The Seattle Kraken returned to action over the weekend following the 4 Nations Face-Off break, splitting a pair of games against the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning.
On Saturday night, the Kraken edged out the Panthers in a tight 2-1 win. Captain Jordan Eberle made his return to the lineup after a lengthy absence due to a pelvic injury back in November. Despite the extended break for the team, the Kraken looked sharp, with Joey Daccord delivering a strong performance in net. Shane Wright recorded assists on both Kraken goals, scored by Kaapo Kakko and Jared McCann.
Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning didn’t go as well, with the Kraken falling 4-1. While the Kraken didn’t generate many quality scoring chances, they also didn’t concede many. Seattle is now 0-9-0 in the second game of back-to-backs, making them the only NHL team without a point in that situation this season.
Return of the captain
Eberle looked solid in his return, especially considering the long layoff and the challenge of coming back from such a unique injury. He logged 14 minutes of ice time on Saturday, primarily in a fourth-line role, with 57 seconds on the power play in the first period. He registered two shots on goal and, more importantly, helped stabilize the fourth line, giving the other three lines more rest between shifts.
In the previous 10 games, Tye Kartye and Mitchell Stephens averaged less than nine minutes of ice time per game, while Brandon Tanev, the other fourth-liner, averaged under 13 minutes. With Eberle back, Coach Dan Bylsma was able to rely more on the Tanev-Eberle wing pairing, occasionally double-shifting Shane Wright to center the fourth line. This provided a more dynamic fourth-line threat compared to a Tanev-Stephens-Kartye combination. While it’s hard to measure the direct impact, in a close 2-1 win, even small advantages can make a big difference.
Eberle played just under 12 minutes on Sunday and had two notable turnovers. While his timing might take a few more games to fully return, the early signs are promising.
4 Nations Face-Off: Quick thoughts
The 4 Nations Face-Off was a hit, not only among die-hard hockey fans but also with casual viewers. I heard from several non-hockey-fan friends and coworkers who tuned in and loved the USA-Canada games. The gold-medal game between the USA and Canada drew 9.25 million viewers in the US—the largest audience for an NHL-sanctioned game. For context, last year’s Stanley Cup Final Game 7 between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers had 7.66 million viewers.
The tournament also introduced some creative elements worth considering for the NHL:
Three-Point System: The 4 Nations used a system where regulation wins earned three points, overtime or shootout wins earned two, and overtime or shootout losses earned one. This setup could encourage teams to take more risks late in regulation to secure a full three points, especially in tight playoff races.
10-Minute 3-on-3 Overtime: While extending overtime might reduce shootouts, research suggests the current system may not need much tweaking.
New Camera Angles: The tournament featured fresh perspectives, including cameramen on the ice after goals, new in-game angles, and a referee cam. While still needing refinement, these innovations show promise.
the on-ice camera for goal celebrations is such a nice addition to 4Nations… hope to see this in the postseason pic.twitter.com/4POY7hGcwY
Brandon Tanev played 16:19 against Florida on Saturday—his highest ice time since Dec. 10—including 2:26 in the final five minutes.
The Kraken are now 5-2-1 all-time against Florida but 1-6-1 all-time against Tampa Bay.
Joey Daccord’s win on Saturday was his 20th of the season, marking a career high.
Jani Nyman continues to impress, leading all AHL rookies with 23 goals. I expect we’ll see him with the Kraken later this season.
Prospect Berkly Catton reached 100 points in the WHL over the weekend. While he’d benefit from a more competitive setting next season, the NHL-CHL development agreement limits his options to either the NHL or the WHL. There’s a chance he could make the Kraken roster, which would make this a non-issue.
For context on Catton playing in the NHL next season, only six players from the 2023 NHL Draft have played more than nine games in the NHL this season.
The Kraken won two coach’s challenges over the weekend: goalie interference on Saturday against Florida and an offside call on Sunday against Tampa Bay.
Berkly Catton (SPO/SEA): The top Kraken prospect is riding a 12-game multi-point streak, with eight points over three games this weekend.
Nathan Villeneuve (SBY/SEA): The 2024 second-round pick had five points in his last three games. Despite flying under the radar, he’s a physical forward with 55 points in 47 games for the Sudbury Wolves.
Shane Wright (SEA): Wright tallied three points over the weekend and has 12 points in his last 10 games.
The week ahead
The Kraken play just two games this week, both against Western Conference teams vying for a wild-card spot. They’ll wrap up their road trip against the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday before hosting the Vancouver Canucks at home on Saturday.
St. Louis has struggled lately, going 3-5-2 in its last 10 games, while Vancouver is clinging to the final wild-card spot but dropped two regulation games over the weekend. Though the Kraken are out of playoff contention, they have a prime opportunity to play spoiler.
Trade deadline looming
As much as the focus should be on the ice this week, the NHL Trade Deadline is just 13 days away, and speculation is heating up. Under GM Ron Francis, the Kraken have historically made moves close to the deadline, so big changes may not happen until next week.
Darren Brown put together a solid primer on the Kraken’s trade deadline approach. I’ve mentioned it before, but I still think an extension for Yanni Gourde could be in the cards. The Kraken need a fourth-line center next season, and if the two sides can find common ground, it would be a smart move to keep him in Seattle.
If you have thoughts or reactions to anything in this post or anything Kraken-related, let me know in the comments section below!
The Seattle Kraken finally returned from their long 4 Nations Face-Off hiatus on Saturday and skated away with a somewhat surprising 2-1 win over the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.
Captain Jordan Eberle returned to action, the “kids” were impactful, and Joey Daccord looked rejuvenated, stopping 26 shots in his 20th win of the season in 37 starts. For reference, Daccord started 46 total games last season but only earned 19 wins, so he has already surpassed that number and set a career high.
And, hey! The Kraken even got the better of a questionable goalie interference call for a change!
Here are Three Takeaways from a 2-1 Kraken win over the Panthers.
Takeaway #1: The captain is back
A lot has been made of Eberle’s recovery from a serious pelvis injury that required surgery and kept the veteran winger out of the lineup for about three months.
