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[Seattle Kraken]

The Lapsed Fan’s Guide – Offseason changes in the Pacific Division (and what they mean to the Kraken)

So, you took a little break from hockey after the Kraken season ended? Totally fair. There was sunshine and vacations, and maybe you jumped on the roller coaster called Mariners baseball this summer. Hey, it happens to all of us… just not me.

I’ve been waiting for hockey, and hockey is finally back on the horizon.

A lot has gone down around the Pacific Division while you were away, and if you missed any headlines, don’t worry, I’ve got you covered in the Lapsed Fan’s Guide to the 2025 Pacific Division Offseason. We won’t cover Seattle’s moves here, since we covered those last week, but we’ll run through everything else you need to know about team’s divisional rivals heading into 2025–26. And of course, we’ll talk about how it all impacts the Kraken, because that’s what you really care about.

Anaheim Ducks​

80 points in 2024-25 (12th Western Conference, 6th Pacific Division)​

Additions: Chris Kreider (22 G), Mikael Granlund (22 G), Ryan Poehling (12 G)
Subtractions: Trevor Zegras (12 G), Isac Lundestrom (4 G), Brian Dumoulin (2 G), John Gibson (11 W)

The Ducks were very active this offseason, and one of their biggest moves came off the ice. They fired head coach Greg Cronin after a 21-point improvement over the previous season and replaced him with Joel Quenneville. Whether you think Quenneville should be back in the league is a debate for another time, but the bottom line is he’s here, and expectations are that he’ll make an impact.

This is a young, up-and-coming team. Assuming the Ducks sign RFA Mason MacTavish, they’ll have three players age 22 or younger who scored at least 20 goals last season. After finishing 30th in goals last year, they addressed that weakness by adding Kreider and Granlund without losing much.

Kraken impact: The Ducks finished ahead of Seattle last year and got better both on the bench and on the ice this summer. If the Kraken are playing meaningful games in March, I would expect Anaheim to also be in the conversation and a team Seattle will need to overcome in the standings.

Calgary Flames​

96 points (9th Western Conference, 4th Pacific Division)​

Additions: Ivan Prosvetov (20 W in KHL)
Subtractions: Dan Vladar (12 W)

The Flames tied St. Louis in the standings last year but lost the playoff tiebreaker, making them the final team out. For a team that close, you might expect a splashy offseason, but that didn’t happen. Their biggest roster changes came way back in January, when they acquired Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee from Philadelphia. Both struggled to produce in Calgary, but it’s too soon to assume they won’t be impactful as Flames.

Calling Calgary’s offseason “quiet” is a little misleading, though. The Flames did lock up several RFAs, including Dustin Wolf, Matt Coronato, Connor Zary, Morgan Frost, and Kevin Bahl. The big question is whether ninth overall pick Zayne Parekh sticks around this year. After a monster OHL season (33 goals, 107 points), he’s either playing in the NHL or heading back to junior, since there is no AHL option because of transfer rules.

Kraken impact: Calgary is still a team Seattle has to jump over to sniff a playoff spot. The surprising 96-point total last year was largely Dustin Wolf dragging the Flames into contention, though. Scoring remains their biggest challenge where they finished 29th in goals per game (2.68).

Edmonton Oilers​

101 points (6th Western Conference, 3rd Pacific Division, Stanley Cup Final)​

Additions: Andrew Mangiapane (14 G), Isaac Howard (prospect)
Subtractions: Connor Brown (13 G), Corey Perry (19 G), Jeff Skinner (16 G), Viktor Arvidsson (15 G), Evander Kane (DNP regular season)

Edmonton lost a lot of firepower this summer, and the biggest storyline remains whether Connor McDavid will sign an extension. So far, no rush from his camp. Meanwhile, the Oilers again ignored their shaky goaltending, which still looks like their Achilles heel despite back-to-back Stanley Cup Final trips.

Kraken impact: Believe it or not, Edmonton only scored 14 more goals than Seattle last year. Factor in the Oilers’ offseason losses, and it’s not crazy to think the Kraken could outscore them this season. That said, as long as McDavid and Leon Draisaitl wear Oilers sweaters, they’re a dangerous team. Expect a slight step back, but not enough to put them in Seattle’s neighborhood.

Los Angeles Kings​

105 points (4th Western Conference, 2nd Pacific Division)​

Additions: Andrei Kuzmenko (6 G), Brian Dumoulin (3 G), Corey Perry (19 G), Joel Armia (11 G), Cody Ceci (4 G), Anton Forsberg (11 W)
Subtractions: Jordan Spence (4 G), Tanner Jeannot (7 G), Vladislav Gavrikov (16 G), David Rittich (16 W)

The Kings got older this offseason, adding several 30-plus veterans, including 40-year-old Corey Perry (who just got injured in training and had knee surgery that will keep him out for six-to-eight weeks). But they still have talent spread across the age curve. Adrian Kempe, Kevin Fiala, and Warren Foegele (all 29) combined for 94 goals last year, and a younger core of Quinton Byfield, Alex Laferriere, and Brandt Clarke continues to grow.

In goal, Darcy Kuemper returns for his second season. He was solid last year, but at 35, the risk of injury and declining play looms.

Kraken impact: The Kings added useful veterans without losing much. Unless their goaltending falls apart, expect another strong season. They’ll be tough to leapfrog in the standings.

San Jose Sharks​

52 points (16th Western Conference, 8th Pacific Division)​

Additions: Adam Gaudette (19 G), Philipp Kurashev (7 G), Jeff Skinner (16 G), Dmitry Orlov (6 G), John Klingberg (1 G)
Subtractions: Fabian Zetterlund (17 G), Mikael Granlund (15 G), Luke Kunin (11 G), Nico Sturm (7 G), Jake Walman (6 G), Cody Ceci (4 G)

The Sharks were bad last year, but at least they were fun. They’re building around Macklin Celebrini, last year’s No. 1 overall pick, and 2025 No. 2 pick Michael Misa. They lost some vets but replaced them smartly while leaving space for prospects to earn NHL spots.

Kraken impact: San Jose should improve but still finish behind Seattle. What matters is they’ll likely steal more points from division foes, keeping the playoff race tighter.

Vancouver Canucks​

90 points (10th Western Conference, 5th Pacific Division)​

Additions: Evander Kane (DNP)
Subtractions: Dakota Joshua (7 G), Pius Suter (25 G)

The Canucks’ biggest change came behind the bench. Rick Tocchet left for Philadelphia, and assistant coach Adam Foote steps in as a first-time NHL head coach. On the roster side, Evander Kane replaces some of Pius Suter’s goals, while Thatcher Demko enters the year healthy… for now. Additionally, I am sure this season won’t be filled with the same drama they had last season, right?

Kraken impact: With Tocchet gone, many expect regression. That’s good news for Seattle, who finished 14 points behind them last year. Still, Vancouver should be in the playoff mix late in the season.

Vegas Golden Knights​

110 points (2nd Western Conference, 1st Pacific Division)​

Additions: Mitch Marner (27 G), Colton Sissons (7 G)
Subtractions: Tanner Pearson (12 G), Nicolas Roy (15 G), Nicolas Hague (5 G), Alex Pietrangelo (injury, 4 G)

Vegas pulled off the move of the offseason, landing Mitch Marner in a sign-and-trade deal with Toronto, and just like that, one of the league’s best offensive teams just got scarier. On defense, early in the offseason, Alex Pietrangelo announced that he will be stepping away due to health issues. He logged more ice time than any other Knight last season, and his absence should be substantial.

Kraken impact: Vegas will still be Vegas, annoyingly good. Seattle will face them four times this year (up from three last season), so buckle up.

How the Pacific Division stacks up​

So, there you have it. The Ducks got more dangerous, the Flames stayed quiet, the Oilers are dealing with big question marks, the Kings doubled down on vets, the Sharks are slowly climbing, the Canucks could slip, and Vegas just keeps flexing. For the Kraken, it means the path to the playoffs won’t be easy; too many rivals either held steady or improved.

But hockey’s funny that way. Seasons don’t play out on paper, and if Seattle can clean up its own micro-issues (yes, trailing first and back-to-backs, I’m looking at you), they can hang around in the mix. At the very least, it should make for a wild Pacific Division ride.

The post The Lapsed Fan’s Guide – Offseason changes in the Pacific Division (and what they mean to the Kraken) appeared first on Sound Of Hockey.

Source: https://soundofhockey.com/2025/09/15/2025-pacific-division-offseason-guide-for-seattle-kraken-fans/

 

[Seattle Kraken]

Kraken rookie camp notebook: Thoughts on Catton, Nyman, Villeneuve, Goyette

We’re in that time of year where every passing day feels like one step closer to hockey season. A new milestone is met, a new storyline emerges, a new roster takes shape. One such milestone is the end of Kraken rookie camp, which officially wraps up Tuesday with the team’s prospects hitting the ice one last time before the veterans appear for main training camp.

“This is big-boy hockey now,” Coachella Valley Firebirds head coach Derek Laxdal said Sunday. “Now you get the vets coming into your practices, tempo is going to pick up, the puck’s going to move a lot quicker… When that puck drops here on Thursday, training camp starts. You have to be ready, and they will, but this is where the kids really take that step in learning.”

So what did we learn about those kids during Seattle’s rookie camp? Plenty. Let’s dig into the biggest takeaways from practices and the two exhibition games, which the baby Kraken split against Vancouver’s prospects.

It really is a talented group​

The Kraken prospect pool is widely regarded as one of the NHL’s top 10, and in some rankings it lands even higher. But you don’t truly get a sense of the group’s quality until you see the players in real game situations—with referees, fans, and opponents in another club’s NHL colors.

Saturday’s dramatic 5-3 comeback win in Everett and Sunday’s 3-2 loss at Kraken Community Iceplex gave us two strong showcases of what Seattle has in its pipeline.

The Saturday lineup was noticeably stronger, thanks to the presence of the three prospects I believe have the best chance of cracking the Opening Night roster—Berkly Catton, Jani Nyman, and Jacob Melanson. All three sat out Sunday.

When Catton and Nyman were on the ice with linemate Jagger Firkus, Vancouver’s prospects spent most of their shifts on their heels. The trio was dynamic, creative, and productive: Catton posted a goal and an assist, Nyman added a goal, and Firkus collected two assists (though Nyman’s tally should have been credited to Firkus).

Catton, in particular, looked like he didn’t belong in a prospect showcase game—in the best way possible. He repeatedly blew past defenders and generated prime scoring chances, hitting the crossbar on one rush and later finishing a dazzling breakaway that tied the game as part of Seattle’s three-goal comeback.

Catton did everything necessary to prove he’s ready to at least compete for a full-time roster spot at main camp. And Nyman, with his massive frame and wicked shot, often looked like a man among boys.

Meanwhile, Melanson showed his trademark grit and pro-level motor. He won’t put up flashy numbers, but his straightforward, punishing style screams bottom-six NHL forward at some point in the near future. I expect him to push for a depth spot or at the very least be a first call-up candidate.

“Just look at him. He’s a killer,” Laxdal said of Melanson. “Jacob is the prototypical power forward. He’s the type of player that if he’s forechecking you, and he’s going to put you through the boards, he’s also going to have a stick on puck. He’s the type of player that nobody wants to play against, and those players are important on a franchise and in an organization.”

Even with Catton, Nyman, Melanson, Ville Ottavainen, and others sitting out on Sunday, Seattle’s prospects still came within a couple bounces of another win, hitting at least four posts that I can remember.

After those two games, and wrapping my head around the quantity of players that have a real chance to make the NHL one day (we haven’t even talked about Eduard Sale, Tyson Jugnauth, Jake O’Brien, Blake Fiddler, Caden Price, or the many other players that showed flashes of brilliance), I’m more convinced than ever that the Kraken have impact NHLers coming in the next couple of seasons.

Nathan Villeneuve continues to make his presence known​

Speaking of hard-nosed players, Nathan Villeneuve played in both games, and I noticed him nearly every shift. He has a knack for going to the hard areas and doing everything he can to get under the opponent’s skin.

He also scored Saturday’s game-winner, tipping a shot into Vancouver goalie Aleksei Medvedev’s pads before collecting his own rebound, waiting out the netminder, and burying the puck into a yawning cage.

“I love these games,” Villeneuve said. “I mean, it’s a gritty game because everyone’s trying to prove themselves. So it’s my game to play, and I get excited more than nervous to play these games.”

He didn’t score Sunday, but again left a mark—sneaking behind the defense for a breakaway in the second period and driving several odd-man rushes when the game opened up.

David Goyette “starting to decorate”​

David Goyette also made a strong impression and should bring confidence into the main camp after a sometimes bumpy 2024-25 season.

A prolific OHL scorer with 117 points in 68 games for Sudbury in 2023-24, his first pro season was more of a grind. With Coachella Valley, he managed just six goals and 12 assists in a depth role while learning the demands of a 200-foot game.

“As a first-year pro, you’re always trying to adapt as fast as you can to the level, just coming from junior hockey,” Goyette said. “But especially— you put in so much work during the summer. I worked really hard, and you’re trying to impress the coaching staff here and management to show them what you worked on this summer. And it’s always good for them to have an opportunity to see you compete against guys in your similar age group.

“I think I’m happy with my game… Every time you go on the ice, you’re trying to showcase yourself, show them what kind of player you are. So I think I did a good job, and it’s going to propel me leaving here into the main camp.”

He was particularly noticeable Sunday when Catton and Nyman were absent, creating several dangerous looks in the first period and scoring in the second by swatting home a rebound from the slot.

Back in 2022, Goyette was outstanding in his first Kraken camp and preseason before returning to Sudbury to torch the OHL. But his modest numbers with the Firebirds last year raised questions about his confidence and trajectory. Laxdal offered clarity on Sunday.

“There obviously is a skill set there that we want to build on, and for these young players to be able to survive at the next level—even if you just want to survive in the American Hockey League—you have to build a foundation of being able to play a 200-foot game.

“It’s like if you build a house, right? You can’t just build the four walls and the roof unless you have a foundation. So these kids have to build that foundation that allows them to survive at the pro level. And that’s one thing I think David went through last year. He was building his game to allow himself be able to perform and have those offensive numbers that we’ve seen in junior. So going forward now, he’s put the work in in the summer, and he committed; he’s in great shape. If you look at these two games here, kind of building a new book on this year, hopefully now the foundation is being built. We’re putting the floor on, the walls are going up, and now he’s starting to decorate.”

This is a big training camp and season for Goyette. He’s likely headed for another year in the AHL, but if he builds on this foundation, he can push his way back into the conversation as one of Seattle’s top prospects.

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 [email protected].

