Finn Kearns knew the odds were long before the 2026 NHL Draft ever got to his name. A defenseman with no ranking from NHL Central Scouting and a spot at 468th on Patrick Bacon of Top Down Hockey’s list, he was staring at a math problem that didn’t look very solvable: 32 NHL teams, seven rounds, 224 total picks.
Still, he kept watching.
After lacrosse practice on June 27, Kearns climbed into the back seat of a friend’s car and checked his phone while day two of the draft rolled on in Buffalo. By then, the fifth round was underway, and he was trying to keep his expectations in check.
“In my head, I was hoping I would be able to squeak into the draft,” he later told the Sudbury Star. “I knew I was disadvantaged by playing prep most of the year, which added to that tension.”
That prep-year split mattered. Kearns played only 15 games for the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves, spending most of the season at St. Andrews College.
But Seattle had already given him a reason to believe. Three Kraken scouts had previously lunched with him, and that was enough to keep the door cracked open.
“I had talked with Seattle, so I was like OK, just let me sit here and watch this,” Kearns recalled. “All the boys on my lacrosse team knew the draft was on and that I might get drafted.”
Even with that, the nerves were real.
“Not seeing my name listed on any kind of draft rankings, those were some downs. I was stressing all morning during my lacrosse practice.”
Then the call came from KeyBank Center: “With the 131st pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, the Seattle Kraken select Finn Kearns.”
The Toronto Beaches Jr. A lacrosse team made sure he didn’t hear the news alone. The celebration was loud enough that it may not have reached Kraken headquarters, but it was plenty big in the moment, with one teammate capturing screenshots as Kearns learned he’d been picked.
Kearns believes Seattle was drawn to the same traits that have defined his game all along.
“Consistency and my heavy play style,” he said. “I think that was appealing to them. But what I think put me over the top, like an X-factor, is the fearlessness and willingness out on the ice, the physicality and the violence I bring to my shifts every game.”
Now the focus shifts to what comes next. Kearns is set to return for a full OHL season at Sudbury before heading to the University of Massachusetts. This summer, he’ll work on lower-body strength, skating and puck skills, according to the Star.
At 6-foot-3 and 203 pounds, he already has the frame to build on. He also just turned 18 on June 8.
Sudbury coach Scott Barney sees a player who brings more than size and edge.
“He’s probably one of the toughest guys in the draft,” Barney said.” He’s a guy who loves to throw big hits and to play hard on his opponents.
He needs to work on his foot speed a bit, but that’s part of being a big man. His slapshot is as hard as you’re going to find.”
Barney also pointed to Kearns’ head for the game.
“He’s very smart. During training camp, he had already sent us his schedule of when he could play.
He understood if he came up and we were having success, maybe he wouldn’t play that game. But he works hard, he competes in practice and he brings a leadership element to his game.”
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