But now that Eberle has returned to game action, it is worth noting once more just how remarkable this recovery was. The injury suffered was one that doesn’t happen often in hockey, so there wasn’t much of a blueprint for rehab. Still, it became clear over the past few weeks that Eberle’s return was imminent, and the only remaining questions were 1.) how soon he could officially get back and 2.) how he would look when he did re-enter the lineup.
The answer to the first question was immediately after the two-week break, and the answer to the second question was… he looked like himself.
Coach Dan Bylsma did end up managing Eberle’s minutes a little, leaning more heavily on the Jaden Schwartz/Matty Beniers/Kaapo Kakko line as the game went along. But Eberle still played 14:03, including 57 seconds of power-play time, and had two shots on goal and several flashes of the creativity that Seattle has so sorely missed with him absent.
It was a solid step back into action for Seattle’s leader.
Takeaway #2: The “kids” came to play
As the Kraken’s season has gone sideways, one thing I’ve been looking for is the younger players taking bigger strides toward becoming the new core of the roster. It does appear likely that the team will move several of its veterans at the March 7 NHL Trade Deadline, at which point Seattle will look to have guys like Matty Beniers (who could already be considered part of the “core”), Shane Wright, and Kaapo Kakko shouldering more of the heavy lifting.
It was encouraging to see all three of those players contributing against one of the league’s best teams on Saturday, with Kakko scoring the game’s first goal on the power play, assisted by both Beniers and Wright. Wright also set up Jared McCann’s game-winning goal for his second point of the night, putting him back on a point-per-game pace in his last 11.
Kakko’s goal was a beauty, too. After he had drawn the penalty on Nate Schmidt to put Seattle on the advantage, Wright dug the puck off the half wall and found Beniers in the slot—a prime scoring position. Beniers faked the shot, pulling two Florida defenders toward him, and had the vision to recognize Kakko was sneaking down the left flank. A no-look pass gave Kakko a clear lane to the net, and he took the ice that was given, deked, and jammed it through Sergei Bobrovsky’s pads.
After both PP units control play and look connected, Kakko – who drew the penalty – capitalizes in a pass from flank to bumper to flank. Beats Bob. pic.twitter.com/bOAE9SuqP2
The hope for this team all season was that guys like Wright and Beniers would be reliable threats to improve the scoring depth. It took a while for them to really get clicking, but with Kakko in the mix, it is becoming easier to imagine the team evolving toward a younger, impactful core for the future.
Takeaway #3: Jared McCann gets off the schneid
McCann hasn’t had a bad season; he leads the Kraken in scoring with 43 points and even remains within striking distance of the team’s goal-scoring lead. Unlike his previous campaigns with Seattle, though, finding the back of the net has been a challenge for the skilled winger, especially since the beginning of December.
McCann has notched a few tallies here and there, but coming into Saturday’s game at Florida, he had scored just two goals in his previous 21 games. Believe it or not, both of those goals had come with the opposing net empty, so McCann hadn’t scored against a goalie since a 5-2 loss at the Colorado Avalanche on Dec. 22, exactly two months before beating Bobrovsky on Saturday.
It was so obvious he was squeezing the stick prior to the break, too. He would get looks that—in past seasons—were automatic goals for McCann, only to fire it over the net or get robbed by the netminder. Thanks to a beautiful buildup by Wright and Adam Larsson against the Cats, McCann got the monkey off his back with a pivotal goal at 7:03 of the third period.
Wright made the play happen, running out of space inside the offensive blue line, but still finding a trailing Larsson with a cheeky backhand pass. Larsson sauced it over a stick to McCann, who ripped a quick snap shot. Even that one didn’t go in cleanly, but it hit off Bobrovsky’s blocker and finally bounced the right direction for McCann.
Hockey is a game of confidence. Even the best scorers go through dry spells, and perhaps a two-week layoff was just what McCann needed to break out of his.
Darren Brown
Darren Brown is the Chief Content Officer at soundofhockey.com and the host of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast. He is a member of the PHWA and is also usually SOH’s Twitter intern (but please pretend you don’t know that). Follow him @DarrenFunBrown and @sound_hockey or email darren@soundofhockey.com.
LOTS of 4 Nations and Firebirds talk on this episode of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast. The guys talk with Shad Powers from the Desert Sun, beat writer who covers Coachella Valley.
John and Darren give their reactions to the 4 Nations Face-Off.
Segments include Weekly One-Timers and What’s Good?
“Down on the Farm” is your weekly Seattle Kraken prospects update. In this week’s column, we break down what we’ve seen from Kraken defense prospect Lukas Dragicevic this season, briefly circle back to last week’s Kraken prospect ranking, get you an injury update on Kaden Hammell, update you on all Kraken prospect performances from the week that was, and preview the week ahead for Seattle’s prospect pool. As always, if you have a prospect-related question you’d like to see featured in a future column, drop a note below or on X or BlueSky @deepseahockey. Let’s dive in.
Lukas Dragicevic’s developing defensive game
“Let’s say it up front: Lukas Dragicevic is the best offensive defenceman in this year’s draft.” That is what Elite Prospectshad to say about Seattle’s 2023 second-round pick in the lead up to a draft that included several skilled blueliners, such as Axel Sandin Pellikka, David Reinbacher, and Luca Cagnoni. “Dragicevic’s skill is the envy of most forwards. He sends opponents careening into the boards with rapid-fire handling, uses them as screens with fluid curl-and-drag shots, and freezes multiple players at once with deception before setting up a tap-in.”
This year with the Prince Albert Raiders, Dragicevic is second in the WHL in assists (48) and points (62), trailing only Kraken teammate Tyson Jugnauth in both categories. Yet, Dragicevic is almost exactly one year younger than Jugnauth.
Why, then, did Dragicevic fall to No. 57 overall in the draft? The question marks came in several forms on the defensive side of the equation. “Full stop, the defence must improve to get the green light in the NHL,” Elite Prospects wrote in 2023. In some sense, this was not unexpected, as Dragicevic was relatively new to the position. He has explained in talking with Sound Of Hockey that his hockey journey began at the forward position for many years, before transitioning to defense around the age of 15.
Dragicevic’s junior statistics bear out the challenges he has experienced defensively. Despite compiling an eye-popping 187 points in 186 games over the last three years, his teams have given up more goals than they have scored at 5-on-5 with Dragicevic on the ice each year.
