Playoff hockey is in full skating stride for all sorts of Kraken prospects, from major junior leagues in North America to European pro leagues to the NCAA Division I men’s hockey tournament. Welcome to the Depth of the Sea: Playoff Edition with mid-week roundups plus occasional entries as series and playoff runs go deep.
Future is Now
Kraken fans need to look no further than Monday night in San Jose to see the promise of what’s ahead in the team’s prospect pipeline. Shane Wright, 2022 first-rounder (No. 4 overall), got called up Sunday from American Hockey League affiliate Coachella Valley and promptly scored the winning goal in a 4-2 road victory. Wright and Jordan Eberle worked a perfect give-and-go during a two-on-one rush set up by an outlet pass from their linemate Jaden Schwartz.
Better yet, in the eyes of Seattle head coach Dave Hakstol, Wright played a plus game in all zones, including small but vital details such as taking faceoffs at the Kraken end of the ice while protecting a one-goal lead in the third period.
“Wrighter was comfortable in the defensive zone,” said Hakstol, who liked the scoring opportunities the Wright line generated all game. “We used him in some of the D-zone draws. He dug in, and he did a good job there. Overall, a good first night out for him.”
This time last April, Wright was playing in the Ontario Hockey League playoffs. Same for forwards Ryan Winterton and Logan Morrison, both called up from Coachella Valley last week, impressing the Kraken hockey operations group with three strong home games, enough to earn them more time on ice during the current California road trip.
Tracking Dozen-Plus Kraken Propects in Playoffs
As for this spring’s prospects, more than a dozen are still playing postseason hockey while another handful got a taste of playoff hockey before their teams were eliminated in an early round. Some prospects, such as the newly signed 2023 second-rounder and right-shot defenseman Lukas Dragicevic (his Tri-City WHL team didn’t make the playoffs), will report to Coachella Valley when their seasons end.
Every prospect with that plum assignment, including the aforementioned Wright and Winterton, subsequently raved about how much they learned from AHL veterans and the coaching staff led by Stanley Cup-winning Dan Bylsma.
This Just In: Finn Goalie Kokko Game 7 Victor
Kraken 2022 second-rounder Niklas Kokko was in net Tuesday for a decisive Game 7 win in the quarterfinal round of Finland’s top pro league, Liiga. After standout work at the 2024 World Junior Championship, Kokko’s club, Karpat, loaned the 6-foot-3, 20-year-old goaltender to the Lahti Pelicans franchise. Kokko clearly paid dividends for Pelicans, posting a .926 save percentage in 13 regular season games and finishing the seven-game victorious series with a .924 save percentage against IFK Helsinki.
The Pelicans-IFK series was quite the rollercoaster. Kokko and Pelicans won the first three games, then dropped three straight. Two of the losses, Game 4 and Game 6 were overtime 2-1 defeats, while Game 5 was Kokko’s first loss in regulation since joining his new team in January. Game 7 featured ties at 1-1, 2-2, and 3-3, with Pelicans scoring the game-winner with just over a minute left in regulation. Kokko made 14 saves Tuesday to backstop the advancement.
Leading Scorers Face Big Games This Week
Going into Tuesday and Wednesday, a pair of 2022 second-round picks, Jagger Firkus (35th overall) and David Goyette (61st overall), are playing for teams with leads in best-of-seven formats. Firkus, who topped all Western Hockey League skaters with 126 points (61 goals, 65 assists in 63 games), has a goal and assist for the Moose Jaw (SK) Warriors, which leads its series 2-0, and now travels to Manitoba to continue a first-round series with the Brandon Wheat Kings. In 10 playoff games last spring, Firkus racked up ten goals and 11 assists. Game 3 is Tuesday.
Goyette matched his future teammate by leading the OHL in scoring with 40 goals and 77 assists for 117 points in 63 games. Goyette has two goals and one assist for his Sudbury Wolves, which won two road games to start a series with the Mississauga Steelheads but dropped Game 3 at home Monday. Game 4 is Wednesday.
Speaking of leading scorers, Kelowna Rockets Defenseman Caden Price (2023, third round, 84th overall) is off to a fast start in the WHL playoffs with a league-leading five assists in just two games. He and his Kelowna teammates host first-year WHL franchise Wenatchee in Game 3 on Tuesday. If you want to hear more from Price, check out his interview session from Monday HERE.
One for the Ages
Just for perspective, it’s important to note these prospects are pretty still teenagers who, like Wright, Winterton, Morrison, and let’s not forget 2022-23 AHL Rookie of the Year Tye Kartye, will all develop and enhance their potential NHL games as members of the Firebirds in the California desert. To wit, Goyette, drafted two summers ago, just turned 20 in late March. Firkus will turn 20 in late April. Dragicevic is 18, same for Price. Ty Nelson, whose North Bay squads leads their series 2-1, was fueled in part by his First Star of the Game performance in Game 1 against Kingston (next game Tuesday); he just turned 20 in late March.
