tied with the Calgary Wranglers for first place in the American Hockey League’s Pacific Division with 58 points — the Firebirds possess three games in hand.
What’s been the secret for the Firebirds? Perhaps they are reinvigorated by a fancy new barn in Palm Desert, Acrisure Arena, which opened up just before their point streak began. The Firebirds have only dropped two games out of their first 10 in their new home rink since it opened.
Additionally, the Firebirds’ defense has been much more stingy as of late. Coachella Valley is scoring at about the same pace since the streak began on Dec. 22, with 3.9 goals per game compared to 3.8 before; but the Firebirds are only allowing 2.07 goals per game during the 13-game point streak. That’s a swift drop from their 3.1 season average from before.
Coachella Valley has recorded four shutouts during that period, two courtesy of Joey Daccord — including a 39-save effort against San Jose on Jan. 7 — and one belonging to Christopher Gibson.
McCormick named AHL player of the week
During the streak, forward Max McCormick has been one of the main engines of the Kraken offense and picked up AHL Player of the Week honors after notching four goals and eight total points in three games.
McCormick is one of the hottest players in the Kraken system right now with 10 points in his last five games. That stretch includes a hat trick in a 5-4 overtime win over Ontario last Saturday and a three-point effort in a 5-2 win over Tucson on Jan. 16 for the Firebirds’ captain.
The 30-year-old forward is far from a prospect but has some NHL experience, including 10 games with the Kraken last year, and a wealth of AHL success under his belt.
Wright, Winterton, Melanson settling into new squads
The Sherbrooke Pheonix has raced to the top of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s (QMJHL) standings, partly due to Seattle forward prospect Jacob Melanson. Sherbrooke is now tied for first in the Western Conference and is 7-1-0 since the 19-year-old forward’s arrival, with Melanson boasting 10 goals and six assists in just eight games.
Shane Wright, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft is delivering for Windsor with four goals and nine points in five games played for the Spitfires. Windsor is 4-1-0 and is scoring 5.83 goals per game since Wright joined the team and has passed London in the Ontario Hockey League’s Western Conference standings. However, the Spitfires are allowing plenty of offense, too, with 4.5 goals against per game during that stretch.
Kraken forward prospect Ryan Winterton, a third-round pick in 2021, started slow for the London Knights but has been solid lately with seven points in his last four games. Winterton has been held without a point in half of his contests with the Knights, but remember, he is coming off a significant shoulder injury that required surgery and could be easing back into things a bit.
Jugnauth settling into freshman season
It’s been a difficult season for Wisconsin, with the Badgers sitting at the bottom of the Big 10 standings — sorry, @DarrenFunBrown — but Kraken defense prospect Tyson Jugnauth has carved out a nice role for himself amongst the struggles.
A fourth-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, Jugnauth is tied for second amongst Badger blueliners with eight points and appears to have solidified a spot on the power play.
There aren’t a ton of Kraken prospects playing NCAA hockey, so Jugnauth can get lost in the shuffle, but his billing as a skilled offensive defenseman is worth monitoring.
We finally know where Shane Wright will finish his junior season, as the Kraken top prospect was traded from the Kingston Frontenacs to the Windsor Spitfires in exchange for a slew of draft picks and two roster players.
Wright was assigned back to Kingston by the Seattle Kraken after captaining Team Canada to a gold medal at the World Junior Championship, and rumors immediately circulated he would be traded.
Windsor was ultimately the winner of the Wright sweepstakes and added one of the best players in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) to a roster that already features four other NHL prospects.
There was some initial buzz that the London Knights were close to acquiring Wright. However, it appears London defenseman Oliver Bonk, a ‘B’ rated prospect by NHL Central Scouting, was the sticking point in the deal, at least that’s what London general manager Mark Hunter said.
London Knights GM Mark Hunter on Shane Wright talks: “We weren’t going to trade (Oliver) Bonk. Period. It wasn’t happening."
From a Seattle fan perspective, Windsor is a bit of an underwhelming landing spot for Wright, even though the Spitfires were in a great position — and are now in an even greater position — to win the CHL’s top prize, the Memorial Cup.
London would have been a desirable option to pair Wright up with Kraken prospect Ryan Winterton, who the Knights also traded for recently. North Bay seemingly made a late push, at least per reports, which would have formed a fun trio with Seattle defense prospect Ty Nelson and forward prospect Kyle Jackson.
As far as what this means for Wright, he’s virtually guaranteed top-line minutes and should embark on a long playoff run. Being back in an environment where he has already dominated — the No. 4 overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft posted 94 points in 63 games last season — should imbue Wright with plenty of confidence.
