Kraken Prospects Split Weekend ‘Showcase’

ABBOTSFORD, BC – Any Kraken prospect who has played even one game for Coachella Valley head coach Derek Laxdal knows not to only pay attention to the words from the former NHL player and NHL assistant coach. There’s life perspective to glean, too, from every pregame oratory Laxdal offers.

“Part of my speech before the game, I talked about a freight train and bullet train in that we had back-to-back games,” said Laxdal, his eyes seemingly dancing. “We didn't want to have a slow start with just one guy pulling 19 cars, right?  We wanted to make sure that when you get on a bullet train, everybody's going.”

The Kraken prospects were indeed all systems go at puck drop. They came out hard in the first period here Sunday, looking to establish an early lead. The Seattle first line, centered by Julius Miettinen with Jagger Firkus and Jani Nyman, was active on each shift. But the line and teammates couldn’t put a puck past Vancouver 22-year-old goalie Ty Young, who has split his last two pro seasons between AHL Abbotsford and ECHL Kalamazoo.

Seattle more than doubled its first-period shot count compared to Saturday’s Game 1 of this Showcase weekend, which the good-guys prospects won going away, 7-3. The Kraken launched 12 shots on goal in the opening 20 minutes Sunday. Firkus looked strong on the puck in all zones for a second straight matchup, while second-line center Oscar Fisker Molgaard showed smooth moves on the offensive end to pair with his highly dependable 200-foot play. In fact, Laxdal moved Fisker Molgaard to the first line in the final period in an attempt to close the 5-2 gap that became the final score.

If you are scoring at home (or maybe Monday morning at work?), the Kraken “won” the weekend by a composite score of 9-8. What’s more, 12 Kraken prospects put up points (goals or assists) in the two games.

Alas, at Sunday’s first intermission, Vancouver possessed a 1-0 lead with forward Adam Novotny beating Nikke Kokko, who otherwise stopped the other 11 shots he faced Sunday. Novotny, the 24th overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, scored his second goal of the weekend.

Getting Even, Then Wrong Kind of Response

Seattle’s prospects evened the score early in the second period on a man-advantage goal. The aforementioned Firkus and Fisker Molgaard set up defenseman and power-play quarterback Tyson Jugnauth. The 2026 AHL All-Rookie Team honoree buried a hard shot from a couple of strides inside the blue line.

From there, Vancouver parried with a rare trio of response goals, establishing a 4-1 lead with Kraken camp invitee Maks Corovic in net after Kokko played the first four periods this weekend. Some defensive missed assignments fueled the flurry of scores. By period’s end, the scoreboard displayed a 5-2 Vancouver lead.

“That was part of my speech after the second period,” said Laxdal. “I said, ‘I think some of you guys have jumped to the back train car and are just kind of sitting there a little bit.’  We got the 1-1 [tie], then they scored right away ... We missed some checks. We missed some assignments on the wall and got a little sloppy. [Vancouver] took advantage. The guys challenged [each other] in the third period to get back to the way we should play. I thought the guys did a pretty good job in the third period.”

Captaining at Blue Line

On the weekend, plenty of solid performances came from across the roster, with the top defensive pair of designated captain Ty Nelson and the aforementioned Jugnauth turning in work they can build on. Both made a mistake that led to goals Sunday, but executed all sorts of plays in the Kraken zone and center ice to shut down Vancouver offensive forays in the two games. Plus, 2022 third-rounder Nelson accrued three assists over the weekend while 2022 fourth-rounder Jugnauth posted a goal and assist Sunday. 

Laxdal praised both 22-year-old defenseman prospects, who figure to get serious looks during the Kraken Training Camp that starts Thursday.  Their performances in B.C. only enhanced those expectations. 

“Nelly's the type of player with the characteristics of a young leader,’ said Laxdal. He simplifies his play, which leads into who he is as a person. You see how he just never takes a shift off. It's a privilege to give him the ‘C.’ ”

Taking Long View on Jugnauth

“With Juggy, we don't have to rein in his offensive attributes,’ said Laxdal, switching over to discuss his other top-pair D-man. “We just have to grow his defensive attributes, such as getting harder on pucks, getting harder in the corners, box outs at the net. On the fifth goal, he lost his box-out. The puck went past him and into the net. These little areas are the differences from him arriving in Seattle a little quicker than later. We know his offensive side. It's just trying to get him in a position where he can defend at the NHL level, which gives him a chance for that offense to shine.”

For his part, Jugnauth echoed a feeling put forth by several Kraken prospects, but not in the form of a complaint.

“I think a lot of us were getting the rust off early in the year,” said Jugnauth. “It's tough going from one practice [Friday] to playing two games back to back. But I thought guys had bright spots for sure this weekend. A lot of guys have areas to improve, including myself.”

Jugnauth opened eyes across the league as an AHL rookie last season. His success, including playing the league’s All-Star event as a rookie, didn’t breed complacency during the offseason. Jugnauth said his summer training was focused on “getting bigger and stronger.”

“That's a big thing for me,” said Jugnauth. “I also want to be able to use my feet more. And for me, that's about being more confident with the puck, being more dynamic. That's one thing I really focused on this summer is trying to be as dynamic as I can.”

To Laxdal’s point about Jugnauth learning how to defend at the NHL level, Jugnauth said his rookie AHL season helped him evolve his skills and strategy to stop opponents’ attacks.

“I was learning [last season] about using my body more,” said Jugnauth. “That's one thing Stu [Bickel, former CV assistant coach now head coach for AHL Iowa] and I worked on a lot last year. Being more physical, learning how to use my body. Early in the year, it was kind of tough to make those reads. You feel a little bit off on the defensive side ... I think it's gonna just continue to get better.”

Plenty of Bright Sides

Sunday’s loss doesn’t dim several more positives from the weekend. For example, the Kraken penalty killers were perfect on the weekend, and the power play generated two goals in three chances, one score in each game. 

In Saturday’s 7-3 victory, 2021 seventh-round pick Justin Janicke scored a pair of goals after being summoned to Seattle from his Minnesota team Thursday night [pls link to Alison’s story]. Center Andrei Loshko, who battled injuries last season as an AHL rookie, scored twice in the weekend win while defenseman Caden Price enjoyed a two-point night (goal and assist) Saturday in his first game action since his AHL rookie season was cut short last February via the injured list. 

For Laxdal, another standout factor was the hustle he saw in his squad during Sunday's final-period shifts, with 5-2 hanging on the scoreboard. 

“At the end of the day, give our guys a lot of credit,” said Laxdal.  “That was the challenge in the third period. We finished the right way because that's what {the Kraken front office, coaches and scouts] want to see. How are you going to respond in this situation? We had some good looks late.” 

Additional reporting by Alison Lukan