Via sportslogos.net

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Welcome to the September edition of the DobberProspects 32-in-32 Series. This month, we explore each organization in depth, examining its recent graduates, risers, fallers, and top-20 fantasy prospects. 

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By: Alex Wyatt

In 2022-2023, the Kraken entered the postseason as the seventh-ranked team, and while missing one of their top scorers knocked off a cup favorite in Game Seven. They then went up against another strong contender in round two, took them the seven-game distance, and lost 2-1 in the clincher. Hope was that this was the beginning of an era of playoff contention for Seattle, giving them a strong foundation to build off of. Though 2023-2024 represented a step back from the prior year’s success, the future is incredibly bright for this young franchise, and their prospect pool is heavily represented among the top scorers of several junior leagues. This will be the year we start seeing the homegrown talent establishing themselves as mainstays on the big club and the team’s identity taking shape going forward.

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Graduating Players

From Minors to NHL

Shane Wright

Wright has seen eight games at the NHL level in each of the last two seasons, and this should finally be the year we see him break the double-digit mark. After putting up 22 goals, 24 assists, and 46 points in 59 regular season games for Coachella Valley last season and 12 points in 11 playoff games, Wright should finally get his chance to show what he can do at the NHL level.

From Junior to AHL

Jagger Firkus

After taking giant leaps in production in each of his WHL seasons and leading the league in points in the most recent campaign, Firkus investors and Kraken fans alike will watch how the youngster adjusts to the pro game with the Coachella Valley Firebirds. He’s an absolute sniper, and should he continue his growth at the AHL level, any buy window opportunities will be firmly slammed shut.

Ty Nelson

Nelson had a quieter offensive season with the North Bay Battalion in 2023-24 with 16 goals, 36 assists, and 52 points in 54 games. He had 24 goals and 52 assists for 76 points in 67 games during the 2022-23 season, but the young rearguard still fired a high volume of shots and threw his weight around. Despite the dip in personal production, he sat eighth in goals by a defenseman, and every player ahead of him played between five and fifteen more games than he did, and his points per game sat him seventh overall.

David Goyette

Goyette led the OHL in scoring in 2023-24, scoring 117 points in 68 games, and will continue his development in the AHL. Fans of the Firebirds will be in for a treat if Goyette and Firkus can find chemistry on a line together.

From Overseas to AHL

Jani Nyman

I am excited to see Nyman move across the pond to join the Coachella Valley Firebirds. Playing for Ilves in the Liiga, his 26 goals were tops in the league by a U-20 scorer (Konsta Helenius was second with 14), his 43 points were also top spot (Helenius again was just second with 36), and his 0.90 points per game was tops for the age category, and 16th in the league for all players. At 6-4, 210 pounds, he has the body for the pro game and would be a wise stash if you can get your hands on him before everyone knows who he is.

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Risers

Ryker Evans

Though nothing’s written in stone, it’s safe to pencil Evans in on the Kraken’s roster for 2024-2025. In his 36-game stint with the Kraken in 2023-2024, he paced for 21 points and provided more than a shot, a block, and nearly two hits per game in his 19 minutes of ice time. He was also given almost 40% of the PP time at just under two minutes a game. There’s some solid multi-cat potential ahead for Evans. Stash him now.

Jagger Firkus

Firkus set the WHL on fire last year, scoring 61 goals and 65 assists in 63 games. His 126 points led the league, putting him second to only Connor Bedard since the 2018-2019 season. Firkus will get a shot in the coming campaign to show his mettle in the pro leagues with AHL’s Coachella Valley.

David Goyette

A Seattle Kraken prospect led his respective league in scoring by posting triple-digit points, putting him in the top performances for the last near-decade. This is a recording. Goyette sat atop the scoring leaderboard in the OHL with 40 goals, 77 assists, and a 117-point line.

The only players to meet or top Goyette’s 117 points in the last ten years are Connor McDavid, Mitch Marner, Alex Debrincat, Jason Robertson, Wyatt Johnston, Kevin Labanc, Dylan Strome, and Rory Kerins.

Carson Rehkopf

Rehkopf finished in the OHL’s top ten scorers with 52 goals and 43 assists for 92 points in 60 games. That sat him second in goals with six fewer than Anthony Romani in eight fewer games. The Seattle Kraken appears to have zero shortage of offensive weapons just a season or two away.

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Fallers

Lukas Dragicevic

Dragicevic’s third year in the WHL wasn’t as exciting as his sophomore output. He was a 15-60-75 producer in 68 games for the Tri-City Americans in 2022-2023 but saw his offense dip to a line of 14-36-50 in 66 games in 2023-2024. It wasn’t realistic to expect the young defender to lead the team in scoring for a second year in a row, but this wasn’t the type of progression one hoped to see out of him when they drafted him to their fantasy squads. Keep an eye out for a rebound.

Eduard Sale

Sale’s 38 points in 49 games wasn’t a terrible showing for the OHL rookie, but it wasn’t enough to quiet the critics of Sale’s game, and questions about his consistency swirled again. To his credit, he had a great playoff, with five goals and seven assists for 12 points in 10 games, but those who were naysayers for him have more ammunition, and managers who drafted him hoping for the best haven’t yet alleviated their concerns.

Tye Kartye

Kartye wowed us all with his impressive fill-in as a rookie while the Kraken eliminated the cup-contending Avalanche in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2022-2023. In his first full NHL season, he managed 11 goals and 20 points, which is a fine effort for the young man as a rookie, and his 229 hits placed him 13th in the league, but he seems to be more destined for a bottom-six role (with elite hits- valuable if your league counts them) rather than a top-six offensive one.

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Organizational Depth Chart

(Combination NHL readiness and upside)

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Top 20 Fantasy Prospects

This section is intended to paint a picture of the Seattle Kraken prospects whose current trajectory projects them making the most positive fantasy impact when they reach the NHL. Arrival date and NHL certainty have been taken into consideration. However, a player’s potential upside is the most important factor in determining this list.

1. Berkly Catton

2. Shane Wright 

3. Ryker Evans

4. Jagger Firkus

5. David Goyette

6. Ty Nelson

7. Tye Kartye

8. Jani Nyman

9. Carson Rehkopf

10.  Caden Price

11.  Lukas Dragicevic

12.  Eduard Sale

13.  Julius Miettinen

14.  Jacob Melanson

15.  Oscar Fisker-Molgaard

16.  Nathan Villeneuve

17.  Logan Morrison

18.  Tucker Robertson

19.  Niklas Kokko

20.  Ryan Winterton

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Thanks for reading!