Will Tomko isn’t pretending to be something he’s not, and that kind of straight talk may have helped him stand out to the Seattle Kraken.
“I’m not the most skilled guy,” the Kraken’s 2026 seventh-round pick told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
That honesty comes with a game Seattle clearly believes in. The 6-foot, 190-pound forward from western Pennsylvania brings the kind of edge teams keep circling back to: physical play, speed, and enough responsibility in his own end to make him more than just a crash-and-bang option.
Last season with the USHL’s Sioux City Musketeers, Tomko piled up 115 penalty minutes, a total he said included “a couple fights every once in a while.” He also produced, scoring 24 goals and 60 points in 59 games.
The Kraken have also liked what they’ve seen from him away from the box score. Tomko said, “I definitely take pride in my defense,” and Seattle scouts have praised the way he handles both ends of the ice. That showed up again at the team’s annual development camp intrasquad scrimmage, the Stucky Cup, where Tomko finished with three points, including two goals and an assist.
“You’re still getting a pretty good hockey player in the 7th round,” player development director Corey Murphy told Kraken editorial VP Geoff Baker. “We’ve loved his energy since day one of coming here. I think he’s made the most of the opportunity to go out and show that and he got rewarded.”
Around the scouting world, the read on Tomko has been pretty consistent. Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis called him “A hard-working forward who proved he could handle the penalty kill.”
Brock Otten of McKeen’s said, “Loved Tomko as a later round pick option and was glad to see him selected. He was really good for Sioux City in the second half this year.
He’s a fierce competitor but also a skilled playmaker. I think he profiles as a potential high energy bottom six pivot in the future.”
And the USHL website offered this: “Tomko’s draft stock has been steadily rising. Tomko has terrific open-ice speed and has shown an innate ability to convert on his scoring chances around the net.”
Tomko, 19, went undrafted in 2025, his first year of eligibility, but he said he had a different feeling heading into this year.
“I had a good feeling I was going to get drafted (this year),” he said. “I talked to a bunch of teams. I just had a good feeling.”
His next stop is Ohio State. Tomko originally expected to stay in Pennsylvania for college, but he and Penn State “didn’t see eye to eye.” Now he’s headed to the Buckeyes, where he’ll join four 2026 draftees on a roster that could use the help after finishing 14-21-2 last season before reaching the Big 10 championship game.
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Blue Jackets Suddenly Face A Risky Jet Greaves Contract Standoff
The Kraken have another reason to keep an eye on the market, even with the offseason still offering more questions than answers. Shane Wright has drawn interest from Pittsburgh, adding another layer to a Seattle forward group that has already spent plenty of time under the microscope as the organization weighs how to shape its next step.
Seattle is believed to be setting a high price on Wright, which is no small wrinkle for a player still viewed as part of the clubs long-term picture. The Penguins interest is made more notable by Ron Francis being back in their organization and already familiar with Wrights development, but any conversation would still have to clear a steep asking price before it gets anywhere. [Read more 🡒]