Seattle Kraken Draft Report

It truly was a whirlwind of a week for the Seattle Kraken and their fans. They went from being, sadly, the laughingstock of the hockey world for a few hours, all the way to putting together what is now being widely considered not only the franchise's best draft, but also one of, if not the, top draft in the league this year. So yes, while we were one of what now seems to be many teams spurned by All-Star Jason Robertson, this draft still shows the future is very much bright in Seattle.

The fortune of the week changed right away in the first round when Chase Reid, the 6'3", 190-lb defenseman, fell into the Kraken's lap. Reid is exactly what this organization needs: a young, scoring, smooth-skating defenseman to look forward to. Right now, overall in the prospects heading towards Seattle, we are lacking D-men with a punch. Reid now gives us direction on the back end in the near future. He will be heading to the NCAA this fall, but don't be surprised a bit if he shows out and finds himself in the mix to finish the season in the spring of 2027. With his size and ability, it's not hard to see a Noah Hanifin in him.

The momentum continued on the second day of the draft with another USA kid in Casey Mutryn, a right winger who will also be heading to the NCAA ranks this year. At 6'3", 200 lbs, he has the feel of a heavy-hitting type of forward with a heavy shot as well. He is coming off a solid year in the program and will head to one of the pinnacles of the sport at Boston College to continue to fine-tune his skills. Expect two to three years here unless something crazy happens, though.

After Reid and Mutryn, as with most NHL drafts, most of these guys are a few years out before they potentially make major impacts in Seattle. But being able to build up the farm system is something that is crucial for this organization right now, whether it be for the future in deep blue, or to help package in a trade to get guys here now. The magic didn't stop, as each subsequent pick seemed to be just what the Kraken were hoping for:

• 4th Round - Viktor Fedorov (Center): History was made with this pick, as Viktor is the first Russian to be chosen in Kraken franchise history. He is a very high-IQ type of player who sees the play before it seems to happen. Though his game may not translate to the NHL just yet, the trajectory is right where you want it to be.

• 5th Round - Finn Kearns (Defenseman): First off, dope name in Finn. Second, we have another skillful defenseman to stash away and develop. We know that our defense outside of Dunn and Montour has not been our strong suit. The new front office is doing their best to address the needs of the team for years to come.

• 5th Round - Hawk Huffe (Defenseman): Another legit name that just has to be good on that alone. Still another skilled defenseman who can move the puck but also skate well & protect the scoring zones. Still needs to grow over the next few years

• 6th Round - Ola Palme (Defenseman): Are you seeing a trend? Yep, another defenseman. The Swede, though, is more of a stay-at-home, defensive defenseman, a good balance to go with the more aggressive, offensive-minded guys we have now and drafted this year.

• 7th Round - Rylan Singh (Defenseman): D-FENSE! We gotta help out JOEYYYY for years to come, and we are doing our best to get it done. Singh is cut more from the undersized defenseman mold: quick, and likes to move the puck around. We hope he can develop and be that diamond-in-the-rough type of pick in the long run.

• 7th Round - William Tomko (Forward): We have a forward! Again, as with most late-round picks, this is a depth type of player in his trajectory. Tomko looks to be the type of player who likes to be the energizer bunny on the ice. For Kraken fans, think Brandon Tanev or Ryan Winterton.

Now, the NHL isn't like the NBA or NFL where you get to see these guys this fall; like the MLB, it takes time to see most of them. BUT, it still is an all-important step towards the Kraken finding stability as a still-very-young franchise. Now we have to hope our summer isn't over as we look to take another bite at a big fish. The countdown is also now on until October when we have Kraken hockey back!