This makes Dragicevic one of the more intriguing prospects in the system to follow. His ceiling is quite high—think an offense-first No. 3 defenseman—if he can link the dynamic elements of his game with stronger defensive results.
In a few viewings this season, I have seen a prospect who has made some improvements but is still searching for consistency on defense. He flashes strong skating skills to mirror and maintain a good gap in defensive transition, but he is inconsistent defending the blue line. Most skilled, offense-first defensemen who succeed in the NHL do so by using their skating to take controlled-entry possession away from their opponents. Dragicevic needs more consistency and aggression in that aspect of his game, where he is far too often cautious or a step slow despite being in solid position.
In the defensive zone, the instincts are still a work in progress, and his skating doesn’t shine nearly as brightly as it does when he is moving forward in transition or traversing the offensive blue line. His feet deaden at times, leading him to lunge with his stick checks. While he is never going to be the most physical player in the corners or at the net front, he has made strides in his positioning and using his frame to box out opponents. He needs to continue to add strength.
He has the ice vision and passing skill to be an asset breaking the puck out of the defensive zone, but there were a few too many weak efforts and easy, conservative turnovers up the boards for my liking.
When moving forward offensively, ideally he’d develop a bit more burst in his first few steps, but he has solid speed overall and excellent agility and four-way mobility. He is able to finesse and evade junior defenders with relative ease.
And the offensive toolkit is still very strong. He has every pass in his bag—stretch, saucer, cross ice, to space, you name it. And his shot is an asset from the blue line because it is accurate, and he has a knack for getting it through traffic and onto a teammate’s stick for a tip or onto the goaltender to create rebounds. He also has the confidence and skill to be a “rover” type, possessing the puck all over the offensive zone while scanning for teammates.
Overall, there is a lot to like in Dragicevic’s game, and the area where he is still developing is not for lack of skill. You can imagine it all coming together. He just needs to find consistency in his defensive reads and add a bit more physically. If he can do that in Coachella Valley over the next couple years, the Kraken may have a significant blue line piece for the future.
A postscript to our mid-season Kraken prospect ranking
Last week we published my mid-season effort at stack ranking 22 Kraken prospects. One thing I had intended—but failed—to explain was my thinking on including that specific number of players in the ranking. Originally, in preparing last week’s column, I ranked all of the prospects in the system. But as I returned to the list again and again, I realized that the notion of a “ranking” was less useful, and perhaps misleading, the farther I went down the list.
In the end, I landed on a group of 15 players I was comfortable with at the top, and then another seven players in the next tier down that I wanted to also address in some form or fashion. I considered characterizing these seven players as “honorable mentions.” Though I didn’t go that way—instead choosing to rank them 16-22—I wanted to clarify my opinion that there is significantly less space between these players when compared with the top 15.
I was prompted to revisit my thinking because of a couple questions I received relating to Ty Nelson’s placement at No. 20. I tended to agree with those thinking the ranking may have been a bit low. In the end, I wouldn’t put him firmly behind anyone from No. 16 onward on the list—particularly when he’s finishing from the blue line like in the good old days with the North Bay Battalion.
Everett Silvertips co-captain Kaden Hammell has quietly been an important part of Everett’s success this season. The right-shot defenseman led the entirety of the CHL in on-ice plus-minus for a long stretch of the season and still ranks near the top. (He is no longer atop the WHL list only because of the prodigious ice-tilting occurring in Spokane when Andrew Cristall and fellow Kraken prospect Berkly Catton are on the ice.) But Everett will have to make do without the 2023 fifth-round pick in the near term because Hammell is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury. Hammell hasn’t appeared in a game since Feb. 8.
After an eyebrow-arching demotion to the second-level Russian pro league a couple weeks ago, Semyon Vyazovoy, 20, has returned to the KHL with a vengeance. He started the last three games for his KHL team, posting two wins and a shutout. His .935 save percentage is second in the KHL—behind a player nearly a decade older than Vyazovoy. His 1.85 goals against average is also second in the league. Vyazovoy is an unsigned 2021 draft pick, but the Kraken will continue to hold his exclusive NHL negotiating rights indefinitely because he is a Russian national.
Jani Nyman | F | Coachella Valley Firebirds (AHL)
Jani Nyman is your Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week after scoring three goals and adding two assists in three Firebirds games. In recent weeks, the Firebirds have elevated Nyman into a featured scoring role on the first line (with Ben Meyers and Daniel Sprong) and first power play. Every game Nyman’s teammates are finding him for at least a few looks in prime scoring areas, and Nyman is rewarding that confidence with pin-point wrist shots and lightning-strike one-timers. His 22 goals are fourth-most in the AHL. The arrow is pointing way up for Nyman right now. He may belong in a relatively flat second-tier of Kraken prospects (with Carson Rehkopf and Oscar Fisker Mølgaard) behind only Berkly Catton.
The last game to sneak into this data update was the Baie-Comeau Drakkar’s Thursday night game against the Saint John Sea Dogs, and, well, it was a notable one. Alexis Bernier’s Drakkar won it 14-0. Bernier had two assists and a plus-five (!) performance on the night.
Could Mølgaard be the next Seattle Kraken destined to garner Lady Byng Trophy votes? Despite playing a defensively engaged game, he has not taken a penalty in 30 SHL games this season.
Kim Saarinen had a tough week by the high standard he has set, conceding 11 goals in three starts. Still, he is getting the majority of the starts for his Liiga team, HPK.
With Ales Stezka recalled to the NHL following the 4 Nations Face-Off break, Philipp Grubauer seems set to continue as the 1A goalie in the AHL, at least for the short term. Grubauer met with the Coachella Valley media following a win Wednesday night and demonstrated his characteristic professionalism when addressing the demotion. For his part, Stezka may get his first NHL start this weekend with the Kraken playing back-to-back games in Florida and Tampa Bay on Saturday and Sunday.
