Sure, the Kraken could get somebody like Dustin Brown, Jeff Carter, or Jonathan Quick from the Kings in the Seattle Expansion Draft, but that seems unlikely.
It’s been a tough couple of years for Los Angeles Kings fans, who are still not that far removed from witnessing their club lift hockey’s greatest prize twice in three seasons between 2012 and 2014.
It must be difficult to see their team plummet from the cream of the crop all the way down to cellar dwellers in such a short time, although perhaps there is some overlap between Kings fans and Lakers/Dodgers fans, which would diminish the sour taste of not winning a championship for a few years.
What’s happened with the Kings is not unlike what has happened in places like, say, Chicago, where the central characters have remained on long, lucrative contracts, and as they age, the organization is attempting to rebuild around that same group through drafting and developing.
STATE OF THE TEAM
The old guard – Anze Kopitar, Brown, Carter, Drew Doughty, and Quick – have all reached their 30s, and in varying stages of the twilights of their respective careers find themselves stuck in the mud of a rebuild. Veteran feelings aside, L.A. seems to very much be on the right track to becoming a difficult Pacific Division foe for the Seattle Kraken within a few years.
Prospect experts indicate that Los Angeles had one of the deepest pools in the NHLbefore trading for Tyler Madden and drafting an elite talent in Quinton Byfield with the second overall selection in October’s NHL Entry Draft. This is obviously great news for Kings fans but confirms that this is a franchise that will certainly be a thorn in Seattle’s side for years to come.
Making things worse for Seattle, the Kraken will not have much to choose from off the coveted Kings’ prospect list, as the vast majority of their youth movement will not meet the exposure eligibility requirement of two professional seasons. So, if you think the Kraken will have a chance at guys like Alex Turcotte, Arthur Kaliyev, Rasmus Kupari, Gabe Vilardi, Jaret Anderson-Dolan, or Samuel Fagemo, you would be incorrect.
ASSUMPTIONS
The Kings are one team that we at Sound Of Hockey predict will protect eight total skaters, rather than seven forwards and three defensemen, in the Seattle Expansion Draft. This is because we think they will want to protect an additional defenseman, pushing Seattle to choose one of their interchangeable forwards, of whom they have several.
We are assuming that L.A. will not be good again next season. Byfield has a solid chance of playing right away and being impactful, but coming out of junior hockey, it is unlikely he will be able to move the needle enough to get the Kings back to being competitive. Additions of guys such as Olli Maatta and Lias Andersson will also fall short of putting L.A. back into contention, and the team’s deep well of youngsters is not quite ready to be tapped and labeled the new core of the team.
We also believe at least some of the veterans of the past Stanley Cup runs will be exposed in favor of maintaining the future. Doughty — the youngest of the old core at 30 years old — is the only one of the group with a no-movement clause, so he is guaranteed to be protected. Otherwise, one can imagine a world in which all the remaining players of yore could be there for the taking.
But does Seattle want one of those veterans? We doubt it (unless Kopitar somehow becomes available, which feels like a long shot).
OFFSEASON WILDCARDS
There’s still time for things to change for this roster before puck drop in … well … January … ish? But with the free agent market all but stalled, unless L.A. for some reason pulls off a whopper of a trade, it feels like the front office is prepared to stink for another year.
PROTECTED LIST
FORWARDS
It crossed our minds at Sound Of Hockey that the Kings could expose Kopitar to Seattle in the Expansion Draft, being that he will be 34 when the Kraken start playing, and his contract runs all the way until 2024 at a $10M annual cap hit… But we thought better of it. Unless he has a terrible season, Kopitar will be protected. He is still their best player.
Anze Kopitar (Lock … ish)
Adrian Kempe (Lock)
Alex Iafallo (Lock)
Blake Lizotte
DEFENSE
One question mark here didn’t exist for L.A. two months ago. The Kings took Olli Maatta’s salary off the hands of the cap-strapped Blackhawks at the beginning of October in a move that cleared $3 million from Chicago’s books through 2021-22.
Sean Walker had previously been slated as the last guy protected on L.A.’s blueline, but does Maatta’s addition to the lineup change this? While both players are 26 years old, Maatta has way more service time than Walker with 427 career games, 124 points, and two Stanley Cups.
The two had similar stats this past season, and while Walker has a better contract ($1.4 million lower cap hit for two years longer than Maatta), we will give the protection edge to Maatta, based on a stronger long-term resume.
Drew Doughty (NMC – Lock)
Kale Clague (Lock)
Matt Roy (Lock)
Olli Maatta
GOALIE
Quick, turning 35 in January, is flat out too old to protect and has lost whatever the goalie version of “a step” would be. Jack Campbell was traded away to Toronto during the season. That leaves only one in L.A.’s crease that shall be protected.
Cal Peterson
TOP KINGS TARGETS FOR SEATTLE EXPANSION DRAFT
FORWARDS
Austin Wagner
Lias Andersson
Martin Frk
Carl Grundstrom
Matt Luff
Trevor Moore
Andersson is a very interesting case and another one of those assets that wasn’t something for the Kings to worry about in expansion two months ago. He had a tough go in the Rangers organization, eventually asking for a trade, leaving the team, and returning to Sweden.
New York did officially deal him to L.A. on draft day, giving Andersson a fresh start on the opposite coast. He so far has not lived up to his No. 7 overall selection, but the kid has oodles of talent and is still just 21 years old. Seattle could do much worse than landing a young player with this much upside this early in his career.
Wagner, 23, is the other most intriguing choice here. With probably less upside than Andersson, Wagner has a ton of speed and has proven himself a useful NHL player, though mostly in a checking role. In 127 career games played, Wagner has 18 goals and 14 assists.
DEFENSE
Olli Maatta
Sean Walker
We talked previously about the decision to be made between Maatta and Walker, and that’s assuming that Los Angeles does take the route of protecting eight total skaters in favor of holding onto four of their defensemen. Should the Kings go with the seven/three/one protection list, then Seattle would be able to choose from Maatta and Walker if one of those is more appealing than an Andersson or Wagner up front.
GOALIE
Jonathan Quick
… But we don’t think this will happen.
SIDE DEAL SCENARIOS
Brown and Carter are signed through 2021-22 and Quick is signed through 2022-23, all at $5M+ cap hits. With the Kraken needing to hit the cap floor, one could see the Kraken taking one of those players if Los Angeles can do enough to sweeten any such deal. Taking any of those players would not be done with the intent of building the Kraken roster around them, but rather to get the Kings to throw in useful assets and get a year or two of service from an aging but respected veteran.
Check out our previous articles looking at likely Seattle Expansion Draft scenarios for the Red Wings, Senators, and Sharks.
On March 1st, 2018, the hockey fans in Seattle sent a message to the NHL, its team owners, city officials, and the broader Seattle community, that we want hockey. In a matter of 12 minutes, the NHL Seattle organization hit its target goal of 10,000 season ticket deposits. Within an hour, it had 24,000 deposits, and within the next three days, it had 32,000 deposits before finally shutting it off and going to a waitlist.
With an arena that only has roughly 17,000 capacity, this unprecedented demand created a new and perhaps unexpected issue: scarcity of tickets.
Getting new hockey fans in the door is going to be a huge hurdle that will require some creative thinking for the Seattle Kraken, and it’s something that I’ve personally been pondering since that incredible day in 2018. The good news is, I think I have the solution. Of all places, the Broadway theater scene – and more specifically, the smash hit, Hamilton – may provide a good model for how to do it.
720 seconds.
That’s how long it took to hit our goal of 10,000 deposits.
As of the writing of this article, the Seattle Kraken are closing in on officially selling out their season and half-season packages. That is going to leave a lot of people shut out, despite those people having put down $500 to $1000 per seat for the opportunity to buy tickets. The team has acknowledged that there will be an allocation of single game tickets available, but with about 10,000 depositors closed off and an additional 50,000 on a waitlist, tickets are going to be hard to come by.
