EL SEGUNDO, CA – Seattle prospects split the weekend in the 2024 Rookie Faceoff, overwhelming Colorado, 5-1, Saturday and dropping a 5-3 final to Vegas Sunday.

In the Sunday matchup, Vegas raced out to a 4-0 lead before Seattle responded with three goals to make the last eight minutes nerve-wracking for the divisional rival. A late empty-net goal made the score look more comfortable.

Both matinee contests provided more insights for GM Ron Francis and his hockey operations staff, which included the majority of the North American amateur scouting staff. New AHL Coachella Valley head coach Derek Laxdal got a preview of a significant number of Seattle prospects who will be skating for the AHL Firebirds squad this season.

Vegas Strikes First and Frequent

Vegas grabbed an early lead on a mid-first-period powerplay when Kraken defenseman Kaden Hammel (5^th round, 2023) was whistled for interference. VGK forward Braeden Bowman backhanded a shot past Seattle goaltender Victor Ostman, scoring his second goal in two games at this tournament. Bowman, an undrafted free agent signee, scored 97 goals over three seasons with the Ontario Hockey League Guelph Storm.

Ostman, signed as a free agent last spring after a stellar career at the University of Maine, kept matters close by making ten saves to keep a one-goal deficit at the first intermission. He made some quality stops during Vegas’ second powerplay of the opening 20 minutes. But the second period was problematic for Ostman and his teammates. Vegas scored 33 seconds into the middle frame, then again at 4:09 and 8:42.

To Ostman’s credit, he finished the day with 34 saves and stayed the course as Seattle climbed back into the game. Vegas outshout the Kraken, 39 to 21, with margins of 11-5 and 19-7 in the first two periods, with both teams recording nine shots on goal in the final frame.

Seattle Revives to Halve the Lead

The Kraken were outshot 18 to 9 at the mid-game mark, but then Seattle scored twice in 95 seconds. On Vegas’ third powerplay of the game, 2022 second-rounder Jagger Firkus broke out with 2024 second-rounder Nathan Villeneuve joining for a 2-on-1 rush up the ice. Possibly, Vegas goalie Carl Lindbom was informed of Firkus’ reputation as both a shooter and a playmaker. The Swedish-born goaltender leaned a bit toward Firkus, who slid a nifty pass to Villeneuve to put Seattle on the scoresheet.

Villeneuve didn’t flub the chance, wristing a fast-release shot with 12 minutes left in the second period. The 18-year-old clearly annoyed Vegas players all game with his chippiness and went to the penalty for a five-minute major for dropping the gloves with 22-year-old Russian-born Vegas defenseman Daniil Chayka, who has been an AHL regular the last two seasons.

Just a minute-and-a-half later, Seattle defenseman Caden Price (3^rd round, 2023) quickly delivered a shot from the left point into a swirl of net-front traffic. The shot deflected off some part of Tucker Robertson’s equipment and cut the Vegas lead in half, suddenly giving the Seattle/Coachella Valley fans in the stands a reason to think comeback. Firkus picked up the assist for his second helper of the period and third in two games here at the Los Angeles Kings training center.

From there, Vegas put more pressure on Ostman, who responded by making 12 saves in the final 10 minutes of the middle stanza. The shots on goal totals after 40 minutes: Vegas 30, Seattle 12.

Nearly halfway into the final period, the aforementioned Firkus executed a perfect steal against a Vegas D-man at the blue line, creating a breakaway that caught attention in the Kraken scouts section of the plexi-glassed long viewing table behind seven rows of stands. Firkus deked properly but shot wide.

Firkus didn’t stew over the missed opportunity. Within three minutes, Firkus scored the Kraken’s third goal with an assist from upcoming AHL teammate Robertson and 2023 second-rounder Carson Rehkopf, who will return to juniors if he doesn’t make the opening day NHL roster. Kitchener, where Rehkopf scored 100 goals and notched 135 assists over three seasons, sent the power forward to OHL Brampton for four draft choices.

Seattle couldn’t get the tying goal in the remaining eight minutes. However, there is no denying the grit and no-quit in the Sunday squad.

Catton Debuts

The Kraken’s first-round draft choice and No. 8 overall in the 2024 NHL Draft, Berkly Catton, played his first competitive game for the franchise. It will be far from the last.

Catton, 18, wore one of three “A’s” on his Seattle jersey to indicate which players were alternate captains, perhaps indicating how much the Kraken organization likes the skilled center’s actions on and off the ice. The other two alternate captains were prospects Tucker Robertson (40 games with AHL affiliate Coachella Valley Firebirds last season) and Lleyton Roed (NCAA free agent signee who impressed in 10 CVF appearances after a banner year at Division I Bemidji State).

Catton centered 2024 Western Hockey League player of the year Jagger Firkus and 2024 second-rounder Nathan Villeneuve. He looked more in the game’s flow in the final 40 minutes and nearly created a late second-period 4-on-4 goal with a skilled exhibit of skating and puck-handling, circling in the Vegas until he could set up an attempt by a teammate.

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