Seattle Kraken announce first round of training camp cuts

On Monday it was announced that the Seattle Kraken have re-assigned ten players to their junior squads as they try to trim the fat of their training camp roster before the start of the regular season and while none of the players had a chance at cracking (no pun intended) the roster; they did send a couple of notable names back.

The names that stick out on the list are Kaden Hammell and 2024 pick Julius Miettinen, two Everett Silvertips players who are looking to make their mark for Seattle in the future. Miettinen in his first pro season with Everett in 2023-2024 was stellar, scoring 31 goals and 36 assists in 66 games, showing that his talent is undeniable even as he still adjusts to the North American game.

He's a hulking center at 6'3 200+ pounds, and with more conditioning and strength training could find himself one of the hardest players to play against in juniors and beyond. Hammell, who the Kraken have still yet to sign to a deal, joins Miettinen in Everett as he looks to build on 2 solid seasons where he had 8 goals and 18 assists split between Everett and Kamloops; and added a 25 point season last year in addition to adding 4 points in the playoffs.

Jugnauth heads back to Portland has he looks to build upon a 41 point campaign last season, though he may need to build his size up if he wants to play in the NHL as he's only listed at 155 pounds as a defenseman. Lukas Dragicevic, who already signed with the Kraken heads back to Price Albert after a solid three years at Tri-City where he had an incredible 157 points as a defenseman in 196 games. He'll definitely get a look in the next couple of years as Seattle shifts towards their youth.

Other names sent down are Caden Price, Ollie Josephson, Clarke Caswell, Jakub Fibigr, Andrei Loshko and Alexis Bernier.

Price, Josephson and Caswell will also head back to the WHL with Kelowna, Red Deer and Swift Current respectively; Fibigr and Loshko head back to the OHL with Brampton and Niagara, meanwhile Bernier is the sole QMJHL representative for the Kraken as he heads back to Baie-Comeau.

The Kraken have started their journey towards Lord Stanley's Cup, and they kick off their season on October 8th at home vs. St. Louis.

Release the Kraken!