NHL Entry Draft Live Blog | Rounds 2-7

3:47 p.m. | Robert Kron Recap: D-men Haul and Versatility of Centers

The Kraken’s 2025 NHL Draft haul started with a forward in Ontario Hockey League center Jake O’Brien, eight picks into Friday’s first round, and then concluded Saturday afternoon with the selection of Swedish left wing Loke Krantz, seven picks from the end of the seventh round. In between, Seattle nabbed four defensemen, all with some size and formidable ceilings. One example, third-rounder Will Reynolds, was the third youngest prospect eligible for this Draft.

When Kraken director of amateur scouting Robert Kron met with the media Saturday mid-afternoon, he noted that while the top eight picks Friday night were forwards (mostly centers), the remainder of the round featured seven D-men going to rival clubs. When Saturday’s second round started with two defenders picked in the first three picks, Kron and Seattle GM Jason Botterill pulled off a trade for Philadelphia’s No. 36 pick to draft the D-man, Western Hockey League defenseman and Team USA player, Blake Fiddler, they thought might not be available at No. 38.

“It was a strong draft up top [with the forwards] and there were a lot of defensemen in play after that,” said Kron. “We saw the run on them from the ninth pick down. Blake was pretty much in our mind [worthy of a first-round pick] left there. Then we had another run on defensemen early in the second round. We were in a situation to get the best player available on our draft board [by making the trade].”

When a reporter posed the question of whether O’Brien might have a higher upside than Berkley Catton, last year’s pick at No. 8 overall, Kron diplomatically answered the question while Botterill quipped, “Don’t make Robert pick” between prized draft picks.

“That’s a good question,” said Kron, who played both center and wing during his own NHL career. “They're a little bit different players, but at the same time, extremely, extremely intelligent playmaking centers. Jake is 6-foot-2, extremely slippery, and a skilled guy. Having those two guys in the system, there's so much talent that you can work with. The other thing is, with the centers, it's way easier when you are a center to play, while it's way harder to go from center, right?

3:29 p.m. | Focusing on short and long term success-post-Draft Botterill outlines steps towards improvement for coming season

The Kraken drafted six new players into the Kraken prospect pool over the past two days and that was just one chunk of work on Jason Botterill’s to-do list this off-season. The general manager spoke to assembled media this weekend not just about the players who joined the organization via Draft, but about the other roster changes that have happened thus far and his early outlook on the coming season.

Prior to the Draft, the Kraken had already completed a few trades adding veterans Mason Marchment, Frederick Gaudreau and Joe Veleno. All three players help address the “what we need more of” Botterill has outlined publicly – something the general manager calls “exciting.”

“Adding a player like Mason to the group improved our net front presence, improved our size up front.” Botterill said. “Adding a player like Gaudreau just gives us versatility, and a bottom six player who can play center, play wing…(he’s a) right shot center and we felt it was a good fit from that perspective.”

Botterill added that Veleno came to Seatlle in exchange for Andre Burakovsky in a move that helps open up cap space and “we’re excited about (Veleno’s) experience from a speed standpoint, and we'll continue to look at how he fits (our organization) over next couple weeks.”

Are there more moves to come? Botterill says the Kraken intend to “be involved” in the free agent market but that this year’s class doesn’t possess as much depth as other years so that’s why trades were the first course of action in terms of improving the team and are something the front office will continue to investigate.

Does that mean a “splashy move” is more or less likely? The general manager smiled at the question noting that 31 other NHL teams also probably want to make an attention-grabbing transaction. But the goal is to make smart moves that benefit the organization long term. Botterill noted the excitement surrounding young players – Berkly Catton, Ryker Evans, Kaapo Kakko, even Matty Beniers all got mentions - as well as increasing comfortability for veterans like pivot Chandler Stephenson as ways to level up on the ice.

And don’t worry Kakko fans. Botterill says the young forward – like all of the organization’s restricted free agents are in discussions with the team right now and “we’ll certainly get something done.” (Remember, for RFA’s, a team still owns the player’s rights even if negotiations extend past the July 1 date for the start of free agency).

One other player who’s returning to Seattle is goaltender, Philipp Grubauer. Botterill confirmed Friday that the team intends for him to be on the roster this coming season. He reminded the assembled media that choosing to buy out a player doesn’t solve a problem – there is still a cap hit to absorb (as well as a spot to fill) – and more importantly the organization believes Grubauer can bounce back from last year’s performance. How? Botterill pointed to the change in goaltending coaches (Colin Zulianello joins the Kraken after three successful seasons in Coachella Valley) as well as head coach Lane Lambert’s intention to improve play in front of the net as ingredients for success in net for both Grubauer and Joey Daccord.

2:03 p.m. | Final Round Drama (of Sorts): One Trade, Two Swedes

A final-round trade sent Seattle‘s pick 198 to Columbus for Draft choices No. 205 and 218. The result was the three Swedes in the draft room, Axel Alavaara (director of European scouting), Pelle Eklund and Marcus Fingal, landed one of their recommended players in Karl Annborn, a 6-foot-1, 192-pound, right-handed shot defenseman who notched 24 points (three goals, 21 assists) in the Swedish Junior League plus appearances for the storied HV71 franchise in Sweden’s top pro league. The Oerbro, SWE, native has appeared in 31 international games representing his nation over the last two seasons, including seven games at the IIHF U18 World Championship. For the HV71 junior club, Annborn played top-pair minutes and logged time with both the power play and penalty kill special teams. He became the fourth defenseman selected by the Kraken Saturday, joining second-rounder Blake Fiddler (WHL Edmonton), third-rounder Will Reynolds (Acadie-Bathurst) and fifth-rounder Maxim Agafonov (Ufa Tolpar, Russia).

