Prospects Perspective: Hats Off to Kartye, Melanson

It's been a good season for Ontario Hockey League forward Tye Kartye, who plays for Sault Ste. Marie, a storied juniors franchise that boasts Hall of Famers Wayne Gretzky and Kraken GM Ron Francis among its many illustrious alums.
To start the hockey year, Kartye was invited to the Kraken's inaugural training camp, where he impressed the coaching staff and the entire Seattle hockey operations group. The undrafted Kartye then returned to the Soo Greyhounds, where he reached the 40-goal mark Monday with a hat trick in an 8-2 win. In early March, the 20-year-old signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Kraken. The OHL playoffs await, and he joins an NHL player development system after that.

The Monday victory improved his team's stronghold on fourth position in the OHL Western Conference and keeps them within striking distance of potentially finishing as the No. 2 or No. 3 seed in the eight-team playoffs. The first two goals of Kartye's hat trick reversed a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead that sparked the Greyhounds' victory. He finished the night with the three goals and an assist in which he forced a neutral-zone turnover.
"I'm proud of that," Kartye said about his 40th goal, talking to writer Peter Ruicci of Independent Media and soogreyhounds.com after the game. "But it has a lot to do with my teammates. Obviously, we've been really successful on the power play and they've gotten me a lot of good looks."
Kartye leads the entire OHL in power-play goals with 21 and co-leads with nine game-winning goals. He has the 40 goals and 30 assists in 58 games for a 1.21 points per game average.
A couple of fun facts indicating the upside of Kartye's character: After the hat trick night, Kartye didn't meet with the media right away because he wanted to fit in some weight training reps while his coach and teammates talked. Plus, Kartye was recently voted the franchise's Pete Taylor Memorial award winner, known as the "Players' Player" award, for the third straight Sault Ste. Marie season.

Draft Choices and Developing Pros Roundup

Joining Kartye, a second Kraken prospect picked up a hat trick and reached a goals milestone this week. Seattle's 2021 fifth-round draft choice, Jacob Melanson, returned to the lineup for his Quebec Major Junior Hockey League team, Acadie-Bathurst Titan, Sunday after serving a four-game suspension for kneeing. Melanson didn't waste time making an impact with the Titan in a tight playoff race to be a top-3 seed in the eight-team Eastern Conference playoffs.

Melanson registered his first career hat trick by scoring goals in the seventh, 13th and 18th minutes of the first period.

in the important win. The Titan have earned standings points in 13 straight games.

Two of Melanson's hat-trick goals were on Titan power plays and the other score was shorthanded. Melanson leads his team in power-play goals (14) and shorthanded goals (five). The 6-foot, 205-pound forward, who plays a physical game and gets to the net for tips and rebounds, has 31 goals on the year plus 17 assists for 48 points in 45 games.

Kraken top prospect Matty Beniers and his University of Michigan teammates traveled to Boston Tuesday in preparation for the NCAA Division I Frozen Four men's hockey tournament. The Wolverines face the University of Denver Thursday (2 p.m. ESPN2) with the winner advancing to Saturday's title game to play the victor between Minnesota and Minnesota State in the other Thursday semifinal.
For 2021 second-rounder Ryker Evans and third-rounder Ryan Winterton, 2021-22 has been a contrasting tale of two seasons. Evans, a defenseman who scored a highlight-reel goal in a win this week, continues to impress at both ends of the ice while his Regina Pats squad in the Western Hockey League is trending toward not making the playoffs. The Kraken second-rounder, picked No. 35 overall, has 14 goals and 45 assists in 59 games.

Winterton and his Ontario Hockey League Hamilton Bulldogs have clinched the top spot in the OHL's Eastern Division. Hamilton has earned 51 of 56 standings points since the beginning of February. Winterton, who returned in mid-January, has heavily contributed to the Bulldogs' dominance. He added two more assists in four recent wins and now stands with 17 goals and 24 assists for 41 points in 33 games (1.24 points per game).
At American Hockey League affiliate Charlotte, the Checkers were down 3-0 against Hershey last Saturday when Kraken developing pro Alexander True broke the shutout mid-second period. True has 14 goals and 24 assists to lead Charlotte in scoring on the season despite spending time on the Seattle roster as well.
Just activated to the NHL roster Monday, defenseman Cale Fleury left his mark by joining the rush to skate deep into the offensive zone and back-hand a shot to tie the game at three apiece. Fleury added an assist on Saturday's game-winning goal, which was scored by Scott Wilson, who signed a contract with the Kraken organization this season. Wilson has a career-high 23 goals and 14 assists in 37 games. Charlotte is third in the AHL Eastern Conference.

