Number 9, Number 9
A new ranking of NHL under-age-23 prospects reflects well on the drafting acumen of Seattle Kraken general manager Ron Francis and his scouting staff.
Speaking on The Athletic Hockey Show, writer Cory Pronman said Seattle possesses the 9th-best crop of young talent. Pronman noted Francis’ loading up on center depth with quality 1st round selections: Matty Beniers (2021), Shane Wright (2022) and Berkly Catton (2024).
“Probably, not all three of them are going to play center long-term in the NHL. Some would say Catton, because of his frame, he’s more likely on the wing. Maybe Shane Wright goes to wing. They have options. This past year, when I watched (Wright) in the American League, he was really impressive. He was scoring, he was competing, he was making creative plays.”
Pronman joined many observers wondering why Francis didn’t bolster his blueline at the 2024 draft. “They have no defensemen in the organization other than Ryker Evans. How many good defensemen were in this draft? They don’t take one of those guys, they take Catton. It’ll be interesting to see how that decision ages.”
However, he went on to partially answer his own question. “At World Juniors camp (in July), Catton was the best player, other than perhaps (defenseman and Minnesota Wild pick) Zeev Buium.”
Other Offseason Rankings Not As Kind To Kraken
When NHL Network chose their top 20 NHL defensemen, no Seattle rearguard made the list. Not Vince Dunn, not Adam Larsson, not even free agent acquisition Brandon Montour. Kraken fan villain Cale Makar of Colorado topped the list.
The Hockey News 2024-25 Yearbook named the best 50 NHL players (including goalies), but they didn’t name any Kraken, either. Both Edmonton and Colorado placed a pair in the top five: Connor McDavid (#1) and Leon Draisaitl (#3) of the Oilers, and Nathan MacKinnon (#2) and Makar (#4) of the Avalanche. Florida’s Aleksander Barkov finished #5.
Seattle isn’t alone; only 19 of the 32 NHL clubs placed at least one representative. For the record, new Nashville Predator Steven Stamkos was #50. Did Joey Daccord or Jared McCann or any other Seattle player deserve to sneak in ahead of the former Tampa Bay captain?
Who’s The Fairest NHL One Of All?
This last ranking is not only the least important, it would be offensive if it weren’t so absurdly silly. And we’re all about the silly.
An online sports betting site, using artificial intelligence… Okay. Let’s pump the brakes. That clanging sound in your head is from more sirens than a five-alarm fire. What set them off were the terms “Betting site” and “A.I.” So you know this is going to be as credible as the New England Journal of Medicine. To continue…
Tonybet.com decided for some reason to use A.I. to rank the attractiveness of every NHL player. The study’s methodology, according to DailyHive.com, “included obtaining 1,079 images of NHL players from ESPN and HockeyDB.com and running them through the “Attractiveness Test’s AI function” to assign a score between 1 and 10.”
The Envelopes, Please
David Gonzales-USA TODAY Sports
The handsomest NHL player, with an almost immaculate score of 9.96, is Minnesota Wild winger Ryan Hartman. The 29-year-old from Hilton Head, SC is a 580-game NHL vet (who presumably likes puppies, walks in the rain, and world peace).
Hartman might have been dinged .04 because he was -3 in his last game, a 4-3 Minnesota loss to the Kraken.
Missing out by one-one-hundredth of a point was the first runner-up, Chicago Blackhawks center Cole Guttman – who presumably would take Hartman’s spot if for any reason he’s unable to fulfill his duties (should there be any).
In a literal photo finish, the Vancouver Canucks edged the New York Rangers 7.841 to 7.840 for the title of most attractive team. If only Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin had trimmed his mustache before his photo was taken! (Just kidding.)
The Seattle Kraken may be #1 in your hearts, but they’re #24 in the A.I. algorithm with a team attractiveness score of 7.403. And don’t tell new Kraken Brandon Montour, but his former club, the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, ranked next to last (7.185).
The only NHL team below the champs is the Kraken’s opening-day opponent, the St. Louis Blues. Thanks for giving the visiting team bulletin-board material, Tonybet! The Blues will almost certainly arrive in town with a snarl – and an enormous load of grooming products. Maybe that’s why St. Louis signed Edmonton’s Dylan Holloway to an offer sheet; he was ranked sixth-best looking.
A Tonybet statement helpfully points out, “Physical appearance does not necessarily impact performance.” That’s a relief for many of us, whether we play hockey or not.