CHL notebook: Kraken prospect Firkus improving production in WHL

Future NHL stars are developing in the Canadian Hockey League this season. Each week, NHL.com will highlight a few of the top NHL-affiliated prospects in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, the Ontario Hockey League and the Western Hockey League.

Jagger Firkus joined a special club with Moose Jaw of the Western Hockey League on Friday, one that includes a player he keeps a very close eye on.

The 19-year-old Seattle Kraken forward prospect scored his 17th goal of the season in Moose Jaw's 7-5 loss to Edmonton and became the 20th player to score 100 goals for Moose Jaw since it began play in 1984.

"Looking back at the names that have been throughout here and players that have played here, it's really cool," Firkus said.

Among those players is Tampa Bay Lightning center Brayden Point (134 goals in 252 games from 2011-16). There are similarities between Firkus (5-foot-10, 153 pounds) and Point (5-10, 178), from their high-end offensive games to their size, and Firkus makes sure to keep close tabs on Point when he watches NHL games.

"He's a great player to look up to," Firkus said. "You hear nothing but great stories from people in this organization that tell you that he was a great kid, he was a hard worker, he loved being around the rink and I think that's one thing that I obviously love to do as well, I love to be around the rink, I love to be around my teammates. The on-ice stuff, it's someone that you can watch every night and he does something special every single night. He's an electric player to watch and if I could get comparisons to him, I'm super happy.

"There's lots of things that if you watch him, whether it's in the [offensive] zone or the [defensive] zone, you can see he's always working his hardest. He never takes a shift off, and I think that's why he's so successful at the next level is he's so consistent and he works his [tail] off. He's super skilled with the puck as well, and that's something that kind of translates into my game with his hands."

The Kraken are happy with how Firkus has continued to develop since selecting him in the second round (No. 35) of the 2022 NHL Draft.

"He's always been a very intelligent player, but what I love about his game is he's always trying to get better to get pucks back," Kraken director of player development Jeff Tambellini said. "And this year he's doing a really good job of staying on pucks and winning a lot of battles, which in turn gives him more attempts at the net and more attempts to make plays.

"For a skilled player, a guy that is going to have to put up a lot of points, he's finding ways to get the puck back at a really high volume. For us that's a big, translatable trend. It's something we've talked to him about and he's doing a real good job of adding that to his game and doing it on a nightly basis."

Part of Firkus' development comes from an improved offseason of training, based in part on the experience he gained from being around Coachella Valley of the American Hockey League when it reached the Calder Cup Final last season. He played one playoff game but also got to watch how his teammates prepared on a daily basis.

"You see the guys at the next level," Firkus said, "and you see how they're built and how they move and that's one big thing I took away from it, was just kind of trying to watch them and take little things piece by piece from them. I think I did that going into the offseason and had a good offseason."

That has led to a season that began with back-to-back three-point games, and includes 25 points (14 goals, 11 assists), including two hat tricks and nine multipoint games, during his current 11-game point streak. He leads the WHL in points (32) and is tied for the lead in goals (17).

Tambellini said Firkus now needs to carry that hot start through a full season.

"What I challenged him about was, if you're going to be a player that wants to be an offensive player in the NHL, you have to go to junior and you have to put up a number that's truly telling of an offensive player," Tambellini said. "We expect you to add to your two-way game to be a more complete player, but if you're telling us you want to be an offensive player, you've got to prove that with just your offensive production on a nightly basis. I'm proud of the kid so far, because he's gone back and does that every single night and he's put himself in a very good position through October.

"The next step to that is sustaining that throughout the season, hopefully being part of the [Canada] World Junior team, having a good tournament and doing it throughout the [WHL] playoffs. For the amount of time he's been back, he's done a fantastic job of taking care of business. Now we'd like to see that throughout the whole season."

OTHERS TO WATCH

Carey Terrance, C, Erie (Anaheim Ducks): Terrance had 17 points (nine goals, eight assists) during an 11-game point streak that ended in Erie's 4-3 shootout win against Flint on Friday. The 18-year-old had one assist through his first three games, but had four multipoint games during his point streak. Selected by the Ducks in the second round (No. 59) of the 2023 NHL Draft, Terrance leads Erie with 18 points (nine goals, nine assists) in 15 games.

Jordan Dumais, RW, Halifax (Columbus Blue Jackets): Dumais has 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists) in seven games after missing the first month of the season because of an injury. The 19-year-old had five points (three goals, two assists), including the game-winning goal, in his season debut against Rouyn-Noranda on Oct. 20. He has at least a point in all seven games, with five multipoint games, capped by an overtime goal, plus an assist, in a 3-2 win against Rimouski on Friday. Selected by the Blue Jackets in the third round (No. 96) of the 2022 draft, Dumais led the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with 140 points (54 goals, 86 assists) in 64 games last season.

Conor Geekie, C, Wenatchee (Arizona Coyotes): Geekie scored in Wenatchee's 3-2 win against Vancouver on Friday to extend his points streak to six games (five goals, five assists), a run that began when the 19-year-old scored the game-winning goal in Wenatchee's 4-0 win against Vancouver on Oct. 20. Selected by the Coyotes with the No. 11 pick in the 2022 draft, Geekie is second on Wenatchee with 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists) in 11 games.