Scarcity of tickets is not a new problem to the NHL. Roughly 50% of the teams sell out every game, and that creates a scarcity issue. That scarcity creates high ticket prices despite some teams’ best efforts to make it affordable for casual fans. The consequence is this prevents casual sports fans from giving hockey a try and potentially growing the fan base.
What Comes Next?
First up, let’s make the assumption that by the time the Kraken hit the ice, COVID is in the past and attending games goes back to pre-COVID norms.
Whenever we hear hockey fans trying to convince non-hockey sports fans to like our sport, most lead off with some derivative of “You just gotta see a game live! There is nothing else like it.” With extreme demand and high-ticket prices, this becomes a challenge. The team cannot expect people to spend $100+ per ticket on the chance they might enjoy hockey. Meanwhile, in addition to the casual/potential fan, there are plenty of hard-core hockey fans that also cannot afford tickets.
In the Room Where It Happened
One possible solution to getting more people to experience hockey would be to have a lottery system for each and every game. This isn’t a new concept, but was massively popularized with the smash Broadway musical Hamilton. The #Ham4Ham lottery system was instituted as a way to distribute affordable tickets to people that might not be able to purchase the normal market rate tickets and expose them to this culturally relevant and critically acclaimed show.
For hockey, this lottery would be relatively simple. Two days before a game, fans enter the lottery online. Then, on the day of the game, lottery winners are notified and must purchase their ticket(s) for something like… oh, let’s say $20 by 4pm. It’s free to enter, and fans would only spend money if they win the lottery. Chances of winning are entirely based on how many people enter.
Meet Me Inside
All of these “Ham4Hockey” tickets would be digital and non-transferable. To prevent any resell, tickets would only show up inside the Kraken app based on proximity to the arena, and when the customer is on the arena Wi-Fi network less than 30 minutes before the game.
The details could have some flexibility and tweaks to integrate with the team’s digital experience. For example, the team could make it available to Washington State residents only and change the number of Ham4Hockey tickets available based on day of the week, opponent, and even time of year. The club could completely contain this experience inside the app, where fans could enter the lottery via the app, get notified via the app, and even present their tickets (should they win) via the app.
The benefits to the Kraken exceed the short-term hit related to lost revenue by selling the tickets at a discount.
A certain number of these lottery attendees could become fans for life.
Once attending a game, a fan could be much more likely to support the team beyond the in-game experience either through buying merchandise, watching games on TV, or attending a team practice at the facility (this will help sponsorship value, TV Ratings, and advertising).
Exposing the sport to someone who might not normally get the opportunity to attend a game helps reach a broader and more diverse demographic.
In cases where some of the lottery winners are already hockey fans, this can create a unique “surprise and delight” moment that will become a shared story of that fan’s life.
Tomorrow There Will Be More of Us
My conviction for bringing the NHL to Seattle was based on the opportunity to grow the sport that I have learned to love. I don’t just want to see a sold-out arena. I want to see every bar with a TV tuned in for Kraken game nights. I want to see watch parties and road trips planned by the fans. I want Seahawks-level passion for this team and sport. I want to talk about the previous night’s game at work with everyone in the office, job-site, etc. Let’s build learn-to-play youth and adult hockey programs to the point that they are busting at the seams. Let’s get 100,000 people down at Seattle Center for a Kraken outdoor watch party.
There are so many hockey fans in this city that don’t even know they are hockey fans yet because they haven’t had the opportunity to experience it. Getting some of them inside will go a long way to grow the fan base and create hockey evangelists for years to come.
In my short time covering hockey, I have never seen anything like this. Nashville is ridiculous right now. pic.twitter.com/pSCuXeGDda
Welcome to your new home for hockey coverage in the Pacific Northwest, where passionate fans, writers, and content creators can convene to discuss all things Seattle Kraken and beyond. We are thrilled to be here with you, on our new-look and fully re-branded site, Sound Of Hockey.
As you may know, NHLtoSeattle was founded in 2010, with the hope of building a grassroots hockey community strong enough to one day land our city the 32nd NHL franchise. The mission was a success, and we are now fast approaching a day when our Kraken will take the ice for their inaugural season at what will certainly be a shiny new Climate Pledge Arena.
