Welcome to “Down on the Farm,” your weekly Seattle Kraken prospects update. This week, we have one more slim “holiday” update before returning with more standard columns next week. We’ll have actual updates from the World Junior Championship and a mid-season Kraken prospect ranking as we move into the new year. In the interim, we still have all the Kraken prospect content you’ve come to expect, including news from around the organization, weekly and season-to-date data updates, all-shifts videos, Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week, a preview of the week ahead, and more.
If you have a Seattle Kraken prospect–related question you’d like to see featured in a future column, drop us a note below or on X or BlueSky @deepseahockey or @sound_hockey. Happy New Year to all!
When and where to watch Kraken prospects at the 2026 WJC
As is tradition, the hockey world’s attention turns to the World Juniors on this Boxing Day. The tournament has added significance for the United States this year, with the team looking for its third straight title—and this time on home turf in Minnesota. The team will face stiff competition, particularly from Team Canada and Team Sweden, which look like equal or superior contenders for gold. With Team Finland and Team Czechia also serious competitors, there should be plenty of drama.
From a Kraken prospects perspective, the team will have four players participating: Kim Saarinen and Julius Miettinen for Finland, Loke Krantz for Sweden, and Jakub Fibigr for Czechia. As we noted last week, Jake O’Brien was one of the last cuts from Team Canada camp. Likewise, when Team USA announced its final cuts on Wednesday, Dec. 24, defenseman Blake Fiddler was among them. Berkly Catton returned from injury this past week, but the Kraken opted not to loan him to Canada for the tournament.
All of this clears the road for Kraken fans to be low-key, unofficial Team Finland fans yet again. (This feels like an annual tradition dating back to Nikke Kokko and Jani Nyman’s time at the tournament.)
The United States and Sweden headline pool play Group A. Canada, Czechia, and Finland are in Group B. Play starts at 10:00 am PT on Friday, Dec. 26, 2025, when Sweden takes on Slovakia. A full schedule, with team games involving Kraken prospects highlighted, can be found below. Almost every game can be found on NHL Network in the United States and on TSN in Canada.
For the U.S. cord cutters out there, NHL Network is a frustrating channel to access because it is only available through online cable bundles. The most cost-effective method I’ve found to get NHL Network for the World Juniors is to sign up for a month of Sling’s “Select” plan and then add the sports package. The total comes out to about $35.00 for the month in the Seattle area, though it can vary slightly in other markets.
Anyone have predictions? I suspect this may be the year Canada breaks its “skid” and reclaims gold.
Notes on four more Kraken prospects
Jakub Fibigr | D | Team Czechia (WJC)
Former Thunderbird Radim Mrtka suffered an apparent injury in the first period of Czechia’s first pre-tournament game and did not return. Now, Mrtka was left off the list of players Czechia registered for the tournament. While most teams list eight defensemen, Czechia listed only six. I suspect the team will add another blueliner at some point, but the path is clear for Fibigr to play heavy top-four minutes at the WJC. A big opportunity awaits him.
Maxim Agafonov | D | Tolpar Ufa (MHL)
After getting a game of KHL action early in the season and playing most of the year at the second professional tier (VHL), 2025 fifth-rounder Maxim Agafonov has been moved down to the Russian junior league (MHL) in recent weeks. Agafonov is a skilled, puck-moving defenseman, but the offensive production has not been there this season against professionals. Whether he was overmatched or simply not getting the necessary opportunities to develop and deploy his offensive assets, a (temporary) move down may be for the best—even if it is a disappointment to the player.
Tyson Jugnauth | D | Coachella Valley Firebirds (AHL)
Tyson Jugnauth has had a tale of two seasons so far. The Firebirds have relied on him to drive offense, and he has delivered. His 21 points are the most in the AHL among rookie blueliners—three more than the player with the second most. Defensively, the acclimation process has been difficult. His instincts and physicality both need to take significant steps for him to be a viable option for promotion.
In other news on the Firebirds blue line, Gustav Olofsson sounds primed to return this week after missing more than two months with an injury.