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The post Kraken rookie camp notebook: Thoughts on Catton, Nyman, Villeneuve, Goyette appeared first on Sound Of Hockey.

Source: https://soundofhockey.com/2025/09/16/kraken-rookie-camp-catton-nyman-goyette-villeneuve/

 

[Seattle Kraken]

Five storylines to watch at Kraken training camp

Seattle Kraken training camp FINALLY gets underway Thursday with its first on-ice session. The early stages of camp are always borderline overwhelming, with more than 50 players spread across three groups. But over the next couple of weeks, things will quickly condense to two groups and then—eventually—one group that resembles Seattle’s Opening Night roster, plus a few bubble players battling for the final spots.

With so much noise and so many moving parts, we wanted to highlight a few key storylines to help you make sense of what you’re seeing.

Here’s what to watch for in Kraken training camp.

Storyline 1: Is Berkly Catton truly ready?​

The Kraken front office has made no bones about its desire to save roster space for its “kids” rising through the ranks. Now that top prospect Berkly Catton has landed in that awkward in-between spot—too good for the WHL, too young for the AHL (by rule), and possibly still a bit green for the NHL—it will be fascinating to see how he fares against veteran Kraken players and in preseason games.

Catton has dominated every time he’s faced peers in his age category, including this past week at rookie camp. We still haven’t seen many instances of him competing against pros, though.

At last season’s training camp, he looked like he was in over his head. This time, the key question is: Does he look like he belongs? If you didn’t know he was a 19-year-old drafted No. 8 overall just a year ago, would you see him as an NHLer, or would his play still suggest he belongs in a lower league?

It’s worth repeating that Seattle may keep Catton around through the nine-game contract slide threshold, similar to what they did with Shane Wright two seasons ago—letting him practice and learn, get him some games here and there, and then eventually sending him to Team Canada for World Juniors before returning him to the WHL.

It would be fun, though, if Catton proves he’s fully NHL-ready and can make an impact for the Kraken this season. Keep a close eye on him.

Storyline 2: Which other rookies make the team?​

Earlier this summer, I wrote about the three prospects—Catton, Jani Nyman, and Jacob Melanson—I believe have the best chance to crack the roster out of camp. While Catton seems likely to stick around at least for the start of the regular season, it’s less clear who else could seize an opportunity.

Nyman and Melanson both have cases to make, albeit for very different reasons. But don’t overlook Ryan Winterton and Logan Morrison, either, both of whom have gotten tastes of NHL competition. Did either of them take a step in development this offseason?

Predicting who snags the last roster spot or two is always part of the fun of training camp. With multiple young players knocking at the door, this year’s competition should be especially intriguing.

Storyline 3: Which non-NHLers stand out?​

This is the last “young player” storyline that I’ll give, but it’s always a fun one. Every preseason, at least one newly drafted prospect forces us to take notice.

Two and three years ago, Carson Rehkopf and David Goyette raised eyebrows with strong performances. Last season, Nathan Villeneuve stole headlines with a preseason showing that suggested he might be ahead of schedule. (Villeneuve, by the way, looked outstanding again at rookie camp this week.)

So who will it be this year? Could Jake O’Brien or Blake Fiddler stick deep into camp and make us believe they’re on a fast track to Seattle? Or might someone from a previous draft—say Caden Price, Oscar Fisker Molgaard, Tyson Jugnauth, Lukas Dragicevic, Ty Nelson, Jagger Firkus, or somebody else—step forward and start banging on the NHL door?

Keep an eye out for flashes of brilliance; they often foreshadow bigger things.

Storyline 4: Early signs of line combinations​

Another thing worth tracking is which veterans skate together in practices and preseason games. In the early practice sessions, the veterans will be sprinkled into the three different groups. But you’ll see trios of forwards and pairs of defensemen that could end up being regular-season line combos at some point. This will be even more obvious in the preseason games, as new head coach Lane Lambert looks for early sparks of chemistry between players.

Line combinations change constantly throughout the season, but early looks also give us clues about the roles Lambert envisions for his players. With Seattle adding Mason Marchment, Frederick Gaudreau, and Ryan Lindgren over the summer, it will be interesting to see how Lambert deploys them initially.

What do those acquisitions mean for returning players? Thinking about a potential depth chart, it’s easy to see a scenario where Tye Kartye gets pushed out of the regular lineup, barring injuries. It’s also possible Eeli Tolvanen gets bumped down to a fourth-line role, as Seattle seeks to recapture the magical depth that propelled its playoff run three seasons ago.

Storyline 5: Could Matt Murray play a role?​

Alongside the trades for forwards and the free-agent signing on defense, the Kraken quietly added veteran goaltender Matt Murray this offseason on a one-year, $1 million deal.

The assumption was that Murray was destined for Coachella Valley, replacing Aleš Stezka in the AHL platoon with Nikke Kokko. But there’s also an element of insurance here—particularly if Philipp Grubauer doesn’t find a way to climb above a .900 save percentage for the first time in his Kraken tenure.

The backup job is Grubauer’s to lose, but if he stumbles in camp or gets off to another slow start, the leash may not be that long. In that case, Murray could end up being a factor this season.

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 [email protected].

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The post Five storylines to watch at Kraken training camp appeared first on Sound Of Hockey.

Source: https://soundofhockey.com/2025/09/17/five-storylines-for-kraken-training-camp/

 

[Seattle Kraken]

Early breakdown of the Coachella Valley Firebirds roster

As Kraken training camp gets into full swing, it’s a good time to also review the Coachella Valley Firebirds roster. Which new prospects are eligible to join, which veterans remain, and how will they impact the AHL’s veteran rule?

Veterans returning​

The AHL is a development league, and teams are limited to five veteran players in a gameday lineup. Veterans are defined as those with more than 260 games of professional experience.

Above are six players who fall into the veteran category and could see significant time in the AHL. However, one of these and possibly up to three players may start the season with the Kraken. Seattle currently has only 11 forwards locked into NHL roster spots, leaving one fourth-line role and as many as two healthy-scratch spots open. Most likely, either John Hayden or Mitchell Stephens makes the Kraken roster, with younger players like Jani Nyman or Berkly Catton filling the other openings.

If one veteran sticks in Seattle, the Firebirds would have five veterans to rotate while staying under the AHL limit. Ian McKinnon and Gustav Olofsson are on AHL-only contracts, so NHL time isn’t an option for them (unless Seattle wanted to elevate one of them, in which case the team could sign the player to an NHL contract).

McCormick played just 19 games last year before suffering an undisclosed injury and enters camp still on that designation. Fleury could see NHL minutes, but Seattle’s addition of Ryan Lindgren pushed him to eighth on the depth chart. NHL teams usually carry seven defensemen, although the Kraken have occasionally carried eight in past seasons. Being eighth likely means Fleury begins the season in Coachella Valley.

Prospects with AHL experience​

As the Kraken enter their fifth season, their prospect pipeline continues to deepen. The Firebirds will have 11 development players with at least one full season of AHL experience:

Nyman could also join this list, but for now we’ll assume he starts the year in Seattle. Sound Of Hockey’s own Darren Brown wrote about prospects to watch, including Melanson, who may push for NHL minutes. Ottavainen is also close to NHL-ready, but Seattle’s offseason moves created a defensive logjam. Because of that, he projects as a call-up option.

Fresh faces​

Adding the veteran players and experienced prospects gives Coachella Valley 11 forwards and four defensemen. That leaves one forward and two defense spots open on a typical gameday roster. The AHL has no hard roster limit, so more players can be carried over the NHL’s 23-man cap.

This year, eight new prospects could suit up in the AHL:

Tyson Jugnauth, Justin Janicke, and Oscar Fisker Mølgaard are strong candidates to be in Coachella Valley—Jugnauth has aged out of the WHL, Janicke has finished his college career, and Mølgaard has made the jump from the Swedish Elite League (SEL). The other five are 20-year-olds still eligible to return to the CHL, though all will push for AHL roles during training camp.

Given that only four defensemen are returning from last year’s team, it’s possible all four newcomers make the Firebirds roster, though it isn’t guaranteed. With Fleury and Ottavainen ready to step into a Kraken role if a need arises, the youngsters could fill any vacancies.

Among the forwards, Janicke is unique—he’s on an AHL-only deal and could be pushed to Kansas City in the ECHL if space runs out. Players on entry-level contracts (ELC) are also eligible to play in the ECHL, but overagers (20-year-olds) remain eligible for the CHL. Typically, those players would be returned to juniors for development rather than being assigned to the ECHL.

In short, performance at training camp will dictate outcomes, but with Seattle pulling some AHL veterans up, the odds are good that most, if not all, of these players land in Coachella Valley.

What about goalies?​

The veteran rule does not apply to goaltenders. With journeyman Matt Murray joining the organization and Nikke Kokko ready for a bigger role, the Firebirds appear set in net. Victor Ostman is likely to get playing time in the ECHL to continue his development.

Wrapping up:​

Training camp is just beginning, and nothing is finalized. Roster battles remain, and the picture will continue to evolve. While the big question is whether any of the 20-year-old prospects are returned to their junior teams, my view is that all eight will earn spots in Coachella Valley. That sets up a deep, competitive group ready to build on last season.

Key battles to watch in training camp include whether Nyman makes the Kraken, which would leave another forward spot in Coachella Valley, and who secures the right-wing role on the fourth line between Hayden and Melanson. If Berkly Catton makes the Kraken, that could also bump a top-nine forward into that mix. Watching Seattle’s young talent take on larger roles in Coachella Valley makes the future of Kraken hockey look even brighter.

Which Firebirds player are you most excited to watch take a step forward this season?

Blaiz Grubic​

Blaiz Grubic is a contributor at Sound Of Hockey. A passionate hockey fan and player for over 30 years, Blaiz grew up in the Pacific Northwest and is an alumni of Washington State University (Go Cougs!). When he’s not playing, watching, or writing about hockey, he enjoys quality time with his wife and daughter or getting out on a golf course for a quick round. Follow @blaizg on BlueSky or X.

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The post Early breakdown of the Coachella Valley Firebirds roster appeared first on Sound Of Hockey.

Source: https://soundofhockey.com/2025/09/18/early-breakdown-of-the-coachella-firebirds-roster/

 

[Seattle Kraken]

Down on the Farm – How Jagger Firkus is developing his professional game

Welcome back to Year 2 of “Down on the Farm,” your weekly Seattle Kraken prospects update. If you’re interested in Kraken prospects, we’ve had a lot of content on Sound Of Hockey for you recently, including our Sound Of Hockey Kraken prospects ranking, our NHL-affiliated prospects ranking, weekly Film Room breakdowns on individual players, and a Coachella Valley Firebirds roster preview.

But, here’s the thing. There is new on-ice stuff to talk about, finally. Kraken prospects playing in European professional leagues are playing actual regular-season games. And we’ve gotten a close look at most of Seattle’s North American prospects at Kraken rookie camp.

How have the players looked? Who is hurt already? And where can you follow the next week of games? We have all of that and more to talk about—starting with Sound Of Hockey‘s interview with Kraken prospect Jagger Firkus after the first day of Kraken training camp.

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. (We’re so back.)

Firkus is taking it one day at a time at Kraken training camp​

Jagger Firkus is coming off a solid rookie season in the AHL, scoring 15 goals and adding 21 assists in 69 regular-season games, before contributing three assists in six more playoff contests. The production is more impressive when considering that he played only 14:23 per game as tracked by InStat—an expected but stark decrease from his featured role in the WHL where often played 25-plus minutes per game.

Where did he see progress in his game in the AHL? “The biggest [step I took last year] would be my wall play. I think that’s something that [Coach] Laxdal [emphasized]. If you want to make that jump to the NHL, your wall work is something the next level looks at. You need it as a winger, and you need to get trusted by your coach.”

Firkus admitted that while his work along the boards has come a long way, it still needs development and remained a focus for him over the summer. In his exit meetings, the coaches gave him “stuff they wanted to see me work on, and wall play was one of them” along with “getting stronger and bigger and faster.”

He says his summer workouts in Irma, Alberta—where he trained with former Kraken defenseman Carson Soucy, among others—were productive and he thinks he is better prepared for the professional game this year. Last year he weighed in at 153 pounds to begin camp. This year, he says he weighed in at 170 pounds on the day we talked (Thursday, Sept. 18). He thinks that could help even more in those battle scenarios, and he credited Brandon Wickett and the strength and conditioning staff at Coachella Valley for staying on him.

Even at 170 pounds, he is noticeably one of the smaller players at rookie camp, not to mention training camp. Does he ever get tired of being labelled as a talented-but-undersized player? “Not really, to be honest. I know people think that sometimes, but it’s about your instincts, your mind. I think hockey IQ is such an important thing in the game given how quick the game is [at the professional level] and I think that’s what I can rely on.”

Firkus was part of the most dynamic line at Kraken rookie camp when he was paired up with Jani Nyman and Berkly Catton at practice last Friday and then again at the game in Everett on Saturday, Sept. 13. Few reps passed in practice without the puck finding the back of the net, and the group was instrumental to Seattle’s 5-3 comeback win against the Canucks prospects on Saturday.

“Rookie camp, it’s pretty quick. You just have a couple skates, and then you’re into the game. So, a lot of it is just relying on your instincts and your linemates, and when you play with guys like ‘Burky’ [Catton] and ‘Nemo’ [Nyman], you obviously know their strengths and the scenarios you want to put them in—putting the puck on [Nyman’s] stick so he can shoot, and for [Catton] find[ing] him in space.”

We talked after Day 1 of training camp where Firkus noticeably took a few hits that dropped him to the ice in battle drills, including at least one from the heaviest player in the NHL, defenseman Jamie Oleksiak. “It was a very tough skate. It was quick, up and down, [and] a lot of battle drills. It’s kind of what you expect, especially with all the older and bigger defensemen. Oleksiak or anyone like that, their role in the NHL is to put guys through the wall, and they want to show the staff they can still do that.”

When asked about his goals for the rest of camp, Firkus said he’s taking it “day by day.” Of course, “you want to make the team, make impressions on the staff. But [staying focused on the] day to day is the way to go about it.” He wants to take the coaching, make adjustments, and improve everyday. If he can keep doing that, the future is bright for the young forward.

On a lighter note, we asked Firkus about Firebirds Coach Derek Laxdal referring to him as “Yagger” (pronounced liked NHL Hall-of-Famer Jaromir Jagr’s surname) in Laxdal’s press conference earlier this week. Firkus admitted that he gets that a lot around the rink, given Jaromir Jagr’s prominence, and he doesn’t even really hear it anymore. That said, he’s pretty sure Coach Laxdal knows his name is actually pronounced like Mick Jagger’s surname.

