Draft Blog: 2024 Draft Concludes In Las Vegas

Saturday, June 29 - 3:36 pm: 2024 Draft Recap

Saturday, June 29 - 2:42 pm: Draft Sound: Julius Miettinen, Nathan Villeneuve & Alexis Bernier

Saturday, June 29 - 1:44 pm: GM Francis, Amateur Scouting Director Kron Assess the Weekend

With the hockey world giving the Kraken high marks for nabbing offensively-gifted center Berkly Catton eighth overall during Friday’s first round of the 2024 NHL Draft, the Seattle scouting staff was back at it Saturday in Las Vegas for Rounds 2 through 7. GM Ron Francis and his scouts added four more forwards on the day (one via trading up into the fifth round) plus two defenseman and a goaltender (the third straight selection of a young Finnish prospect in net).

Kraken GM Ron Francis was pleased with his forward-centric draft, and the team’s director of amateur scouting, Robert Kron, agreed with his long-time hockey operations colleague and former Carolina Hurricanes teammate.

"For us, we're happy,” said Francis when asked to assess Seattle’s seven-pick haul at the NHL Draft. “We have five forwards. We added some skill and added some size, solid two-way guys. Then we got some puck-moving defensemen and another Finnish goalie ... there are a lot of good pieces in our pipeline already.”

“It went really well for us,” said Kron. “We’re very happy with the first pick [Berkly Catton]."

Seattle added two more centers with its two second-round choices, which Kron said was a combination of selecting the best-available players on the Kraken draft board and the premium the scouting department put on the center position.

“It’s a position that’s harder to get on the market [via free agency or trades]. It’s always good to have volume at the position.”

Saturday, June 29 - 12:12 pm: The Pick is In!

LAS VEGAS, NV - With the 202nd overall pick in Round 7, the Kraken have selected Jakub Fibigr, a 6'0" 172 lb. defenseman from the Mississauga Steelheads (OHL).

Saturday, June 29 - 11:20 am: The Pick is In!

LAS VEGAS, NV - With the 141st overall pick in Round 5, the Kraken have selected Clarke Caswell, a 5'11" 176 lb. left wing from the Swift Current Broncos.

The Kraken traded up to select Caswell, a winger who is known for his ability to create chances, especially with dangerous feeds from below the goal line and behind the net. That ability showed in his stat line with 26 goals and a team-leading 51 assists across 68 games played. He’s rounded out his game with more physical play and as he works to maintain a balance between driving and supporting play.

Saturday, June 29 - 11:15 am: Kraken Trade Into The 5th Round

The Kraken trade picks No. 169 and No. 201 to Florida in exchange for pick No. 141.

Saturday, June 29 - 10:25 am: Round 4: The Pick is In!

LAS VEGAS, NV - With the 105th overall pick in Round 4, the Kraken have selected Oliver "Ollie" Josephson, a 6'0" 190 lb. center from the Red Deer Rebels (WHL).

Josephson, who goes by “Ollie,” was the second-highest point earner on his team last year (12-35-47) and also played on Team Canada in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup (along with Kraken first-round pick Berkly Catton) on the way to that team winning gold. Josephson is known for his defensive play down the middle, which can shut down opponents. His game has good pace, which allows him to challenge other teams with his stick, positioning and board battles. Continuing to grow his offensive game is something to look for from the 17-year-old.

Saturday, June 29 - 10:05 am: Round 3: The Pick is In!

LAS VEGAS, NV - With the 88th overall pick in Round 3, the Kraken have selected Kim Saarinen, a 6'4" 181 lb. goaltender from HPK (Liiga).

Saarinen’s height is an asset, as is his strong ability to track the puck. He has an ability to play an active style, and all of that combined helps him track quick-strike plays and get into position. Last season, he played mostly with the HPK U20 team and posted a .917 save percentage - the best save percentage of any goaltender on the team – in 23 games, the most of any netminder on the roster. A fun note – the second most utilized goaltender was Kaj Saarinen – Kim’s brother.

Saturday, June 29 - 9:45 am: Round 3: The Pick is In!

LAS VEGAS, NV - With the 73rd overall pick in Round 3, the Kraken have selected Alexis Bernier, a 6'1" 196 lb. defenseman from Baie-Comeau Drakkar .

Bernier isn’t related to former NHL goaltender Jonathan Bernier, but his father, David, was drafted into the NHL (twice!), and while David played forward, it was time spent together that fed Berniers desire to play defense. “When I started playing hockey, I was always like staying back. My dad played as a forward; he trained me as a forward, but I always liked staying back to protect the net, and so (I) started as a defenseman.”

That focus has served the defender well. In his second year in Baie-Comeau, Bernier has forged an identity as an assertive shutdown defenseman while working on his offensive side (4-27-31). He has a strong first pass and is comfortable joining the rush.

