Good news: a new team-by-team ranking of under-23 pros and prospects lists the Seattle Kraken at #6. Bad news: that’s only third-best in the Pacific Division, behind San Jose (#1) and Anaheim (#2).
Corey Pronman of The Athletic also has Calgary in the top 10 at #8. It’s basically a reversal of the Pacific Division standings, with division powers Vegas (#29) and Edmonton (#31) bringing up the rear. Vancouver, which can’t win for losing, comes in at #17.
About Seattle, Pronman says, “The Kraken have done a fantastic job accumulating depth and building a balanced system with a priority on skill.”
Reid All About It
Frequent visitors to Pacific North Hockey won’t be surprised that 2026 1st round draft pick Chase Reid tops the list. “Reid is a talented defenseman with a lot of offensive tools. He has the speed, hands, vision and shot to generate chances and be a leading scorer. Reid isn’t overly physical, but he works hard enough and makes plenty of stops due to his reach, feet and compete level even while playing an aggressive style offensively.”
Three other Kraken ’26 draftees make the 19-prospect list. Forward Casey Mutryn is #4, defenseman Ola Palme #17, and center Viktor Fedorov #19. Mutryn’s “versatility and ability to provide secondary scoring, while also playing a hard-nosed style, checks all the boxes.” Palme “has the length, skating and physical play required to defend against pros.” The 5-foot-10 Federov “has every trait you want in a player except for size.”
Pair Of Full-Time Kraken Still Count
Two players who spent all of last year in Seattle still made Pronman’s list. Shane Wright (#5) “looks like a projected middle-six center. He’s a good skater and puck handler and can make plays, although he’s certainly not a dynamo with the puck.” Right behind Wright is Berkly Catton (#6). “He’s a great puck handler and passer, but for as dynamic as he looked in junior, he struggled to generate offense in the NHL.”
Besides Reid, Mutryn and Wright, centers Jake O’Brien (#2) and Julius Miettinen (#3) round out the Kraken top five.
O’Brien “displays the high-end skill and vision to hold onto pucks for an extra second to make difficult plays and run a power play. He’s extremely skilled with the puck, showing the soft touch and quick hands to create a lot of scoring chances.” Miettinen “has the one-on-one play to beat defensemen and do so with pace. He has solid vision and offensive IQ.”
This is merely a tiny sampling of the 2,500 words Pronman devotes to the Kraken under-23 pool. The full story can be found behind a paywall here.
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