I also had a chance to ask him about his starring appearance on the Coachella Valley Firebirds’ “Hot Ones” spoof, and he admitted that spicy food, particularly on camera, is not his thing. He was relieved that at least he didn’t get hot sauce in his eyes like teammate Jacob Melanson did.

For more from rookie camp, check out Darren Brown’s recap from earlier this week where he broke down what he saw in the practices and games.

Notes on four Kraken prospects​

Nathan Villeneuve | F | Sudbury Wolves (OHL)​

Villeneuve impressed throughout rookie camp and in the Everett game with his aggressiveness hunting the puck on the forecheck and tenacity in puck-battle situations. His relentless effort scoring a goal against the Canucks on perhaps a third- or fourth-effort play was one of the highlights of the entire rookie phase of camp. He continues to show a strong base of professional habits for a bottom-size professional career. In this regard, it was disappointing to hear that he left the first day of training camp with a lower-body injury that requires “further evaluation.”

Julius Miettinen | F | Everett Silvertips (WHL)​

Miettinen was a non-participant for much of Kraken rookie camp following an upper-body injury suffered in an Everett Silvertips preseason game. We noted he was on the ice skating separately in a red no-contact jersey after the last day of rookie camp and that continued on the first day of training camp Thursday. He seemed to be in a good spirits and released shots well. It’s not clear yet if his timing will allow him to get on the ice with the main group at training camp, but it’s good news that the injury doesn’t appear to be a long-term issue.

Lleyton Roed | F | Coachella Valley Firebirds (AHL)​

Speaking of injuries, the Kraken announced that Lleyton Roed is expected to miss two months with an upper-body injury. While I didn’t see the play where it happened, I did note that he left the bench midway through the Kraken’s second exhibition contest against the Canucks at Kraken Community Iceplex on Sunday, Sept. 14. His absence from the lineup will be felt in Coachella Valley, though it likely clears a path for regular playing time for recent trade acquisition Jon-Randall Avon.

Alexis Bernier | D | Baie-Comeau Drakkar (QMJHL)​

Finally, the team also announced that defense prospect Alexis Bernier had offseason ACL surgery. While the timing of the surgery was not disclosed, it is notable that the 2024 third-round pick did not participate in Kraken development camp earlier this summer either. It is possible Bernier returns toward the end of the 2025-26 season, but his focus may be on getting back to 100 percent for the 2026-27 season when he could earn a professional contract.

Kraken prospects data update​

Moving on from the disappointing Kraken injury news, we can note that, on the positive side, Zeb Forsfjall returned to the lineup for his SHL club after missing the preseason and first few regular season contests with an injury. He only played about four minutes, so hopefully that is reflective of a ramp-up process.

In other news, Karl Annborn was active, but did not play, for HV71 this past week. He seems to be on the verge of his SHL debut. Over in Russia, Maxim Agafonov is looking like a capable professional while playing in the VHL, the second-tier professional league. And stick taps for Loke Krantz, who scored the first regular-season goal of the 2025-26 season among Kraken organization players.

2025-26 Sound Of Hockey prospects data update​

Goalie prospect Kim Saarinen began the Liiga season hot, posting a .938 save percentage across his first two games. He’s your first 2025-26 Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week.

Berkly Catton “won” the 2024-25 season-long contest with three prospect-of-the-week designations. Perhaps we’ll have to get him a trophy.

Previewing the week ahead​

With NCAA seasons not yet started and all other North American players still in camp, the schedule remains pretty light in the early going, but there are games to watch in the week ahead. This year, we’re including streaming video links with the schedule, which we will provide in two versions—one organized by date and one organized by player.

Curtis Isacke

Curtis is a Sound Of Hockey contributor and member of the Kraken press corps. Curtis is an attorney by day, and he has read the NHL collective bargaining agreement and bylaws so you don’t have to. He can be found analyzing the Kraken, NHL Draft, and other hockey topics on Twitter and Bluesky @deepseahockey.

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The post Down on the Farm – How Jagger Firkus is developing his professional game appeared first on Sound Of Hockey.

Source: https://soundofhockey.com/2025/09/1...r-firkus-is-developing-his-professional-game/

 

[Seattle Kraken]

Kraken Notebook: Lane Lambert pushing hard, storyline and injury updates

Believe it or not, Sunday is game day for the Seattle Kraken… or at least for some semblance of the Kraken made up of players within the organization. And while their lineup Sunday against the “Vancouver Canucks” will look nothing like what we’ll see on Opening Night, icing a team in true game competition marks the next step in the long-awaited return to hockey after an offseason that felt like an eternity.

Earlier this week, I wrote about five storylines to watch at training camp. Already, we’ve seen movement and developments on some of them. So here’s an update on where things stand, plus a few new tidbits from the opening days of camp.

Let’s go!

Storyline updates​

Berkly Catton’s NHL readiness​

I’m not ready to proclaim that Berkly Catton is a full-time NHLer just yet, but he hasn’t done anything to suggest otherwise. After dominating rookie camp, he’s fit seamlessly on a line with veterans Jordan Eberle and Jared McCann.

One of my favorite camp moments so far came from that trio on Saturday. In a 3-on-2 rush drill, Catton swung wide to the left, hit another gear, and blew past defenders through the circle (I can’t recall exactly who they went against). He then zipped a cross-crease pass right onto Eberle’s tape, and Eberle one-timed it on net. Victor Ostman made a highlight-reel save on the initial shot, but the rebound popped out to McCann, who buried it into an open net. If that exact sequence were to play out in a game, it’s a goal 95 percent of the time.

“I think [the main training camp is] definitely heavier bodies in the corner [than in rookie camp],” Catton said Friday. “And the little details matter a lot more, but still, it’s just hockey. And it helps when I’m on a line with two really good players. They always make plays and stuff, and [they’re] even communicating with me where to be. So honestly, it’s been great playing with them. They’ve showed me a lot, even in two days.

“Obviously it’s pretty cool, playing on a line with Jordan Eberle and McCann, so just cherishing that. But I think they’re really smart hockey players, and I think I have the ability to make plays too. I think we have, honestly, even in two days, a little bit of chemistry, so it’s been fun.”

CHEMISTRY?! CATTON HAS CHEMISTRY WITH MCCANN AND EBERLE?!

McCann returned the praise Saturday, saying he and Eberle have been joking about “keeping up” with the 19-year-old.

“He’s just so skilled,” McCann said. “He controls the puck so well. I know he’s not a big guy, but he can fight you off in the corner.”

Last preseason, Catton showed flashes, but he mostly looked overmatched as an 18-year-old playing against pros. I can’t wait to see how he looks in actual game action this time around.

Early signs of line combinations​

In my “Training camp storylines” article, I noted it would be worth tracking potential line combinations for hints at how new head coach Lane Lambert might be stacking his players. From what I’ve seen, there are currently five forward lines worth of roster hopefuls:

Mason Marchment // Chandler Stephenson // Eeli Tolvanen
Jared McCann // Berkly Catton // Jordan Eberle
Jani Nyman // Matty Beniers // Kaapo Kakko
Jaden Schwartz // Shane Wright // Jagger Firkus
Tye Kartye // Freddie Gaudreau // Jacob Melanson

There’s still a lot of time for changes, but if the season started today, I think the Kraken would be picking 13 or 14 forwards from this group of 15.

We expected Catton, Jani Nyman, and Jacob Melanson to be in the roster conversation. What stands out, though, is seeing Jagger Firkus alongside Jaden Schwartz and Shane Wright. Firkus also played on the top line in last Saturday’s prospect showcase game in Everett with Catton and Nyman. I still think he needs more AHL seasoning, but his spot in this role shows how much the organization values him as a near-future NHLer.

Could Matt Murray play a role?​

Perhaps the most intriguing roster battle is in net, where the Kraken now employ three goaltenders with extensive NHL experience. Joey Daccord remains the clear No. 1, but the under-the-radar offseason signing of Matt Murray adds intrigue to the competition with Philipp Grubauer.

But wait… is there really only one backup spot available?

I asked general manager Jason Botterill how the club plans to handle the situation. Here’s what he said:

“We’ll continue to evaluate the situation. We have ideas on comparing three goalies. We also have ideas if there’s injury that we have to make an adjustment from that standpoint, but we’re ready, whatever materializes over the next couple of weeks.

“I think there’s competition [between Grubauer and Murray], for sure, and I think there’s different scenarios where we’ve looked at being able to carry three goalies… With how condensed some of the games are [because of the Olympic break], I think you’re going to need three goalies throughout the season.”

The plot thickens!

Health updates​

One (hopefully minor) concern popped up when the Kraken announced Brandon Montour would miss two weeks after having a bursa removed from his ankle. Montour had been skating in captain’s practices, so the timing is a little odd. Still, this procedure shouldn’t keep him out of regular-season action or set him back too far.

“He’s coming in in great shape,” Botterill said, adding that Montour should be ready for Opening Night. “It’s disappointing he can’t be out there right away, because he is a driver of our intensity and our pace of practices. But we tried to get this procedure done now so he doesn’t have to deal with it during the season, and our whole mindset is he’ll be ready to go for Game 1.”

Montour has been around Kraken Community Iceplex on crutches, chatting and laughing it up with team staff.

I also asked McCann how he was feeling after the surgery he had planned following last season.

“I’m just taking it one day at a time right now,” McCann said. “I wasn’t able to skate, really, much this summer, unfortunately. But I’m feeling pretty good. Just kind of going to keep at it.”

McCann was spotted chatting with trainers and stretching his leg Friday, and by Sunday the team confirmed he’s day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Fingers crossed he’s good to go by opening night and back to filling the net like he has in his first four seasons in Seattle.

Meanwhile, prospects Lleyton Roed and Nathan Villeneuve both went down with injuries in the last week. Roed left the second prospect showcase game Sunday and is expected to miss two months with an upper-body injury. We spotted him this week with a cast on his left hand.

Villeneuve’s injury is more of a mystery. The team has only said it’s a lower-body injury and out for the remainder of training camp.

It’s a tough break for two players who impressed last camp with outstanding performances in preseason games. Here’s wishing them both a speedy recovery.

Lambert pulling no punches​

It must be said: In five years of covering the Kraken, this has been the most intense opening stretch of camp I’ve witnessed. Lambert has emphasized accountability and attention to detail, and so far he’s been extremely vocal—so much so that he lost his voice by Saturday’s media availability.

Lambert doesn’t call it yelling, though. He calls it “encouraging.”

What I appreciate is that he isn’t afraid to blow a drill dead to correct mistakes on the spot.

“If something’s not right, don’t let it go. Stop practice,” Lambert said. “It doesn’t matter who it is, doesn’t matter if you’re a 14-year veteran or a rookie or a junior player in training camp. Everybody wants to learn, everybody can learn. We’ll talk a little bit about development, but it’s not just development of younger players. You can still develop your older players with different concepts, different things you can give them and bring them and help enhance their game.”

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 [email protected].

Read more from Darren

The post Kraken Notebook: Lane Lambert pushing hard, storyline and injury updates appeared first on Sound Of Hockey.

Source: https://soundofhockey.com/2025/09/21/kraken-training-camp-montour-injury/

 

[Seattle Kraken]

Three Takeaways – Jani Nyman stars in Kraken preseason win over Canucks

The Seattle Kraken got off to a strong start in the Lane Lambert Era on Sunday with a 5-3 preseason win over the Vancouver Canucks. Sure, it was a meaningless exhibition, and Seattle dressed a much more seasoned lineup than Vancouver, but the home team controlled long stretches of the game, giving fans—and their new head coach—plenty to like.

“I like the effort a lot,” Lambert said. “I thought we played hard. I thought we did things that we’ve been working on from a defensive standpoint, I thought we did a lot of good things offensively. In the first period, we controlled the game with a number of good-quality scoring chances. We took a four-minute penalty, but that was all part of it, in terms of just sticking up for your teammate. But I thought we did a lot of good things in a lot of different areas.

“What I really liked a lot was we were on pucks tonight. We were hounding pucks, creating turnovers, and then turning it into offense.”

Jani Nyman scored twice, while Eduard Sale, Jaden Schwartz, and John Hayden each added a goal. Vince Dunn had three assists, and Kaapo Kakko contributed two.

Here are our Three Takeaways from Seattle’s 5-3 preseason win over Vancouver.

Takeaway #1: Jani Nyman making his case​

Li’l Jani has been firmly on the radar as a young player with a chance to crack the Opening Night roster, after putting up six points (3-3=6) in 12 NHL games last season and leading the Coachella Valley Firebirds in goals with 28.

He looked too good for rookie camp last week, but the lingering question has always been whether his skating had improved enough to make him a full-time NHLer this season and allow him to consistently get into scoring positions to unleash his deadly shot.

Nyman made a convincing case Sunday. Midway through the second period, on a rush with Matty Beniers and Kakko, he hustled to the far post and managed to get his stick on Kakko’s seam pass, even after it deflected en route. That goal gave Seattle a 2-1 lead.

HELLO, NYMAN!

Nice buildup off the rush, and Li’l Jani does well to get his stick on Kakko’s pass that got deflected.

2-1 #SeaKraken pic.twitter.com/zBOXIjyzpS

— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) September 22, 2025

“It’s good to get some games before the real ones,” Nyman said. “It’s been a long summer, so I feel I’m ready. And I did a huge job [training] this summer. Hopefully I can see that on the ice.”

Added Lambert: “The thing that excited me about that goal was that it started in the D-zone. We killed the play, and then it ended up in the back of their net. So from my perspective, that’s what we’re talking about when we’re talking about defense translating into offense.”

Nyman followed up with an even prettier tally four minutes later, again connecting with Kakko. This time, after the two Finns switched positions just inside the blue line, Nyman drifted into a soft spot at the top of the right circle. Kakko slid him a perfect pass, and Nyman—who had cleverly opened himself up for a one-timer—ripped it off the far post and in.

JANI TWO-MAN!

Nyman’s second of the night on a big blast.

4-1 #SeaKraken. pic.twitter.com/vvmtZff8Fg

— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) September 22, 2025

“We never talked about [that play in advance]. It just happened,” Kakko said. “I mean, [Nyman’s] got a good shot, and we all know that. I think we saw that last year already, so— nobody net front, it’s a pretty heavy shot. Hopefully me and Matty can find him a little more.”

If Nyman keeps producing through the preseason, it’ll be hard for the front office to justify sending him down.

Takeaway #2: Solid start​

We can’t read too much into this—or any—preseason game, especially with Vancouver icing a roster that looked more like a prospect showcase squad than an NHL lineup.

Still, you want to see structure and flashes from individual players, and the Kraken delivered both. Kakko, Shane Wright, and Schwartz all looked sharp. Several young players also left their mark: Sale opened the scoring, Oscar Fisker Molgaard set up Hayden’s goal, and Nyman did what we covered in Takeaway #1.

