The on-ice portion of Seattle Kraken development camp kicked off on Tuesday, with drafted, signed or undrafted invitees taking to the ice for practice at the Kraken Community Iceplex. Many of these players are unlikely to play for the Seattle Kraken, and those that do may be years away from making their debut. But it's always fun to get an early look at these players in person; for rookies, it's a chance to see the standard of their skills, and for players we've watched for years, it's a chance to observe their development.
Here are four players I'm especially excited about.
Berkley Catton
One player to watch is the Kraken's most recent first-round pick, Barkley Catton. Many Pacific Northwest WHL fans in the area have seen Catton play as he plays for the Spokane Chiefs. Catton recorded 54 goals and 62 assists in 68 games with the Chiefs in the 2023-24 season. He's fast, creative and has good handles that could make him a top player in the NHL. There should be plenty of space during camp to really showcase his skills.
Tyson Jugnauth
We have discussed the interesting developmental journey of Tyson Jugnauth in several forums. Selected by the Kraken in the fourth round of the 2022 NHL Draft, the defenseman began the 2023-24 season at the University of Wisconsin. However, midway through the collegiate season, he left NCAA hockey to play for the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL. This change allowed Jugnauth to flourish offensively. In 13 games with Wisconsin, Jugnauth averaged 0.15 points per game, compared to a full point per game during the regular season with the Winterhawks. He is a dynamic offensive defenseman who helped create a lot of offense during his time in the WHL.
Jugnaut has not signed with the Seattle Kraken, but if the Kraken signs with him, he will be eligible to play for the Coachella Valley Firebirds. This will be his third training camp with the Kraken, and it will be interesting to see how well he performs compared to other promising players at this point.
Carson Rekoff
Carson Rekov has been a big part of our team since our first development camp last summer. He was one of the Kraken's second-round picks in the 2023 NHL Draft and had a great season with the Kitchener Rangers. He ranked second in goals in the OHL with 52 despite missing significant time away from the team to play for Canada at the IIHF World Junior Championship. Rekov has a great shot and can score from anywhere on the ice. There is a slight chance that Rekov will remain with the Kraken when the regular season begins in the fall.
Leighton Road
The Kraken signed undrafted free agent Leighton Roed in March. Roed led the team in scoring with 30 points in 38 games during his collegiate career at Bemidji State. He played in five regular season games and five postseason games for the Coachella Valley Firebirds. In that short time, he was very calm and clearly quick for his first professional hockey game. It may be a few seasons before Roed competes for a spot on the Kraken roster, but he has impressed so far.
Camp Details
Development camps aren't the most intense hockey, but they are a great opportunity to observe the skills of promising players and give an idea of who may one day play in the NHL. Camps run Tuesday through Friday with a day off on the 4th of July.
- Tuesday, July 2: Doors open at 9:30am, group training session begins at approximately 9:45am
- Wednesday, July 3: Private viewing available only to season ticket members (pre-registration and ticket issuance required).
- Friday, July 5: Doors will open at 9:30am with scrimmages starting around 10:00am followed by a BBQ for the first 400 fans at 12:15pm.
The full list of players attending the development camp is as follows:
If you were lucky enough to attend, let us know who caught your eye and your favorite moments.
