“Down on the Farm” is your weekly update on all things Seattle Kraken prospects. This week we’ll stack Seattle’s prospect pool, provide an update and scouting video on Ollie Josephson, get you data from the last week, and preview the week ahead. As always, if you have a prospect-related question you’d like to see featured in a future column, drop us a note below or on X or BlueSky @deepseahockey. Let’s dig in.
2024-25 mid-season Seattle Kraken prospects ranking
During this pause in the NHL schedule, we have a moment for reflection, and one thing we wanted to do was get you a mid-season Seattle Kraken prospect pool ranking.
Two caveats up front. First, we approach this project with a heaping helping of humility. While we do our best to be informed and watch as much as we can, personally I haven’t viewed any non-Firebirds or WHL prospect more than a handful of times this season. (And, right now, I’m deep into my pre-draft video work, so that leaves even less time.)
Second, a “ranking” of prospects already in the system is inherently a bit trifling. Unlike pre-draft prospect rankings where the difference between the No. 4 and No. 6 player could make a real-world difference, what’s the consequence once the player is in the organization already? In reality, the question is whether an individual player is meeting or exceeding a development trajectory. Prospect rankings are fun, and the goal is to reveal information about the progress of the players, but they are just a conversation starter.
With that said, I approached this ranking focused on a player’s projected NHL contributions. My approach gave some consideration to a player’s “ceiling,” “floor,” and timeline, but I resolved close cases by asking which of two players I’d rather have if I could only have one and my only goal was NHL team success. I tried to avoid thinking about the current state of the Kraken roster and instead focus on the merit of the player.
Here is your Deep Sea Hockey Top-22 Kraken prospects. I’ll follow with a few reactions from other writers here at Sound Of Hockey, and then some concluding thoughts of my own.
John Barr: “As much as I love Oscar Fisker Mølgaard, I don’t think we know enough about him to put him that high on the list. He still needs to play on North American ice and will need to contribute more offensively if we are going to rank him No. 2. Carson Rehkopf has questions as well, but he has showcased the ability to score and would likely be more valuable than a shutdown center.”Darren Brown: “I’d put Eduard Sale higher as well. Such a weird development curve for him, but he’s shown he can be an effective pro.”Blaiz Grubic: “Names that jump out to me as low: Lleyton Roed, Tyson Jugnauth, Jacob Melanson. Names that seem a little too high: Ryan Winterton, Julius Miettienen. Definitely seems like the rankings favor age.”
John touched on the individual ranking that had me going back-and-forth the most. For me, Berkly Catton was clearly the No. 1 prospect in the system and Nyman was solidly No. 4. Conversely, I found it difficult to situate Mølgaard and Rehkopf between No. 2 and No. 3. So, they’re a similar grade or tier for me. This marks a rise for Mølgaard from my pre-season ranking.
Rehkopf has the higher ceiling, I’d say, as a top-notch scoring wing, but that value is largely tied to an elite shot. The depth of his skillset hasn’t filled out much. That’s a bit hard to do in the OHL where he can win consistently with what he’s got. He needs the challenge of a higher competition level, and he’ll get that next year. Mølgaard, on the other hand, has had high-level professional challenges for two-plus years now and has responded by pushing his game forward across the board incrementally.
I find it hard to imagine a future in which Mølgaard is not a productive third-line NHL center within a few years. He could be more than that too, but is unlikely to reach Rehkopf’s peak value. Rehkopf, on the other hand, could struggle to find consistent NHL time if his elite traits don’t fully translate.
If you were to flip them in this ranking, I wouldn’t argue with you much. And I’d imagine virtually all other rankings you could find would have Rehkopf above Mølgaard (and perhaps significantly so). So, this ranking is offered as a market correction (or conversation starter), if nothing else.
Eduard Sale is another interesting one, noted by Darren. I’ve gone through stretches with him this season where I believe his off-puck play has turned a corner and he has learned where he needs to be in the offensive and defensive zones to find success. In other viewings, I have struggled to notice him at all. He had a strong World Junior Championship and his early run at Coachella Valley was heartening. I’d like to see him reassert himself with a solid finish to the season if I’m going to put him above consistent, hard-working, high-floor players like Winterton and Miettinen.
Blaiz noted a few names that he thought were too low and I like all of them, particularly Roed and Jugnauth, so it’s hard to argue. I explained my high regard for Winterton a couple weeks ago. Miettinen really impressed me as a depth piece at the World Juniors. It’s easy enough to see a professional role for him that I couldn’t justify moving him too much lower on the list.
Regarding the defensemen in the system, I think Jugnauth and Lukas Dragicevic are in a similar tier. Dragicevic is younger and longer, with arguably some superior physical traits. Jugnauth is more advanced, detailed, and dominant offensively in the WHL this season. Still, I’d take Caden Price over both of them, despite a recent scoring drought, due to a superior defensive profile (if not realized production) to go along with offensive skills. That said, there are significant questions about Price’s projection too, which is why my top defenseman comes in at No. 9 in the system.
Finally, on the goalies, we have documented (and run out of adjectives to describe) the dominance of Kim Saarinen and Semyon Vayzovoy in their respective European pro leagues. The inherent variability of the position is the only thing keeping them this low in the ranking. These two have taken perhaps the biggest production leaps in the system this season (Jugnauth also comes to mind). Yet, Nikke Kokko’s solid early work on the closest rung to the NHL convinced me to keep him as the top goalie in the system. Even though none are receiving national prospect attention, this goalie group is quite strong, in my opinion.
Let’s get quizzical
Catton’s 1.98 points-per-game pace is the eighth-best single season pace in the WHL in the last 20 years. Two of the players above him on the list are also in the Kraken organization. Who are they?
Notes on three Kraken prospectsOllie Josephson | F | Red Deer Rebels (WHL)
2024 fourth-round pick Ollie Josephson missed about a month of the WHL season from the end December through the end of January with an apparent injury. The Red Deer Rebels captain was back into the lineup last week and got back into the scoring column this week, with two points in four games. His point production has never lit up the WHL, but he plays fast, is strong fore-checking and back-checking, and plays all situations for Red Deer. He projects as a bottom-six role player. Check out his shifts from Red Deer’s October 5, 2024, game against Calgary below, in which he had a goal and two assists.
Jani Nyman | F | Coachella Valley Firebirds (AHL)
Nyman has points in five straight games for the Firebirds (totaling three goals, three assists, and a +3 plus-minus during that stretch). He now has 19 goals in the AHL this season, which is most among AHL rookies, third among AHL players age 23 or younger, and 11th in the AHL overall. After a transition period at the end of last year and to begin this season, Nyman has been finding space to use his elite shot with regularity. There are still skating, puck possession, and defensive aspects of his game that need more time, but his carrying trait is working just one level below the NHL.
Carson Rehkopf | F | Brampton Steelheads (OHL)
Last Friday saw two notable offensive explosions from top Kraken prospects. Catton tallied four goals and an assist, while Rehkopf scored three goals and added three assists. We recognized Catton as last week’s Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week so it seems only appropriate that Rehkopf pick up the award for this week. While his other games were a bit quieter, Friday’s performance alone earned it.
🌟 #OHLPerformer of the Night 🌟@SeattleKraken prospect Carson Rehkopf had an unbelievable performance, scoring three goals AND three assists as the @OHLSteelheads put up TEN goals Friday night!🚨🚨🚨🍎🍎🍎#OHL | @bastardburrito | #SeaKraken pic.twitter.com/U3qeqiXDtk
— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) February 8, 2025 Kraken prospects data update
Pre-season standout Nathan Villeneuve’s scoring has been trending upward of late. He had four goals and an assist in three OHL games this past week.
Answering our “let’s get quizzical” prompt, Catton’s current 1.98 points-per-game pace was topped by Kraken teammates Jagger Firkus (last season) and Oliver Bjorkstrand (in 2014-15).
Semyon Vyazovoy remained in the VHL (Russia’s second-level pro league) for the second straight week. He did all he could to prove he didn’t belong there and should be back in the KHL by posting a shutout in is his only start.
Victor Östman is currently on the NHL roster after the team sent Ales Stezka to the AHL as part of some pre-Four Nations break maneuvering. NHL rules require NHL teams to carry two goalies at any given time and Östman was the choice to fill the second spot over the break. He has carried the heaviest workload among Kraken goalies in the minors and performed well for the Mavericks. So, he earns a well-deserved vacation (and at an NHL salary, no less). I’d expect him to be returned to the ECHL by the time NHL players return to practice on Feb. 18.
2024-25 Sound Of Hockey Prospect of the Week tracker
Berkly Catton: 3
Clarke Caswell: 2
Tyson Jugnauth: 2
Alexis Bernier: 1
Andrei Loshko: 1
Oscar Fisker Mølgaard: 1
Victor Östman: 1
Caden Price: 1
Carson Rehkopf: 1
Kim Saarinen: 1
Nathan Villeneuve: 1
Ryan Winterton: 1
Semyon Vyazovoy: 1
Previewing the week ahead
Tyson Jugnauth and the Portland Winterhawks are slated to be in Seattle (ahem, Kent) Saturday when they clash with the Thunderbirds at 6:05 pm PT.
Recent prospect updates
February 8, 2025: Oscar Fisker Mølgaard quietly ascends the ranks
January 31, 2025: Measuring the performance of the Seattle Kraken prospect pool
January 24, 2025: Tyson Jugnauth is putting on a show in Portland
January 17, 2025: Jani Nyman’s scoring, 2025 NHL Draft coverage
January 10, 2025: Interview with Kraken director of player development Jeff Tambellini
January 3, 2025: Stock Up, Stock Down for Kraken prospects at the World Junior Championship
December 20, 2024: Kraken system after the Kaapo Kakko trade, David Goyette’s progress, and World Juniors
December 13, 2024: Three Kraken prospects make Team Canada WJC roster
December 6, 2024: Seattle Kraken goalie prospects progressing in the professional ranks
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.