Seattle’s last two first-round picks, Berkly Catton and Jake O’Brien, also had their moments. Both showed confidence, and neither looked out of place. Catton, despite not finding the scoresheet, was around the action all night and finished plus-two in 14:24 of ice time.

“I liked both of their games,” Lambert said. “O’Brien’s a real cerebral player, really solid defensively. Honestly, he just keeps getting better every day, and he’s had a good training camp. His progression has been very, very good.

“Cats, he’s got that dynamic ability, that dynamic speed. He showed it on a few occasions tonight.”

Catton still has work to do to secure a roster spot. He didn’t cement it Sunday, but he also did nothing to hurt his chances.

Takeaway #3: John Hayden is still in the penalty box​

Another player fighting (literally and figuratively) for a roster spot is John Hayden, who has been in this bubble position for four straight Kraken training camps. On Sunday, he reminded management he’ll always stand up for teammates.

This particular instance came with a price.

At 17:34 of the first period, Joseph LaBate flattened Wright with a clean open-ice hit. Hayden immediately went after LaBate, cross-checking the 6-foot-5 forward before dropping the gloves and throwing punches.

The result: 19 minutes of penalties—two for cross-checking, two for instigating, five for fighting, and a 10-minute misconduct—leaving the Kraken to kill off four minutes shorthanded. They survived, but Schwartz’s subsequent high-sticking minor cost Seattle a goal against.

“You know what? I have all kinds of time in the world for that,” Lambert said of Hayden’s decision to engage LeBate. “He’s sticking up for his teammate, so outstanding job by him. We try and kill those off all day long when we feel like somebody is trying to stand up for one of his teammates.”

Hayden made the most of the extra rest and scored 3:07 into the third period to extend Seattle’s lead to 5-2, banging home a slick feed from Fisker Molgaard.

Hayden remains a candidate for the 13th forward role. If he starts the year in Coachella Valley, odds are he’ll be back in Seattle before long.

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 [email protected].

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The post Three Takeaways – Jani Nyman stars in Kraken preseason win over Canucks appeared first on Sound Of Hockey.

Source: https://soundofhockey.com/2025/09/22/kraken-defeat-canucks-preseason-nyman/

 

[Seattle Kraken]

Forecasting the Kraken’s 2025–26 Goal Scoring

Kraken preseason is officially underway. As I have done in previous preseasons, I like to project Seattle’s playoff chances by forecasting the team’s goal scoring. You can review my last three forecasts here: 2022–23, 2023–24, and 2024–25.

This forecast looks at adjusted goals for each player on the projected Kraken roster. The “adjusted goals” metric is defined as goals scored minus empty-net goals. Based on prior analysis, teams with an adjusted goal differential of plus-one to plus-five make the playoffs more than 50 percent of the time. Adjusted goals against is the other half of that equation, but for this article, we’re only focusing on adjusted goals for.

Looking back at the 2024–25 forecast​

Last season, the Kraken finished with 230 adjusted goals, an increase of 25 compared to 2023–24. My forecast missed the mark by 11.9 goals. Here’s a player-by-player breakdown:

Overall, the forecast did fine but not great. A few players came in well below expectations, Andre Burakovsky and Jared McCann among them, but Jaden Schwartz more than offset those misses, finishing 10.9 goals above what I had projected for him. That’s how forecasting tends to work: some players overshoot, others undershoot.

There were also factors that would have been tough to build into the model. Jordan Eberle’s injury was significant. Yanni Gourde also missed time with injury, and even when healthy, his production lagged. Trades always shake things up, too. While Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand were dealt at the deadline, their lost production was roughly balanced by Kaapo Kakko, who arrived in an earlier trade.

Roster unknowns for 2025–26​

Unlike recent offseasons, this year’s roster still has a few question marks. Several rookies are making strong pushes out of camp, and late adjustments could happen depending on who earns spots. That makes projecting games played a little trickier, so I’ve leaned conservative with totals.

Another wrinkle: a lot of Kraken players are entering the final year of their contracts. If Seattle falls out of playoff contention by the deadline, it wouldn’t be surprising to see veterans moved to contenders for future assets. That uncertainty isn’t baked into this forecast, but it’s definitely a storyline to monitor.

Departures and Arrivals for 2025–26​

From a pure goal-scoring standpoint, the only notable departure from last season is Bjorkstrand, who was traded to Tampa Bay at the deadline.

The Kraken made two trades this offseason that should help replace some of the goal scoring lost from last year’s roster. First, they acquired Mason Marchment from the cap-strapped Dallas Stars in mid-June. Marchment brings size, physicality, and a proven middle-six scoring touch, with three straight seasons of double-digit goals. Just a week later, the Kraken added Freddy Gaudreau from the Minnesota Wild. Gaudreau isn’t as flashy offensively, but he’s versatile, defensively reliable, and can chip in 10–15 goals while playing anywhere in the lineup (he had 18 last season and 19 in 2022-23). Together, the pair should provide depth scoring and stability that will help offset the loss of Oliver Bjorkstrand.

Based on last year’s production, the Kraken lost 41 goals but brought in 35 — and that’s in 112 fewer games played. That gap is where potential rookies like Berkly Catton, Jani Nyman, and a handful of other candidates could step in and contribute.

Scoring forecast approach​

As in past seasons, I’m using each player’s last three years of games played and adjusted goals to project for 2025–26. Games played is the trickiest part to forecast — I leaned on each player’s historical average, but I’ll make the occasional subjective adjustment if I think the production rate doesn’t quite line up.

Yes, some guys have averaged 75-plus games per season, but as we saw with Eberle and Gourde last year, injuries are inevitable. Since it’s nearly impossible to predict who will go down, I also take a conservative approach to projecting games played for the upcoming season.

Forwards forecast​

The most difficult part of this forecast is figuring out games played and goals for the rookies. Take Jani Nyman, for example — he scored three goals in 12 games with the Kraken during his late-season call-up and added 28 goals in 58 games for Coachella Valley. He’s a natural goal scorer, so 10 goals in 50 NHL games feels conservative… but that’s probably the right cautious estimate for now, because it’s impossible to say if he’ll be a full-time NHLer.

Berkly Catton is even tougher to predict. He’s either going to play fewer than nine games (because he burns the first year of his entry-level contract if the Kraken keep him for longer than that) or more than 50 — not much in between. I’ve been leaning toward the higher end, but without full certainty, I split the difference and set his forecast at 40 games.

Outside of the rookies, there are a couple of eyebrow-raisers in the model. Shane Wright’s 18.9-goal projection feels a little light, while Jared McCann’s looks a bit heavy. But that’s the nature of an aggregate forecast: some players run hot, some cold, and ideally it all balances out.

Defensemen forecast​

Forecasting the defensemen is a bit more straightforward. The top six are pretty well set heading into the season, with Josh Mahura likely sliding into the seventh spot if everyone stays healthy. The one new face, Ryan Lindgren, brings plenty of defensive reliability but isn’t exactly known for his goal scoring.

One player who could push the totals higher is Ryker Evans. He’s shown steady progress the last couple of years, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he chipped in a bit more offense as his role continues to grow.

Putting it together​

When you combine the forwards and defensemen, the forecast lands at 246.3 adjusted goals for the 2025–26 season. That’s a 16-goal bump over last year, a total that would’ve ranked ninth in the NHL in 2024–25. It feels a little optimistic, but we’ll stick with it for now.

Other considerations​

• Coaching/system tweaks – The biggest change this offseason came behind the bench with the hiring of Lane Lambert. His teams have been known for playing structured, defensively sound hockey. That could tighten things up in Seattle’s end, but Lambert has also emphasized that creating turnovers in the defensive zone can fuel offense. How that balance plays out will be worth tracking. Lambert mentioned he thought Nyman’s goal in Seattle’s 5-3 preseason win over Vancouver was an excellent example of this. “The thing that excited me about that goal was that it started in the D-zone,” Lambert said. “We killed the play, and then it ended up in the back of their net. So from my perspective, that’s what we’re talking about when we’re talking about defense translating into offense.”
• Power play – Seattle finished 23rd in the league on the power play last year, leaving plenty of room for improvement. With a new staff and some fresh personnel looks, there’s cautious optimism that the power play could finally take a step forward.
• Injuries – The ultimate wild card. If the Kraken’s top six can stay mostly healthy, it would go a long way toward hitting (or even exceeding) this forecast.

Will Seattle improve offensively?​

My projection for the Kraken’s 2025–26 season comes in at 246.3 adjusted goals, a 16-goal bump from last year. That total would have ranked ninth in the NHL a season ago. Still, the big questions remain: can the young players fighting for roster spots make an impact right away, and how much will Lambert’s system influence scoring, for better or worse?

For now, Kraken fans should keep expectations measured but optimistic. There’s clear upside here, but also plenty of volatility depending on health, development, and where the team sits at the trade deadline. As the season progresses, I’ll layer in adjusted-goals-against numbers to give a full playoff outlook and track how close (or far) this projection ends up.

What do you think, are my numbers too high, too low, or just right? Drop your thoughts in the comments below.

The post Forecasting the Kraken’s 2025–26 Goal Scoring appeared first on Sound Of Hockey.

Source: https://soundofhockey.com/2025/09/23/forecasting-the-krakens-2025-26-goal-scoring/

 

[Seattle Kraken]

Injury woes starting to pile up for Seattle Kraken in training camp

Injuries in hockey are inevitable. It’s a high-speed, high-intensity, chaotic game in which a player can be doing everything right, and yet, in the blink of an eye, their whole season can be derailed.

For the Seattle Kraken, they may have enough talent to make the playoffs for just the second time in their short history—and the first time since the 2022-23 season. But there’s no doubt that for Seattle to even have a sniff of contention, the roster has to stay relatively healthy throughout the regular season.

During training camp and preseason—before the puck even officially drops—the last thing you want to hear about is key veteran players dealing with injuries.

And yet, here we are.

Chandler Stephenson leaves Tuesday’s game​

Seattle’s lineup looked very different Tuesday in an uninspiring 4-1 loss at Calgary compared to the group that played Sunday in a 5-3 home win against Vancouver. In fact, the only two Kraken players to appear in both games were Berkly Catton and Ryker Evans.

One of the veterans making his preseason debut Tuesday was Chandler Stephenson, who Seattle hopes can emerge as a top distributor for newcomers like Mason Marchment, who also played his first game against the Flames.

Stephenson came up lame after this play in the closing moments of the second period and did not return for the third.

Uh oh. Chandler Stephenson went down the tunnel after this play… pic.twitter.com/vfGcMUO3b2

— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) September 24, 2025

The Kraken only announced that Stephenson was being “evaluated” by the medical staff, and coach Lane Lambert echoed that message in his post-game availability on Tuesday. “I have not heard anything,” Lambert said. “What I’ve heard is that he’s going to be evaluated [Wednesday].”

Unsurprisingly, Stephenson was not on the ice for practice Wednesday.

Jared McCann not at 100 percent​

The Kraken desperately need Jared McCann to return to goal-scoring prominence this season after producing at a relatively low clip by his standards (though he still led the team in scoring with 61 points and buried 22 goals) in 2024-25.

One thing that likely hindered McCann’s production last season was an injury he played through for much of the campaign. He confirmed at the end of the year that he would undergo a procedure, and earlier this week he told us that recovery from that procedure kept him off the ice for most of the summer.

“I’m just taking it one day at a time right now. I wasn’t able to skate, really, that much in the summer, unfortunately. But I’m feeling pretty good, and hopefully it keeps going well.”

That comment came Saturday. On Sunday, the team announced McCann was day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

Asked about McCann’s status following the game against the Canucks, Lambert said, “He didn’t get a lot of chance to skate this summer. If you ask any one of those players in that room how training camp has been and how the first four days have been, they’re going to say, ‘Extremely difficult.’ And so, there’s a maintenance portion for him. It’s been a tough camp so far.”

That doesn’t sound like Lambert and the team expect McCann to miss significant time, but it is concerning that Seattle’s best scorer is trying to ramp up for the season, and his body isn’t responding the way he had hoped.

The good news is that when McCann has been on the ice, he’s looked mostly like his old self—aside from a few moments where he’s flexed his leg. He looks fast, and his shot is as wicked as ever.

Here’s hoping this issue doesn’t linger into the season. But like Stephenson, McCann was also absent from practice Wednesday.

Ryan Lindgren working his way back​

We didn’t see it happen, but we heard that offseason acquisition Ryan Lindgren took a puck to the face during Sunday morning’s practice, forcing him to leave the ice. He has yet to appear in a preseason game.

There’s some good news, though. Lambert didn’t express much concern, indicating the team expects Lindgren to be fine. He skated on his own in a red non-contact jersey Tuesday and returned to skate with the non-game group Wednesday.

Ryan Lindgren is on the ice with the non-game group in a regular blue jersey at #SeaKraken camp. His left eye is still noticeably black. pic.twitter.com/TAEDGvXNAo

— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) September 24, 2025

Brandon Montour yet to skate in camp​

Through all of this, top defenseman Brandon Montour still hasn’t skated with the team in training camp. Montour had a bursa removed from his ankle on the eve of camp and has been seen around Kraken Community Iceplex on crutches, chatting and laughing with team staff.

He did participate in pre-camp captains’ practices, and we’ve heard he had been dealing with the issue for a while this offseason before deciding to have the procedure so it wouldn’t bother him all season.

The team initially announced he’d be out for two weeks, which would put his projected return around next Wednesday. We’ll see…

Kraken need good health​

The injury bug bites every team, every season; it’s just a matter of when—and how hard—it bites. For the Kraken, though, they simply can’t afford for key players to miss significant time if they want to be playing meaningful games late in the season.

On the plus side, there are still two full weeks before the games start to count, giving these banged-up players some runway to recover. The question is: Will they all be ready in time for Seattle’s Opening Night matchup against the Anaheim Ducks on Oct. 9? Or will Seattle already be testing its depth from the drop of the puck?

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 [email protected].

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The post Injury woes starting to pile up for Seattle Kraken in training camp appeared first on Sound Of Hockey.

Source: https://soundofhockey.com/2025/09/24/injury-woes-for-seattle-kraken-in-training-camp/

 

[Seattle Kraken]

Candidates to have a rebound season for the Seattle Kraken in 2025-26

With the preseason underway and the regular season around the corner, it’s time to highlight a handful of Seattle Kraken players who can improve on last year’s results. I’m calling them “rebound candidates,” but that doesn’t mean they had bad seasons in 2024-25. It means they’ve already shown they can play at a higher level than what they showed last season. After finishing with 76 standings points last year, the Kraken will need every ounce of production if they hope to return to the playoffs.