2024-25 Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week tracker
Berkly Catton: 3
Clarke Caswell: 2
Tyson Jugnauth: 2
Alexis Bernier: 1
Andrei Loshko: 1
Oscar Fisker Mølgaard: 1
Victor Östman: 1
Caden Price: 1
Carson Rehkopf: 1
Jani Nyman: 1
Kim Saarinen: 1
Nathan Villeneuve: 1
Ryan Winterton: 1
Semyon Vyazovoy: 1
Previewing the week ahead
Barrett Hall’s St. Cloud State Huskies take on Zaccharya Wisdom’s Colorado College Tigers in a two-game set this weekend.
In the WHL, the Everett Silvertips, minus injured Kraken prospects Hammell and Julius Miettinen, square off against the Seattle Thunderbirds on Saturday night (our own Darren Brown will be doing color commentary with Thom Beuning on the CHL app and 1090 AM). Catton and the Spokane Chiefs take on Jugnauth and the Portland Winterhawks on Sunday afternoon. Next Wednesday Dragicevic’s Prince Albert Raiders host Caden Price and the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
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.
I’ve been eager to dive into the Seattle Kraken scoring this season, and the 4 Nations Face-Off break provided the perfect opportunity to analyze some key metrics without the data changing every few days. In this exploration, I’ll examine a couple areas: how the Kraken rank across the NHL in scoring metrics and the factors that contribute to scoring (e.g., shots). Additionally, I’ll compare the 2024-25 Seattle Kraken to prior seasons.
Average goals scored
It’s no secret that the Kraken struggled to find the back of the net last season, ranking 29th in the league in goals for per game with just 2.61. This year, they’ve shown significant improvement, ranking 15th in the league and averaging .34 more goals per game.
There’s an important caveat: over the final month of last season, after Vince Dunn got hurt, Alex Wennberg got traded, and the Kraken dropped out of the playoff race, their scoring declined significantly, bringing their 2023-24 goals for average down for the full campaign. So, the increase in scoring this season is a little inflated. Even so, they’re currently averaging more goals per game than five teams that hold playoff spots.
Goal scoring scenarios
To further analyze the Kraken’s goal scoring, let’s examine the goal scoring scenarios over the last four seasons.
We can see improvements in even-strength scoring, particularly in 5-on-5 goals, but the numbers still fall short of the 2022-23 season, when the Kraken qualified for the playoffs as a wild-card team. One area where the team could make significant strides is in contributions from the power play.
Power-play scoring
A prime opportunity for improvement lies in the power play. The Kraken currently rank 25th in power-play conversion, with a 18.1 percent success rate. Historically, the Kraken have struggled on the power play, but this season’s 18.1 percent conversion rate is the lowest since the inaugural season’s 14.5 percent.
We’ll discuss him further shortly, but the loss of Jordan Eberle just 17 games into the season undoubtedly hindered the power play. At the time of his injury, Eberle was playing 54 percent of the Kraken’s power-play minutes.
Shot volume and quality
Another key aspect to consider when evaluating the Kraken’s goals scored per game is shot volume and quality. The team ranks 27th in shots per game, averaging 26.84 shots per contest.
To better understand the team’s shot quality, let’s break down 5-on-5 shots by high, medium, and low danger for each season.
The struggles with scoring last season were largely attributed to a lack of shots in high-danger areas, and unfortunately, that trend appears to have continued this season, with high-danger shots per game actually decreasing from last year’s numbers. Furthermore, the Kraken’s 5-on-5 medium-danger shots per game have also declined compared to last season.
Players’ scoring output
While a more in-depth analysis of individual goal scoring is needed, a preliminary look reveals which players are scoring more or less frequently over the last three seasons, as well as how their current output compares to their three-year averages.
At first glance, it’s clear that Vince Dunn, Jaden Schwartz, and Eeli Tolvanen are experiencing above-average goal production. Eberle was on pace for his best goal-scoring season ever before suffering an injury just a month into the season. Conversely, Andre Burakovsky and Jared McCann are below their three-year averages. It’s important to note that Shane Wright’s decline is likely attributed to his small sample size of just eight games in the 2023-24 season.
Further analysis is necessary, as factors like ice time and power-play time can significantly impact these numbers.
Assessment
Overall, the Kraken have increased their goal production from last season, but there’s still room for improvement. The two most significant areas for growth are power-play production and generating more high-danger shots. While these improvements are easier said than done, the loss of Eberle since mid-November and Dunn’s injury that kept him out of the lineup for 20 games has undoubtedly hurt, particularly given their contributions on the power play. Adding another goal scorer during the offseason would be ideal, but it’s not a necessity, considering several playoff-bound teams are scoring fewer goals than the Kraken this season.
This brief analysis of scoring metrics provides a general direction, but there’s certainly an opportunity to delve deeper into advanced analytics for a more comprehensive understanding.
“Down on the Farm” is your weekly update on all things Seattle Kraken prospects. This week we’ll stack Seattle’s prospect pool, provide an update and scouting video on Ollie Josephson, get you data from the last week, and preview the week ahead. As always, if you have a prospect-related question you’d like to see featured in a future column, drop us a note below or on X or BlueSky @deepseahockey. Let’s dig in.
During this pause in the NHL schedule, we have a moment for reflection, and one thing we wanted to do was get you a mid-season Seattle Kraken prospect pool ranking.
Two caveats up front. First, we approach this project with a heaping helping of humility. While we do our best to be informed and watch as much as we can, personally I haven’t viewed any non-Firebirds or WHL prospect more than a handful of times this season. (And, right now, I’m deep into my pre-draft video work, so that leaves even less time.)
Second, a “ranking” of prospects already in the system is inherently a bit trifling. Unlike pre-draft prospect rankings where the difference between the No. 4 and No. 6 player could make a real-world difference, what’s the consequence once the player is in the organization already? In reality, the question is whether an individual player is meeting or exceeding a development trajectory. Prospect rankings are fun, and the goal is to reveal information about the progress of the players, but they are just a conversation starter.
With that said, I approached this ranking focused on a player’s projected NHL contributions. My approach gave some consideration to a player’s “ceiling,” “floor,” and timeline, but I resolved close cases by asking which of two players I’d rather have if I could only have one and my only goal was NHL team success. I tried to avoid thinking about the current state of the Kraken roster and instead focus on the merit of the player.
Here is your Deep Sea Hockey Top-22 Kraken prospects. I’ll follow with a few reactions from other writers here at Sound Of Hockey, and then some concluding thoughts of my own.
