After a surprise trade into the 36th draft pick, the Seattle Kraken made their first selection of the 2nd round with Blake Fiddler of the Edmonton Oil Kings. The Kraken were originally due to pick at 38th, but when Philadelphia was on the clock, the Flyers sent picks 36 and 68 to the Kraken in exchange for 38 and 57.
Fiddler is a 6’4″ 209 lb right-shot defender from Nashville, Tennessee. The Elite Prospects draft guide ranked him at 23, and their player comparison for Fiddler is current Seattle Kraken defenseman Adam Larsson. I’d certainly say that’s some good company. ESPN had him ranked at 25, Daily Faceoff had him at 26, and the Athletic (paywalled) had him at 22. Needless to say, to be able to take him at 36 looks like a bit of a steal, so it makes sense that the Kraken wanted to jump up a couple of picks for the chance to grab him.
EliteProspects.com’s Take
With three-zone skills and unusual mobility for a player this size, it’s impossible not to see Fiddler’s potential. In a single shift, he dangles through the opposition for an entry, blows up an opposing rush, and then stretches the ice with a long-range breakout pass while fending off pressure.
In moments, Fiddler is highly creative, manipulating defenders with fakes before pulling the puck through them, beating them off the point, drawing pressure before passing through them on the breakout, and patiently waiting for the perfect lane to open. Many plays don’t quite click, but that he’s willing to experiment and push bodes well for his future...…Reaching the NHL will require Fiddler to further develop in all facets of the game, particularly reading the play. Achieving a top shutdown projection will require better timing on his pivots, a consistently tight gap, and more physicality. An occasional lack of awareness and a plethora of miscues with possession will have to be cleaned up to translate his puck-moving to the NHL, too.
Elite Prospects Draft Guide 2025
Our Take
After drafting another center with their pick in the 1st round, it’s good to see that the Kraken are rounding out some of their positional needs with drafting a defenseman. It certainly helps that the experts who compile these rankings think he should’ve been picked somewhere late in the 1st round, so it doubles as a “best available” choice. It sounds like there’s still work to be done for him to reach his full potential, but that’s often the case for defensemen, for whom decision-making takes time to hone. However, finding a more defensive defenseman that also seems to show flashes of creativity in his playmaking and turning him into a homegrown talent could certainly pay dividends for the Kraken.