Jagger Firkus | F | Coachella Valley Firebirds (AHL)
Jagger Firkus, 21, continues to be the essential offensive spark for the Firebirds. With two goals and three assists in two games last week, Firkus is your Sound Of Hockey Player of the Week. (This puts him alone in the lead for the “coveted” season-long honor, with three such weeks.)
Firkus leads the team and is tied for sixth in the AHL in total scoring points. That total is the most by any player 23 years old or younger. While there have been quiet games mixed in, it is now commonplace for Firkus to generate three or four high-danger looks for himself or a linemate each game. While there is still more that could be done, his board work has improved, particularly his ability to extract the puck and win one-on-one puck battles. His frame is, and will always be, slender, but he is finding a way to make it work for him—much like Matty Beniers has done at the NHL level. It’s starting to look more and more like a sheltered offensive winger role is in his future.
Kraken prospects data update
Loke Krantz did not play any club games in the last week because he was participating in Team Sweden camp ahead of the WJC, but even so, he was a strong contender for an unconventional Player of the Week. A relatively obscure and underaged player to begin the year, he was not on my radar for Team Sweden. Earning a role as an 18-year-old on a team with gold medal aspirations is one of the more impressive achievements by any player in the Kraken organization this year.
Nathan Villeneuve proved last year that he could physically control a junior game, and this year he’s proving he can dominate offensively as well. He is fifth in the OHL in points per game, an all-the-more impressive achievement on a subpar Sudbury team that has only two players—Villeneuve and Kieron Walton—in the top 90 in scoring rate.
Semyon Vyazovoi is earning the starter’s share of games for his KHL team and continues to deliver solid results. He has done everything he can to earn an NHL contract and a timeshare in Coachella Valley next season.
Beyond the stats, Nikke Kokko has a knack for winning—often making his best saves at the most important moments. He is 6-1-2 in his last nine starts.
Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week tracker
3: Jagger Firkus
2: Julius Miettinen, Kim Saarinen
1: Barrett Hall, Ollie Josephson, Tyson Jugnauth, Nikke Kokko, Jake O’Brien, Nathan Villeneuve, Semyon Vyazovoi, Zaccharya Wisdom
Previewing the week ahead
We’ll give our Deep Sea Hockey Game of the Week to the WJC matchup between Miettinen and Saarinen’s Team Finland and Fibigr’s Team Czechia at 12:30 pm PT on Monday, Dec. 29.
Tracking 2026 NHL Draft prospects: William Håkansson
William Håkansson is a big-framed defenseman with shutdown, play-killing ability and a ton of pro experience for a draft-eligible player—having played parts of two seasons in Sweden’s top professional league (SHL) already. Corey Pronman of The Athletic had a mid-first-round grade on Håkansson in his most recent prospect ranking. Håkansson will represent Sweden at the WJC.
Recent prospect updates
December 20, 2025: Resetting Seattle Kraken draft capital after the Mason Marchment trade
December 13, 2025: Ryan Jankowski talks Kraken prospects
December 5, 2025: World Juniors Announcements, Kokko saving the day for the Firebirds
November 29, 2025: Projecting Kraken prospects to the 2026 World Junior Championship
November 21, 2025: Blake Fiddler brings intriguing tools
November 15, 2025: Firkus steps forward for Firebirds
November 7, 2025: Caden Price looks the part in pro debut
October 31, 2025: College hockey seasons under way for Kraken prospects
October 25, 2005: Mølgaard is an all-situations contributor as an AHL rookie
October 17, 2025: Tyson Jugnauth earns important role with the Firebirds
October 10, 2025: Firebirds drop the puck on the 2025-26 season
October 3, 2025: Catton makes his case for the NHL Roster
September 26, 2025: Junior seasons begin, J.R. Avon settles in
Curtis Isacke
Curtis is a Sound Of Hockey contributor and member of the Kraken press corps. Curtis is an attorney by day, and he has read the NHL collective bargaining agreement and bylaws so you don’t have to. He can be found analyzing the Kraken, NHL Draft, and other hockey topics on Twitter and Bluesky @deepseahockey.