John Barr: “As much as I love Oscar Fisker Mølgaard, I don’t think we know enough about him to put him that high on the list. He still needs to play on North American ice and will need to contribute more offensively if we are going to rank him No. 2. Carson Rehkopf has questions as well, but he has showcased the ability to score and would likely be more valuable than a shutdown center.”
Darren Brown: “I’d put Eduard Sale higher as well. Such a weird development curve for him, but he’s shown he can be an effective pro.”
Blaiz Grubic: “Names that jump out to me as low: Lleyton Roed, Tyson Jugnauth, Jacob Melanson. Names that seem a little too high: Ryan Winterton, Julius Miettienen. Definitely seems like the rankings favor age.”
John touched on the individual ranking that had me going back-and-forth the most. For me, Berkly Catton was clearly the No. 1 prospect in the system and Nyman was solidly No. 4. Conversely, I found it difficult to situate Mølgaard and Rehkopf between No. 2 and No. 3. So, they’re a similar grade or tier for me. This marks a rise for Mølgaard from my pre-season ranking.
Rehkopf has the higher ceiling, I’d say, as a top-notch scoring wing, but that value is largely tied to an elite shot. The depth of his skillset hasn’t filled out much. That’s a bit hard to do in the OHL where he can win consistently with what he’s got. He needs the challenge of a higher competition level, and he’ll get that next year. Mølgaard, on the other hand, has had high-level professional challenges for two-plus years now and has responded by pushing his game forward across the board incrementally.
I find it hard to imagine a future in which Mølgaard is not a productive third-line NHL center within a few years. He could be more than that too, but is unlikely to reach Rehkopf’s peak value. Rehkopf, on the other hand, could struggle to find consistent NHL time if his elite traits don’t fully translate.
If you were to flip them in this ranking, I wouldn’t argue with you much. And I’d imagine virtually all other rankings you could find would have Rehkopf above Mølgaard (and perhaps significantly so). So, this ranking is offered as a market correction (or conversation starter), if nothing else.
Eduard Sale is another interesting one, noted by Darren. I’ve gone through stretches with him this season where I believe his off-puck play has turned a corner and he has learned where he needs to be in the offensive and defensive zones to find success. In other viewings, I have struggled to notice him at all. He had a strong World Junior Championship and his early run at Coachella Valley was heartening. I’d like to see him reassert himself with a solid finish to the season if I’m going to put him above consistent, hard-working, high-floor players like Winterton and Miettinen.
Blaiz noted a few names that he thought were too low and I like all of them, particularly Roed and Jugnauth, so it’s hard to argue. I explained my high regard for Winterton a couple weeks ago. Miettinen really impressed me as a depth piece at the World Juniors. It’s easy enough to see a professional role for him that I couldn’t justify moving him too much lower on the list.
Regarding the defensemen in the system, I think Jugnauth and Lukas Dragicevic are in a similar tier. Dragicevic is younger and longer, with arguably some superior physical traits. Jugnauth is more advanced, detailed, and dominant offensively in the WHL this season. Still, I’d take Caden Price over both of them, despite a recent scoring drought, due to a superior defensive profile (if not realized production) to go along with offensive skills. That said, there are significant questions about Price’s projection too, which is why my top defenseman comes in at No. 9 in the system.
Finally, on the goalies, we have documented (and run out of adjectives to describe) the dominance of Kim Saarinen and Semyon Vayzovoy in their respective European pro leagues. The inherent variability of the position is the only thing keeping them this low in the ranking. These two have taken perhaps the biggest production leaps in the system this season (Jugnauth also comes to mind). Yet, Nikke Kokko’s solid early work on the closest rung to the NHL convinced me to keep him as the top goalie in the system. Even though none are receiving national prospect attention, this goalie group is quite strong, in my opinion.
Let’s get quizzical
Catton’s 1.98 points-per-game pace is the eighth-best single season pace in the WHL in the last 20 years. Two of the players above him on the list are also in the Kraken organization. Who are they?
Notes on three Kraken prospects
Ollie Josephson | F | Red Deer Rebels (WHL)
2024 fourth-round pick Ollie Josephson missed about a month of the WHL season from the end December through the end of January with an apparent injury. The Red Deer Rebels captain was back into the lineup last week and got back into the scoring column this week, with two points in four games. His point production has never lit up the WHL, but he plays fast, is strong fore-checking and back-checking, and plays all situations for Red Deer. He projects as a bottom-six role player. Check out his shifts from Red Deer’s October 5, 2024, game against Calgary below, in which he had a goal and two assists.
Jani Nyman | F | Coachella Valley Firebirds (AHL)
Nyman has points in five straight games for the Firebirds (totaling three goals, three assists, and a +3 plus-minus during that stretch). He now has 19 goals in the AHL this season, which is most among AHL rookies, third among AHL players age 23 or younger, and 11th in the AHL overall. After a transition period at the end of last year and to begin this season, Nyman has been finding space to use his elite shot with regularity. There are still skating, puck possession, and defensive aspects of his game that need more time, but his carrying trait is working just one level below the NHL.
Carson Rehkopf | F | Brampton Steelheads (OHL)
Last Friday saw two notable offensive explosions from top Kraken prospects. Catton tallied four goals and an assist, while Rehkopf scored three goals and added three assists. We recognized Catton as last week’s Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week so it seems only appropriate that Rehkopf pick up the award for this week. While his other games were a bit quieter, Friday’s performance alone earned it.
Pre-season standout Nathan Villeneuve’s scoring has been trending upward of late. He had four goals and an assist in three OHL games this past week.
Answering our “let’s get quizzical” prompt, Catton’s current 1.98 points-per-game pace was topped by Kraken teammates Jagger Firkus (last season) and Oliver Bjorkstrand (in 2014-15).
Semyon Vyazovoy remained in the VHL (Russia’s second-level pro league) for the second straight week. He did all he could to prove he didn’t belong there and should be back in the KHL by posting a shutout in is his only start.
Victor Östman is currently on the NHL roster after the team sent Ales Stezka to the AHL as part of some pre-Four Nations break maneuvering. NHL rules require NHL teams to carry two goalies at any given time and Östman was the choice to fill the second spot over the break. He has carried the heaviest workload among Kraken goalies in the minors and performed well for the Mavericks. So, he earns a well-deserved vacation (and at an NHL salary, no less). I’d expect him to be returned to the ECHL by the time NHL players return to practice on Feb. 18.