And above anything else, the move provides stability for Wright, who has played for three different teams — Seattle, Coachella Valley, and Team Canada — over the last three months.
Coachella Valley continues streaking
The Firebirds’ winning streak ended at seven games with a 3-2 shootout loss to the Ontario Reign Sunday, but Coachella Valley is still riding a nine-game point streak after a 3-2 shootout win over the San Jose Barracuda Tuesday.
Kole Lind tallied a goal in the latest victory. The 24-year-old forward has 11 points in his last 10 games.
Andrew Poturalski, Ryker Evans named AHL All-Stars
The Firebirds will send two representatives to the American Hockey League’s All-Star Classic in their first season.
Poturalski, a 28-year-old forward, has tallied 35 points in 33 games this season and is currently on a two-year deal with the Kraken. Evans, a second-round draft pick in 2022, has 21 points in 33 games in his first AHL season.
Poturalski and Evans will play for the Pacific Division and will be coached by Calgary head coach Mitch Love, a cult legend with the Everett Silvertips. Former Everett goaltender Dustin Wolf, who plays for Love in Calgary, will be between the pipes for the Pacific.
Jacob Melanson settling in just fine with Sherbrooke
In just his third game with the QMJHL’s Sherbrooke Phoenix since being traded by Acadie-Bathurst, the Kraken forward prospect netted a hat trick, his third of the season, in a 5-2 win over Shawinigan.
In his three games with Sherbrooke, Melanson has five goals and seven points.
Barrett Hall enjoying nice stretch in USHL
The Kraken’s sixth-round pick in 2022 is in a nice groove for the Green Bay Gamblers with seven points in his last five games, including a four-point effort on Dec. 28.
Hall is currently tied for third on the Gamblers with 20 points.
Thunderbirds make splash, Silvertips receive big haul for Zellweger at WHL deadline
The local Western Hockey League teams were uber active at the trade deadline, with the two teams heading in opposite directions.
Seattle acquired Chicago Blackhawks prospect Colton Dach from the Kelowna Rockets, had the Winnipeg Jets reassign Brad Lambert to the T-Birds — who they acquired the rights to in a trade with Saskatoon earlier this year — and obtained the rights to Dylan Guenther, who is currently in the NHL with the Arizona Coyotes, from the Edmonton Oil Kings for a load of conditional draft picks.
After the dust settled, Seattle was left with nine NHL prospects, three players on NHL Central Scouting’s preliminary players to watch list, and the starting goalie for the WJC’s gold-medal-winning Canada, Thomas Milic.
Not bad.
However, the draft pick cupboard is now bare in Seattle. If Guenther ends up reporting to Seattle by the Feb. 10 deadline for NHL teams to send players back to juniors and be eligible for the playoffs (which seems unlikely at this point), the Thunderbirds will have no picks in the first three rounds and just three in the first five rounds of the next four WHL bantam drafts.
Everett is trending in the opposite direction but completed some tidy business of their own by trading Ducks prospect Olen Zellweger and Capitals prospect Ryan Hofer for 10 draft picks, including two first-rounders, and four players.
According to Alan Caldwell, who has tracked WHL draft picks since 2015, the Silvertips have not had multiple first-round draft picks since at least 2015 — as far back as his tracker goes.
High draft picks aren’t the only way to build a successful WHL team — Everett and Seattle are prime examples of that — but it certainly helps.
Josh Horton
Josh Horton is a freelance writer, former newspaper journalist, and erstwhile Western Hockey League writer for the Everett Herald and The Spokesman-Review (Spokane). He is NOT a juggler, nor is he a former professional baseball player. Follow him on Twitter @byjoshhorton.
The World Junior Championship ended Thursday, with Shane Wright captaining Team Canada to a gold medal in Halifax and Moncton. The morning after, the Seattle Kraken reassigned Wright back to the OHL for the rest of the season.
Now, OHL trade watch begins for Wright.
Several hockey insiders have further advanced speculation that arose during World Juniors that Wright would be traded by Kingston. If that ends up being true, he would be the third Kraken prospect to be traded before the Canadian Hockey League deadline.
This past weekend, two Kraken forward prospects, Jacob Melanson and Ryan Winterton, were dealt from their respective junior teams. Melanson was acquired by the Sherbrooke Phoenix of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League for a first-rounder, a second-rounder, and a prospect, and Winterton was sent to the London Knights of the OHL along with teammate Ryan Humphrey for two players and a second-round pick.
