Assessing the Seattle Kraken's 2024 NHL Draft Class as of now

Post-2023-24 season, Sound Of Hockey ranked the Kraken's top 10 prospects. Notably, only two were defensemen. Ryker Evans, likely to be a regular in the 2024-25 season, and Ville Ottavainen are key defensive prospects. Other intriguing prospects include Caden Price and Lukas Dragicevic, with Ty Nelson set to prove himself in the AHL. The forward group shows more impact potential due to a higher investment in drafting forwards compared to defensemen. This led to speculation that the Kraken might focus on defense in the 2024 NHL Draft.

Seattle started the draft with nine picks but traded two late-rounders to Florida, ending with eight selections. The team focused on forwards, drafting five, with three or four potentially playing center, and two defensemen, one picked in the third round. They also continued their practice of drafting a goalie annually.

Draft analysts graded Seattle's draft positively but not among the top classes. Chris Peters of Flo Hockey gave a B+ grade, noting a lack of high-end defensemen. Other notable grades included:

• Steven Ellis, Daily Faceoff: A-


• Corey Pronman, The Athletic: B+


• Rachel Doerrie, ESPN: B+


• Mitchell Brown & David St-Louis, Elite Prospects: A

The Kraken drafted six top-100 players on the Sound Of Hockey Big Board and five in the top-100 data ranking. Despite a strong overall draft, there was disappointment in the lack of defensive investments. The team passed on several high-scoring defensemen in favor of Berkly Catton, a highly productive forward. This choice suggests Seattle prioritized offense and possibly saw more potential in local talent.

Seattle selected the youngest class in the league, with an average age of 18 years and two months. The class was also relatively small in stature, averaging just over 6-foot-0 in height and 182 pounds in weight. Seattle focused heavily on Canadian junior hockey players, with seven picks from the CHL, the most in the league.