2024-25 Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week tracker
Berkly Catton: 3
Clarke Caswell: 2
Tyson Jugnauth: 2
Alexis Bernier: 1
Andrei Loshko: 1
Oscar Fisker Mølgaard: 1
Victor Östman: 1
Caden Price: 1
Carson Rehkopf: 1
Kim Saarinen: 1
Nathan Villeneuve: 1
Ryan Winterton: 1
Semyon Vyazovoy: 1
Previewing the week ahead
Tyson Jugnauth and the Portland Winterhawks are slated to be in Seattle (ahem, Kent) Saturday when they clash with the Thunderbirds at 6:05 pm PT.
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.
With the NHL on break for the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament, I intentionally waited until now to provide an update on the playoff chances for the Seattle Kraken (spoiler: they aren’t very good). Since the start of 2025, the Kraken have played 19 games, going 7-10-2 and falling out of the playoff picture. With 25 games remaining, they are not mathematically eliminated—winning out would give them 102 points. Since the Kraken joined the league in 2021, the lowest point total for a playoff team was 91, recorded by the Washington Capitals in 2023-24. Using that as a benchmark, the Kraken have just five losses to spare, meaning they need to go 20-5-0 (or any combination that nets 40 points) over their remaining games.
“So, you’re telling me there’s a chance!” – Lloyd Christmas, Dumb and Dumber
January and February play
To stay on pace for 95 points, the Kraken needed 20 points in January but earned only 13. In their first four games of February, they picked up just three points when they needed six. That leaves them 10 points off pace and tracking more realistically toward something in the 80’s for the second straight season (they finished with 81 in 2023-24).
There are some positives from the first part of 2025. Goal scoring is up slightly, with the Kraken averaging 3.15 goals per game, totaling 60 goals in 19 games. Joey Daccord has continued his fantastic play, posting a .917 save percentage and a 7-5-1 record over this span.
On the other hand, Philipp Grubauer has had another rough season. He went 0-5-1 in January, was pulled twice, and has since been sent down to the Coachella Valley Firebirds. He struggled mightily, posting an .827 save percentage—his worst stretch of the season. It was not entirely the German goaltender’s fault, as the Kraken failed to provide goal support. During Grubauer’s starts, the Kraken managed just 13 goals or an average of 2.79 goals per game, while they scored 49 in front of Daccord, an average of 3.44 goals per game. 3.44 is a high number. For the full season, only three NHL teams have a higher goals-per-game average than 3.44: the Winnipeg Jets (3.61), Washington Capitals (3.56), and Tampa Bay Lightning (3.56).
Only time will tell if Grubauer’s tenure with the Kraken is over, but in Coachella Valley, he has posted a .933 save percentage and won his first two games.
Team tears
No, “tears” was not a typo; it was my sadness hitting the keyboard, as I officially relegated the Seattle Kraken into the “Tankers” tier.
Bolded = Remaining teams the Kraken play, Starred* = moved tiers, x2 = play twice
Upcoming Schedule
There’s no sugarcoating it—the upcoming schedule is brutal. Of the remaining 25 games, 12 are against teams in the Playoff Bound tier, six against teams in the Bubble tier, and seven against teams in the Tanker tier. Unfortunately for Seattle, they only have 10 home games left, meaning 15 will be on the road. This makes the rest of the season even more challenging, as illustrated in my recent piece on home-ice advantage. On the bright side, 20 of the remaining games are against Western Conference opponents, minimizing travel demands.
Playoff Bound tier
The Kraken will face eight of the 10 teams in this tier, with the Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, Los Angeles Kings, and Edmonton Oilers each playing Seattle twice. These teams rank among the league’s best, but the Kraken have proven capable of scoring and are comfortable playing from behind. In fact, Seattle leads the NHL with seven wins after trailing by two goals at any point in a game.
With the #SeaKraken come from behind win last night, they now lead the league in wins after being down 2 goals at any point in a game.
The Tampa Bay Lightning are on the cusp of moving up to the Playoff Bound tier. They can score in bunches but were recently on the outside looking in at a playoff spot. The other teams Seattle faces in this tier are all from the Western Conference, meaning the Kraken get to embrace their new role as potential spoilers.
The Vancouver Canucks currently hold a three-point lead over the Calgary Flames for the final wild card spot. The Kraken’s recent comeback win against Calgary before the break must have stung. Utah is trying to stay competitive but sits six points out of a playoff spot and is slipping fast.
Seattle has finished its season series with the Colorado Avalanche, who just missed the Playoff Bound tier. The Western Conference playoff picture seems mostly set, with seven teams comfortably ahead. That leaves Vancouver, Calgary, Utah, and possibly St. Louis battling for the final spot.
Tankers tier
The Kraken are newcomers to the Tanker tier with this update. Their remaining games against these teams include two against the St. Louis Blues and one each against the Nashville Predators, Chicago Blackhawks, and San Jose Sharks. It will be interesting to see how these teams approach the trade deadline, as many will likely make moves to reshape their rosters for next season.
Personally, I’m not a fan of tanking. I want to see the Kraken compete in every game, and I wish the NHL would find a way to reward teams that strive to win rather than tearing things down for better draft positioning—but that’s a topic for a future article.
Expectations have been lowered
Since the beginning of 2025, the Kraken have played really well, really poorly, or somewhere in between—but they’ve remained entertaining. Their two-goal comeback against Calgary is fresh in fans’ minds, but even their 2-1 loss to Winnipeg on Jan. 16 was a hard-fought, competitive game. More of that effort down the stretch is what I want to see.
With the trade deadline approaching (March 7), expect some activity from Seattle. Will they go after more prospects, target a goal scorer, or secure a backup goaltender? Sound Of Hockey’s Darren Brown recently wrote about which Kraken players could be on the move.
The Kraken’s next game is set for Feb. 22 versus the Florida Panthers, their first game back from the 4 Nations Face-Off break, which runs through Feb. 20. Kaapo Kakko is the only Kraken in the tournament and will represent Finland, whose first game is Thursday versus Team USA at 5 p.m. Pacific.
