Matty Beniers, Seattle Kraken (photo by Jenn G, via Flickr).
Training camp is almost upon us, so we are one step closer to puck drop! The Seattle Kraken will look to build off their inaugural season, which proved to have some highlights – and lowlights. Make no mistake; the future is bright in Seattle.
How bright, you might ask? The Kraken currently owns 20 picks between the next two drafts. Outside of that, they have a plethora of young talent signed to contracts in their organization. Below is the team’s top 10 players under the age of 25 that are currently part of the Kraken pipeline.
Perhaps I’m a little biased, being from Nova Scotia, but this kid is legit. Jacob Melanson is coming off a career year with the Acadie-Bathurst Titans of the QMJHL. The young winger scored 35 goals and 21 assists and added 6 points in 8 playoff games.
Melanson will head back to the Q to play his senior year prior to joining the Kraken’s AHL Coachella Valley Firebirds affiliate. Size is not a problem for Melanson. Look for him to focus on his skating and shooting accuracy this year.
Ville Petman almost did not make it to North America, let alone to the Kraken Top 10 Under 25 list. Before 2021-22 in the Liiga, Finland’s top Men’s hockey league, Petman scored a total of 13 points in 94 games.
Last season, Petman found his game, to the tune of 39 points in 59 games. This year, Petman projects to be a Firebirds mainstay. He won’t break any scoring records, but look for him to be a solid depth player down the road.
The only reason Jagger Firkus isn’t higher on this list is because he needs to bulk up. At only 154 pounds, he’s a medical liability.
Also, because Firkus is only 18 years old, Seattle will return him to the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors. He will look to build off a successful 2021-22 campaign which saw him score 36 goals while adding 44 assists in 66 games and added 12 points in 10 playoff games.
Firkus’ speed and agility are his primary weapons. Eventually, he will be a true goal scorer for the Kraken, arriving in either 2024 or 2025.
With his NHL frame, Ville Ottavainen has the size to be a successful NHL defenseman. Initially selected to Finland’s World Junior team in December 2021, the tournament was postponed due to COVID-19. When the tournament resumed in August, the Kraken opted to keep him off the roster to protect him from injury.
The fact he was good enough to land on Finland’s WJC team indicates the kid is solid. This year Ottavainen will play for Liiga team Jyp as he continues to build on his speed while also adding some muscle to his bones. Look for him to be a great replacement once the Kraken moves on from Jamie Oleksiak – be ready to call him Big Rig 2.0.
The Seattle Kraken found a potential diamond in the rough in Tye Kartye. The Kingston, ON native, is coming off a career year in which he scored 45 goals and 34 assists in 63 games and another 9 points in 10 playoff games.
He will play for the Coachella Firebirds this season. Be prepared to see his name on the scoresheet often. Kartye dominates all areas of the ice and spent 2020-21 developing his speed, agility, and honing shot accuracy. Expect him to play big minutes for Coachella and the Kraken to give him a real look in the next year or two.
Ryker Evans was the first defenseman the Seattle Kraken drafted. Watching him on tape, it’s easy to see why they did. Not a puck-carrying type defenseman. Evans is more of a give-and-go player. Look for him to pile up the secondary assists as he looks to connect with his forwards on breakout passes.
Another bonus is that he has leadership potential, having worn the Regina Pats “A” over the past two seasons. Evans logged a career-high 96 penalty minutes last season, an indication that he isn’t afraid to stand up for his peers. This is a great skill to have as the Firebirds look to establish an identity in their inaugural season.
Kole Lind has bounced up and down the line-up and between the NHL and AHL. A solid depth player for the Kraken, he projects to play on the Firebirds’ top line. His AHL start to the season is primarily due to the Kraken’s off-season additions at forward.
He’ll add leadership experience to the young Firebirds as he has played 172 career AHL games, along with 30 NHL games. Last year, Lind scored 35 points in 46 games for the Charlotte Checkers last season, along with 106 PIM. Expect him to be a regular call-up should the injury bug bite the Kraken (no more ACL injuries, please).
Morgan Geekie has been a Ron Francis favorite since the GM first drafted him in 2017. He thought enough of the young center to pull him away from Carolina in the expansion draft. While Morgan might not make as many highlight reel plays as his younger brother Connor (selected 9th overall in 2022), Geekie provides the SeattleKraken depth at center. It’s an asset NHL teams are willing to pay a luxury for.
Geekie signed a 1-year, $1.4M contract to avoid arbitration in 2022 but will become a Restricted Free Agent at the season’s end. Having represented Canada at the World Hockey Championships this off-season, Geekie should take several strides forward in becoming Seattle’s regular third line center.
Shane Wright was the consensus top pick entering the 2022 NHL draft. Nobody expected him to be available when the Seattle Kraken made their selection at #4. After Arizona took Logan Cooley third, the bona fide top-six forward fell into their laps.
An excellent all-around player, Wright, has very few weaknesses in his overall game. He possesses outstanding on-ice vision, which helps his teammates excel. Adding to the total package, Wright has outstanding leadership skills
If the season started today, Wright slots in as the Kraken’s second line center – not bad. Add to that his 32 goals and 62 assists in only 63 games at Kingston last season, and Wright is a true offensive threat. Get ready, Seattle – The Price is Wright!
With the second overall pick in 2021, the Seattle Kraken drafted center Matty Beniers. He’s the future cornerstone of this franchise. A fantastic two-way player, Beniers is comfortable in all zones.
After concluding a successful senior year with the Michigan Wolverines, Beniers signed his entry-level contract in April and immediately joined the Kraken. He did NOT disappoint, scoring 9 points in his first 10 NHL games. Add in 43 points with Michigan and 2 more in the Olympics, and Seattle has one of the best rookie duo pivots the NHL has seen in recent years.
Beniers and Wright will challenge each other for playing time and for the Calder. The Kraken could have their first major trophy winner in franchise history.
The future is bright in Seattle Kraken Nation. They have a plethora of draft picks to continue to build a stockpile of prospects. Some they’ll keep others they may move for veteran help. But it’s important to have enough talent in the system for that kind of flexibility.
What do you think about the Seattle Kraken’s Top 10 under 25? Let us know in the comments section below.