Now that Seattle Kraken development camp is over, hopefully Casey Mutryn has had a chance to repair his relationship with his mother.
“My mom’s not too happy with me,” the Kraken’s 2026 2nd round pick revealed on Thursday. “I haven’t really been able to talk to her yet. So I’ll probably give her a call here. I’ve texted them every day, but I haven’t talked to them on the phone.”
We’re sure the 6-foot-3, 200 pound forward will be forgiven – Sunday is his 18th birthday.
“Kind of excited to come home and see my family and friends and kind of decompress a little bit and take a little bit of time, but not much time off, and then get back into it.”
Now those are the kinds of comments that will make Ms. Mutryn AND Kraken coaches proud.
Both sets of families will like the thumbnail scouting report on Mutryn provided by NHL Network’s Tony Granato. “A big body that’s hard to move when he gets position at the netfront. Defenders bounce off of him. He’s starting to get comfortable with the puck around the net. There is more upside to come with him.”
Crowd Watches Kraken Prospect, Kraken Prospects Watch Crowd
Take a bow, Kraken fans. A couple of thousand season ticket holders turned out at Kraken Community Iceplex Thursday for the grand finale of Dev Camp, the annual intrasquad scrimmage known as the Stucky Cup.
“It was awesome how they got all the fans out here, have a little bit of a competition,” said 2025 2nd round pick, defenseman Blake Fiddler. “It was really fun to be out there today.”
This is Fiddler’s second development camp. He talked about how his game has evolved since the last one. “I think my defensive game’s grown, closing plays, defending off the rush, and also my skating’s taken strides. So it’s helped me in the O-zone as well.”
Kraken Help Prospects Choose Their Path
One of the big decisions for 2026 draftees is where to spend their 2026-27 season.
As a refresher, from NHL.com: “The NCAA Division I Council voted (in 2024) that players who have skated in one of the three CHL leagues (WHL, OHL or QMJHL) will be permitted to play NCAA hockey. Previously, CHL players had been considered professionals and barred because of the NCAA’s amateurism rules, in part because some CHL players have signed NHL entry-level contracts.”
An increasing number are choosing college hockey. Others will remain on the traditional junior college track. An important part of development camp for Kraken executives is helping uncommitted players decide.
“It’s a big change, especially for these kids who are kind of the first group to go through it,” says Cory Murphy, Kraken director of player development.
“A lot of them thought that they had made that decision already, junior or college, and then now there’s a decision they have to make again. So we help them with that decision.
“Each one of them is different, their development path is different, and what level is best for them is different for everyone. So we try to navigate that and look at pros and cons of each situation.”
Pros & Cons Of Best Way To Reach The Pros
Murphy says college hockey has the advantage of fewer games, making each one more meaningful. “It gives them time in the gym that maybe they don’t have when they’re playing junior hockey. There’s that extra few days during the week to train. And it is more intense with those two games (per week).”
Junior hockey has the advantage of a fuller schedule, because there’s no substitute for on-the-job learning. “There’s value in playing a lot of games, because you develop on the ice when you’re in those situations. So I just think that we consider kind of both sides of it, and it really comes down to what that player needs and what’s the best fit for them moving forward to accelerate that development.”
Earlier Kraken:
— Former GM Wistful About Kraken Tenure; “Wish You’d Been More Successful”