Here are the players I’ll be watching for rebound seasons:

Jared McCann​

Since arriving in Seattle via the Expansion Draft from Pittsburgh by way of Toronto (he never actually played a game for the Maple Leafs before they left him exposed), McCann has thrived in an expanded role. His ice time has climbed from 16 to 17 minutes per game, and he leads the franchise in both goals (128) and points (243). He even led the Kraken in points last season with 61 (22-39=61).

So how does he qualify as a rebound candidate? Goal scoring. In his first three Kraken seasons, McCann topped the team in goals each year and shot 15.4 percent. Last season, that number dipped 4.5 percentage points to 10.9 percent, and he finished with 22 goals. He also scored just four power-play goals, his lowest total since joining Seattle.

Regression to the mean suggests his shooting percentage should creep back toward his Kraken average of 14.3 percent. His career high is 40 goals (2022-23), and while that may be ambitious, returning to the 30-goal mark feels realistic. Last season, McCann played mostly with Chandler Stephenson, who was second on the team with 51 points but often matched against top opposing lines.

McCann has shown he can produce from any spot in the lineup, and I expect him to bury more chances this year. It should be noted that McCann is currently day-to-day and shared earlier this week with media that he didn’t skate much this summer while recovering from a procedure that he underwent after last season.

Rebound target: 30 goals and 70 points​

Matty Beniers​

After his 57-point rookie season and Calder Trophy win, the Kraken have been waiting for Beniers to recapture that magic. He has since posted 37 and 43 points while leading the forward group in even-strength ice time (15:44 minutes per game). But among NHL forwards who averaged that much even-strength time and played a full season (70+ games), he ranked last in the NHL in points in each of the last two seasons.

There’s still reason for optimism. He returned to the 20-goal plateau in 2024-25, showed chemistry with Kaapo Kakko, and boosted his shooting percentage to 13.6 percent (up from 11.3 in 2023-24). He’s proven he has the offensive talent, as his rookie numbers came with less ice time. With new head coach Lane Lambert emphasizing structure at both ends, Beniers should benefit.

Rebound target: 60 points. It’s a stretch, but it’s within reach if he finds his stride early.​

Vince Dunn​

Dunn broke out for 64 points in 2022-23 but has since been slowed by injuries, missing 20-plus games each of the past two seasons. During his career-best season, he averaged 0.79 points per game, 12th best among defensemen that season (2022-23). He nearly matched that rate the next year (0.78 PPG) but played just 59 games. Last season he dropped to 0.63 PPG and again missed almost a quarter of the year (20 games).

Keeping Dunn healthy is a priority. When in the lineup, the puck-moving defenseman drives offense and brings an edge that energizes teammates and fans. The physical side makes him popular but also adds injury risk. Balancing those elements will be critical for Seattle.

Rebound target: 60 points and play 82 games​

Backup goaltending​

Philipp Grubauer officially slid into a backup role in 2024-25, and the results were rough: an .875 save percentage and an 8-17-1 record. After four straight years below .900, hope is scarce. Still, he showed a late spark. Following a stint with Coachella Valley, he returned to Seattle with a 3-2-0 record and a .915 save percentage. The sample was small but promising, and he seems to really enjoy working with goalie coach Colin Zulianello, who was promoted from the Firebirds to the Kraken this summer, replacing Steve Briere.

The Kraken also added two-time Stanley Cup winner Matt Murray. Murray has struggled in recent NHL stints but dominated the AHL last season with a .934 save percentage. Neither option is a sure bet, but both have NHL experience. And frankly, can it get worse than an .875 save percentage?

Whoever wins the backup job behind Joey Daccord, Seattle will be counting on more stability in net. General manager Jason Botterill has even suggested the team may carry three goalies.

Both Grubauer and Murray would require waivers to be sent to the AHL. Murray, on a one-year deal at $1 million, could be a low-risk waiver claim for another team. Grubauer’s $5.9 million cap hit, on the other hand, is unlikely to be claimed if Seattle wanted to send him down at some point.

Rebound target: A .500 record when the backup is in net​

Final thoughts​

The Kraken don’t need all four of these rebound stories to hit in order to take a step forward. But if McCann’s shot rebounds, Beniers breaks through, Dunn stays healthy, and the backup goalie spot stabilizes, Seattle’s chances of returning to the playoffs increase dramatically. Even two or three of these improvements could be the difference between another disappointing season and meaningful games in April.

Comment below on which Kraken player you think could be a rebound candidates?

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.

Read more from Blaiz

The post Candidates to have a rebound season for the Seattle Kraken in 2025-26 appeared first on Sound Of Hockey.

Source: https://soundofhockey.com/2025/09/2...und-season-for-the-seattle-kraken-in-2025-26/

 

[Seattle Kraken]

Down on the Farm – Junior seasons begin, J.R. Avon settles in

Welcome to “Down on the Farm,” your weekly Seattle Kraken prospects update. This week we’ll go over the latest prospect news from Kraken training camp, including a number of junior reassignments. We’ll also get into a few exciting professional debuts for Kraken prospects playing overseas.

For our feature this week, we caught up with Jon-Randall Avon (who prefers “J.R.”) the day after he made his Kraken preseason debut in Calgary. We touched on a variety of topics including the trade that brought him to Seattle, his friendship with Tucker Robertson (his counterpart in the trade), and his off-ice interests. Let’s dive in.

J.R. Avon is feeling like himself in fresh start with Kraken​

The Philadelphia Flyers traded the 22-year-old Avon to Seattle just a couple weeks before camp began. Avon told us he had “a little bit of a sense” that he could be on the move from Philadelphia after he sat during Lehigh Valley’s playoff run last season, but it was “still a shock.”

Flyers general manager Daniel Briere told him that “[Avon] and the guy that got traded [back to Philadelphia] were kind of in similar spots of, not necessarily getting pushed aside, but not looked at the same.” So it was an opportunity for a “fresh start” for both with a new organization.

After talking with his parents and agent after the trade, one of the first text messages Avon sent was to his former Peterborough Petes teammate Tucker Robertson, because he thought he was getting the chance to reunite with Robertson again after the two played together for four years in the OHL. Avon recounted, “I texted him saying, ‘Hey, I’m coming to Seattle,’ and then he texted me back saying ‘Hey, I’m going to Philly.'” Avon previously had no idea that Robertson was the return going back to Philadelphia in the deal.

Avon laughed and called the situation “honestly a bit weird” because the two are “good buddies” and “pretty close” after playing together for so long. They have talked a lot since the trade about what to expect in Seattle and Philadelphia.

Right after the trade, Kraken GM Jason Botterill told Avon the organization was “excited to have [his] speed in the lineup.” Avon agrees that his skating is a difference maker for him. “Speed is definitely my big advantage. [The preseason game in Calgary] wasn’t my greatest, but I definitely have speed as one that I can bring to get in on the forecheck, get pucks, and get scoring chances.”

As for his best position, Avon said that he feels like a natural center since that’s the position he played until he arrived in Lehigh Valley. That said, he has played almost exclusively on the wing as a pro, so that position also feels very natural to him at this point. In Tuesday’s preseason game in Calgary, Avon shifted from wing to center after Chandler Stephenson departed with an injury, and Avon noted his center instincts kicked in seamlessly.

Avon conceded he does feel some pressure going into the last year of his contract and with a new organization, but at the same time, he has enjoyed his time in Seattle and feels like he can “play free” with the Kraken. “I feel like I can be myself instead of trying to be someone else.”

Off the ice, Avon is primed to fit in with his Firebirds teammates—including his training camp roommate Jagger Firkus—because one of his favorite hobbies is golf. He said he has gone out to play with Firkus in the Seattle area a couple times already, but he declined to get into who played better because, as he noted with a laugh, they were both “using rentals.” I suspect we might have gotten a more direct answer, if not an unbiased one, from Firkus.

Kraken reassign six from camp to the CHL​

On Monday, the Kraken reassigned six 18- and 19-year-old junior-eligible players from the training camp roster back to their CHL clubs. The reassignments included 2025 first-round pick Jake O’Brien and second-round pick Blake Fiddler, both of whom played in Sunday’s preseason opener against Vancouver and performed well, as they have done throughout camp.

Two junior players remain in camp: Nathan Villeneuve, who is injured and currently rehabbing, and Berkly Catton. Neither player is AHL-eligible this season, so they will need to be offered back to their junior teams if they don’t stick around on the Kraken roster or injured list out of camp.

The #SeaKraken have reassigned the following players to their junior clubs:

Alexis Bernier (@DrakkarBAC)
Jakub Fibigr (@OHLSteelheads)
Blake Fiddler (@EdmOilKings)
Julius Miettinen (@WHLsilvertips)
Jake O’Brien (@BulldogsOHL)
Will Reynolds (@nlregiment)

— Seattle Kraken PR (@SeattleKrakenPR) September 22, 2025

Most of the six reassigned players are returning to highly competitive junior teams. The CHL’s Top-10 Ranking after Week 1 of the season put Fiddler’s Edmonton Oil Kings at No. 3, O’Brien’s Brantford Bulldogs at No. 5, Reynolds’ Newfoundland Regiment at No. 8, and Miettinen’s Everett Silvertips at No. 9.

Catton’s Spokane Chiefs also rank highly, coming in at No. 6 in the poll. Whether Catton joins Spokane’s WHL Championship chase this season is very much in doubt, though. On this week’s episode of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast, I explained the positives I saw in Catton’s play through two preseason games, particularly in Calgary, and why I’ve never been more confident in his ability to stick with the NHL club. My co-hosts John Barr and Darren Brown were more measured in their evaluations, and left the door open that Catton may not be ready for a full-time NHL role this season if he does not continue to progress. I suspect the best read of Catton’s standing falls somewhere in the middle, which makes this one of the top storylines to monitor as the regular season approaches in less than two weeks.

Notes on three Kraken prospects​

Maxim Agafonov | D | Salavat Yulaev Ufa (KHL)​

Last week’s notes section was riddled with injury updates. This week, we’re able to strike a more positive theme: professional debuts. Maxim Agafonov continued his ascent, taking a few shifts in the KHL last Saturday for Salavat Yulaev Ufa. Though his role wasn’t significant—he played just over three-and-a-half minutes in the game—Agafonov’s presence in the KHL alone is notable. Currently, he is the sixth-youngest player active in the KHL—a highly competitive professional league. Not bad for the 2025 fifth-round pick.

Karl Annborn | D | HV71 (SHL)​

Speaking of impressive ascents for a late-round pick, 2025 seventh-round pick Karl Annborn played in his first two games in the SHL, Sweden’s top professional league, over the last week. Similar to Agafonov, Annborn averaged about three-and-a-half minutes of ice time per game as HV71 managed his initial pro exposure.

Visa Vedenpää | G | Kärpät (Liiga)​

After missing almost all of last season, Vedenpaa is healthy and getting his first time in goal in Liiga, Finland’s top professional league. The 20-year-old Vedenpaa entered last Saturday’s game for Karpat when veteran Niklas Rubin departed less than four minutes in. Vedenpaa then earned the start in the team’s next game on Wednesday too. The stat lines aren’t overly impressive, but it is encouraging that Vedenpaa is getting these opportunities after a lost year of development.

Kraken prospects data update​

In our data updates moving forward, we’ll highlight in gold any league debuts. As mentioned above, we have three such debuts this week. Otherwise, the stat lines for Seattle’s overseas prospects were fairly uneventful this week.

Semyon Vyazovoi has played in only one of his KHL team’s seven games to date. He struggled in just 23 minutes in goal in his sole appearance. We’ll need to monitor for news whether his inactivity is injury-related, as I’m inclined to suspect, or due to performance.

Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week​

In what was probably the least-competitive week we have tracked for this “honor”—no skater prospect scored for his club team—goalie Kim Saarinen was legitimately excellent again, turning away 22 of 24 shots in an overtime win for HPK. This earns him a second consecutive early season Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week title. As is (probably) said when it comes to Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week, they don’t ask how, they just ask how many. And Saarinen now has two before most players in Seattle’s organization have even started playing.

Previewing the week ahead​

In our weekly previews moving forward, we’ll highlight in deep sea blue our “Deep Sea Hockey Game of the Week.” This week, Skellefteå’s game on Tuesday at 10:00 am PDT will be broadcast on FloHockey, offering an opportunity to check in on prospect Zeb Forsfjall. Elsewhere, we can expect most of the players Seattle reassigned to the CHL to begin their junior seasons this weekend, starting with Jakub Fibigr and the Brampton Steelheads Friday afternoon at 4:00 pm PDT. Remember that the WHL can be viewed on Victory+ this year and the QMJHL and OHL are on FloHockey now.

Curtis Isacke

Curtis is a Sound Of Hockey contributor and member of the Kraken press corps. Curtis is an attorney by day, and he has read the NHL collective bargaining agreement and bylaws so you don’t have to. He can be found analyzing the Kraken, NHL Draft, and other hockey topics on Twitter and Bluesky @deepseahockey.

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The post Down on the Farm – Junior seasons begin, J.R. Avon settles in appeared first on Sound Of Hockey.

Source: https://soundofhockey.com/2025/09/26/down-on-the-farm-junior-seasons-begin-j-r-avon-settles-in/

 

[Seattle Kraken]

Monday Musings: Rolling through the preseason

We’re still in preseason, but with so many thoughts and ideas bouncing around in my head, it felt like the perfect time to fire up the first edition of Monday Musings for the 2025-26 season. If you’re new around here, Monday Musings is where I pull together and share a handful of topics and themes from the past week across the Seattle Kraken world, and sometimes a little beyond.

First big round of cuts​

Last Monday we saw a small round of cuts, but Saturday brought the first real round of assignments. Apart from Nathan Villeneuve, every player was sent to Coachella Valley, and because none of them required waivers, the process was straightforward. Still, any time you see that many names move off the board, it feels like camp is starting to tighten up. Here’s the full list of cuts/assignments:

One name that stood out before the cut: Tyson Jugnauth. We talked about him on the Sound Of Hockey Podcast this week, but he really made the most of his opportunity. It wasn’t his first training camp, but it was his first one under contract, and you could tell he wanted to make an impression. He even got into his first preseason game against the Edmonton Oilers, an eye-opening experience for the 21-year-old defenseman.

"You might be wondering how I got here."

– Tyson Jugnauth (probably), facing TWO STRAIGHT 2-on-1's against Connor McDavid. #SeaKraken

Also, look at the THREE Kraken players running into each other to create the second opportunity. pic.twitter.com/OOnmrzy6FO

— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) September 25, 2025

Jugnauth was never really in the mix to make the Kraken out of camp, but he definitely climbed the organizational depth chart as he heads into his first pro season. On top of that, he’s got a great personality. If you missed his media scrum the day after the Edmonton game, it’s worth a watch.