MINOR LEAGUE

2021-22 Kraken AHL Report - SKATERS

Through April 3, 2022
| HENMAN, Luke | C | 6-0 / 168 | 04/29/00 | Charlotte Checkers | 44 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 30 | | LIND, Kole | RW | 6-1 / 179 | 10/16/98 | Charlotte Checkers | 46 | 17 | 18 | 35 | 106 | | MCCORMICK, Max | LW | 5-11 / 187 | 05/01/92 | Charlotte Checkers | 43 | 13 | 16 | 29 | 38 | | RASK, Victor | C | 6-2 / 215 | 12/07/91 | Iowa Wild | 10 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 2 | | SHEAHAN, Riley | C | 6-2 / 215 | 12/07/91 | Charlotte Checkers | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | | TRUE, Alexander | C | 6-5 / 201 | 07/17/97 | Charlotte Checkers | 52 | 14 | 24 | 38 | 36 | | TWARYNSKI,

Carsen | LW | 6-2 / 198 | 11/24/97 | Charlotte Checkers | 64 | 5 | 13 | 18 | 14 | | CARRICK,

Connor | RD | 5-11 / 194 | 04/13/94 | Charlotte Checkers | 51 | 8 | 22 | 30 | 65 | | FLEURY,

Cale | RD | 6-1 / 212 | 11/19/98 | Charlotte Checkers | 58 | 7 | 26 | 33 | 39 | | OLOFSSON,

Gustav | LD | 6-3 / 201 | 12/01/94 | Charlotte Checkers | 33 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 24 | | | | | | | | | | | | | Player | Pos. | Ht/Wt | DOB | 2021-22 Team | GP | G | A | Pts. | PIM | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |

2021-22 Kraken AHL Report - GOALIES

Through April 3, 2022
| BIBEAU, Antoine | G | 6-3 / 214 | 05/01/94 | Charlotte Checkers | 10 | 4-1-2 | .905 | 2.48 | | DACCORD, Joey | G | 6-2 / 196 | 08/19/96 | Charlotte Checkers | 30 | 16-10-2 | .924 | 2.36 | | Player | Pos. | Ht/Wt | DOB | 2021-22 Team | GP | W-L | SV% | GAA | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |

2021-22 Kraken ECHL Report - SKATERS

Through April 3, 2022
| HENMAN, Luke | C | 6-0 / 168 | 04/29/00 | Allen Americans | 3 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 0 | | Player | Pos. | Ht/Wt | DOB | 2021-22 Team | GP | G | A | Pts. | PIM | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |

2021-22 Kraken ECHL Report - GOALIES

Through April 3, 2022
| BIBEAU, Antoine | G | 6-3 / 214 | 05/01/94 | Allen Americans | 14 | 7-4-0 | .923 | 2.79 | | Player | Pos. | Ht/Wt | DOB | 2021-22 Team | GP | W-L | SV% | GAA | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |

AMATEUR

2021-22 Kraken Prospect Report - MAJOR JUNIOR

Through April 4, 2022
| EVANS, Ryker | LD | 5-11 / 181 | 12/13/01 | Regina (WHL) | 62 | 14 | 45 | 59 | 96 | | MELANSON, Jacob | W | 5-11 / 201 | 04/22/03 | Acadia-Bathurst (QMJHL) | 45 | 31 | 17 | 48 | 66 | | WINTERTON, Ryan | C | 6-2 / 190 | 09/04/03 | Hamilton (OHL) | 33 | 17 | 24 | 41 | 21 | | Player | Pos. | Ht/Wt | DOB | 2021-22 Team | GP | G | A | Pts. | PIM | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |

2021-22 Kraken Prospect Report - COLLEGE

Through April 4, 2022
| BENIERS, Matty | C | 6-1 / 175 | 11/05/02 | Michigan (Big 10) | 36 | 20 | 23 | 43 | 16 | | JANICKE, Justin | W | 6-0 / 181 | 06/30/03 | Notre Dame (Big 10) | 32 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 31 | | Player | Pos. | Ht/Wt | DOB | 2021-22 Team | GP | G | A | Pts. | PIM | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |

2021-22 Kraken Prospect Report - EUROPE

Through April 4, 2022
| OTTAVAINEN, Ville | RD | 6-4 / 201 | 08/12/02 | JYP (Liiga) | 44 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 59 | | Player | Pos. | Ht/Wt | DOB | 2021-22 Team | GP | G | A | Pts. | PIM | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |

2021-22 Kraken Prospect Report - GOALIES

Through April 4, 2022
| VYAZOVOI, Semyon | G | 6-2 / 170 | 02/26/03 | Tolpar Ufa (MHL) | 45 | 26-11-3 | .920 | 2.09 | | Player | Pos. | Ht/Wt | DOB | 2021-22 Team | GP | W-L | SV% | GAA | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |