The Seattle Kraken selected 18-year-old center Jake O’Brien from the Ontario Hockey League’s Brantford Bulldogs with the No. 8 overall pick in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft on Friday evening.

Kraken 2025 NHL Draft Tracker: Keep up with every pick

This marks the fourth time in the Kraken’s five-year history that they’ve drafted a center in the first round. They took center Matty Beniers in 2021, center Shane Wright in 2022 and center Berkly Catton in 2024.

O’Brien totaled 98 points (32 goals and 66 assists) in 66 games this past season. He added three goals and eight assists in 11 playoff games.

O’Brien also was the OHL Rookie of the Year for the 2023-24 season, when he recorded 64 points (13 goals and 51 assists) in 61 games with Brantford. He led all OHL rookies in both points and assists that season.

A 6-foot-2, 172-pound Toronto native, O’Brien helped Canada’s under-18 team capture a gold medal at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

The NHL Draft continues Saturday with rounds 2-7. The Kraken have two second-round picks, a fifth-round pick and a seventh-round pick.

WHO’S GOT O’BRIEN⁉️

Where do you think Jake O’Brien will be selected in the draft? #OHL #BFD #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/9iKE7a8b2B

— Brantford Bulldogs (@BulldogsOHL) June 27, 2025

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