The extra seventh-round pick turned out to be yet another Swede in forward Loke Krantz (pronounced “LOH-kay Krahnz”), who notched 12 goals and seven assists in 44 games with Linkoping HC in the Swedish Juniors League. The right-shot, 6-foot-2, 187-pound winger just turned 18 in mid-May. Needless to say, the Swedish trio was pleased with the later-day developments. As soon as pick No. 216 was recorded, GM Jason Botterill jumped up to congratulate every scout in the draft room.

12:36 p.m. | Deepening the Defense-Kraken Draft Maxim Agafonov in Fifth Round

The Kraken had to wait a bit, but when their name was called at the top of the fifth round, they selected their second right-handed defender of the Draft in 18-year-old Maxim Agafonov. The 6-foot-2 Russian had been projected to go somewhere in the 90-104 range by most scouting outlets, so with his availability still fully intact, Seattle became the benefactor.

Last season, Agafonov played 35 games in the MHL (Russia’s junior hockey league) as well as 12 games in the VHL (supreme hockey league). Primarily viewed as a defensive defenseman with size, Elite Prospects praised his ability to direct attacking teams away from center ice, reducing the opportunity for scoring chances from the most dangerous areas.

Agafonov becomes the second Russian player to ever be drafted by the Seattle Kraken, joining talented goalie prospect, Semyon Vyazovoi and while both players lined up for games with Neftekamsk Toros this season, (Vyazavoi, 8 GP; Afagonov, 12 GP), they unfortunately were not on the ice at the same time. (per EliteProspects.com)

11:15 a.m. | Kraken Add Another Defenseman at No. 68

After the Kraken selected defenseman Blake Fiddler with the 36^th pick acquired from Philadelphia earlier Saturday, the draft room at Kraken Community Iceplex selected 17-year-old Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League defenseman Will Reynolds with the 68^th pick (fourth spot in the third round that came in the Flyers trade). Reynolds, who doesn’t turn 18 until mid-August, places another D-man into the Seattle development system to shore up the future blue line for the franchise. He notched four goals and 10 assists last season, appearing in 64 regular-season games, progressing from third-pair to first-pair by season’s end. He added two assists in five playoff games.

His 6-foot-3, 188-pound frame is sure to fill out. He is a left-handed shooter from Fredericton, New Brunswick, who plays for Acadie-Bathurst in the QMJHL, a franchise familiar to the Seattle hockey operations group as 2021 fifth-rounder Jacob Melanson played for the club. Melanson has impressed with AHL Coachella Valley and Kraken training camps, plus already made his NHL debut.

Inside the Kraken draft room, GM Jason Botterill was all smiles, telephoning the newest Kraken prospect to congratulate him. Botterill told the D-man that the franchise “loves your skating ability, size and the work you put in off the ice.” Reynolds chose to stay home with his family to enjoy the moment, but will now make his way to the PNW for the upcoming development camp. The Kraken support staff was quickly at work to secure travel arrangements for what will cover 3,500 miles. “You’re going to love the Northwest,” said Botterill.

Kraken scout Trevor Steinburg, who lives in Halifax, NS, was congratulated by Botterill once the pick was official. Steinburg was the first to see Reynolds play in person and has been on watch all season. The Kraken scout was interrupted by Kraken president of hockey operations Ron Francis while talking about Reynolds to inform that Steinburg was recently announced as an inductee in the St. Mary’s University (Halifax, NS) Hall of Fame as a builder who coached the 2010 SMU title-winning team. Steinburg smiled with joy at entering the hall of fame and running point on the Reynolds selection.

“I like Will’s projection,” said Steinburg when he resumed his take on Steinburg. “He’s a big kid and a very good skater, great inside edges, and he's good at going back for pucks. He plays with his head up. I think he can be an incredible shutdown player. He’s very coachable. You can give him a script and he can play it out.”

11:08 am | Blake Fiddler chats with E.J. Hradek on NHL Network

10:08 am | Kraken Move Up to Select Blake Fiddler with 36^th Overall Pick

The Kraken were the first team to make a trade on day two of the 2025 Draft, moving the 38^th and 57^th pick to obtain the 36^th and 68^th overall picks. After completing that transaction, Seattle was quick to select Blake Fiddler, a 6-foot-4, 220 lb. defender born in Frisco, TX who is currently playing for the Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL). Fiddler, who turns 18 on July 9, is also the son of center Vernon Fiddler, who has 877 NHL games to his name (including games in Nashville alongside new Kraken center Frederick Gaudreau). Speaking with the media, post-selection, the excited Fiddler gave credit to his father as someone who helped him tremendously through his support and communication.

As for on the ice, Fiddler has been described as a player who doesn’t just have size on his side, he’s a right-handed blue liner who gets involved in all areas of the ice thanks, in part, to his skating. Elite Prospects, who had Fiddler ranked twenty-third overall in their Draft rankings, calls him one of the top defensive prospects in this year’s prospect class and says his calling card will be “shutting down the opposition.” According to Sportlogiq, last season in five-on-five play, Fiddler ranked thirty-first of 112 WHL defenders in denying zone entries against.

For his part, Fiddler, who models his game after Detroit’s Moritz Seider, describes himself as a “big, rangy, two-way d-man who skates well for his size and uses (his) legs all over the ice,” and added that he can play heavy minutes and shut down top lines.