Bubble players that remain​

With the first big cuts done, the Kraken’s camp roster is now down to 30 players. They’ll need to trim that to 23 by Oct. 6. By my count, that leaves about 10 “bubble players” fighting for the final spots:

Forwards: Berkly Catton, Oscar Fisker Molgaard, John Hayden, Tye Kartye, Ben Meyers, Jani Nyman, Mitchell Stephens, Ryan Winterton

Defensemen: Ville Ottavainen, Cale Fleury

All signs point to Seattle starting the season with three goalies, and with Kaapo Kakko’s injury news (he’s expected to miss six weeks with a broken thumb) this weekend, that leaves room for at most four of these 10 bubble guys. Given that seven defensemen are already locks, those four spots will come from the forward group.

So, who has the inside track? Nyman’s stock has skyrocketed thanks to four goals in three preseason games. Catton also feels destined for the Opening Night roster—the only question is whether he sticks past his nine-game limit or heads back to junior at some point. That leaves two more spots in the game of musical chairs, with Hayden, Kartye, and Winterton all in the running. Each has a legitimate case, but it’s worth noting that both Hayden and Kartye would need to clear waivers if they’re sent down to the AHL.

Other musings​

• As I mentioned earlier, all signs point to the Kraken rolling into the season with three goalies. It’s not ideal, but when you’ve got a stretch in October with seven games in 12 days, the extra insurance makes sense.
• The Kakko injury stings, but it could be worse. Shoulder, knee, and groin injuries always make me nervous—they have a way of nagging all year.
• I was a little surprised to see Jacob Melanson sent down. He looked good enough in camp that I thought he might sneak into the conversation for a fourth-line role. Head coach Lane Lambert talked about him Sunday and said his rookie camp performance was “just ok,” then his training camp showing was better.
• The Kraken spent a healthy chunk of their Sunday practice working on the power play.

Two #SeaKraken power play groups:

Dunn
Catton / Beniers / Nyman
Eberle

Evans
Tolvanen / Marchment / Wright
Schwartz pic.twitter.com/3va0JTtl8P

— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) September 28, 2025

• Some other news from Sunday: Jared McCann and Brandon Montour were back on the ice, skating separately from the main group. After practice, Lambert hinted to the media that both players are expected to be ready for opening night.
• If I had to guess, McCann probably slides into Catton’s spot, while Chandler Stephenson takes over for Tolvanen.
• I actually love preseason hockey. No stress, no stakes—just a chance to watch prospects test themselves against real NHL talent.
• The national media is down on the Kraken this year, and I get the reasoning. But without local insight into what went down last season, their projections miss the bigger picture. I’m not saying Seattle is a playoff favorite, but 76 points? Nah, that’s too conservative.

Goal of the week​

Sicker then your average #OHL #BFD #mnwild pic.twitter.com/7csj4N7jX4

— Brantford Bulldogs (@BulldogsOHL) September 28, 2025

Player performances​

• Julius Miettinen (EVT/SEA) – The Kraken prospect, who missed all of training camp, wasted no time making an impact with Everett. He posted two goals and two assists in his first two games of the season over the weekend.
• Kim Saarinen (HPK/SEA) – One of Seattle’s top-rated goalie prospects is off to a strong start in Liiga, going 3-0-2 with a .919 save percentage. Saarinen is still likely a few seasons away from North America, but the early signs are encouraging.
• Mathis Preston (SPO) – A projected top-10 pick for the 2026 NHL Draft, Preston is already producing in the WHL. He has three goals and four assists through Spokane’s first three games of the season.

Chart of the week​

Excluding empty-net goals, goal differential is a key sign of a team’s potential in the standings. By that measure, the Kraken weren’t too far off last season.

The week ahead​

The Kraken have two preseason games left before things start to count for real. With the roster trimmed down, here are a few things I’ll be watching for:

• Battle for the final roster spots – I’ll be keying in on the play of Hayden, Kartye, and Winterton. All three have a legitimate case to make the team, but at most, only two spots are realistically open.
• The goalies – Matt Murray went the distance in Vancouver, so it will be interesting to see if Lambert gives Philipp Grubauer and Joey Daccord a full game each in the final two. There’s even a scenario where Grubauer gets sent down to Coachella Valley if he can’t deliver the level of play the team needs this year.
• Kraken special teams – Sunday’s practice gave us our first real look at how the coaching staff is approaching the power play. While the personnel is easy to focus on, I’ll be watching closely for strategy: zone entries, puck movement, player rotations. This week could offer the first hints of their plan to start the season.

Closing thoughts​

With the first big round of cuts behind us and just two preseason games left, the Kraken are starting to take shape—but there are still plenty of questions. Who will earn the final roster spots? How will the rookies perform under the bright lights? And how will the coaching staff’s system tweaks and special teams strategy translate once the games actually matter? Preseason is always a mix of promise and uncertainty, and that’s exactly what makes this time of year so fun to watch. As we inch closer to opening night, I’ll be keeping an eye on how these storylines develop, and you can be sure we’ll revisit them in the next edition of Monday Musings.

The post Monday Musings: Rolling through the preseason appeared first on Sound Of Hockey.

Source: https://soundofhockey.com/2025/09/29/monday-musings-rolling-through-the-preseason/

 

[Seattle Kraken]

Three Takeaways – Berkly Catton scores in preseason loss to the Calgary Flames

The Seattle Kraken fell 2-1 in a shootout loss to the Calgary Flames on Monday night. Seattle carried the play most of the game, outshooting Calgary 36-21. The Kraken outshot the Flames in every period, including overtime, but eventually lost in the fourth round of the shootout, when Matvei Gridin scored the winner.

Flames goaltender and Calder Trophy finalist Dustin Wolf stole the show with a .972 save percentage. Seattle generated 3.8 expected goals for, which usually leads to a win. If this had been the regular season, the Kraken at least would have earned a point. It’s not the result they wanted, but the important thing is it’s still preseason, and none of it matters.

Takeaway #1: Berkly Catton scores his first Kraken goal​

The 2024 No. 8 pick flashed his offensive skill and led all Kraken skaters with five shots on goal. He buried a rebound in the second period for his first NHL preseason goal and Seattle’s lone tally.

Berkly Catton buries his first in a Kraken sweater! Seattle jumps ahead 1-0. #SeaKraken pic.twitter.com/Pk0u51HMan

— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) September 30, 2025

Catton looked more confident with the puck and worked well cycling with linemates. He also led Kraken forwards with three blocked shots. His night wasn’t flawless, but it stood out as his best preseason performance yet.

Takeaway #2: Hopefully Dunn is not done​

Vince Dunn has a history with Calgary’s Martin Pospisil, who was suspended in 2023-24 for a dangerous hit on Dunn. For a preseason contest, this game turned physical, with scrums closing both the first and second periods.

In the second, Pospisil caught Dunn with a high stick. Dunn exchanged words while heading to the box and was assessed a minor for roughing. Pospisil received two minors for high-sticking and roughing. Tempers were rising, and it looked like more was coming, but before his penalty expired, Dunn headed to the dressing room and did not return to the game.

#SeaKraken Dunn has words for #Flames Popisill who get 2 minutes for high sticking and 2 minutes for cross-checking. Dunn gets 2 for roughing.

Kraken to the poweplay. pic.twitter.com/dMRqeYTTFP

— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) September 30, 2025

It’s unclear what Dunn’s injury might be. He took the high stick and, just seconds earlier, had blocked a shot that caused him to grimace. After the game, coach Lane Lambert said Dunn was being evaluated.

Seattle already has a growing injury list, and Dunn’s absence would be another significant setback. The Kraken cannot afford to lose him for any significant period.

Takeaway #3: Gruuuuu looked sharp​

Philipp Grubauer was tested early when Calgary forward Matt Coronato broke free for a wrist shot on the game’s first chance. The German Gentleman turned it aside and cleared the rebound, preventing Seattle from falling behind early. The Kraken responded with 17 first-period shots.

Big stop by Gruu!!! He’s sharp early. #SeaKraken pic.twitter.com/JymihwkNGH

— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) September 30, 2025

Goaltenders often say seeing pucks early helps them settle in. Grubauer was sharp from the start and finished with a .952 save percentage. This loss wasn’t on him, and Seattle will hope his strong play carries into the regular season.

Strong performance, but no result​

The Kraken played a physical, structured game, and on most nights would have come away with the win. In the NHL, though, all teams can win on any give night.

The forward lines looked steady, with Mason Marchment, Shane Wright, and Eeli Tolvanen standing out as a potential regular-season trio.

Seattle closes the preseason Wednesday against the Edmonton Oilers in a matchup expected to feature a roster closer to resembling the Opening Night lineup.

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.

Read more from Blaiz

The post Three Takeaways – Berkly Catton scores in preseason loss to the Calgary Flames appeared first on Sound Of Hockey.

Source: https://soundofhockey.com/2025/09/3...ores-in-preseason-loss-to-the-calgary-flames/

 

[Seattle Kraken]

Photo Gallery – Kraken vs Flames – Sept 29th

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The post Photo Gallery – Kraken vs Flames – Sept 29th appeared first on Sound Of Hockey.

Source: https://soundofhockey.com/2025/09/29/photo-gallery-kraken-vs-flames-sept-29th/

 

[Seattle Kraken]

Preseason 2026 NHL Draft data-only watchlist

With CHL seasons now underway, junior hockey leagues across the world are back on the ice for games. That means it’s time to publish our annual “preseason” NHL Draft watchlist. Several public scouting and analysis resources have published lists with a handful high-end players to watch. We’re digging deeper, giving you a list of 200 first-time eligible and 100 re-entry candidates for you to follow as the season progresses.

The “Data Score” approach​

This is not a traditional scouting assessment of prospects. Instead, as in years past, we built our watchlist using quantifiable data only. Think of it as a supplement to the scouting and analytical work on prospects being published by other sources like Elite Prospects. It can be revealing in its areas of agreement or disagreement with the work of traditional scouting services.

What does our data-only analysis involve? As I have done in years past when looking at NHL Draft prospects (or NHL-affiliated prospects), I have organized this player list by “Data Score”—a rough metric we came up with here at Sound Of Hockey. Data Score begins with the bedrock of an NHL equivalency (“NHLe”). NHLe is a method to compare the scoring proficiency of players in the various professional and junior leagues across the globe. I used Thibaud Chatel’s model, which is the most up-to-date public research in the area. Check out Chatel’s Substack for an in-depth discussion of NHLe. For this project, I used Chatel’s newest model, which has been updated to account for 2024-25 season data.

What’s new this year? In contrast with years past when I looked at only a one-year sample to create this list, this time I applied this NHLe to multiple years of scoring data for these prospects—specifically the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons. More recent play is given more weight. I think this is an important upgrade to the approach and one I will be continuing to iterate on moving forward.

After deriving an NHLe from the scoring data, I then make adjustments for age, height, and position, as well as a modest upward adjustment to the NHLe for low-scoring players playing in high-level professional leagues. I then normalize the resulting output and call it the prospect’s “Data Score.” This number no longer projects NHL scoring but is (hopefully) useful in describing the relative strength of prospects. I’ve gone through the methodology in more detail previously here and here.

After refining my data-gathering methods, the full watchlist, which will be made available to Sound Of Hockey Patreon members shortly, covers approximately 25,000 draft eligible skaters. This is up dramatically from the lists of approximately 10,000 skaters I have made in previous years.

The 2026 NHL Draft watchlist​

The draft has at least one elite player at the top in Gavin McKenna. I compiled all potentially draft-eligible prospects for the 2026 NHL Draft before filtering out those who had already been selected in previous drafts. Even if those drafted players were left in consideration, Gavin McKenna would be the second overall prospect on the list, behind only Macklin Celebrini, who played last year in the NHL. McKenna’s scoring profile, at his age, is rare.

Beyond McKenna, the top 10 to 15 of this draft looks quite strong. Forward Ryan Roobroeck’s name seems to get lost in the shuffle when discussing the high-end players in this class, but he has piled up 139 points in 127 OHL games over the last two seasons for the Niagara IceDogs. He has the chance to be a star. Beyond him, there are a number of interesting defense prospects, including two-way force Keaton Verhoeff and the QMJHL’s undersized point-producing dynamo Xavier Villeneuve.

Revisiting the 2025 NHL Draft preseason list​

How much can you learn about a player’s draft projection from looking at biometric data and scoring data from seasons before the draft year in question? As you might expect, it’s not perfect. Players—particularly first-time draft-eligible players—often take a very large statistical leap in their draft seasons as they continue to mature.

For example, Matthew Schaefer averaged only .30 points per game in his draft-minus-one year, which contributed to his placement at No. 57 overall on the 2025 NHL Draft preseason watchlist. He then proceeded to electrify scouts with his international play and piled up 1.29 points per game in the OHL in an injury-shortened draft season en route to becoming the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.

Could another elite player emerge from lower in the top 100 this year? It’s certainly possible. And there are always going to be players that teams and scouts “like” (or “dislike”) more than their scoring data would suggest.

That said, it is remarkable how much you can learn even from scoring data predating the draft year. Looking back at the top-32 first-time eligible prospects on our 2025 NHL Draft preseason watchlist, draftniks will see a lot of familiar names. Nine of the top-11 picks are there, as are 15 first-round picks overall. If you extend to look at the first-time eligible skaters ranked from 33 to 64 on our preseason list, you’ll find seven more first-round ricks, including Schaefer.

Similarly, if you rewind to our 2024 NHL Draft preseason watchlist, you’ll find that four-of-the-top five picks in the 2024 Draft were in our preseason top 32, as well as 15 first-round picks overall.

These results almost replicate the success rate of source-consulting prospect analysts evaluating the prospect landscape at this time of year. For example, last year at this time, Corey Pronman—who is as well-sourced as any prospect analyst currently working—correctly predicted 19 first-round skaters on his initial 2025 draft first-round board.

The accuracy of the watchlist as a predictive tool declines the deeper you go into it, but the success rate at the top of the list gives me confidence that the Data Score approach can serve its purpose as a guide to tracking players who could end being high draft picks.

Other watchlist takeaways and local connections​

The run of top prospects playing junior hockey in the Pacific Northwest has not broken yet. No. 11 ranked Mathis Preston and No. 18 ranked Chase Harrington will play for the Spokane Chiefs of the WHL this season. And even though the Victoria Royals lost Verhoeff to the University of North Dakota there are other intriguing prospects playing throughout the WHL’s Western Conference. No. 6 ranked defenseman Ryan Lin will play for the Vancouver Giants and No. 13 ranked defenseman Carson Carels will play for the Prince George Cougars.