Melanson, a fifth-round pick in 2021, is 15th in the QMJHL in scoring with 25 goals and 19 assists. He’ll join a roster loaded with NHL draft prospects; Melanson is one of seven drafted players on the Phoenix, and new teammate Ethan Gauthier is projected to be a first-round pick by most public scouting rankings.
Winterton hasn’t played this season yet due to offseason shoulder surgery but is expected to make his debut on Friday against his former team, Hamilton, according to Ryan Pyette of the London Free Press. The Kraken’s third-round pick in 2021 had 46 points in 37 games last season.
New Knights F Ryan Winterton, who hasn't played yet this season while recovering from shoulder surgery, expected to make his London debut Friday against his old Hamilton mates.
Currently, the Kingston Frontenacs, who drafted Wright, hold his OHL rights and are in the middle of the pack in the standings. Ottawa, London, North Bay, Barrie, and Peterborough have been called out as teams to watch by hockey insiders.
With Shane Wright (#SeaKraken) heading back to OHL after captaining Team Canada to 🥇 at World Juniors, expect a trade from Kingston to materialize.
Front runners appear to be Barrie and Peterborough. Can't count out Ottawa, London or North Bay. Huge piece for a playoff run.
As far as Kraken prospect synergy, the best landing spots for Wright would be London (Winterton), North Bay (Ty Nelson), or Peterborough (Tucker Robertson).
The OHL trade deadline is Jan. 10 at 9 a.m. PT.
Since Wright played in only eight games for the Kraken, the first year of his entry-level contract (ELC) won’t kick in this season. Per the NHL-CHL agreement, Wright was allowed nine games in the NHL before Seattle needed to decide whether to send him back to the OHL or burn the first year of his ELC. Wright can’t play the full season in the American Hockey League, per the same agreement.
The path to playing time in Seattle was tight for Wright before World Juniors, but it became even tighter after the Kraken claimed forward Eeli Tolvanen off waivers from the Nashville Predators.
Speaking of Wright, check this out
As mentioned above, Canada won the gold medal game against Czechia, 3-2, in overtime.
Wright played a pivotal part for Canada throughout the entire tournament, centering one of the team’s top two lines and serving as captain. He put an exclamation on his tournament with a highlight-reel-worthy goal to put Canada up 2-0.
Shane Wright with a wicked toe-drag to backhand goal 😳
Wright was solid, but not overwhelming, at World Juniors. Part of that comes from 2023 top prospect Connor Bedard lighting up the tournament with nine goals and 23 points and overshadowing everyone, but Wright posted a respectable stat line with four goals and seven points in seven games.
Even though he didn’t put up eye-popping numbers, there are plenty of positives to take away from Wright’s World Junior stint, according to Lassi Alanen of Elite Prospects.
Shane Wright (SEA) didn't have the most explosive tournament on the scoresheet, but he was still one of the best overall forwards. At least above-average in every metric used in these cards, which speaks volumes about his versatility. #SeaKrakenhttps://t.co/D62yELtiWapic.twitter.com/6pwyWFbSLt
The Finns, the other team at the World Juniors with Kraken representation, were knocked out in the quarterfinals by archrival Sweden.
Kraken forward prospect Jani Nyman finished with two goals and three points in five games, and goaltender NIklas Kokko didn’t see any action for Finland.
Thomas Milic holds down Canada’s crease
The Seattle Thunderbirds netminder took over Canada’s net and performed admirably with a .932 save percentage and lots of heroic saves in the knockout rounds.
Milic, along with teammates Reid Schaefer, Kevin Korchinski, and Nolan Allen, Everett Silvertips defenseman Olen Zellweger, and head coach Dennis Williams, bring a gold medal back to the Puget Sound.
Coachella Valley Firebirds riding long winning streak
Seattle’s AHL affiliate has been scorching hot in December and January. With their 4-2 win over Colorado on Wednesday, the Firebirds have won six straight and 12 of their last 15 dating back to the start of December.
Forwards Kole Lind, Jesper Froden, and Max McCormick boast a team-leading seven goals and 16 points each during that stretch, and defense prospect Ryker Evans has been equally productive on the blue line with 11 points.
Ty Nelson packs scoring punch
Defenseman Ty Nelson is on a nice little scoring run with two goals and 10 points over his last 10 games for the OHL’s North Bay Battalion. The shot-happy blue liner is one of the most dynamic defensemen in creating offense in junior hockey, as Sound Of Hockey’s own Curtis Isacke noted on Twitter.
Ty Nelson leads the entire OHL with 191 shots on goal. 17 more than the next player… As a defenseman. The next D on the list has only 124 SOG.
As puck dominant a season as you'll see. Liked his physicality/energy in dev camp, but an adjustment coming to pro game. #SeaKraken