If you have any comments or questions, feel free to leave them below or reach out to me on my socials.
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.
This article has been updated twice since the original post with mid-season information. Scroll down the story to see the original info and the prior month update.
Mid-February update
With the 4 Nations Face-Off break and a relatively quiet period underway in the hockey world, we took the opportunity to review the NHL’s attendance figures across the league. As a reminder, the attendance figures are reported attendance by the teams, which tends to be defined as “tickets distributed.” It is not a perfect measure of attendance but is the only metric that is publicly shared.
The average attendance league-wide has slightly increased from 17,443 to 17,448 since our last update a month ago, with the numbers holding at their highest since the 2012-13 season.
As is typical, most NHL teams tend to see higher attendance in the second half of the season compared to the first, so this uptick is not unexpected.
The Kings and Penguins continue to experience soft attendance numbers, with the largest declines in the NHL season-over-season. Pittsburgh’s low numbers are likely due to missing the playoffs last season and a current season that appears to be heading in the same direction.
The Kings’ low attendance numbers are partially attributed to the devastating Los Angeles wildfires that impacted the area.”
Recent changes in attendance
Isolating the data from Jan. 1 to Feb. 10 provides a snapshot of more recent attendance trends, highlighting teams with recent successes and declines.
Some quick thoughts:
Florida and Washington continue their upward trends. Winning streaks tend to attract more fans, and a strong on-ice performance is often reflected in attendance numbers. Alex Ovechkin closing in on Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record and, in the Panthers’ case, winning the Stanley Cup last season certainly don’t hurt.
Winnipeg’s growth has slowed since the last update, primarily due to a lower baseline attendance at the start of the 2023-24 season. While the Jets are not selling out games, their average attendance during this period last season was higher, making it more challenging to achieve significant gains.
Detroit’s attendance has shifted from a 2.7 percent increase in the last update to a 1.4 percent decline. However, considering the team’s coaching change and turnaround occurred in late December, it’s possible that attendance will rebound over the final stretch of the season, as on-ice performance and attendance often lag behind each other.
Columbus experienced three games with unusually low attendance in January. Weather challenges and the distraction of Ohio State’s football success may have contributed to these lower numbers.
Month-by-month view
Here’s a breakdown of each team’s attendance by month for the current season.
As always, feel free to reach out with any questions, insights, or observations about the attendance figures.
This section was originally posted on Jan 10.
Early January update
The NHL has just passed the midpoint of the 2024-25 season, making it a great time to check in on attendance across the league. Overall, the NHL continues to experience growth in attendance, with numbers increasing since the last check-in at the quarter mark. As of Jan. 10, the league-wide average attendance stands at 17,443—its highest average at this point in the season since 2012-13.
On a team-by-team basis, here’s how each team’s attendance has changed compared to last season through the same number of games.
A few notable changes have occurred since the Quarter 1 check-in.
Winnipeg continues to see the largest percentage increase in attendance, though the growth has tapered from 15.9 percent at the quarter mark to 11.4 percent. While attendance has risen since the first quarter, the smaller percentage increase reflects higher attendance during the second quarter of last season, which limits the possible year-over-year growth.
Chicago has experienced a recent surge in attendance. The Blackhawks now hold the second-highest season-over-season increase. At the quarter mark, they were down 1.4 percent, but they have rebounded to a +5.0 percent increase.
Minnesota and St. Louis remain down season-over-season, but both teams have narrowed their declines compared to November. If this trend continues, they could see positive attendance growth by the end of the season.
Columbus has seen attendance gains compared to last season and is now unexpectedly in a playoff spot. The team is playing exciting hockey, bolstered by a strong home record of 14-5-3, which has given fans plenty to cheer about. Their attendance will be worth watching as the season progresses.
Here’s a quarterly breakdown of each team and the changes between quarters.
Let me know if you have any questions and/or theories on any of the changes we are seeing to date.
This section was originally posted on Nov. 19.
First quarter report
As the US Thanksgiving holiday nears, and the NHL season reaches its traditional early benchmark point, it’s an ideal moment to take stock of attendance across the league for the 2024-25 season. Before diving in, I want to provide a couple of disclaimers; attendance figures are based on team-reported numbers, which are defined as tickets distributed, not necessarily the actual number of people in the building. Additionally, the intent here is not to shame any team or fan base. Many factors influence attendance, including team performance, ticket prices, day of the week, and even weather.
Having examined attendance trends for years, I’ve observed that most teams experience some cyclical patterns, and all teams are capable of strong attendance. For context, at one point, the “Phoenix” Coyotes had stronger attendance than the Chicago Blackhawks and Pittsburgh Penguins, just to name a few.
Let’s get into it.
Average league attendance
The league’s average attendance through this point in the season is up 1.5 percent compared to last season, now sitting at 17,225. This marks the highest average attendance for this stage of the season since 2016-17. Much of this growth is driven by the Arizona Coyotes’ move to Utah. Last season, the Coyotes played at Arizona State’s 4,600-capacity Mullett Arena. This season, the Utah Hockey Club is playing at the 11,131-capacity Delta Center in Salt Lake City.
Other growth areas include Winnipeg, Detroit, and Florida. Here is the attendance change by team compared to the same number of games last season:
With a two-season playoff drought, it’s not surprising to see the Penguins losing fans in attendance. However, I’m a bit surprised to see declines for the Kings and Islanders, especially since both teams made the playoffs last season. Perhaps the novelty of the new arena on Long Island is wearing off.
Sellouts
I’ve noted before that the NHL’s growth in attendance is constrained by the high number of sellouts. Historically, about 50 percent of NHL games sell out. This season, that figure has risen to 62 percent, the second-highest amount ever at this point in the season.
The increase in sellouts is a positive signal for the league’s overall health. Here’s the number of sellouts broken down by team.
It’s somewhat surprising that the Philadelphia Flyers haven’t had a single sellout so far this season. However, they also had no sellouts in their first 15 games last season. Given that they haven’t made the playoffs in four seasons, perhaps this isn’t entirely unexpected.
