The Seattle Kraken landed at No. 6 in Corey Pronman’s new under-23 ranking, a placement that puts them third among Pacific Division teams - behind San Jose at No. 1 and Anaheim at No. 2.
That’s the good news for Seattle. The strange part is how the division stacks up around them.
Calgary also checks in at No. 8, while Vegas lands at No. 29 and Edmonton at No. 31.
Vancouver sits at No. 17.
Pronman’s view of the Kraken is pretty clear: “The Kraken have done a fantastic job accumulating depth and building a balanced system with a priority on skill.”
At the top of Seattle’s list is 2026 first-round draft pick Chase Reid, a name familiar to readers of Pacific North Hockey. Pronman describes Reid as “a talented defenseman with a lot of offensive tools.
He has the speed, hands, vision and shot to generate chances and be a leading scorer. Reid isn’t overly physical, but he works hard enough and makes plenty of stops due to his reach, feet and compete level even while playing an aggressive style offensively.”
Reid is one of four Kraken ’26 draftees in the 19-prospect group. Forward Casey Mutryn comes in at No. 4, defenseman Ola Palme at No. 17, and center Viktor Fedorov at No.
- Pronman says Mutryn’s “versatility and ability to provide secondary scoring, while also playing a hard-nosed style, checks all the boxes.”
Palme “has the length, skating and physical play required to defend against pros.” Fedorov, listed at 5-foot-10, “has every trait you want in a player except for size.”
Two players who spent the entire season in Seattle also made the cut. Shane Wright ranks No. 5 and is described as someone who “looks like a projected middle-six center.
He’s a good skater and puck handler and can make plays, although he’s certainly not a dynamo with the puck.” Right after him is Berkly Catton at No.
- Pronman says, “He’s a great puck handler and passer, but for as dynamic as he looked in junior, he struggled to generate offense in the NHL.”
The Kraken’s top five also includes center Jake O’Brien at No. 2 and Julius Miettinen at No. 3, with Reid, Mutryn and Wright filling out the rest of the group. O’Brien “displays the high-end skill and vision to hold onto pucks for an extra second to make difficult plays and run a power play.
He’s extremely skilled with the puck, showing the soft touch and quick hands to create a lot of scoring chances.” Miettinen “has the one-on-one play to beat defensemen and do so with pace.
He has solid vision and offensive IQ.”
That’s only a slice of Pronman’s 2,500-word breakdown of Seattle’s under-23 talent pool.
In Other News...
Kraken Young Core Faces Real Pressure To Deliver A Playoff Push
The Kraken head into the 2026-27 season with the kind of expectations that usually come attached to progress, not patience. After three straight years outside the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the bar in Seattle is no longer just about being competitive on most nights. The next step has to mean a real playoff push, more offense that looks closer to league average and a team that starts to matter again in the Pacific Division race.
A big part of that leap falls on the young core, with Matty Beniers facing the clearest challenge of all as he tries to cement himself as the clubs No. 1 center. Seattle also needs at least one younger player to take a meaningful step forward, because development alone is not enough anymore. The Kraken have spent enough time talking about upside. Now the pressure is on for that potential to show up in the standings. [Read more 🡒]