Saturday, June 29 - 9:29 am: Round 2: The Pick is In!

LAS VEGAS, NV - With the 63rd overall pick in Round 2, the Kraken have selected Nathan Villeneuve, a 5'11" 194 lb. center from the Sudbury Wolves.

Villeneuve is a feisty player who prides himself on playing on the edge. He likes to protect his teammates and isn’t afraid to get physical in the process. But the 18-year-old has also put in the work to find the right way to balance that physicality while staying on the ice to help his team. He said he found more offensive touch this past season (23-27-50) and that was an added incentive to keep the spark in his game while bringing his usual tenacity in his play. Villeneuve has also benefitted from playing with his captain, and Kraken prospect, David Goyette, who was the leading regular-season scorer last year, “(Goyette) loves it there – the organization is first class.”

Saturday, June 29 - 8:45 am: Round 2: The Pick is In!

LAS VEGAS, NV - With the 40th overall pick in Round 2, the Kraken have selected Julius Miettinen, a 6'3" 201 lb. center from the Everett Silvertips.

Miettinen just finished his first season playing in North America and had 31 goals and 36 assists in 66 games. While it took the center some time, as is normal, to adjust to the smaller rinks this side of the world, Miettinen credits the Silvertips organization with helping him adjust both on and off the ice. And on the ice, his calling card has been getting net-front by “being hard on my stick.”

Miettinen said he had a feeling that the Kraken had interest in him and he’s excited to now be part of an organization that’s close to where he’s found his north American home.

Friday, June 28 - 7:57 pm: Round 1 Wrap Up

LAS VEGAS, NV - As Round 1 comes to a close, that will do it for the first day of the NHL Draft. It was an eventful day for sure. There were trades (five!) that moved teams in, out, and around the selection order. Five teams (Anaheim, Calgary, Montreal, Utah, San Jose) selected twice before a late round trade made Chicago the only team to pick three times. There were also seven teams (Carolina, Colorado, Florida, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, Vancouver, Winnipeg) who stuck close to their Draft tables with no first-round picks this year.

As for the 32 players selected, they represented seven different nations (Canada – 18; Russia, USA -; Finland, Norway-2; Belarus-1, Czechia-1) and came from 13 different leagues, with the OHL (9) and WHL (5) leading the way. Going into this Draft, many projected it to be a defense-heavy class, but six of the first ten selections and 22 of all players picked were forwards, with the remaining 10 representing the blue line. No goalies were chosen, but this is standard operating procedure for NHL Drafts – expect to see more netminders in the mix tomorrow.

Speaking of tomorrow, rounds 2-7 kick off bright and early Saturday at 8:30 – be sure to follow along here and on our social channels to find out what the Kraken do with their remaining seven Draft picks including two picks in Round 2 and again in Round 3.

Friday, June 28 - 6:29 pm: Beniers Answers the Call, Makes First Round Pick for Kraken

LAS VEGAS, NV - When Matty Beniers was drafted by the Seattle Kraken, that year’s Draft was completely remote due to the COVID pandemic. So when general manager Ron Francis called his second-overall pick to welcome him to the organization, the call went to voicemail.

“Yeah, that was funny,” Beniers said with a smile. “I just didn't know whose number it was so I thought ‘why would I answer this? I'm with my family,’ I think I was talking to my grandmother. And then I got a text saying Seattle is trying to call, you should probably pick up.”

Beniers says Francis has teased him about it a few times, but it’s worth noting that this summer, when the Hockey Hall of Famer wanted to get in touch with Beniers, he asked for a little help. A little while back, Beniers got a text from his agent saying that Francis wanted to invite the Calder Trophy winner to this year’s Draft to announce Seattle’s pick.

“I thought that was a pretty cool thing to get asked to do,” Beniers said.

And just like that, today, Beniers not only got to participate in an in-person Draft, he also got to make sure all congrats were given and received in real time.

Beniers and his dad arrived in Vegas Thursday and got to connect with some other NHLers in town for the league awards and then relax a bit today before heading over to make the announcement that Berkly Catton was headed to the Kraken.

And what does the Kraken center think of the show the NHL is putting on in the Sphere this year? Only rave reviews.

“It's been awesome,” Beniers said. “The whole setup is really cool. The effects were super cool - all around, you see videos (of) the players that are getting drafted and a little bit of background of them. I thought it was a really great setup. I think everyone's enjoying themselves in there. I especially did.”

Friday, June 28 - 6:29 pm: Berkly Catton & Ron Francis Meet With The Media

Friday, June 28 - 5:06 pm: The pick is in! Welcome to the Kraken, Berkly Catton

Las Vegas, NV - The Kraken have their first selection of the 2024 Draft! As announced by 2021 second-overall pick, Matty Beniers, center Berkly Catton is the newest member of the Seattle organization. Chosen at the eighth overall spot, the 18-year-old Catton (5-foot-11, 174 lbs.) is a speedy player whose craftiness and skill allows him to move the puck into scoring positions and attack. Catton could also have some versatility playing at wing.

