The 2024 NHL Draft is behind us. After two days of witnessing tomorrow’s players having their names called up in the technological marvel that is the Sphere in Las Vegas, everyone can now start assessing how each franchise performed. Who made brilliant picks? Who made controversial ones? But readers who clicked on this article want to know how the Seattle Kraken did. While having former Seattle Seahawks running back (and part Kraken owner) Marshawn Lynch present on Friday night was neat, how did Seattle fare at the draft?
Release the new Krakens!
Round 1 – 8th Pick: Berkly Catton
It’s nice knowing that the NHL Draft is in the rearview mirror. There are only so many ways of writing “the Kraken need to improve their scoring” and we had exercised all of them. Had a defenseman been selected eighth overall, fans and pundits would have had fits.
The hottest new Kraken at the practice rink this offseason will be Berkly Catton, formerly of the Spokane Chiefs in the Western Hockey League (WHL). The Saskatoon native comes in at 5-foot-11 and 163 pounds, making him a bit light for a big-league center, but his upside seems terrific. He has great skating, great hands, great passing, etc.
Related: Seattle Kraken Draft Berkly Catton 8th Overall
Through the prospect evaluations that the experts released during the past few months, Catton was awarded extremely high praise. His natural position is center, as is that of the much-lauded 2022 first-round pick Shane Wright. Both are also left-handed shooters. For that matter, the Kraken have almost exclusively left-handed shooters at the center position. Logan Morrison and Andrew Poturalski are about the only exceptions to that rule. Beggers can’t be choosers, and sometimes all a team can do when they’re on the clock is draft the best player available. It’s not the worst situation to be in.
Given Catton’s numbers in 2023-24, Seattle certainly picked up a wonderful prospect. In 68 total matches, he tallied 54 goals and 62 assists and was a plus-15.
Round 2 – 40th Pick: Julius Miettinen
Catton isn’t the only WHL forward joining Seattle’s ranks. The first of two selections in the sophomore round saw the Kraken pick up Julius Miettinen. The Finnish attacker developed with the Everett Silvertips.
Whereas Catton could be (mildly) criticized for his lack of size, such is not the case with Miettinen. The guy is a tank, coming in at 6-foot-3 and 207 pounds, nearly 45 pounds heavier than Catton. He’s yet another left-handed sniper, although he has more experience alternating between the center and wing positions. At the time of writing, the NHL free agency frenzy is only hours away, and a lot could happen in the coming 24, 48, or 72 hours. Looking at the team’s roster, the left-wingers are getting up there in age. Pierre-Edouard Bellemare is 39 (pending unrestricted free agent), Brandon Tanev is 32 (and has struck the Ottawa Senators’ interest), and Tomas Tatar is 33 (pending UFA).
For all intents and purposes, the left side of Seattle’s attacking force could look very different come the 2024-25 regular season.
Round 2 – 63rd Pick: Nathan Villeneuve
Seattle benefitted from a slew of picks in the first few rounds. They went again at 63rd overall and opted for Nathan Villeneuve, who made a name for himself with the Sudbury Wolves in the Ontario Hockey League. The Ottawa native splits the difference between the height and weight contrasts between the first two picks. Villeneuve is six feet and comes in at 190 pounds. You guessed it: he’s a center.
Our analysts gave a lot of praise for his hockey IQ and shooting ability. His defensive awareness translated to a key role in Sudbury’s penalty-killing unit in 2023-24.
Where things get a bit tricky is his maturity. He has a knack for getting into scrums after the whistle. To be fair, Seattle wasn’t what anyone could describe as a tough team in 2023-24, so this could end up working favorably for them. By the same token, head coach Dan Bylsma will want to rein in any hot tempers that flair up. This is where Bylsma’s time with the Coachella Valley Firebirds of the American Hockey League is advantageous. He knows a thing or two about dealing with young players who still need to grow as professionals.
Round 3 – 73rd Pick: Alexis Bernier
It’s interesting that the Kraken went with Alexis Bernier of the Baie-Comeau Drakkar with the third round’s 73rd pick. One of the criticisms of the player Seattle took just before, Villeneuve, is that his skating could use improvement, particularly when in breakout situations. On the flip side is Bernier, whose strength is his speed and agility when his line needs to swoop out.