Looking at the league landscape, eight players on our preseason top-32 first-time eligible prospects watchlist played their draft minus-one seasons in the WHL, which tied with the OHL for most overall. Add in 3 from the QMJHL and 19 of the top 32 played in the CHL. This underscores the strength of that league—at least before the NCAA rule changes that resulted in several prominent players opting to play college hockey in their draft years, including Verhoeff and McKenna.

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Do you have any questions? Reach out to us in the comments below or on Twitter/X @deepseahockey or @sound_hockey or on BlueSky at @deepseahockey or @soundofhockey.com.

Header photo of Mathis Preston taken by Brian Liesse, courtesy Seattle Thunderbirds.

Curtis Isacke

Curtis is a Sound Of Hockey contributor and member of the Kraken press corps. Curtis is an attorney by day, and he has read the NHL collective bargaining agreement and bylaws so you don’t have to. He can be found analyzing the Kraken, NHL Draft, and other hockey topics on Twitter and Bluesky @deepseahockey.

Read more from Curtis

The post Preseason 2026 NHL Draft data-only watchlist appeared first on Sound Of Hockey.

Source: https://soundofhockey.com/2025/10/01/preseason-2026-nhl-draft-data-only-watchlist/

 

[Seattle Kraken]

Photo Gallery – Kraken vs Oilers – Oct 1st

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The post Photo Gallery – Kraken vs Oilers – Oct 1st appeared first on Sound Of Hockey.

Source: https://soundofhockey.com/2025/10/01/photo-gallery-kraken-vs-oilers-oct-1st/

 

[Seattle Kraken]

Three Takeaways – Ryan Winterton nets two in Kraken preseason win over Oilers

The Seattle Kraken wrapped up their preseason schedule with a 4-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday. Winning and losing doesn’t matter much in preseason, but it’s still nice to finish with a winning record at 3-2-1. This game also marked the end of training camp. The team will have the next two days off for team-building activities before returning to practice Saturday in preparation for the regular-season opener at home against the Anaheim Ducks on Oct. 9.

Here are Three Takeaways from a 4-2 Kraken win over the Oilers.

Takeaway #1: Special teams​

The Kraken special teams got plenty of work in this one. In the first period alone, there were eight penalties, four for each team. The period ended 3-1 in Seattle’s favor, and all three Kraken goals came on special teams. Josh Mahura and Eeli Tolvanen scored power-play goals with blasts from the point, while Ryan Winterton added a shorthanded tally after intercepting a poor pass by Edmonton goalie Calvin Pickard below the goal line and wrapping it into an open net. Tolvanen’s goal came during a 5-on-3. Jaden Schwartz provided the screen on both of the power-play goals by Mahura and Tolvanen.

EEEEELI Goalvanen rips a rocket! #SeaKraken take a 3-0 lead. pic.twitter.com/1XNOc25mqs

— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) October 2, 2025

Seattle’s penalty kill technically gave up just one power-play goal on five Edmonton attempts, including some 5-on-3 time. However, the Oilers’ second goal came seven seconds after a penalty expired, showing there’s still work to do in cleaning up those situations. Last season, Seattle occasionally allowed goals just after a kill or power play, an area that could still use improvement.

Berkly Catton had a rough night, spending time in the box for three stick penalties. Coach Lane Lambert said, “He’s not the only one who took stick penalties and hooking and this and that. We just have to clean that up overall, as a group.”

Takeaway #2: Slow start in the second​

Seattle jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period and almost looked like they expected Edmonton to fold. After the Oilers scored late in the first and started the second on the power play, momentum shifted. The Kraken struggled to clear the zone, and Edmonton cut the deficit to one. Joey Daccord held strong as Seattle adopted a bend-don’t-break approach for about 10 minutes before regaining some offensive push.

On one hand, it was good to see Seattle weather the storm, but this is not a formula for consistent success. Coach Lambert noticed the lack of spark and shuffled the right wingers, moving Tolvanen, Winterton, and Jani Nyman around. The change worked, and Seattle began generating chances again, finishing the period ahead 3-2.

Nyman hops up with Schwartz and Wright and nearly cashes in, but Pickard outwaits him. #SeaKraken still holding a 3-2 lead. pic.twitter.com/hqiJsFbhvt

— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) October 2, 2025

Takeaway #3: Winterton’s big night​

For a guy battling for one of the final roster spots, Winterton definitely left a solid final impression in the minds of the front office and coaches on Wednesday. The 22-year-old winger had two goals, including a shorthanded tally, despite getting just 10:07 of ice time. His second came early in the third to restore a two-goal cushion. Off a slick feed from Freddy Gaudreau, Winterton corralled the pass on his backhand, shifted to his forehand, and lifted it over Pickard’s glove. These were the first goals of the preseason for the 22-year-old forward.

Winterton started the night with Schwartz and Shane Wright, but with so many early penalties, he rarely played with them. He later settled in alongside Tye Kartye and Gaudreau, and the trio clicked well. Asked if he got what he wanted from shuffling the right wings, Lambert replied, “I did out of Winterton.”

Winterton earned first-star honors and yeeted the fish after the game.

Looking ahead to the regular season​

There are still roster decisions to come, but preseason is in the books. Now, the focus shifts to the regular season and hopefully getting a couple key players back from injury in time for the meaningful games. Despite dealing with injuries, Seattle finished with a winning record (3-2-1), and all three goaltenders turned in solid performances. Adding Matt Murray provides extra competition in the crease, which should help push everyone.

Nyman didn’t score Thursday but saw time with Wright and Schwartz, where he looked comfortable and got some scoring chances. He consistently gets into scoring positions, but he seems to need a playmaker to set him up.

How do you think this preseason went for the Kraken? Are you more or less optimistic about the upcoming season? Comment below.

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.

Read more from Blaiz

The post Three Takeaways – Ryan Winterton nets two in Kraken preseason win over Oilers appeared first on Sound Of Hockey.

Source: https://soundofhockey.com/2025/10/0...nets-two-in-kraken-preseason-win-over-oilers/

 

[Seattle Kraken]

Down on the Farm – Catton makes his case for the NHL roster

Welcome to “Down on the Farm,” your weekly Seattle Kraken prospects update. This week we’ll cover the latest prospect news from Kraken training camp, as well as the week that was for Kraken prospects playing in junior leagues and overseas. For our feature this week, we reviewed every shift from Berkly Catton’s five preseason games to evaluate where he stands in his quest to become an NHL regular. Let’s dive in.

Catton proves he is ready for NHL time, but must continue to develop​

Though the Kaapo Kakko injury likely ended any conversation on whether Berkly Catton will make the NHL roster to begin the year (he will), Catton has been very active this preseason attempting to show that he is ready for a full-time NHL role. From my perspective, there has been far more good than bad.

Catton began camp playing center where he showed the speed necessary to traverse the rink end-to-end, getting low in support in the defensive zone before joining or leading the rush the opposite direction. This is an important trait for a center in new coach Lane Lambert’s system, which asks a lot of its centers defensively. From the center position, Catton was all over the ice hunting the puck. He won more than his share of puck battles and was undaunted physically even if he wasn’t able to body defenders away from the puck due to his stature.

Offensively, Catton regularly set up his teammates with crisp, pinpoint passes to take open ice in transition or for shots in the offensive zone. There were shades of rookie Shane Wright in Catton’s passing game where Catton would rush a no-look feed not realizing he had another split second to make a more accurate pass. As with Wright, this is correctible with repetitions at pro pace.

Similarly, Catton was overly aggressive at times, particularly with east-west passes along the offensive and defensive blue lines. The NHL game is all about speed and pressure, and those plays could lead to bad turnovers as opponents scout and key in on it. Taking the simpler north-south play more often and trusting his puck possession skill a bit more will help him there.

In transition, Catton is one of Seattle’s best players already with the pace, puck handling, and vision to dice up opposing forechecks and get into the offensive zone with possession. This was even more notable when he was playing on the wing in the latter portion of the preseason. At the wing position, Catton is more likely to find himself high in the defensive zone when a turnover occurs, and this gives him a chance to create breakaway chances or other transition advantages (as he did early in the Vancouver game, see below).

Catton has a quick release on his shot and good offensive instincts to get to the scoring areas where he can find rebounds, deflections, or passes from his teammates. That said, the shot is not particularly hard or pinpoint by NHL standards right now. This is something that a 19-year-old player can continue to develop.

Most concerning from an NHL perspective is his instinct to tie up an opponent with his stick after losing a puck battle. We talked about this as something that showed up in his junior games. It was particularly glaring in the team’s final preseason game when he took three minor penalties on plays of this kind. Put simply, that cannot happen. Catton will be off the team if he’s taking penalties with regularity. The solve for Catton is in more conservative body positioning that protects against a breakaway, even if he loses some advantage in a puck battle, and in trusting his feet more defensively. He can catch just about anyone if he’s skating.

Kraken reassign 20 players to the AHL, waive Meyers and Stephens​

Last Saturday the Kraken reassigned forwards J.R. Avon, Jagger Firkus, David Goyette, Justin Janicke, Andrei Loshko, Ian McKinnon, Jacob Melanson, Logan Morrison, Carson Rehkopf, Lleyton Roed, and Eduard Sale, defensemen Lukas Dragicevic, Kaden Hammell, Tyson Jugnauth, Ty Nelson, Gustav Olofsson, and Caden Price, and goaltenders Nikke Kokko, Jack LaFontaine, and Victor Ostman to the Coachella Valley Firebirds.

All of these players could be reassigned to the AHL directly without waivers because they were either signed to AHL contracts (Janicke, McKinnon, Olofsson, and Lafontaine) or waivers-exempt. Melanson is the only player in this group that I thought had a legitimate chance at the Opening Night roster. I still believe he has a shot to play NHL games this year if he can keep pushing.

On Thursday, Oct. 2, the team waived forwards Ben Meyers and Mitchell Stephens for the purpose of reassigning those players to the AHL. If no other teams claim them, they will join the Firebirds too. Waiver claims will be reported at 11:00 am PT on Friday, Oct. 3. Meyers and Stephens are top depth players who will play in the top-six for Coachella Valley and should see NHL games at some point during the year.

[Author’s Note, Fri, Oct. 3, 2:00 pm PDT: Meyers and Stephens cleared waivers and will report to Coachella Valley.]

Within the last week, the team has also placed injured forward Kaapo Kakko (out six weeks) and defenseman Ryker Evans (out six-to-eight weeks) on injured reserve, which opens their rosters spots for other players.

These moves, along with one more noted below, leave the team with 26 players in camp for 23 spots. Forwards Oscar Fisker Molgaard, Ryan Winterton, and Jani Nyman, and defenseman Ville Ottavaien, could all be reassigned to the AHL without waivers. Forwards John Hayden and Tye Kartye, defenseman Cale Fleury, and goalies Matt Murray and Philipp Grubauer would all require waivers to be reassigned. One or both of the backup goalies will stick to begin the year. (I suspect the answer will be “both.”)

It’s also worth reminding that Catton cannot go to the AHL because of his age and the CHL/NHL transfer agreement that bars 19-year-old CHL players from the AHL.

Notes on three more Kraken players​

Max McCormick | F | Coachella Valley Firebirds (AHL)​

On Tuesday, Sept. 30, the Coachella Valley Firebirds announced that the team’s first and only captain, forward Max McCormick, would miss the season with a hip injury. This is a difficult blow for the AHL club, both from a leadership and production perspective. McCormick had a knack for getting to the goal front and producing when the Firebirds most needed it. The team made it to the Calder Cup Finals both years McCormick was healthy and in the lineup for the AHL playoffs before faltering without him last year.

The Kraken television broadcast mentioned John Hayden as the captain of the Firebirds during a preseason contest earlier this week. It would be a worthy title for Hayden, assuming he’s not needed on the NHL roster to begin the year.

Nathan Villeneuve | F | Sudbury Wolves (OHL)​

In addition to the AHL reassignments noted above, the team also reassigned injured forward Nathan Villeneuve to his junior team, the Sudbury Wolves of the OHL, leaving Catton as the only 18- or 19-year-old junior-eligible player still in camp. While Villeneuve was always a long shot to remain with the team after camp, the injury was a disheartening development for a young player who was pushing for the second-straight camp displaying some pro-ready aspects of his game. Instead, he’ll look to finish his junior career on a high note before turning pro after his OHL season ends.

Julius Miettinen | F | Everett Silvertips (WHL)​

Julius Miettinen missed all of Kraken camp with an upper-body injury, but he was back in the lineup for the Everett Silvertips right away, and he made an immediate impact. He scored twice and added an assist in last Friday’s game against the Wenatchee Wild. After adding another assist on Saturday, Miettinen is your Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week.

[Author’s Note, Fri, Oct. 3, 2:00 pm PDT: Miettinen’s new week is off to a good start too, with the Kraken announcing that they have signed him to an entry-level contract.]

The Finnishing touch
Julius Miettinen's 2nd of the night puts @WHLsilvertips up 3-1. #WHLOpeningWeek | @SeattleKraken | #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/0uwz9xCpPz

— Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) September 28, 2025

Kraken prospects data update​

Loke Krantz also had a case for player of the week, scoring two goals and recording an assist in his only game for Linkoping HC U20. The degree of difficulty involved in tallying three points immediately after missing a few weeks with an injury tipped the scales in Miettinen’s favor, though.

Beyond Miettinen, Jakub Fibigr, Jake O’Brien, Blake Fiddler, and Will Reynolds also returned to their junior lineups last weekend. Fibigr, O’Brien, and Fiddler wasted no time getting on the scoresheet.

Semyon Vyazovoi returned to the crease for Salavat Yulaev Ufa for the first time in more than two weeks. The raw results were not spectacular (five goals against on 37 shots), but it was good to see him back in net and playing a full game for the first time this season. He’ll look to build on this performance moving forward.

Kim Saarinen continues to draw regular starts for HPK and perform well. He was 2-0-1 this week with a 1.99 goals-against average. Among all Liiga goalies with at least five starts, Saarinen is first in GAA (1.79) and second in save percentage (.912).

Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week tracker​

2: Kim Saarinen

1: Julius Miettinen

Seattle’s Finnish prospects are now three-for-three, though you could argue the Swedish Krantz was unjustly denied this week.

Previewing the week ahead​

Barrett Hall and St. Cloud State kick off their NCAA season today, Oct. 3, against Augustana University. Zaccharya Wisdom will likely debut for his new NCAA team, Western Michigan University, next Thursday, Oct. 9, against Ferris State University.