With the success of that mission came a need for change within our humble organization, a change that would allow us to expand our coverage of the sport we love so deeply, while also making what we do sustainable.
In addition to your familiarity with the NHLtoSeattle brand, we hope that you have also had some interaction with the Sound Of Hockey Podcast, which has now been steadily and organically growing its audience for more than two years. With the existing recognition of the podcast, and the understanding that we simply couldn’t call ourselves “NHLtoSeattle” forever, we decided that re-focusing our two separate channels into one cohesive and sustainable brand built for the long haul was the way to go.
This site is as much yours as it is ours, and we hope to see you here often. So poke around, give us feedback, and make yourself at home. Because together, we can prove to the world that Seattle truly is a hockey city.
Dylan Guenther of the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings found himself rated as a potential first-round pick for the 2021 NHL Draft when the league’s Central Scouting initial watchlist was published two weeks ago. This past weekend he was suited up for the Sherwood Park Crusaders as they visited the Spruce Grove Saints in an Alberta Junior Hockey League preseason game. He scored twice in an overtime win.
With two of the three major junior leagues yet to start play, Guenther is one of several Draft prospects who have been loaned to junior A teams such as Sherwood Park. The games with Spruce Grove featured four 2021 Draft potentials as the state of amateur hockey is in flux due to the COVID pandemic.
The amateur scouting season this year will be like no other in the past.
Prospects are scattered throughout the lower level leagues and across Europe. How many games they will play is a great unknown and presenting a unique situation for NHL scouts.
That includes the newly hired Seattle Kraken amateur scouts who will be tasked with trying to get as many viewings as possible this coming season. Its not an ideal situation for a franchise’s first Draft but its one that the Kraken will have to navigate.
“Like we require of our players and ask of our players, you have to read and react on the ice,” Kraken Assistant General Manager Ricky Olcyzk says. “Ron (Francis) and I have to read and react off the ice.”
Scouting the 2021 NHL Draft is going to be a challenge for the Kraken and it’s an important one to conquer.
Kraken Assistant General Manager Ricky Olczyk is confident the team’s scouting team will handle the challenges of 2021.
With many amateur leagues delaying their start dates or, in the case of the QMJHL, having to postpone or drop games due to positive cases, its unclear how many viewings NHL teams are going to get on potential Draft prospects.
Originally, the plan was to hire scouts this past summer, in time for the annual Hlinka-Gretzky tournament in August. That tournament is often referred to as the start of the prospect season as it’s an international event with the top draft-eligible players in the world on the ice.
The Hlinka-Gretzky event was ultimately cancelled due to the pandemic which meant that Seattle held off on hiring scouts. They read and reacted.
With leagues slowly starting to play, the time to get scouts in rinks is now.
GM @RonFrancis10 announces the hiring of Robert Kron as director of amateur scouting along with 11 amateur and European scouts as the #SeaKraken prepare for the 2021 @NHL Entry Draft.
“We’re right into the trenches right now,” Olczyk says. “We have been, and we’ll continue to begin to monitor these players. We’re going to have limited viewings or no viewings in some circumstances based on the leagues. Regardless, we’re going to be prepared as best we can.”
Heading up the scouting charge is Robert Kron who is the new head of amateur scouting for the club. Kron has experience scouting, something he’s done for over a decade and he knows hockey, having played 771 NHL games with Vancouver, Hartford, Carolina, and Columbus.
He most recently was scouting European players for the Hurricanes which makes him familiar to the Seattle brain trust.
“We have a relationship with Robert,” Olczyk, who along with Ron Francis worked with Kron in Carolina, says. “We have a certain comfort level with him. We’re hiring a person who will lead our draft table and has an ability to recognize high end talent. We’re confident in his abilities.”
Kron will run the day-to-day activities of the scouting department and will meet regularly with Francis and Olczyk on the prospect list. It’s a list that doesn’t have any names on it yet as the Kraken did not get a lot of viewings last season.
That may seem like it puts the Kraken at a disadvantage, but it won’t be a big one.
