The Kraken are back in camp, and the preseason spotlight is already starting to sharpen on a few names who could push their way into the conversation before opening night.
Seattle is coming off a rough 2025-26 season that ended with the franchise missing the playoffs for the third straight year. Now the focus shifts to sorting out the roster, and with only four preseason games on the schedule, there’s not much time for anyone to make a case. That makes every shift matter, especially for players trying to force their way onto the NHL club.
Jagger Firkus is one of the clearest prospects worth tracking. The Kraken drafted him in the second round in 2022, and he’s been climbing through the organization ever since.
He played for the Moose Jaw Warriors in the Western Hockey League during the 2022-23 season and also appeared in one postseason game for the Coachella Valley Firebirds. He stayed with the Warriors for the full 2023-24 campaign before moving into a full season with Coachella Valley in 2024-25, when he put up 36 points in 69 regular-season games.
Last season, Firkus took another step, finishing with 56 points in 63 games. After that kind of production, the next question is obvious: can he carry it into camp and preseason against NHL competition?
He has a real shot at pushing for the opening night roster, and even if he doesn’t get there right away, he’s positioned to be a call-up option if injuries hit. For one of Seattle’s top prospects, this feels like a season that could finally put him on NHL ice.
Oscar Fisker Molgaard is another young player who has already had a taste of the league. On Nov. 20, he made his NHL debut against the Chicago Blackhawks and picked up an assist on Tye Kartye’s goal in the third period, which was Seattle’s first goal of the game.
His family flew in from Denmark to see it. Molgaard added 12 more NHL games after that and picked up another assist.
The rest of his 2025-26 season came with the Firebirds, where he played 49 games and scored 36 points. He also earned a spot on Denmark’s Men’s Hockey Winter Olympics team and posted three points in four games on the international stage. After that start, Molgaard is back in the mix again as he looks for another path onto the Kraken roster.
In goal, Nikke Kokko remains the name to watch. He has been Seattle’s top goaltending prospect for the past two seasons, and he’s already gotten a couple of looks with the big club.
In 2024-25, he was called up after Philipp Grubauer was sent to the Firebirds for a conditioning stint. Kokko entered in relief after Joey Daccord allowed five goals in 29 minutes, then finished the final 29:57, stopping two of six shots.
He got another NHL opportunity late last season and played in Seattle’s final three games. The Kraken beat the Calgary Flames with him in net, but they dropped games to the Los Angeles Kings and Vegas Golden Knights.
Even with that mixed result, the experience mattered. Kokko is expected to open 2026-27 as the Firebirds’ starting goaltender, but he’s also the kind of player who could be summoned at any point during the season.
Seattle opens preseason on Saturday, Sept. 19, when it hosts the Vancouver Canucks. With only four exhibition games available, the window to stand out is tight, and that puts even more weight on every chance these players get.
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