Checking back on a trio of Seattle Kraken prospects, to see how their 2025-26 seasons matched their words in training camp last September.
Jacob Melanson, Kraken Forward
What he said in camp: “I’m going to bring a fierce attitude every night. I’m going to play physical, I’m going to win puck battles and I’m going to be reliable defensively and try to bring as much energy to this team as possible. Get the fans going as much as I can.”
What he did: Melanson was true to his words, never more so than against the L.A. Kings on Apr. 13. He and the Kings’ Sam Helenius shared roughing minors, yapped at each other in the penalty box, then emerged and fought. Melanson wasn’t intimidated by Helenius being six inches taller.
“I just wanted to fire up the crowd and get the guys going,” Melanson explained.
Physical play was Melanson’s Kraken calling card. In 36 Kraken games, he recorded 188 hits, including a single-game high of 12. Melanson’s 188 led Seattle, one more than Eeli Tolvanen, even though Tolvanen played more than twice as many games.
To put that into perspective, the winger averaged less than 10 minutes of ice time per game, meaning he was punishing an opponent every 1:47 of TOI. Here’s another way to measure what a wrecking ball Melanson was. Yakov Trenin of the Minnesota Wild led the NHL with 413 hits, or 5.04 per game. Melanson averaged 5.22 hits per game. None of the top 25 “hitters” in the NHL this season had an average close to that.
In his limited action at AHL Coachella Valley, Melanson showed a scoring touch; nine goals and 19 points for the Firebirds in 28 games.
Tyson Jugnauth, Firebirds Defenseman
What he said in camp: “I’m just trying to be reliable as I can. I feel a lot faster out there. I think also stamina-wise, too. I can go for longer. We did a lot of biking in the summer. I think that’s really helped.”
What he did: Jugnauth displayed his stamina, suiting up for all 72 regular-season games with the Coachella Valley Firebirds in his first pro season. He scored nine goals – three of which were game-winners – and added 36 assists. The 2022, Round 4 pick’s 45 points were tops among rookie blueliners, landing Jugnauth on the 2025-26 AHL All-Rookie Team.
“He’s got a really good stick, both against AHL players and even in exhibition games with the Kraken,” Firebirds assistant coach Stu Bickel told NHL.com. Using his skating ability has been huge in that he’s moving his feet to go close plays out, putting him in a much stronger defensive position against players trying to get inside on him.”
The defenseman added, “It’s about using kind of my brain and my stick more than my body.” Jugnauth is 6-foot-0, 183 pounds. “Different routes to seal guys off from being able to get to the net. I’ve gotten better, but I know I can still grow.”
Nathan Villeneuve, OHL Forward
What he said in camp: “I’m a nosey player. I won’t turn down a fight, but at the same time I’ve got to know when to fight. I used to fight every game. Now I’ve kind of calmed it down to the right time, right players. I’m not going to let one of the (opponent’s) fourth line guys take me out.”
What he did: Villeneuve started his season with the OHL Sudbury Wolves, before a blockbuster January trade sent him and a teammate to the Windsor Spitfires for a forward and eight draft picks! The 2024 Kraken 2nd-rounder followed through on his camp comments, racking up 73 total penalty minutes compared to last season’s 120. (He has added 20 more – so far – in the first two rounds of the OHL playoffs.)
“He is a Sam Bennett-type of player,” Kraken scout Mike Dawson said to Hockey News Windsor. The Hockey News wrote, “One of the fiercest competitors in the entire OHL. Zero fear of embracing physicality, standing up for his teammates, and being a real pain in the arse to battle against.”
Simmer may have said it best in his profile: “Think of Yanni Gourde’s brain in a body that’s three inches taller and twenty pounds heavier.”
The 20-year-old, as of earlier in April, concurs. “I’m a physical player. If you’re going to the boards, I’m going to hit you. But I’m not going to chase anything, just separate the puck from the player and then make a play off that. And then also scoring goals. It’s always fun to do that.”
Then Villeneuve had a ton of fun mere days after the trade to Windsor, scoring on a penalty shot and shorthanded in the same game.
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