The established NHL teams had multiple scouts at amateur games last season, but their focus was on the 2020 pool. They certainly saw this year’s prospects play but did not give them proper scrutiny and a player’s stock can rise, or fall, from a 16-year-old campaign to their draft year the following season.
“These are critical growing years,” Olczyk says. “A perfect scenario is we see them at Hlinka in July or August and then you see the same players later in April or May to see how they develop. Anytime you can view players it’s a positive and that’s an advantage. You can see if they develop, are ascending, or on the decline.
“Last year, Ron and I were out at rinks so we can start gathering that information. We’re starting from scratch with no players in the data base.”
Building a data base can now begin.
The challenge of live viewings
Seeing the players is going to be hard and look different for scouts this season.
The third major-junior circuit, the QMJHL, has started but due to COVID outbreaks in Quebec has had repeated stops, cancellations, and postponements. In the United States, the USHL was prepared to start Thursday but opening night has already been postponed for virus reasons. The NCAA is set to begin in November as well.
In Europe, most leagues have started and underway and have many prospects worth scouting. Four of the Kraken scouts hired will be based in Europe to provide coverage there.
The two big leagues in North America? The WHL is set to start on January 8th – the league is saying it’s a firm start date – and the OHL is planning a 40-game schedule to start on February 4th but is being pressured by local health authorities to do so without body checking.
As the pandemic surges on, its unknown if those leagues can hit those dates or how long they’ll play.
“This is a Herculean task and there’s a lot of challenges,” Olczyk says. “We’re not going to make excuses…we’re going to be exposed to limited or potentially no viewings of players when we select in our first draft. It’s an added layer but we’ll be ready as best we can.”
Once every league is up and running the question remains whether scouts will be allowed into the building.
The 2021 World Junior Championships in Edmonton have stated they will be using the same bubble system that the NHL did, which means no scouts in the building. The jury is still out on leagues like the OHL and WHL.
It may come down to individual jurisdictions and the local health authorities which could mean some buildings accessible while others aren’t.
The Kraken may have to rely on more video scouting than normal to get a look at prospects and Zoom calls to talk to the players and coaches for more information gathering. That will help but a lot of nuance is missed on video.
How players react and how they anticipate plays can be missed as the camera follows the puck and scouts won’t see what the player is up to away from it. On top of that, anyone who has watched junior games via online video feed are aware the quality varies greatly from rink to rink.
“There’s no substitute for live viewings,” Olczyk says. “Something is always better than nothing so (having video) is a plus. It’s certainly a challenge as we move forward.”
Yet another challenge is judging a player like Guenther and how his play is affected by playing in a lower level. He looked dominant in his first two AJHL games, but would he look that way in the WHL?
Edmonton Oil Kings star Dylan Guenther is a top 2021 prospect and currently playing in Junior A.
Maybe, he did score 26 goals and 59 points last year as a 16-year-old and common sense says he would improve on those numbers a year older. Olczyk says that there are still things to learn about a player, even if they are playing junior ‘A’ instead of the WHL.
“It’s one of the many challenges of amateur scouting,” he says. “You’re projecting two, three, four, five years down the road. Has he got incredible hands, incredible vision, can he skate really well? The competition that they’re playing and the situation, you can look at the compete, there’s a lot of variables that you can see in a game setting. It’s a lot of fun and it’s a challenge and I know our guys love to do it.”
Loving the gig will be key for the Kraken scouts.
Scouting this season will certainly have its share of frustrations and setbacks as games get canceled or rescheduled. Rather than watching from the corner of the arena, the scouts may have to squint at a grainy video feed on a laptop.
The task is hard but one that can pay dividends down the road. Despite all the attention the 2021 expansion draft gets, the club’s future depends on how well Kron, Olczyk, Francis, and the team of scouts do in the amateur draft.
“I think the Draft is the foundation that is going to impact our future for years to come,” Olczyk adds. “We’ll deal with these challenges and obstacles in our way.”
Setting that foundation will require a good deal of reading and reacting.
We don’t know when they’ll start playing, how many games they’ll play, or if they’ll finish the season but the time has come to look forward to the top 2021 NHL Draft prospects.
Why? Because it will be the first amateur draft that the Seattle Kraken takes part in.
