Drop the Puck: Prospects Get Season Started

When 17 forwards, nine defenseman and a pair of goalies take the ice at Kraken Community Iceplex on Thursday of the 2025 Rookie Camp, opportunities will be knocking at several levels for the 28 prospects. There will be two practices on Thursday and Friday, followed by the 2025 NHL Prospects Showcase weekend games. Saturday’s matchup with Vancouver rookies will be at Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett with a 6 p.m. start. Both clubs, with lineup adjustments, will then face off again in a private event on Sunday at 4 p.m. at the Kraken Community Iceplex.

“The Prospects Showcase is a great way for fans to see some of our top young players up close and get a glimpse of the future of our team,” said Kraken general manager Jason Botterill. “These games are always high energy, and we are excited to share the Kraken experience with our fans up north.”

The Rookie Camp, as always, will lead into the regular Kraken Training Camp that holds its first practice Sept. 18.

Some Seattle prospects at Rookie Camp will be pushing to make the Kraken opening night roster or at least hope to make final cut decisions highly difficult. Others will build off solid years in juniors, the American Hockey League or European professional leagues and seek to earn trust that will lead to becoming regulars and potential stars with the AHL Coachella Valley Firebirds. A handful of 2024 draft choices will aim to turn heads before returning to junior teams as teenagers, since they are not yet old enough to turn pro unless making the NHL roster. And for three Kraken draft picks selected just this summer, their first Rookie Camp is a chance to make a lasting first impression.

“The main purpose of our Rookie Camp is to get our guys acclimated to Seattle, especially the newer players, and continue introducing the culture and systems of the Kraken organization,” said Firebirds head coach Derek Laxdal, who will lead the rookie camp. “For some players, it can be a springboard to make a case at the NHL level. For our second- and third-year pros, it’s a prime chance to find their feet and hands [skating intensity and feel for the puck] in order to run, rather than walk, into the Kraken Training Camp.”

From NHL Debuts to 18^th Birthdays

Seven Kraken prospects at Rookie Camp have already made their NHL debuts: Forwards Jacob Melanson, Logan Morrison, Jani Nyman and Ryan Winterton, plus defenseman Ville Ottavainen and goaltenders Nikke Kokko and Victor Ostman. It’s highly likely that other prospects skating this week and weekend will experience NHL action this season, given the wear and tear of the 82-game schedule. Also, this season could prove even more taxing with a schedule compressed into just more than five months instead of the usual six due to the NHL’s 2026 Winter Olympics break in February.

From Laxdal’s perspective, the younger prospects at their first NHL rookie camp will not only have a chance to show skills and competitiveness. They’ll likely also be in for a pleasant and advantageous surprise when they return to their junior teams.

“For young guys just drafted and going back to juniors, they will feel the game slow down after attending NHL camp,” said Laxdal, who played 67 NHL games during his 18 pro seasons with 14 teams in a career that also included an additional year with the Canadian national squad. “I remember that well from my own experience and see it as a coach. They will see the game better after being in camp here. It’s another chance for the younger players to live the Kraken culture. Somebody like [Jake] O’Brien can make a statement about why he was picked high in the draft [No. 8 overall]. They will all want to absorb as much as they can for future use, this season and beyond.”

O’Brien, captain of the Ontario Hockey League’s Brantford Battalion, will be joined at both Rookie Camp and Kraken Training Camp by this summer’s second-round pick, Western Hockey League defenseman Blake Fiddler. Same for 2025 third-rounder and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League defenseman Will Reynolds, who just turned 18 in mid-August and was the third-youngest player taken at this summer’s NHL draft. Fiddler turned 18 in July, while O’Brien did so in June.

‘The Other Side’ of Rookie and Training Camp Stakes

While most 2024 and 2025 Draft Class members will put their best games on the ice to get AHL and NHL coaches to take notice, Botterill said 2024 first-rounder Berkly Catton will have every opportunity to make the Kraken for the Oct. 9 season opener at home against division rival Anaheim. Botterill said the opportunity will be based on Catton’s stellar results last season and a 15-month-long dedication to a strength and stamina conditioning program that added weight to his frame and has him feeling stronger for 50-50 puck battles and with his shot velocity.

Laxdall said more experienced players such as Logan Morrison, Ville Ottavainen, Ryan Winterton, Jacob Melanson and others can get an extra step to be ready for training camp. “Oscar Molgaard is in a good position [to build momentum for Kraken camp] after playing three pro seasons in Sweden,” Laxdall said.

Laxdal mentioned the rookie AHL seasons of Jani Nyman and Jagger Firkus as strong indicators of their pro capabilities, plus “their growth and maturity,” with Nyman providing his first three NHL goals and three assists in 12 games as additional evidence.

After medical exams and fitness testing on Wednesday [the latter an eye-opener for newer prospects when they compare test results to those of their NHL counterparts], the action revs up. Laxdal said he will concentrate on players learning some structure of play and “a couple of things” from new Kraken coach [Lane] Lambert.

“We will have six forward lines and nine D-men, so we will keep it drills and other practice work for about an hour each day, no scrimmages,” said Laxdal. “Everyone will get in at least one game this coming weekend. We’re all excited to get going.”