The Seattle Kraken have 16 prospects who have yet to sign their entry-level contract, asking the question who is next to be signed and when?
Matty Beniers recently signed his first contract after his ELC, which in some eyes is looked at as a graduate from a prospect to a full-time, heavily relied-upon player.
Prospects playing in the CHL or in one of the many European leagues can sign an ELC while not being paid by the club. This gives teams control over the prospect and allows them at the very least to receive compensation if they don't want to be a part of the organization at some point.
The three most recent Kraken prospects to sign an ELC were Oscar Fisker Molgaard, Berkly Catton and Kim Saarinen.
Related: Kraken Sign Oscar Fisker Molgaard To A Three-Year, Entry-Level Contract
Fisker Molgaard was selected by the Kraken with the 52nd overall pick in the 2023 NHL draft. The Danish centre spent the 2023-24 campaign in the SHL where after a slow start, found his game and started to produce. The Kraken took notice and signed him a three-year entry-level contract.
Catton signed his ELC at the conclusion of the Kraken's development camp. The Kraken's first-round selection in the 2024 draft will more than likely travel back to Spokane to play with the Chiefs following the Kraken's preseason. At the moment, Catton and Saarinen are the only 2024 Kraken draft selections to sign with the team.
Related: Kraken Sign Goaltender Kim Saarinen To An Entry-Level Contract
The other selections from the 2024 draft who have unsurprisingly not signed with the team are Julius Miettinen, Nathan Villeneuve, Alexis Bernier, Ollie Josephson, Clarke Caswell and Jakub Fibigr.
The Kraken will have a few additional seasons to decide whether they want to sign any of these prospects before they age out of the CHL.
Outside of the 2024 selections, the Kraken prospects who still remain unsigned are Justin Janicke, Ben MacDonald, Barrett Hall, Andrei Loshko, Zeb Forsfjall, Zaccharya Wisdom, Tyson Jugnauth, Kaden Hammell, Semyon Vyazoyov and Visa Vedenpaa, according to PuckPedia .
Miettinen, Villeneuve and Bernier could earn their entry-level contracts if they perform well in their respected CHL leagues allowing them to play a couple of games at the end of the AHL season. MacDonald is highly touted by the Kraken but due to the NCAA agreement will either wait until the team feels he is ready or after his four college seasons finish.
The Kraken have been building through the draft and have made a plethora of selections providing them with a deep prospect pool.
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Related: BREAKING: Kraken Sign Matty Beniers To Seven-Year Contract Extension
Related: Kraken Ink Berkly Catton To Entry-Level Contract
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