Even though the various amateur leagues that feature prospects have tentative start dates, the Draft process started this week when NHL Central Scouting published its initial prospect watchlist for the 2021 Draft. The Draft usually happens in June but as with everything in the hockey world, that date is also tentative.
After the cancellation of the summer’s Hlinka-Gretzky tournament, the watchlist became the unofficial kick off to the prospect season. The NHL Central Scouting list should not be taken as gospel. It doesn’t reflect how the individual teams, including the Kraken, have prospects ranked but the list serves as a starting point as to who is on the radar.
It’s not known what slot the Kraken will get to pick in the first round next summer. Seattle will be in the Draft Lottery as the ‘third position’ team. That means there is a 10-percent chance that the Kraken will have their lottery ball land on the top pick. They’ll end up with at least the sixth pick – the Vegas Golden Knights had the sixth overall pick during their first draft and took Portland Winterhawks star Cody Glass.
Here is a rundown of some names to watch for both at the top of the draft as well as local players who may get drafted in 2021.
Top prospects to watch
Owen Power – University of Michigan – Defense
Not just a good name, Power has the potential to be a franchise-leading offensive defenseman. He’s listed at 6-foot-5 and is as strong as his name implies. Power spent the past two seasons in the USHL playing for the Chicago Steel and will now move on to Michigan. Last year he scored 12 times to go with 40 points in 45 games with the Steel. If he’s available when the Kraken pick it will be hard to pass.
6'5 defenseman, Owen Power is going to make some team very happy next June. #2021NHLDraft
Playing in Finland’s Liga, Karpat put up huge numbers with the U20 club during the 2018-2019 season (41 games, 17g-14a-31p) but fell off the pace some this past year. He did shine internationally for Finland both at the World Junior Championships and the U18 championships where he recorded nine points in as many games. Reportedly is a strong stick-handling, all-round center prospect which every budding NHL franchise could use.
Brandt Clarke – Barrie Colts (OHL) – Defense
While not as physically impressive as Power, Clarke may be the most skilled blueliner available in 2021. As a 16-year-old rookie in the always tough OHL last year, he picked up 38 points and that points-per-game number should soar higher this coming season. He’s loaded with speed, pushes the pace and a power-play quarterback. Clarke would be another strong candidate to man the Kraken blueline.
Chaz Lucius – US NTDP – Forward
If you like goal scorers then Lucius, who is from Minnesota, is your guy. He found the back of the net 31 times for the U17 USA team, along with 50 points, in 46 games last season. Lucius can shoot and score from anywhere on the ice. He’s played both center and wing which brings some versatility to his game. Committed to the University of Minnesota, his CHL rights are held by the Portland Winterhawks who selected him in the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft but it’s unlikely he’ll play there.
Luke Hughes – US NTDP – Defense
Following the profiles of his older brothers Jack (New Jersey Devils) and Quinn (Vancouver Canucks), Luke Hughes is slight of frame but a dynamic skater. He’ll go early in the draft and is a puck moving defenseman looking to have a big year with the NTDP this season. Will Seattle make it two Hughes brothers playing in the Northwest?
Kent Johnson – University of Michigan – Center
Johnson joins what should be a stacked Michigan team this season and will be an intriguing prospect for Seattle to consider, if he’s available. He plays center, which is a valuable position, is from North Vancouver, and is a dynamic scorer. Using his quickness and speed he posted video game like numbers (41 goals, 60 assists, 101 points in 52 games) with the BCHL’s Trail Smoke Eaters last year. If the NCAA can get a season in this year, he’ll get a chance to showcase himself against older players, which would help his stock rise.
Kent Johnson has hit 100 points in the BCHL at 17. An electrifying talent, Johnson has a ridiculous skill and IQ level that outclasses all of the BCHL. He’ll be off to the Univ of Michigan for his draft year next season.
The WHL had 56 players selected over the last two NHL Drafts and were represented on the Central Scouting list with 36 ranked players.