Bernier is also the first defenseman the Kraken took. This too lines up with what we wrote in our series of predictions. The club couldn’t score to save its life in 2023-24, so there was no way the first two or three picks would be dedicated to anything other than forwards. By the time they got to Round 3 a trio of picks would be in the books, so Ron Francis and company would have leeway to explore other positions. Lo and behold, they took a defender. It’s a smart pick. Just because a side has tremendous defense one season does not mean those fancy statistics will automatically carry over into the next, or for multiple future campaigns.
Round 3 – 88th Pick: Kim Saarinen
We didn’t predict much accurately except for Round 3. Is it because the club’s needs were so glaring that, given three options in the first two rounds, it was inevitable the Kraken would do something different come the third? Perhaps. With that said, Seattle selected a goalkeeper in the 88th spot. Kim Saarinen is also their second Finn of the 2024 NHL Draft.
Standing at 6-foot-4 and 180 pounds, he’s everything a modern NHL goalie should be concerning stature and crease presence. He developed with HPK U20 and sported a handsome 2.41 goals-against average and .917 save percentage in 2023-24. The major criticism against him is a habit of allowing soft goals. With Joey Daccord and Philipp Grubauer established as the two-headed dragon in net, one wonders how much of Saarinen fans will see next season, if at all.
Round 4 – 105th Pick: Ollie Josephson
And it’s back to the left-handed centers in Round 4 with Ollie Josephson. Born in Victoria, BC, he earned his draft value by playing with the Red Deer Rebels, making him the third WHL forward that caught Seattle’s attention. One has to think that something will give this week during free agency. The Kraken are either stockpiling centers for kicks and giggles, or they have plans that will be unveiled very soon.
Our prospects writers view Josephson as a sneakily efficient forward. He doesn’t always light up the scoresheet, but his intelligence and two-way talent make him a deceptively important player on a roster.
This is by no means a bad pick. By Round 4, teams are doing the best they can to select players they think can help them get over the edge. That Josephson is known for great skating in the offensive zone and tape-to-tape passes is already enough to give hope to a floundering attack.
Round 5 – 141st Pick: Clarke Caswell
And now for something, well, not completely different but at least not exactly the same thing as three earlier picks. Clarke Caswell was a WHLer (Swift Current Broncos) and shoots left but is more of a pure left winger. His 2023-24 season was terrific, as he tallied 77 points in only 68 contests via 26 markers and 51 helpers.
Much praise has been given to his ability to skate in the offensive zone to make plays. He is reportedly selective with his shots, which is perhaps not what Kraken fans want to hear. Conversely, he doesn’t dump the puck needlessly if a play might not develop. He tends to keep it on his stick to try and create something.
Of note, there was some intra-team, behind-the-scenes activity to make this pick. The Kraken traded away the 169th and 201st picks to the Florida Panthers for this spot.
Round 7 – 202nd Pick: Jakub Fibigr
To close out Seattle’s 2024 NHL Draft, they went with a defender, something else we suspected they might do at this stage. Czech native and left-hand shot Jakub Fibigr is the final man to be welcomed by the Kraken. His 2023-24 season was spent with the Brampton Steelheads in the OHL.
Fibigr is known for his physical play and ability to close lanes and frustrate shooters. His skating could be improved, but that’s why he’ll spend most if not all of next season honing his craft at a lower level.
Final Thoughts
Francis is not one to rush into things. Look no further than Wright, the 2022 first-round pick. He just began earning important ice time in the NHL this season, nearly two full years after he was selected. Given that, will players like Fibigr, Caswell, or Josephson play under the bright lights of Climate Pledge Arena in 2024-25? It seems unlikely. To be honest, fans might not even see much of the higher draft picks either.
Having said that, if the team is serious about improving its attack – and one would hope they are serious about it – then the Wrights and Morrisons of past draft classes will feature more prominently in Kraken uniforms. As a result, the Cattons and Miettinens will sport Firebirds colors most of the time, or possibly even Kansas City Mavericks colors (ECHL). If this year’s batch of prospects develops quickly and Seattle is in a hunt for a playoff spot, maybe we’ll see them in action before the campaign is done.
If Seattle wants to be bold, then the 2024-25 club will look a lot younger and spryer than it did in 2023-24. It simply was not an exciting side. NHL summers are about two things. The first part, the draft, is now done and dusted. It’s time to see where this class fits in given free agency and contract negotiations with the stalwarts.