Game-by-game NHL attendance trends
Here’s a detailed look at each team and how this season compares to the same point last season:
Notable observations
The Kings’ attendance dip appears to be limited to Games 2 and 3 of the season, so we might expect a recovery as the year progresses.
With the Winnipeg Jets’ strong start, their attendance growth seems likely to hold steady.
Although the data doesn’t clearly reflect it yet, the Sharks have significant potential for attendance growth as fans may flock to see Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith.
The Penguins’ rough start could lead to further declines in attendance as the season progresses.
After not selling out Games 2 through 8, the Washington Capitals have sold-out their last two games.
Seasonality note
It’s also worth mentioning that October and November typically see the lowest attendance numbers of the season, so we should expect some increases as the season rolls on.
This analysis is relatively simple and doesn’t account for many contextual factors (e.g., ticket pricing, competing sporting events, or entertainment options). If you have any questions or insights into what might be driving attendance trends, feel free to share!
The Kraken ended the week on a high note, sending us into the 4 Nations Face-Off break with a thrilling come-from-behind win against the Calgary Flames. That game marked the seventh time this season the Kraken have erased a two-goal deficit to win—a feat they accomplished more times this season than in the previous three seasons combined—and they still have 25 games remaining.
In my opinion, the Seattle Kraken’s ability to never quit is what makes this team so enjoyable to watch, but it’s also part of the frustration. They can compete with any opponent for stretches of a game, giving us glimpses of their potential.
Coincidentally, the Kraken nearly pulled off another two-goal comeback earlier in the week against Detroit at Climate Pledge Arena. They scored twice in the final 10 minutes of regulation to force overtime but eventually lost in a shootout. Despite the loss, it was an exciting game to watch. Both Shane Wright and Matty Beniers found the back of the net, while Chandler Stephenson tied the game with his 10th goal of the season with under three minutes left in regulation. On Saturday in Calgary, Wright also had a goal and an assist to lead the comeback charge, and Beniers had the game-winner in OT.
Sandwiched between the shootout loss to Detroit and the overtime win in Calgary was a lackluster effort against the Toronto Maple Leafs. It wasn’t the Kraken’s best game, but they didn’t mail it in either. They trailed 3-0 midway through the second period but got an early third-period goal to make things interesting. Toronto is a talented team with high-end players, and even though their “big four” didn’t score, their presence was felt as they controlled most of the play.
If you had told me heading into the week that the Kraken would take three points from three quality opponents, I would have been happy—and I am. This team continues to compete, and with Shane, Matty, and Kaapo Kakko, I’m still fully engaged as we head down the stretch.
The Kaapo Kakko impact
As everyone should know by now, Kaapo Kakko has been on a resurgence since his trade to the Kraken in mid-December. I’ve previously highlighted the production difference between his time in Seattle versus New York this season, but here’s a quick summary:
The numbers are even more striking when isolating the last 20 games. There’s no doubt he’s been a bright spot over the past six weeks. The Kakko-Beniers-Jaden Schwartz line has been clicking, so let’s take a look at Kakko’s impact on their numbers as well.
Matty’s points-per-game average has risen slightly from 0.515 to 0.583, but his goal production has more than doubled in nine fewer games played. If you extrapolate his nine-goal pace over 24 games across a full season, it projects to a 30-goal pace for Matty.
Shane Wright is staying hot
Another bright spot in recent months has been the emergence of Shane Wright. With two more points on Saturday night, he now sits at exactly a point per game over his last 10 outings. Since being a healthy scratch back in November, he has steadily produced, never dipping below a .5-point-per-game average over any 10-game span.
Between Kakko, Beniers, and Wright, you can see a young core starting to take shape—one that should give fans plenty to be excited about for the rest of the season.
Other Musings
Saturday’s game against Calgary was the 35th time this season the Kraken allowed the first goal. They continue to lead the league in that category.
I’m starting to warm up to the idea of the Kraken extending Yanni Gourde. The team needs a center next season, and Yanni has been a great leader since the inaugural season. It doesn’t need to be a “team-friendly” deal—just a fair one. As with any veteran contract, the term will be the tricky part.
Since Yanni went down with an injury, the Kraken’s penalty kill is just 64.3 percent. It was 77.8 percent before his injury.
Shane played 1:26 in overtime against Detroit last Tuesday—the most OT ice time he’s had all season. He was sitting on two goals at the time, so I wonder if it was an attempt to get him a hat trick or part of a new overtime strategy.
On Saturday, Shane and Matty both scored in the same game for the fourth time in their careers. The Kraken have won three of those four games, with the only loss coming in the shootout against Detroit.
I continue to wonder about Kaapo Kakko’s next contract.
Philipp Grubauer is 2-0 with a .933 save percentage in his first two starts with the Coachella Valley Firebirds since being reassigned.
This entire play was a thing of beauty—and it was even better to witness in person last Tuesday.
#SeaKraken make it interesting. A Tanev stretch pass connects with Stephenson who goes across the goal mouth unencumbered to make it 4-4 with just under three to play
Berkly Catton (SPO/SEA) – A regular in this section, Catton posted eight points in two games this past weekend, including a four-goal game against the Seattle Thunderbirds.
Carson Rehkopf (BRA/SEA) – Another frequent mention, Rehkopf, the Kraken’s 2023 second-round pick, had a six-point night against the Erie Otters. “Razor” remains one of my favorite prospects because he can score from anywhere.
Ready for a wild stat? 🤓#SeaKraken prospect Carson Rehkopf of the @OHLSteelheads scored the 10th hat-trick of his #OHL career on Friday, part of a six-point effort that brings him to 30 goals on the season! 🎥 pic.twitter.com/LNBmNQ2sbJ
Jani Nyman (CVF/SEA) – “Li’l Jani” continues to impress in his first full North American season, recording five points in his last four games. Of all the Kraken prospects, I believe he has the best chance of making the NHL roster next season. Hopefully, we get a glimpse of him at some point later this year.
The week ahead
The entire league is on break for the 4 Nations Face-Off. The Kraken won’t play again until Feb. 22, when they take on the Florida Panthers. I don’t know how many of you are excited to watch the 4 Nations Face-Off, but I certainly am—especially the USA versus Canada matchup on Saturday.
There likely won’t be a Monday Musings next week—unless your comments inspire me.
