What a whirlwind last eight months for Dane Oscar Fisker-Mølgaard: his first 13 NHL games apprenticing for the Seattle Kraken, playing in the Olympics for Team Denmark, and now having a breakout AHL playoffs for the Coachella Valley Firebirds.
Pretty heady stuff for the Kraken’s 2023 2nd round pick, who only turned 21 in February. Fisker-Mølgaard didn’t even reach North America until the tail end of the 2024-25 season, when he played seven games for the Firebirds.
“First year kid coming over from Europe,” said Kraken general manager Jason Botterill. “The fact he got to play in the Olympics (and scored a goal, too), his versatility, his two-way play. I think he’s very similar to Berkley Catton. High in hockey sense.”
OFM led the Firebirds with three goals and two assists in their opening series win over the Bakersfield Condors. He’s already added a fourth goal in Coachella Valley’s second round series against the Ontario Reign.
Not only that, his playoff quotes are veteran-caliber. “We’ve played them eight times throughout the season. It’s hard not to kind of get to dislike each other.”
Long Journey From Hjørring To Seattle
“I grew up pretty far from Copenhagen in a smaller town,” Fisker-Mølgaard said on the Fire and Ice podcast. Hjørring, a city of 26,000 at the sparsely populated tippy-top of Denmark, is a 4 1/2 hour drive from the capital of Copenhagen. That distance became relevant when OFM learned he was being called up by the Kraken for the first time.
“I remember getting into the office here in Coachella. They told me I was going to Chicago and play my first NHL game that next day. My heart started pumping and, you know, getting sweaty. I grabbed my phone to call mom and dad right away. That was a special moment for us.
“I remember dad saying, ‘Oh, are we getting on a plane?’ Like he was just ready to go, started packing, and then off to off to Copenhagen and off to Chicago.”
30 hours of travel later, his mother, father, and brother were inside United Center on Nov. 20, 2025 to see the Kraken play the Chicago Blackhawks. Seattle overcame a 2-0 deficit, scoring three 3rd period goals to win, 3-2. Fisker-Mølgaard skated 12 shifts, 6:50 time on ice, and assisted on Tye Kartye’s goal early in the final period.
“It was pretty surreal,” OFM said after the game. “It’s a childhood dream coming true. I’ve been waiting for this moment my whole life. Good to get the first one out of the way. It was important for me to also have my brother there. He’s been a big part of this, been dragged all around Europe. I’m glad they all made it in time for that game.”
He reflected on childhood lessons from his dad, a 15-year former pro player himself. “I wouldn’t be here without him or my mom, and the rest of my family. I appreciate all the the tough talks and tough times, but also the good things and all that stuff he’s taught me.”
Following his Chicago debut, Fisker-Mølgaard played one more NHL game in November, one in February, and 10 from Mar. 26 until the end of the Kraken season.
He’s ‘Puck-Possessed’
The 6-foot-0, 168 pound center previously played 129 games for Sweden’s HV71. He’s integrated three Swedish Hockey League seasons into his North American style.
“The game in Europe is a lot more puck-possessed. I like to have the puck on my stick, especially going through the neutral zone with speed, and dish it around from there. That’s something I’ve been working a lot with, being able to make plays and being hard to play against.”
The forward has received extensive instruction from Frans Nielsen, a former NHL player, now a Kraken player development consultant, and a fellow Dane. “The Danish hockey community is one family. That’s a guy I’ve been working with a lot the past three years since I got drafted. You’re just trying to listen and learn every single day. Especially this year has been a learning curve for me and all the rookies.
“It can be hard sometimes as a rookie, trying to gain the coaches’ trust. But if you make plays at the right time when they’re there are to be made, then you can grow as a player.”
Fisker-Mølgaard certainly did at Coachella Valley, contributing 10 goals and 24 assists in 49 regular season games. He’s accelerated that pace in the playoffs, scoring seven points in his first five postseason games.
About The Hyphenation
Two final Fisker-Mølgaard facts.
Sometimes listed as Oscar Mølgaard, he prefers the hyphenated surname so both his parents are recognized. “A lot of my friends do have double last names back home, so that’s why I’ve always been using both of mine. I’m glad to make mom happy as well. My parents aren’t married, so that has a role, too.”
The other fact, Fisker-Mølgaard is a bit more sheepish about. “I gotta admit, I don’t like beer that much. I’m getting more into it, but as a Dane it kind of sounds wrong not liking beer, so I’m still learning.”
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