Kraken fans may be familiar with Catton already. The Saskatoon, SK native just wrapped up his third season with the Spokane Chiefs, where he wore the “A” on his sweater and scored an impressive team-leading 116 points (54-62-116) in 68 games. “Catts” had the third most goals and fourth most points of any skater in the WHL this year. He also led all skaters in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup tournament with eight goals while serving as captain for the gold medal-winning Canadian team.

Friday, June 28 - 5:06 pm: Matty in the House

Las Vegas, NV - The Draft is known for its surprises both on and off the floor and the Kraken brought one to tonight’s event with a little flair of their own. As Seattle’s hockey leadership team took to the stage, general manager Ron Francis – a fourth-overall pick himself – welcomed the Kraken’s 2021 second-overall pick, Matty Beniers, to the stage where the 2023 Calder Trophy winner took to the mic to announce the newest member of the organization, Berkly Catton.

We’ll catch up with Matty shortly to hear about what it’s like to be on the other side of making a first round pick shortly! Check back for more!

Friday, June 28 - 3:56 pm: Busy time for NHL GMs per free agency, trades

While the Kraken amateur scouting staff and hockey operation executives are happy with the draft board list they have compiled in the run-up to Friday’s first round at Sphere in Vegas, there is still plenty of work for GM Ron Francis. The NHL free agency period starts Monday at 9 a.m. and there are Kraken restricted free agent contracts to be hammered out, and the Hall of Famer Francis’ cell phone is always open for trade discussions.

“There are about 9,000 things going on right now,” said Francis, calm and collected during a Thursday afternoon interview. “You're talking with GMs. You're talking with your scouts. You're trying to get the list finalized and right. We're still interviewing some players here at the draft. You're talking to different GMs about a possible trade, the same goes for talking with agents about our own contracts – we have some guys that need to get signed, so we're having those discussions. A lot of things that are taking place, this is a real busy time for us.”

Francis said, “We're in discussions” with forward Eeli Tolvanen on a new contract and “in discussions with Matty [Beniers]” on a contract extension. He said the team is not giving a qualifying offer to Kailer Yamamoto, allowing Spokane to talk with other NHL clubs.

Thursday, June 27 - 3:24 pm - Who, What, When, More

Welcome to our 2024 NHL Draft Blog covering all things Kraken, along with relevant news and info from around the league and Pacific Division. There’s nothing more relevant than the who, what, where, when and how of the draft. Let’s start there with an NHL Draft primer as we count down the hours until Round 1 Friday (4 p.m., ESPN, KJR 93.3 FM) and Rounds 2 to 7 Saturday (8:30 a.m., ESPN+, NHL Network):

WHO: Prospects Drafted from Nearly Three Dozen Amateur and Pro Leagues

During the two days of the draft, 224 players will be selected. NHL player rosters and prospect pools span across the rinks of North America and Europe, with 34 leagues and 16 different countries generating at least one draft choice in last summer’s 2023 NHL Draft.

The Kraken franchise contributed to the game’s globalization, selecting players from Czechia, Denmark, Belarus, Finland and Sweden to go along with five Canadiens. Oscar Fisker Molgaard, Kraken 2023 second-round center, was the only Danish player selected.

The 16 different countries equate to the most since 2004 when it reached 17 countries (in a draft with nearly 70 more overall selections over nine rounds). Fourteen players born outside North America were first-rounders last June, including Kraken top pick (20th overall) and Czechia center Eduard Sale. In all, 224 prospects will be drafted.

The Canadian Hockey League, comprised of the Western Hockey League (in which both the Everett Silvertips and Seattle Thunderbirds play), Ontario Hockey League and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, supplied more than a third of the 2023 draft choices. That will no doubt trend similarly this weekend.

WHO: How Old are These Prospects?

Most players selected Friday and Saturday will be 18 years, though some may turn 18 before Sept. 16. Prospects born between Jan. 1 and Sept. 15, 2006 are eligible for NHL Draft for the first time. The majority of the 2024 picks will be players eligible for the first time. But there will be North American players 19 and 20 who will drafted (plus 21-year-olds if a prospect is European) after getting passed up in their first year (and sometimes two years) who are still eligible to have their name called.

Two quick examples to show age range: The Kraken’s 2021 third-round pick Ryan Winterton would have needed to wait an additional year to be drafted if he was born 12 days later in 2004, making his recent five goals during the American Hockey League’s Calder Cup Final even more impressive. Kraken/Firebirds stellar defenseman Ryker Evans was 19 when he was picked 35^th overall (second round) by Seattle in 2021.