The Deep Sea Hockey Game of the Week is a matchup in Sweden’s U20 league between Krantz’s Linkoping HC and Karl Annborn’s HV71. Annborn had been playing up with the senior HV71 team, but he was absent from the senior lineup on Thursday, Oct. 2, which could indicate he’s back with the U20 team. If so, we’ll get our first Kraken prospect head-to-head game of the 2025-26 season.

Tracking 2026 NHL Draft prospects​

If you’re here, you likely have an affinity for following players who will be the next stars of the NHL game. We recently published our preseason 2026 NHL Draft watchlist. Consensus top prospect Gavin McKenna will make his NCAA debut for Penn State University on Friday. You can watch the game on NHL Network or the NHL YouTube page.

Recent prospect updates​

September 26, 2025: Junior seasons begin, J.R. Avon settles in

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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.

Curtis Isacke

Curtis is a Sound Of Hockey contributor and member of the Kraken press corps. Curtis is an attorney by day, and he has read the NHL collective bargaining agreement and bylaws so you don’t have to. He can be found analyzing the Kraken, NHL Draft, and other hockey topics on Twitter and Bluesky @deepseahockey.

Read more from Curtis

The post Down on the Farm – Catton makes his case for the NHL roster appeared first on Sound Of Hockey.

Source: https://soundofhockey.com/2025/10/03/down-on-the-farm-catton-makes-his-case-for-the-nhl-roster/

 

[Seattle Kraken]

Monday Musings: The return of Seattle Kraken hockey

The preseason is done, and we’re just days away from the season opener at Climate Pledge Arena on Thursday night, when the Seattle Kraken take on the Anaheim Ducks.

Every season starts with a sense of optimism, and this one is no different. With seemingly every media outlet down on the Kraken’s playoff chances, Seattle should come into the year with a chip on its shoulder and a “prove them wrong” mindset.

I’m not saying this is a no-doubt playoff team, but I do think they’ll be more competitive than pundits are giving them credit for. One of the biggest challenges last season was defensive structure, and the arrival of new head coach Lane Lambert should help tighten that up. The Kraken also made some subtle but strategic moves this offseason, acquiring Mason Marchment and Frederick Gaudreau, along with free-agent signings of defenseman Ryan Lindgren and goaltender Matt Murray. None of these moves are flashy, but each one addresses a specific need.

The return to depth scoring?​

One of the keys to success for the Kraken this season will be rediscovering the depth scoring they had in 2022–23. That season, Seattle was one of just six teams with six or more players scoring 20-plus goals. During 2024–25, four teams hit that mark—and all four made the playoffs. There’s nothing magical about the 20-goal threshold, but it’s a solid indicator of depth scoring.

In fact, the Kraken’s 2022–23 success went deeper than just their top scorers. Beyond their 20-goal players, another seven skaters had 13-plus goals that year.

To see how Seattle’s current depth stacks up against the Pacific Division, I did a quick analysis. I looked at each team’s current roster, summed total goals over the past three seasons, and divided by total games played to get an average goals-per-game rate. I filtered out anyone with fewer than 50 games over that stretch, then isolated the top 12 forwards and top six defensemen for each team to visualize potential depth scoring.

The chart below gives a quick snapshot of where each Pacific team’s goals are likely coming from by using the players’ historical scoring rates as a proxy:

This is a simple analysis, but it highlights how the Kraken are light on elite goal scoring (the “dark red” tier) yet well stocked in the middle tiers. Collectively, their roster averaged the fourth-most goals per game (3.201) in the division over the last three seasons. The blank cells indicate players with fewer than 50 NHL games during that span—guys like Berkly Catton, Jani Nyman, and Ryan Winterton.

Berkly Catton has made the team… for now​

One of the biggest preseason questions was whether Berkly Catton would make the roster and play more than nine games, the threshold for burning a year off his entry-level contract. Step 1 was simply being on the roster at the NHL’s deadline, and as one of 23 players who made that cut, he’s cleared that first hurdle.

a Berkly Catton goal to bless your timeline ‍ pic.twitter.com/DwfxLiq6tL

— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) September 30, 2025

Catton has shown flashes that he can play at the NHL level. He looked terrific in the preseason game against Calgary, but also had a rough outing against Edmonton, taking three penalties in the first period and committing a couple of turnovers. The talent is clearly there, but the jump from junior to the NHL is huge, and he’ll need time to adjust to the pace and physicality. He’s still learning, but every shift he plays this season is another step toward becoming a cornerstone piece for Seattle’s future.

It’s worth noting how rare it is for a 19-year-old rookie to play a full NHL season. Last year, only two did: Matvei Michkov (26 goals, 37 assists) and Will Smith (18 goals, 27 assists). If Catton sticks and produces at Smith’s level, that would be a massive success.

Other Musings​

• The Kraken trimmed the roster to the NHL-required 23 players on Monday, meaning Catton, Nyman, and Winterton have made it, for now. The team isn’t required to stay at 23, though.
• The real intrigue will be how those three slot into the lineup. At least one should dress on Thursday.
• Fun fact: Ryan Winterton has played the most NHL games of any third-round pick from the 2021 Draft.
• Frederick Gaudreau scored in the shootout last Monday. He’s a shootout dynamo, converting 52.6 percent of his career attempts, the best on the Kraken and fifth-highest in the NHL.
• Seattle’s 2025 first-round pick, Jake O’Brien, was injured in the final 20 seconds of Brantford’s game against Windsor on Saturday and needed help off the ice.
• In case you missed it, Joey Daccord had his jersey retired by Arizona State University. Watch here.
• The much-anticipated PWHL schedule dropped earlier this week, with PWHL Seattle’s home debut set for November 28 (Black Friday).
• Only four home games in October! That must mean it’s road trip season.
• The AHL kicks off this week, and Coachella Valley’s young roster is packed with Kraken prospects. This should be a fun Firebirds season to keep tabs on.

Goal of the week​

Let’s see what one of the Geekies has been up to.

This was nasty pic.twitter.com/NqOwSoKsF8

— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) October 3, 2025

Player performances​

Julius Miettinen (EVT/SEA) – The newly signed Kraken prospect was on fire this weekend, posting four goals and three assists in three games.

Kim Saarinen (HPK/SEA) – The Finnish netminder and Kraken prospect is off to a strong start in Liiga, going 4-0-3 with a 1.82 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage.

Ryan Winterton (SEA) – It’s only preseason, but Winterton impressed with two goals in the finale. He might slot into the fourth line, but don’t expect it to be a “traditional” grinding fourth line. He has also skated on the third line in recent practices, with Jani Nyman on the fourth.

The week ahead​

The Kraken open their season at home with two great matchups: the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday and the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday.

With Joel Quenneville back behind the bench in Anaheim and a promising young core, the Ducks are expected to take a step forward this year. Both teams want to be in the playoff hunt come April, so even though it’s just one game, this matchup matters for early division positioning.

Saturday’s tilt with Vegas will be a real test. The Golden Knights are, in my opinion, the best team in the Pacific and maybe the entire NHL. It’ll be fascinating to see how the Kraken’s depth and Lane Lambert’s system stack up against Vegas’s firepower.

And finally…​

A huge thank you to everyone who came out to Sound Of Hockey Fest over the weekend, and to all of our incredible guests. I’m constantly blown away by this community’s passion; it’s what keeps us inspired to do what we do here at Sound Of Hockey.

Good morning! What a weekend!

The first part of our Sound Of Hockey Fest live recording is out, featuring @TheVoiceFitz.

Everett did a heel turn early on, but man we had some laughs.

The rest of the recording will publish tomorrow.

https://t.co/yB0PNUTzCD pic.twitter.com/f5mMGpDiOJ

— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) October 6, 2025

Let’s have a great season—and as always, Go Kraken!

The post Monday Musings: The return of Seattle Kraken hockey appeared first on Sound Of Hockey.

Source: https://soundofhockey.com/2025/10/06/monday-musings-the-return-of-seattle-kraken-hockey/

 

[Seattle Kraken]

Kraken Notebook: Opening Night roster set, Joey Daccord’s big night at ASU

Here we go! The Seattle Kraken’s Opening Night roster is officially set, with the team making its final cuts on Sunday. John Hayden cleared waivers to get to the Coachella Valley Firebirds, while Ville Ottavainen and Oscar Fisker Mølgaard were also assigned to the AHL affiliate. With Kaapo Kakko and Ryker Evans beginning the season on injured reserve, Seattle now sits at the 23-man roster limit, keeping one extra forward, one extra defenseman, and three goalies.

In this Kraken Notebook, we’ll examine where some of the young players (and Cale Fleury, who is not exactly a “young” player anymore) fit into the mix, and we’ll hear from Joey Daccord about what it meant to him and his family to have his number retired by Arizona State University over the weekend.

“The kids” will play a big role​

Seattle’s front office has maintained since the end of last season that it wanted to improve the roster over the summer while also leaving opportunities for young players to break into the NHL lineup.

Indeed, the Kraken kept Jani Nyman and Berkly Catton—something that always seemed likely from the start of training camp—while Ryan Winterton played his way into the conversation and ultimately secured a roster spot with a two-goal exclamation mark in the preseason finale against the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday.

While these players’ inclusion on the Opening Night roster doesn’t guarantee they’ll stick around for the entire season, it’s significant to be part of this initial group. And even for players like Fisker Mølgaard and Ottavainen, simply reaching the final round of cuts is noteworthy.

“It means a lot because you’re in the final stages here,” head coach Lane Lambert said on Sunday. “And let’s be clear, this is an NHL season, which is 82 games. It’s an Olympic year, which condenses those 82 games, and you’re going to need players. There’s a lot of games in a short period of time, and so anyone who’s here at this point in time… it bodes well for them, for sure.”

Exactly how the remaining young players will be used remains to be seen. 19-year-old Catton took a step in the wrong direction in his final preseason game, getting called for three separate stick infractions and turning the puck over multiple times. 22-year-old Winterton, meanwhile, took another step forward with his strong performance, and Nyman has apparently landed in a fourth-line role.

Since that final exhibition, practice lines have given us a clearer idea of how Lambert plans to deploy his youngsters early on.

#SeaKraken lines:

Eberle / Beniers / McCann
Schwartz / Wright / Tolvanen
Marchment / Stephenson / Winterton
Kartye / Gaudreau / Nyman
Catton / Fisker Molgaard (Extras)

Dunn / Larsson
Lindgren / Fleury
Oleksiak / Mahura
Ottavainen
(Defense rotating) pic.twitter.com/uGknRTBgK6

— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) October 5, 2025

Try to limit your outrage when Catton is a healthy scratch early in the season. Staying with the Kraken is valuable for his development, even if it means primarily practicing with the team and only getting into occasional games.

It’s also notable to see Winterton slotted on a third line with Mason Marchment and Chandler Stephenson. The winger clearly made major strides in his offseason training, and after knocking on the door in previous years, he’ll now look to prove he belongs in the NHL full time.

This is the time for Cale Fleury​

On the back end, an opportunity has emerged for 26-year-old Cale Fleury to finally stick in the NHL—at least for a while.

With Evans out for at least the first month and Brandon Montour’s status still uncertain (he did not skate Sunday, and Lambert said he remains day to day as he recovers from a procedure to remove a bursa from his ankle), Fleury has made the roster.

“I think he’s shown himself very well in camp,” Lambert said. “First of all, he’s done a pretty good job on that second unit power play in the absence of [Vince] Dunn and Montour overall. He’s shown me the ability to defend, and he is at his best when he keeps it simple and moves pucks. And I think he’s had a pretty good training camp.”

Fleury knows this is a pivotal moment in his career—one where he needs to seize the opportunity and prove he belongs as a full-time NHL defenseman.

“As far as how it’s been the last few years, it’s just been close, but not there,” Fleury said. “And I’m at the point in my career where I need to be there. Like, if I’m down [in the AHL] again, it’s just— it’s not where I want to be. So for me, I just need to continue to be consistent and show that I can compete at this level each and every night.”

Fleury added that he significantly changed his body composition this offseason, adding lean mass to help him better handle the grind of an NHL season and the type of role he’s expected to play—which differs from his top-pairing duties in Coachella Valley.

“The role that I would play in the NHL is a lot of defending hard against bigger, heavier guys on the bottom line. So just trying to improve speed by improving strength.”

It appears he will be leaned upon in the first month of the season to help Seattle through its injury woes.

Joey’s big night at ASU​

Over the weekend, Joey Daccord was honored before an ASU game against Penn State as the first player in the history of the program to have his jersey number retired.

The images circulating on social media of Daccord and his family traveling to and from Tempe were remarkable—the entire crew made the trip from Seattle and back on a private jet. It was a whirlwind weekend, but that was the only way Daccord could fit the ceremony into a packed schedule that also included a Kraken team-bonding getaway to Port Orchard, Wash., the night before.

The Mayor’s in town #BeTheTradition /// @JDac35 pic.twitter.com/d4ychzu62m

— Sun Devil Hockey (@SunDevilHockey) October 4, 2025

“We got back from [the team bonding trip] around one o’clock on Friday afternoon, and my flight was at 2:30,” Daccord said. “So I just raced home, grabbed my stuff, my clothes, my jacket, and picked up my parents, my family, my brother and all my friends, and we went right to the airport. And then, I got back around midnight.

“Arizona State hooked it up. They sent a plane to come get me, which was great. I kind of told them, ‘Hey, the only way this is gonna work is if I can be back to practice the next day.’ There’s no commercial flight at midnight to come back to Seattle, so they made it happen. I really appreciated them taking care of me and my family, so that was sweet. Great, great travel experience.”

Daccord has never been shy about his love for ASU. Since completing his third season as the program’s starting goaltender—when it was still in its infancy as a Division I team—he’s never missed an opportunity to share his passion for the school and its hockey program.

Back in the building where his foundation funded “Dacs’ House,” a suite for families of children undergoing medical treatment, Daccord and his family stood on the ice for a pregame ceremony and watched as his number was raised to the rafters of Mullett Arena.

Sun Devil for life pic.twitter.com/p3A0A6QhYg

— Joey Daccord (@JDac35) October 4, 2025

“I never really envisioned [having my number retired],” Daccord said. “When I did my official visit, Coach [Greg] [Powers’] vision for me was I was gonna go there, I was gonna help the team kind of get to where the university and the program wanted to be, and he was like, ‘You’re gonna come here, you’re gonna sign in the NHL, play in the NHL, and one day we’re gonna retire your jersey.’ So just over 10 years later from my official visit, having that moment kind of come full circle, the chills when it was happening… Just a really special night.”

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 [email protected].

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The post Kraken Notebook: Opening Night roster set, Joey Daccord’s big night at ASU appeared first on Sound Of Hockey.

Source: https://soundofhockey.com/2025/10/06/kraken-roster-joey-daccord-asu-jersey-retirement/