Kraken Prospect Wasn’t Sure He’d Get Drafted
Finn Kearns knew, logically, the math couldn’t possibly pencil out.
32 NHL teams. Seven rounds of the NHL Draft. That’s room for 224 picks to be chosen. Patrick Bacon of Top Down Hockey had Kearns, a defenseman, ranked 468th. NHL Central Scouting didn’t bother ranking him at all.
But as Han Solo famously said to C-3PO, “Never tell me the odds.” So after lacrosse practice on June 27, Kearns hopped in the back seat of a buddy’s car and scanned his phone. In Buffalo, day two of the NHL Draft had reached the 5th round.
“In my head, I was hoping I would be able to squeak into the draft,” he later told the Sudbury Star. “I knew I was disadvantaged by playing prep most of the year, which added to that tension.” Indeed, Kearns had appeared in only 15 games for the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves, spending most of the season at St. Andrews College. (In Canada, “college” can refer to university preparatory schools through grade 12.)
Kearns Was On Kraken’s Radar
The Kraken had already provided a glimmer of hope; three scouts previously lunched with Kearns. “I had talked with Seattle, so I was like OK, just let me sit here and watch this,” Kearns recalled. “All the boys on my lacrosse team knew the draft was on and that I might get drafted.”
Hopes mingled with doubts in the back of his mind. “Not seeing my name listed on any kind of draft rankings, those were some downs. I was stressing all morning during my lacrosse practice.”
Then came the moment, all the way from KeyBank Center in Buffalo. “With the 131st pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, the Seattle Kraken select Finn Kearns.”
Lacrosse Teammates Provide Cheering Section
The whooping and hollering among the Toronto Beaches Jr. A lacrosse team may not have been loud enough to reach Kraken draft headquarters – but it came close. Above are screenshots recorded by one of Finn’s teammates, the moment he found out.
Kearns thinks what sold the Kraken scouts was “consistency and my heavy play style. I think that was appealing to them. But what I think put me over the top, like an X-factor, is the fearlessness and willingness out on the ice, the physicality and the violence I bring to my shifts every game.”
(The St. Andrew’s College website says they “empower students to become knowledgeable, compassionate citizens.” Maybe their hockey team is exempt from the “compassionate” part.)
Kearns’ next steps have been plotted. He’ll return for a full OHL season at Sudbury, then attend the University of Massachusetts. But first, says the Star, “Kearns will focus this summer on improving his lower-body strength and his skating, and also work on his puck skills.” Carrying a 6-foot-3, 203 pound frame, he’s got plenty of foundation to build onto. And he only turned 18 on June 8.
“He’s probably one of the toughest guys in the draft,” says Sudbury coach Scott Barney.”He’s a guy who loves to throw big hits and to play hard on his opponents. He needs to work on his foot speed a bit, but that’s part of being a big man. His slapshot is as hard as you’re going to find.”
Barney says there’s brains to go with that brawn. “He’s very smart. During training camp, he had already sent us his schedule of when he could play. He understood if he came up and we were having success, maybe he wouldn’t play that game. But he works hard, he competes in practice and he brings a leadership element to his game.”
Earlier Kraken:
— Kraken Believe It Or Not; 4 Strange Stories
— Seattle Coverage That’s So Complete; It’s Astounding