As an older prospect, it meant Evans could join AHL Coachella Valley a year earlier than most other draft picks in 2021, including Seattle picks Winterton, 2021 fourth-rounder D-man Ville Ottavainen and 2021 fifth-rounder forward Jacob Melanson. All three of those prospects turned in solid seasons as AHL rookies this year with the deep playoff runs pretty much developing even further than typical first-year pros.

WHAT: Format and Brief History of the Draft

The first NHL Draft was conducted in 1963 largely to provide a more competitive element in the then six-team NHL instead of one franchise (Montreal) aggressively signing players via a bigger bankroll and sponsorship of junior teams to have exclusive access to star players (the latter was phased out by the time the NHL expanded to 12 teams in the late 1960s). The former NHL Amateur Draft is now called the NHL Entry Draft because some European prospects are already playing in pro leagues by age 18.

The number of rounds for the yearly draft has changed over seven decades from as many as 25 and as few as four, but it was standardized to seven rounds in 2005. If a prospect doesn’t get picked over three years of eligibility, he can still be signed to a free agent contract. The Kraken’s roster and prospect pool provide plenty of proof that not getting drafted is not the end of a hockey dream: Undrafted Kraken center Yanni Gourde won two Stanley Cups with Tampa Bay. Kraken forward and 2022-23 AHL rookie of the year Tye Kartye signed with Seattle as a free agent in March 2022. Kraken prospect Logan Morrison, who impressed in a four-game NHL call-up, is another free agent signee.

WHERE: Draft Road Show Will Change in 2025

This June’s draft is at Sphere in Las Vegas, a showplace of showplaces in the Nevada city. It marks the first live sports event at the venue and seems fitting enough at the final locale for the NHL Draft as currently carried out with team officials and entire scouting staff heading to the draft city. The 32 team tables and all that travel to one central destination will change next summer to be similar to the NFL draft, with prospects and select team officials at the central location and all other personnel back at team headquarters.

WHERE: Fans Invited to Friday Watch Party at 32 Bar & Grill

While Vegas is the NHL epicenter this weekend, Kraken fans can join the action at 32 Bar and Grill at Kraken Community Iceplex in the city’s Northgate neighborhood. 32 Bar & Grill will host a watch party presented by Upper Deck beginning at 3:30 p.m. Friday, with Kraken broadcaster Everett Fitzhugh set to emcee the event. KJR 93.3 FM will broadcast live with Mike Benton hosting and teaming with Fitzhugh from 4 to 7 p.m. The Kraken-centric event will feature live call-ins from Las Vegas and will feature raffles, food and drink specials and more for fans attending.

WHEN: Draft Day Dreams Come True Friday and Saturday

Some prospects will be in Vegas to hear their names called with families and agents sitting with them, while others will be parked in front of television sets watching national coverage in their home nations. Every story is unique and profoundly a hockey dream come true. For three of those stories, check out our “My Draft Day” series featuring 2021 fifth-rounder Jacob Melanson, 2022 fourth-rounder Tyson Jugnauth and 2023 third-rounder Lukas Dragicevic.

The 4 p.m. start (ESPN, KJR 93.3 FM) Friday will feature seven selections before Seattle picks at No. 8, and Saturday’s 8:30 a.m. broadcast will reveal a pair of Kraken second-round picks in the first hour, plus another six picks over Saturday’s full set of seven rounds.

HOW: As in How Many Picks Do the Kraken Have?

Seattle will have nine draft picks over the seven rounds, including the aforementioned eighth-overall selection and two second-round picks (48^th overall and 63^rd overall). That translates to three choices among the first 63 players drafted. The extra second-round pick comes via the trade of Alex Wennberg at this year’s NHL Trade Deadline.

The Kraken have two third-round picks: their own at 73^rd overall and a pick at 88 that was acquired as part of the mid-inaugural season trade of Mark Giordano and Colin Blackwell to Toronto in exchange for draft picks. From there, Seattle selects at No. 88 in the fourth round, No. 105 in Round 6 and 201^st overall in the seventh round — all Seattle-assigned picks. GM Ron Francis traded away the fifth-round pick to Colorado earlier this season to add veteran scorer Tomas Tatar to the roster. The Kraken’s ninth and final pick is at No. 202, picked up when forward Calle Jarnkrok was traded to Calgary in 2022.

One proviso: The Kraken player development system is deep and considered among the top third in the NHL in terms of talent and NHL-ready potential. That might well mean Francis stands pat and leans into his scouting staff’s acumen or maybe the Kraken talent pool is deep enough to use some draft capital to move up spots during the draft and/or secure higher picks in future drafts and/or part of a trade involving a player or prospect. It’s all possible and one reason “why” we watch and will report on all moves this weekend.

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