Seeing all 36 will be tough for Northwest hockey fans as the league’s return to play plan will limit play to an intra-division schedule. The five U.S. Division clubs each had at least one player ranked on the watchlist so there will be plenty of 2021 prospects to watch – assuming fans are let in the building at some point during the season.
Everett Silvertips
Olen Zellweger – Defense – C ranking
Everett Silvertips defenseman Olen Zwelleger was given a ‘C’ ranking by Central Scouting for the 2021 NHL Draft (
The Silvertips have been producing a slew of defenders drawing NHL attention of late and Zellweger is the latest. Had a strong 16-year-old rookie campaign last year and with some graduation on the Silvertips back end he will take on a more elevated role for Everett this coming season.
Portland Winterhawks
Jack O’Brien – Center – B ranking
After putting up ridiculous numbers on his way to Portland, O’Brien was impressive in his rookie year this past season. Playing behind some experienced, and talented, forwards, he still managed to pot 14 goals in 55 games. The six-foot center from Denver adds to an already stacked top six in Portland and it wouldn’t be surprising if he sneaks into the first round of the draft.
Simon Knak – Right Wing – C ranking
A player who very well may end up playing with O’Brien, Knack was another strong looking Portland rookie last year – making it clear why the Winerhawks ended up with the top record in the WHL. Coming over from Switzerland, Knak adjusted to the North American game nicely.
Tyson Kozak – Center – C Ranking
Like his fellow rookies last year, Kozak helped the Winterhawks lead the league a year early than prognosticators assumed they would contend. Kozak gave the Winterhawks forward depth and will rise up the ranks of their forward group this year.
Seattle Thunderbirds
Conner Roulette – Left Wing – A ranking
There was a great deal of excitement in Seattle after the Thunderbirds drafted the high-scoring Roulette in 2018. Coming up in Winnipeg he broke several scoring records held by Jonathan Toews, which is impressive. He lived up to the hype, transitioning the tougher WHL level for the Thunderbirds at 16-years-old. Roulette earned a spot on Seattle’s top line, playing against hard matchups with older players and still scored 19 goals. He is a creative offensive player and can score in a number of ways.
Seattle’s first-round pick in 2018 is a two-way center who already has established himself as a top notch penalty killer. He could get a shot in the Thunderbirds top six this year which should present himself with an opportunity to increase his offensive output.
Lucas Ciona – Left wing – C ranking
Ciona already has the size – listed at 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds – and is one of the strongest players in the WHL. Like Uchacz, he’ll get more opportunity this year to score. Look for him to be deployed by head coach Matt O’Dette in all scenarios as he has the potential to be a strong net front player on the Seattle power play.
Spokane Chiefs
Graham Sward – Defense – C ranking
A two-way defenseman, Sward is another player who will get more ice time this season. He had a good rookie year with 17 points for the Chiefs. Sward scored a goal in his WHL debut at just 15-years-old during the 2018-2019 season during a brief call up.
Tri-City Americans
Tayln Boyko – Goalie – C ranking
Playing behind a young, inexperienced, and rebuilding Americans squad, Boyko’s numbers don’t jump off the page at you. Playing goalie in the WHL at 16 is tough enough and the combination led to crooked numbers. Boyko played better than those numbers say he did and at 6-foot-8, he’ll get looks from NHL scouts.
Mark Lajoie – Defense – C ranking
One of the young players in front of Boyko, Lajoie is an NHL-sized defenseman who showed some offensive potential last year. At 6-foot-4, he popped eight goals and that comes after some monster point totals coming up through Bantam and Midget hockey.
On this week’s Sound of Hockey, the guys welcome another great guest from the Seattle Kraken in Andrew Allen.
Andrew is the pro scout that’s focusing on goaltending for the new
franchise, and he has tons of fascinating insight to share on the position. He also played in the AHL and ECHL as a netminder, and has served as the head goalie coach for the Buffalo Sabres and the Japanese National Team. Andrew has some fantastic stories to share. Oh, and Darren manages to get him to participate in Goalie Gear Corner.
Good chatter amongst John, Andy, and Darren this week as well, particularly in the segments, which include You Don’t See That Every Day, Weekly One-Timers, and Tweets of the Week.
